Fresno State football preps for conference opener in New Mexico after shutout win

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- With a 48-0 shutout against New Mexico State on Saturday, Fresno State is coming off program's largest margin of victory over an FBS team since beating Colorado 69-14 back in 2012.

In Monday morning's weekly press conference, Interim Head Coach Tim Skipper says the shutout started to get on the team's mind during the 4th quarter.

"I love shutouts, you know. There's not a defensive guy that doesn't," Skipper said.

Saturday's defensive effort marked the first shutout for the Bulldogs since last year's dominance in Tempe over Arizona State.

The 'donut' score over New Mexico State elicited the breakfast snack being served by Fresno State Defensive Coordinator Kevin Coyle in the Bulldogs' defensive meetings.

"I can't not bring the donuts or I'm going to get some real flack from the guys," Coyle said.

Coyle added that 31 different defensive players contributed in the effort against the Aggies.

"We had a lot of guys gain game experience," Coyle said. "That's going to bode well for us in the future."

It was also a case of deja vu from last week, with Senior WR Mac Dalena finding the endzone on the Bulldogs' second offensive play of the game with a 69-yard TD strike to open the scoring.

Action News asked Coach Skipper about Dalena's recent offensive explosion over the last two games.

"It's not a shock to me," Skipper said. "It's not a shock to anybody that knows the kid."

The San Joaquin Memorial product is now fifth in the FBS with 384 yards on the year. His average of nearly 26-yards per catch is first in the country.

On the ground, Senior RB Malik Sherrod hit the century mark for the first time since November of last season. Sherrod finished the night with 113 yards, and a touchdown on 15 carries.

Fresno State Offensive Coordinator Pat McCann praised Sherrod's extra work in practice leading up to the game.

"The passion he plays the game with is palpable. You can feel it," McCann said.

Senior CB Cam Lockridge once again became the ballhawk for the defense, adding two more interceptions to his resume to bring his season total to three.

Lockridge ranks No. 2 in the nation and is now the FBS active career leader in picks with a total of 12.

Fresno State now gets ready for a road trip to Albuquerque to open Mountain West conference play against an (0-3) New Mexico team.

"Playing on the road is always a challenge," Skipper said. "You have to embrace that everyone hates you."

The Bulldogs will look to avenge last year's loss to the Lobos at home, after surrendering 345 yards on the ground alone.

Kickoff is set for 5:30 pm from University Stadium.

For sports updates, follow Alec Nolan on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.