Early look at Wyoming's showdown with Fresno State

Aug. 12—LARAMIE — In the final installment of WyoSports' schedule breakdown series, University of Wyoming beat writer Josh Criswell examines the Cowboys' regular-season finale against Fresno State.

Elite arm

The Bulldogs are strong in several areas, but the primary reason they were picked to win the West Division in the Mountain West preseason poll is the return of Jake Haener at quarterback. The former Washington transfer was voted the league's preseason player of the year last month, after ranking among the top 11 in the FBS in passing yards, passing touchdowns and total offense in 2021.

Haener gave Fresno State fans a scare shortly after the regular season, entering the transfer portal one day after head coach Kalen DeBoer left to take the same job at Washington. However, he reversed course about a week later, electing to return to the Bulldogs after it was announced that Jeff Tedford would be leading the program.

Familiar faces

Tedford is a well-known commodity at Fresno State. He took over the program after the 2016 season, with the team coming off a 1-11 campaign. He proceeded to lead them to a 10-4 record the following year, earning MW coach of the year honors and being named a finalist for the AFCA National coach of the year award in the process. The Bulldogs went 12-2 in 2018 and 4-8 in his final season before stepping away due to health reasons.

Another familiar face has returned to Fresno in defensive line coach Jethro Franklin. He was a two-time All-American with the Bulldogs in the 1980s, in addition to setting what was then a single-season school record with 19 1/2 sacks in 1986. Franklin returned to his alma mater after a brief stint in the NFL to coach the defensive line from 1991-98, marking the start of a coaching career that has involved stops as an assistant with various college and professional teams.

Maintaining stability

Another factor in the lofty expectations for the Bulldogs is the fact that they don't lose a ton of key contributors. Senior cornerback Wylan Free — who transferred to Georgia Southern this offseason — was the only starter they lost to the portal, after racking up 116 tackles, 71 solo stops, 10 pass deflections, four interceptions and one touchdown in four years with the program. Linebacker Sherwin King and cornerback Randy Jordan are the most notable of the other players that transferred out, although neither saw much if any action last season.

Notable additions

In addition to not losing much production to the portal, the Bulldogs added a couple of potential impact transfers, as well.

Defensive end Joshua Pakola, who comes to Fresno State from Stanford, will help the defense move forward following the departure of five-year contributor Arron Mosby. Pakola didn't play last fall, and only appeared in four games during his first two years with the program. But he's a former four-star prospect and top-200 recruit who has the potential to be one of the most dangerous newcomers in the conference. Defensive back Cameron Lockridge (Hawaii), linebacker Raymond Scott (USC), offensive lineman Jacob Isaia (Michigan State), tight end Velltray Jefferson (Utah) and wide receiver Nikko Remigio (California) could also play key roles for the Bulldogs.

By the numbers

On paper, Fresno State seems to have a fairly substantial advantage over the Cowboys heading into the season. At No. 69 in ESPN's Football Power Index, the Bulldogs are the second highest-ranked team in the MW and 30 spots ahead of UW. They also have the second-lowest odds to win the conference on DraftKings at +240, with the Pokes being listed at +4500.

Josh Criswell covers the University of Wyoming for WyoSports. He can be reached at jcriswell@wyosports.net or 307-755-3325. Follow him on Twitter at @criswell_sports.