DeRuyter, 'Dogs prepare for Toledo

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Fresno State football team enters their Week 3 matchup against Toledo coming off the heels of a 31 to 3 win over Sacramento State this weekend. The 'Dogs are hoping to carry that winning momentum on the road this week in Northwest Ohio.

"It had been a long time since we were able to sing the Bulldog Spirt Fight Song in the locker room after the game and it feels great," head coach Tim DeRuyter said.

November 14 last season at Hawaii, to be exact, was the last time the Bulldogs won a football game prior to Saturday night's win.

"Doesn't matter who you play, winning is not easy," DeRuyter said. "When you do win I want our guys to celebrate and enjoy the win and then learn from it. You have to come back the next day and learn from why you won and continue to want to get that feeling every Saturday."

"We haven't sung that song in a long time," defensive back Jamal Ellis said. "To get a good win, the first one at Bulldog Stadium, it just felt good and just carry that momentum into next week."

Up next for the 'Dogs is a road date with the 2-0 Toledo Rockets Saturday afternoon.

"I think they are a complete team," DeRuyter said. "They are a team offensively that's very balanced that does a lot of things with formations and personnel groupings, they run the ball effectively and throw the ball with great tempo."

That's a challenge for a 'Dogs defense that came up with two interceptions and allowed just 185 yards in Saturday's win over Sacramento State.

"Right now, defensively, our guys feel pretty good about themselves," DeRuyter said. "They corrected things we had to correct from a week before, we tackled better, we still have a long way to go in tackling better. But we are playing at a speed and making plays because our guys are playing fast and playing with confidence, we have to carry that confidence to toledo this weekend."

Now the Bulldogs look to put together a winning streak. They didn't do that for all of the last season and the last time they strung together consecutive wins was the 2014 season when they won three in a row late that year.