Fresno State Vs Purdue: Game Preview, How To Watch, Stream, Odds

Bulldogs heading to Big Ten country

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Can Fresno get the upset?

College football is back!

The Bulldogs head to West Lafayette to face the Purdue Boilermakers. This will be the first meeting ever between both of these programs. The Bulldogs

Game: Fresno State vs. Purdue

Where: Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette

TV: Big Ten Network, 9:00 am PT

Streaming: Fubo TV with a free trial

Radio: Bulldogs Sports Network, Fox 1340am

Series Record: First Ever Meeting

Websites: gobulldogs.com

Game Notes: Fresno State | Purdue 

Odds: Purdue (-4)

Players to Watch

QB Mikey Keene

Keene will have some big shoes to fill as former Bulldog Jake Haener is off to the NFL. Keene played at UCF for two seasons before transferring over to Fresno State. Mikey threw for over 2,300 yards and 22 touchdowns in 15 games. Can Keene pick up where Jake Haener left off? Head Coach Jeff Tedford was asked if these Quarterbacks had any similarities.  “They approach the game as a professional. They put a lot of time and energy into it, and that’s a really big deal.

Devo Bridges

Bridges is coming off a breakout year with 43 tackles and two sacks. The last time we saw Bridges play was the Jimmy Kimmel bowl game where he had season-high eight tackles and two sacks. The Bulldogs did lose their top pass rusher from last season David Perales to the NFL. Can Bridges take that next step and be the guy that creates havoc in the backfield?

QB Hudson Card

The Boilermakers will also be starting a new quarterback in Hudson Card. Hudson transferred over from the University of Texas, after 3 seasons with the Longhorns. In 14 games appeared Card threw for over 1,500 yards and 11 touchdowns.  Hudson was rated the third-highest QB in the transfer portal according to 247sports.

Keys to the game:

Find your Playmakers:

The Bulldogs might be one of the most smallest football teams this season. So how can the Dogs use that to their advantage? Getting the ball to their playmakers. The Bulldogs won’t have Jordan Mims, Jalen Cropper, Nikko Remigio, or even Zane Pope.

So who will fill those voids? Are Malik Sherrod and Erik Brooks ready to take on a more significant role? Can WR’s Jalen Moss, Josiah Freeman and WR Jaelen Gill transfer from Boston College be game changers for this offense?

Defensive Line:

The Bulldogs are returning eight out of 11 starters on defense from last season but also have to replace two of their top sack leaders from the 2022 season. The Bulldogs are going to have a physical battle on their hand and have to watch out for RB Devin Mockobee who nearly rushed for 1k yards and nine touchdowns. Mockobee had five games where he rushed for 100 yards or more. The Bulldog’s defense allowed a 100 rusher in five games but didn’t allow one in their last eight out of nine games which helped the Bulldogs to a nine-game winning streak. The Dogs have to take Mockobee out of the picture and make Card tested a strong Bulldogs secondary.

Easy Keene:

Mikey Keene played in a lot of tough environments when he was at Central Florida and he will be in another rowdy environment at Purdue. The Bulldogs have to ease Keene into the game. Get the ball out of his hands quickly and let your playmakers make a play. Mikey did split reps all spring and fall camp and needs to find his rhyme early with this new and inexperienced Bulldogs WR’s group. Have to get Keene going quickly and early to open up this offense.

Prediction:

This game will be very physical and will be neck to neck all game. Can the Bulldogs defense pick up where they left off? Who will be the playmakers for Fresno State’s offense? Which Quarterback can get into a rhythm and be efficient?

I believe this game will be very close but the experience of the Bulldog’s defense helps them make a game-changing play late in this game.

Fresno State 27, 23 Purdue

Story originally appeared on Mountain West Wire