Pick 6 & penalties doom Fresno State, 'Dogs with short week to prep for Nevada

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- It was a trio of errors that led to a 25-17 loss to Washington State. Junior quarterback Mikey Keene threw a fourth-quarter pick-six for the second time this season. "We'll be alright," interim head coach Tim Skipper said Monday. "He'll be fine. He's played a lot of ball."

It's the fourth multi-interception game this season for Keene, the most for a Bulldog quarterback since Tom Brandstater in 2006. "I just talked to him this morning. He's in good spirits, ready to roll," Skipper said. "It's not like he played a completely bad game; he had a couple of bad plays."

Offensive coordinator Pat McCann said there are probably some things the unit can do as a whole to take the pressure off QB1. "He's probably getting hit too much just in general," McCann said. "You get hit a bunch. It's going to affect how you play."

Error two was on the ensuing 4th quarter kickoff when sophomore wide receiver Jalen Moss tripped over his feet on the catch, leading to a drive starting at the one-yard line. "You can't let a play beat you twice," McCann said of the play. "I think in his situation, the kick return led to the drop on the two-minute drive."

Error three resulted in 12 penalties, the most Fresno State has had since a 2016 loss to Toledo. "Three of them were what I call stupid penalties after the play type stuff," Skipper said.

Defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle was also upset Monday, saying, "I'm really disappointed that we had those because that's not the style that we play, and those guys have got to understand how it's impactful to the team."

There were bright spots, including a red zone pick from Dean Clark that Coyle called "probably one of the most acrobatic interceptions I think I've ever seen."

Elijah Gilliam also crossed the century mark for the first time in his career. The Merced native ran for a career-high 120 yards in place of the injured Malik Sherrod.

Now the 'Dogs are ready to face a Nevada team that's 3-4 on the season and coming off a 42-37 over PAC-12 foe Oregon State. "It always seems like it's a late kickoff when you go over there," Skipper said. "It's always a little windy. It always seems like it's midnight, and you gotta go out there, and you have to go play."

Kickoff in Reno is set for 7:30 PM on Friday with temperatures expected to be in the mid 40's

INJURY UPDATES
Senior RB Malik Sherrod: week to week (ankle)
Freshman DL Mordecai Hines: out for the season (undisclosed)
Sophomore WR Josiah Freeman: will miss multiple games (Foot)