"We need to be better as a football team": Fresno State football hoping to bounce back after loss

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno State football is hoping to bounce back after a 31-7 loss in its season opener on Saturday.

"We didn't, unfortunately, respond very well to the adversity, and that was kind of a set the tone for the for the rest of the game," head coach, Matt Entz said to media on Monday. "The team that will beat us first is ourselves, if we allow these things to continue to happen on a weekly basis so we got to clean some things up. We need to run better, read and run better routes, need to block better up front. We need to make better reads and quarterback and tailback position. There's not just one set of issues. We need to be better as a football team."

Entz telling the media Monday morning that the team started off playing great, but that began to shift after the first 25 minutes of play.

"Then all of a sudden the wheels kind of fell off there; with about three minutes left in the second quarter where we're going to win that critical middle eight period. We did a good job just holding to a field goal right there, but we had two negative plays back to back right there, that really kind of sent us in a tailspin. I need to do a better job of staying positive. We need to do a better job of handling those moments," Entz explained. "We got to learn, burn turn at some point. We got to learn from our mistakes, and then we got to get back to business. We can't let two turn into we can't let one turn into two."

Despite the loss, coach Entz is excited about where his team is mentally and physically.

He says the team brought great energy and is now focusing on the game ahead.

Entz is expecting Georgia Southern to come in with tempo.

"We need to do a really good job of honing in on what we want to be in defensively from a structure standpoint, and then practicing it all week long with some sort of tempos," he said.

He's prepping the team for explosive plays and sharing this message for the Red Wave.

"There are 11 games left. I want to hear you. Let's get to the stadium. Let's pack it. Let's make it tough on Georgia Southern on third down, and then let's move forward," he stated.

The 'Dogs kick off against the Eagles at 6:30 this Saturday, August 30, for the team's home opener.

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