Matt Entz entered his second head coaching gig with a 60-11 overall record and two national titles. His 72nd game as a head coach ended in brutal fashion with Fresno State football. Forcing him to drop an honest bomb after taking the rough 31-7 loss against Kansas Saturday.
Entz got vocal about his team’s performance. Which featured Jalon Daniels shredding Fresno State by land and air.
“I know we can play better football,” Entz began via 247Sports. “I’ve seen it out on the practice field.”
So where did it all go wrong in Entz’ Fresno State debut?
“We’ve got to protect the football, got to be great on third down, all the little things. It’s a game of making plays — and we didn’t make enough plays,” Entz said. “You can’t lose the turnover battle and can’t have penalties. There’s a lot of learning involved.”
Matt Entz transitioning to higher CFB level with Fresno State
Entz is returning as head coach after previously guiding North Dakota State. He rose as a pivotal loss for USC during early December. Pursuing and later accepting the offer to become Fresno State head coach.
Entz said via Gabe Camarillo of Fresno Fox affiliate KMPH 26 during fall camp that “Fresno State would win (and lose) games based on the line of scrimmage.” Kansas dominated on both lines.
Ironically, the opposing head coach inside David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium was another past non-Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) leader in Lance Leipold. The latter ended up out-coaching Entz.
Daniels threw a near perfect game of 18-of-20 passing. He tacked on 47 rushing yards against a defense that cranked up the blitzes in the second quarter. Entz’ defense even allowed just one second half touchdown the rest of the evening.
The Bulldog offense self-destructed badly, however. E.J. Warner sparked early buzz among Fresno State fans by winning the starting quarterback nod as Kurt Warner’s son. Warner endured a rigid Bulldogs debut too — throwing two costly interceptions and losing one fumble. The ground attack didn’t fare any better either, averaging a morbid 1.3 yards per carry. No Bulldogs wide receiver surpassed three catches.
Entz already dove into a postgame conversation he’s heard.
“I already like the messaging I’m hearing from the veterans in the locker room,” Entz said.
He also received compliments from Leipold, saying his Bulldog-led team played hard. But Entz now must make his first major adjustment as he received a rough intro into his Fresno State chapter.
