Looking back at a matchup against Utah a year ago and the seven sacks that the Utes racked up in a 59-37 victory, Fresno State coach Tim DeRuyter cut quickly to the heart of all of that trouble.
The Bulldogs made themselves an easy mark when staring at third-and-long all game, seven times with 10 or more yards to gain to get a fresh set of downs and extend a drive.
“We got behind on downs,” DeRuyter said. “A lot of our first downs were for zero, and now they’re able to pin their ears back and tee off.