The Cowboys’ second and final bye week of the regular season could not have come at a better time.
After an agonizing loss to San Diego State that saw the Cowboys only score a single touchdown and give away four turnovers, it felt like the Cowboys were in dire need of a reset – especially after several injuries suffered in that physical battle with the Aztecs.
Key contributors of the Mountain West’s second-best scoring defense, such as starting middle linebacker Evan Eller, defensive tackle Jayden Williams and cornerback Dainsus Miller will all be available against Fresno State this upcoming Saturday. Outside of a season-ending injury suffered by quarterback Landon Sims, the Cowboys’ entire roster will be prepared for a pivotal conference matchup against the Bulldogs.
“We’re in a really healthy spot, for the most part, for this time of year,” head coach Jay Sawvel said.
The Cowboys will need all the help they can get finishing two of their final games of the season on the road, where they will look to cross the six-win threshold to make the postseason – especially after they were ineligible for postseason play a season ago for the first time since 2015 (discounting the shortened 2020 season) in their first year under Sawvel.
Get to Know Fresno State
The Bulldogs’ season has been quite the rollercoaster. After opening the season with a rather lopsided loss to Kansas, the Bulldogs fired off five straight wins. The Bulldogs followed that five-game winning streak with two straight head-scratching losses, then most recently took down league-favorite Boise State on the road.
Final | Colorado State 49, Fresno State 21.
— Fresno State Football (@FresnoStateFB) October 11, 2025
bringing home the win from The Blue 🫡 pic.twitter.com/ovhMCwB2x8
— Fresno State Football (@FresnoStateFB) November 1, 2025
It’s hard to know what version of the Bulldogs the Cowboys will meet in Fresno this upcoming Saturday, but Sawvel was quick to point out a glaring win condition for the Bulldogs in conference play: turnovers.
“[A] piece of it that you find real interesting is that in their three conference wins, their turnover margin is plus nine. Then in their two conference losses, their turnover margin is minus four,” Sawvel said.
Sawvel also noted that the Bulldog offense relies heavily on the run game – which couldn’t have been more evident in their win over Boise State, where their offense only generated 35 passing yards, but amassed 189 rushing yards.
The Bulldogs’ rushing attack is led by Rayshon Luke, who is currently averaging an impressive 6.2 yards per carry and has rushed for five touchdowns. Bryson Donelson has the most carries of any back with 103, and has rushed for 473 yards.
The Bulldogs’ quarterback play has been inconsistent at best, however, as former starting quarterback EJ Warner – who has thrown for 1,486 yards for 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions – recently was benched for backup Carson Conklin. Conklin hasn’t been much better in his place, as he has only thrown for 259 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns in three games played this season.
The Bulldogs’ defense has been much more consistent, however, as they rank second in the conference in total defense allowing just over 300 yards a game.
Regardless of what version of the Bulldogs will be present in the matchup, the Cowboys will have to do something they haven’t done since 2014 – and that’s leaving Fresno with a win. The Valley Children Stadium has been a house of horrors for the Cowboys in recent history, as they have been outscored 57-3 in their last two road outings in Fresno.
Cowboys Need to Win Turnover Battle
Sawvel not only noted turnover margin playing a big factor in the Bulldogs’ season, but also noted how much of a factor it has been in the Cowboys’ season as well.
“Right now, we’re minus three on the season, and that can’t be,” Sawvel said.
With that, the Cowboys currently sit in eighth in the conference in turnover margin. The Cowboy offense has turned the ball over a total of 16 times, with 10 of those being interceptions and six being fumbles. On the flip-side, the defense has forced 13 turnovers, which ranks tied fourth in the conference.
"BIG MAN RUMBLE!"
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 2, 2025
306-POUND DEFENSIVE LINEMAN TEEGAN SEEDS WITH THE INT!@wyo_football pic.twitter.com/JRtjm9V6Of
“I think if you single out one thing right away, you know, to start this game is the fact that we got to win turnover margin. We’ve got to take care of the ball, we got to make great decisions with the ball and all that’s going to be important for us,” Sawvel said
Turnover margin wasn’t the only thing Sawvel pointed out his offense needs to improve upon in the final three weeks of the regular season. Red zone efficiency has also been a major issue for the Cowboys, as they rank 11th in the conference in red zone offense, only ahead of a Nevada team that has only won a single game this season.
Sawvel also mentioned his offense needs to be better in short yardage situations in order to extend drives so that they can end drives in the end zone.
“Those three things, in and of itself, extend drives, score points and keep the opponent off the field and keep the opponent out of your own territory,” Sawvel said. “That’s the turnover margin, it starts that, then red zone efficiency and scoring touchdowns is a big piece of it.”
All that being said, Sawvel hasn’t lost confidence in his offense and with what offensive coordinator Jovon Bouknight is bringing to the table in just his third contest handling play calling duties.
“I like where we’re at, and I think the open date helped us in a lot of ways offensively,” Sawvel said.
