Fresno State set to open season against Kansas in Week 0 matchup

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Fresno State Bulldogs are set to hit the road this week to open the season against the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday, one of just five college football games played in Week 0.

First-year head coach Matt Entz says his team has improved dramatically since he stepped onto campus in January.

"They're going to play hard for each other, and that's what I'm excited about," Entz said.

Facing a tough opponent in Kansas, Entz emphasized the importance of preparation and praised the Jayhawks' coaching staff.

"They're going to be prepared. And like I said, I know they're going to be very well coached and be a challenging outfit as we kind of put our final pieces together this week and get ready to play Kansas," Entz said.

The Bulldogs face a tough challenge in Kansas, a team led by a rare multi-year veteran quarterback, Jalon Daniels.

"He's as good a quarterback as there is out there," Entz said.

Fresno State will be led by newly named starting quarterback E.J. Warner, a transfer and the son of NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner.

"The E.J. I saw before starter and now is the same. Very even keel. I got to believe that's probably a little bit of a byproduct of being a football family," Entz said. "E.J. understands the ups and downs that the game provides. At the quarterback position, you need someone who can kind of handle the noise, handle the lights and just keep operating status quo."

Protecting Warner's blind side will be the true freshman out of Buchanan High School, Brayden Walton, who's been with the team since January.

"He didn't make freshman errors. He's put himself in a position physically to be ready to play. He has basically recreated himself," Entz said about Walton. "Talk about a young man who is all in on being a Bulldog. Sometimes, at the recruiting department, we joke he's a blueprint."

Walton is one of about 40 new faces on the roster, but Entz says the team's unity is already evident.

"If you walk in our locker room, you walk out to there to walk through right now. You don't know who's a fourth- or fifth-year player and who's a first-year player, and I think that that shows leadership from the top to the bottom within a locked room," Entz said.

Over the weekend, Fresno State announced its team captains: senior linebacker Jadon Pearson, senior defensive back Al-Zillion Hamilton, senior offensive lineman Jacob Spomer and senior defensive back and Clovis native Camryn Bracha.

"These four young men have done an outstanding job. Since I stepped foot on campus, there were four guys that were always in the front. We're always trying to bring people along with them, and I think that's a definite sign of a leader," Entz said.

With a team full of leaders, Entz will have a fifth floating captain each week.

"Someone that's deserving because of production because of what they've done on the practice field, how they approach the game, their impact to their teammates," he said.

Leadership, just a part of what's needed to win the game.

"We want to win the line of scrimmage, but we also need to be able to execute blocks on the perimeter. We need to be able to block people out of the backfield. We need to be able to break tackles," Entz said.

Entz says the team is blocking out any distractions and focusing on the game ahead.

"When people play us, we want to make sure they know that they played us and they feel the impact of the Bulldogs," he said.

Kick off set for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 23.

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