Fresno State earned the opportunity to play in the Mountain West championship against their rival Boise State.

Fresno State’s 2022 football season forced them to battle through adversity in order to earn place in the Mountain West Championship. Their season started of rough, they were 1-4 and had to find a way to get back on track.

Head coach Jeff Tedford, returned for his second stint at Fresno State after Kalen Deboer left to coach University of Washington’s team. Their quarterback, Jake Haener, was injured in a game against USC, which caused him to miss four games. 

Junior Kosi Agina, a starting safety on the team, had to deal with all this season’s challenges.

“We just stuck to the script,” Agina said. “We knew we had talent and we knew we had to put in the work needed to be a great team. Sometimes in life you go through adversity and how you respond shows everything about your character.”

One of the key turning points in the season was Fresno State making a comeback against San Diego State, from being two scores down with under two minutes left, winning 32-28.

“The SDSU game proved that you can never give up, no matter how daunting something may be or look,” Agina continued. “We were down most of the game, but we never stopped striking and we took that game from them. It showed us just how talented we are as a group.”

The game allowed Fresno State to take the driver’s seat in the west side of the Mountain West; the last time the Bulldogs played in the championship was 2018. The team won the game in dramatic fashion at overtime against Boise State off of a game winning touchdown.

The quarterback at the time was Marcus McMaryion, who is exhilarated Fresno State is returning.

“It’s great man! It’s always exciting to see the program excelling!” McMaryion said. 

Junior wide reciever, Mac Dalena, shares how proud he was of the team.

“Definitely I’m most proud of seeing how this team came together when we were 1-4,” Dalena said, “and just realizing that this isn’t who we are and coming together and finding a way.”

Dalena, grew up loving the Bulldogs and is excited to get to play in the championship wearing a Fresno State jersey. 

“It is definitely a dream come true,” Dalena said. “Being able to be on such a great team and be in this situation is very exciting.”

For Kosi Agina, this is his first championship he’s had the chance at in a while.

“I’m excited. I haven’t played in a championship since elementary school,” Agina said, “and the chance of getting redemption from the first time we played them a few months ago is driving me. What an opportunity this is.”

Over the period the team has reached many fans, even selling out when hosting Pac-12 team Oregon State.

Fresno Christian sophomore, Trevor Engelman, attends all of the Fresno State games.

“The games are fun because of how hyped the crowd gets after scoring,” Engelman said. “It’s really cool to see how loyal the Fresno community is to the Bulldogs.”

On Dec. 3, at 1 pm, Fresno State will take on Boise State. The game will be televised on Fox. A win would be an amazing ending for the determined Fresno State team.

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