Mario Cristobal Gives Early Scouting Report of Fresno State
We're finally in game week, and Oregon is laser-focused on Fresno State, who earned a dominant 45-0 win over Connecticut to open their season. Mario Cristobal met with the media following Monday's practice to break down the initial organizational chart as well as the team's first opponent in Fresno State.
Heading into the game, he's not taking the Bulldogs lightly, and is impressed by the wealth of experience they return.
"We watched them extensively. Just very impressive," Cristobal said of Fresno State following their dominant week zero win. "You could tell it's a team that returns a lot of starters, I believe 20 of 22 If I'm not mistaken.
The Bulldogs have drawn attention on offense in part due to their balanced arsenal of skill talent, headlined by senior running back Ronnie Rivers, a first-team All-Mountain West selection a year ago.
"They're explosive on offense and it relates to a couple different things. Number one at running back, they're about as good as you'll find-- not only on the West Coast and in their conference, but around the country," he said. "I know that Rivers has shattered just about every record at the university. They find a just different ways to get him the ball. He's not just running the ball, he's catching out of the backfield."
From a schematic standpoint, the tight ends present a bit of wildcard and could really help the Bulldogs open up the playbook and give Oregon fits. Strong tight end play was part of the Ducks' undoing against Iowa State last season in the Fiesta Bowl. If they're playing well, they should help spotlight all of Rivers' abilities.
"He's creating explosive plays by getting the ball in space or getting them in jumbled sets because their tight ends are healthy now, so 12 personnel is now more of a real thing for them."
But Rivers is hardly the only weapon for Ryan Grubb's offense, as senior quarterback Jake Haener looks to stay hot after torching the Connecticut defense to the tune of 331 yards and three touchdowns.
"Different tempos certainly create some issues. A very experienced quarterback you know, coming over from Washington," Cristobal said of the Fresno State offense. "I believe they led the Mountain West last year in passing, were a top 10 team in passing-top 10 or top 20. And you could tell by the efficiency of their passing game, the timing, the precision of their passing game, their system. The ability to get the ball out when they need to, the ability set up and protect and launch it down the field when they want to."
Cristobal always pays special attention to the trenches and he was quick to point out that he was impressed with how the unit faired. The Fresno State offensive line also has experience on its side, which will undoubtedly help them get settled against a relatively young Oregon defensive line.
Wide receiver Jalen Cropper has been a steady contributor for the Bulldogs--whether it be through the air in the passing game or picking up yards on the ground as a rusher or returner on special teams.
Switching to the other side of the ball, arguably the most evident strength of the Fresno State defense lies in the trenches-- where the team deploys one of the top pass rushing units in all of college football from 2020. The defense was stout last weekend and limited UCONN to just 107 total yards and a measly two for sixteen on third down.
"On defense, disruptive. Whenever you hold the team to 100 yards of total offense and a shutout, you're playing really well and it starts up front," Cristobal said. "Their interior defensive line is impressive, 320 pounders that could bounce you back. They play well with their hands."
It also looks like this will be a good test for Anthony Brown, as Oregon's starting quarterback will face a lot of different looks and have a lot to process on Saturday.
"The pressure packages are diverse both on first and second down and on third down-- but just very heavy handed, very active guys, create a lot of issues with their stunts, with speed at power rushes," Cristobal said of the defensive front. "(They) Just won with speed, and then with the different ways they attack you--they'll mesh charge some of the quarterback read stuff and make it a really tough deal for the quarterback to make a decision and create more negative plays. They had tremendous success."
An aggressive secondary that typically excels in man-to-man coverage will be a good gauge for Oregon's wide receiver corps, which will trot out true freshman Troy Franklin for his first taste of real college action Saturday.
"And they have it outside also, they just they smothered their opponent in week one, so we expect a great challenge."
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