Fresno State Dominates Georgia Southern in Season Opener
Fresno State defeated Georgia Southern 42-14 in Week 1 of the 2025 season, with the Bulldogs controlling the game behind a balanced offensive attack.
The home team built an early 10-7 advantage after the first quarter before pulling away decisively. Fresno State's defense stifled Georgia Southern throughout, particularly in the second quarter where multiple defensive stands created scoring opportunities. E.J. Warner led the Fresno State passing attack with 176 yards, while running back Rayshon Luke rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Georgia Southern scored all 14 of its points in the first half, with seven in each of the first two quarters, then managed no points in the second half. Camden Brown led the Eagles' receiving corps with 55 yards.
Fresno State's third quarter proved decisive, outscoring Georgia Southern 15-0 to put the game out of reach. The Bulldogs added 14 more fourth-quarter points to seal the convincing victory. The win covered the 2-point spread and pushed the game total over the 49.5-point line.
AI-generated recap · Aug 23, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Georgia Southern | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
 Fresno State | 10 | 3 | 15 | 14 | 42 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Georgia Southern | Fresno State |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 17-28 | 20-27 |
| Pass Yards | 158 | 176 |
| Rush Yards | 84 | 351 |
| Total Yards | 242 | 527 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| 3rd Down | 4-11 | 6-10 |
| Penalties | 5-58 | 2-25 |
| Possession | 21:59 | 38:01 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
E.J. Warner pass incomplete to Ezekiel Avit
E.J. Warner pass complete to Josiah Freeman for 7 yds to the FRES 32
E.J. Warner pass complete to Ezekiel Avit for 17 yds to the FRES 49 for a 1ST down
Bryson Donelson run for a loss of 1 yard to the FRES 48
E.J. Warner pass complete to Jayon Farrar for 13 yds to the GASO 39 for a 1ST down
Bryson Donelson run for no gain to the GASO 39
E.J. Warner pass complete to Josiah Freeman for 6 yds to the GASO 33
E.J. Warner pass complete to Elijah Gilliam for no gain to the GASO 33
E.J. Warner pass complete to Ezekiel Avit for 4 yds to the GASO 29 for a 1ST down
E.J. Warner pass complete to Josiah Freeman for 11 yds to the GASO 18 for a 1ST down
Bryson Donelson run for 8 yds to the GASO 10
E.J. Warner pass complete to Rayshon Luke for 8 yds to the GASO 18
E.J. Warner pass incomplete to Kamron Beachem
Dylan Lynch 36 yd FG GOOD
(07:34) No Huddle-Shotgun Arnold,OJ rush left for 10 yards gain to the GAS35 (Bracha,Camryn) PENALTY GAS Holding 10 yards from GAS25 to GAS15. NO PLAY.
JC French IV pass incomplete to Camden Brown
OJ Arnold run for 7 yds to the GASO 22
JC French IV pass complete to Josh Dallas for 7 yds to the GASO 29
Alex Smith punt for 45 yds , Jordan Malau'ulu returns for 54 yds to the GASO 20
Bryson Donelson run for 3 yds to the GASO 17
E.J. Warner pass incomplete to Bryson Donelson
Rayshon Luke run for 17 yds for a TD (Dylan Lynch KICK)
JC French IV pass complete to Camden Brown for 17 yds to the GASO 42 for a 1ST down
JC French IV pass complete to Dalen Cobb for 7 yds to the GASO 35
JC French IV pass complete to Camden Brown for 6 yds to the GASO 41
JC French IV pass complete to Marcus Sanders Jr. for 18 yds to the FRES 41 for a 1ST down
JC French IV run for 9 yds to the FRES 32
OJ Arnold run for 11 yds to the FRES 21 for a 1ST down
OJ Arnold run for 3 yds to the FRES 18
JC French IV pass complete to Camden Brown for 18 yds for a TD (Tripp Bryant KICK)
E.J. Warner pass incomplete to Bryson Donelson
E.J. Warner pass complete to Bryson Donelson for 10 yds to the FRES 35 for a 1ST down
E.J. Warner pass intercepted
OJ Arnold run for 5 yds to the GASO 48
JC French IV pass complete to Josh Dallas for 11 yds to the FRES 17 for a 1ST down
Josh Dallas run for no gain to the FRES 17
JC French IV pass complete to Josh Dallas for 4 yds to the FRES 13
OJ Arnold run for 6 yds to the FRES 7 for a 1ST down
Weston Bryan run for 3 yds to the FRES 4
JC French IV pass incomplete to River Helms
JC French IV pass complete to River Helms for 4 yds for a TD (Tripp Bryant KICK)
Bryson Donelson run for 31 yds to the GASO 46 for a 1ST down Georgia Southern Penalty, UNS: Unsportsmanlike Conduct (Jayden Davis) to the GASO 39 for a 1ST down
Bryson Donelson run for 21 yds to the GASO 18 for a 1ST down
Bryson Donelson run for 9 yds to the GASO 9
Rayshon Luke run for 8 yds to the GASO 1 for a 1ST down Georgia Southern Penalty, Defensive Holding (Davion Rhodes) declined for a 1ST down
Bryson Donelson run for a loss of 2 yards to the GASO 3 Bryson Donelson fumbled, recovered by GASO Davion Rhodes
OJ Arnold run for no gain to the GASO 3
JC French IV run for no gain to the GASO 3
OJ Arnold run for 6 yds to the GASO 9
Alex Smith punt for 41 yds, fair catch by Jordan Malau'ulu at the 50 yard line
Rayshon Luke run for 1 yd to the GASO 49
E.J. Warner pass complete to Richie Anderson III for 11 yds to the GASO 38 for a 1ST down
E.J. Warner pass intercepted
David Mbadinga run for 4 yds to the GASO 7
JC French IV pass complete to Marcus Sanders Jr. for 4 yds to the GASO 11
Josh Dallas run for 5 yds to the GASO 16 for a 1ST down
JC French IV pass incomplete to David Mbadinga
JC French IV pass complete to Josh Dallas for 17 yds to the GASO 33 for a 1ST down
JC French IV pass intercepted
Bryson Donelson run for 1 yd to the FRES 48
E.J. Warner pass complete to Ezekiel Avit for 8 yds to the GASO 44
Bryson Donelson run for 1 yd to the GASO 43 for a 1ST down
Rayshon Luke run for 2 yds to the GASO 41
E.J. Warner run for 25 yds to the GASO 16 for a 1ST down
Bryson Donelson run for 2 yds to the GASO 14
E.J. Warner pass complete to Bryson Donelson for 2 yds to the GASO 12
E.J. Warner pass complete to Rayshon Luke for 4 yds to the GASO 8
Dylan Lynch 26 yd FG GOOD
End of 2nd Quarter
JC French IV pass complete to Dalen Cobb for 12 yds to the GASO 34 for a 1ST down
OJ Arnold run for 3 yds to the GASO 37
OJ Arnold run for no gain to the GASO 37
JC French IV pass incomplete to Josh Dallas
Alex Smith punt for 18 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the FRES 45
E.J. Warner run for 3 yds to the FRES 48
Rayshon Luke run for 13 yds to the GASO 39 for a 1ST down
Rayshon Luke run for 5 yds to the GASO 34
E.J. Warner pass complete to Bryson Donelson for 8 yds to the GASO 26 for a 1ST down
Bryson Donelson run for 6 yds to the GASO 20
Bryson Donelson run for 2 yds to the GASO 18
Brandon Ramirez run for 10 yds to the GASO 8 for a 1ST down
Bryson Donelson run for 8 yds for a TD (J. Freeman Run For Two-point Conversion)
JC French IV pass complete to David Mbadinga for a loss of 1 yard to the GASO 12
JC French IV pass complete to Taylor Bradshaw for 5 yds to the GASO 17
JC French IV run for 1 yd to the GASO 18
Alex Smith punt for 38 yds , K'Vion Thunderbird returns for no gain to the FRES 44
Bryson Donelson run for 7 yds to the GASO 49
E.J. Warner pass complete to Ezekiel Avit for 2 yds to the GASO 47
Brandon Ramirez run for 3 yds to the GASO 44 for a 1ST down
E.J. Warner pass incomplete to Richie Anderson III
E.J. Warner pass complete to Jayon Farrar for 11 yds to the GASO 33 for a 1ST down
Bryson Donelson run for 9 yds to the GASO 24
E.J. Warner pass complete to Bryson Donelson for 5 yds to the GASO 19 for a 1ST down
Rayshon Luke run for 7 yds to the GASO 12
Rayshon Luke run for 12 yds for a TD (Dylan Lynch KICK)
(01:42) No Huddle-Shotgun Mbadinga,David rush middle for 16 yards gain to the GAS43 (Davis,Jayden) PENALTY GAS Holding 10 yards from GAS27 to GAS17. NO PLAY.
David Mbadinga run for 8 yds to the GASO 25
JC French IV pass complete to Dalen Cobb for 20 yds to the GASO 45 for a 1ST down
JC French IV pass incomplete to Dalen Cobb
Dalen Cobb run for no gain to the GASO 45
JC French IV pass incomplete to Camden Brown
Alex Smith punt for 45 yds, fair catch by Jordan Malau'ulu at the FRES 10
Bryson Donelson run for 20 yds to the FRES 30 for a 1ST down
Bryson Donelson run for 1 yd to the FRES 31
Bryson Donelson run for 11 yds to the FRES 42 for a 1ST down
E.J. Warner pass complete to Jayon Farrar for 15 yds to the GASO 43 for a 1ST down
E.J. Warner pass complete to Jordan Malau'ulu for 18 yds to the GASO 25 for a 1ST down
Bryson Donelson run for 2 yds to the GASO 23
Bryson Donelson run for 20 yds to the GASO 3 for a 1ST down
Brandon Ramirez run for 3 yds for a TD (Dylan Lynch KICK)
JC French IV run for 5 yds to the GASO 30
JC French IV pass incomplete to Ahmon Green
JC French IV pass incomplete to Dalen Cobb
Alex Smith punt for 41 yds, fair catch by Jordan Malau'ulu at the FRES 29
Bryson Donelson run for 4 yds to the FRES 33
E.J. Warner pass complete to Brandon Ramirez for 32 yds to the GASO 35 for a 1ST down
Bryson Donelson run for 4 yds to the GASO 31
Rayshon Luke run for 2 yds to the GASO 29
Rayshon Luke run for 29 yds for a TD (Dylan Lynch KICK)
PENALTY GAS Personal Foul 15 yards from FRES35 to FRES50. NO PLAY.
PENALTY GAS Personal Foul (Mbadinga,David) 8 yards from GAS16 to GAS08. NO PLAY.
David Mbadinga run for 6 yds to the GASO 14
JC French IV pass complete to Camden Brown for 14 yds to the GASO 28 for a 1ST down
David Mbadinga run for 2 yds to the GASO 30
JC French IV pass incomplete to River Helms
JC French IV pass incomplete to Ahmon Green
Alex Smith punt for 48 yds , Jordan Malau'ulu returns for 1 yd to the FRES 23
Elijah Gilliam run for 5 yds to the FRES 28
Elijah Gilliam run for 25 yds to the GASO 47 for a 1ST down
Johnathan Arceneaux run for 6 yds to the GASO 41
Johnathan Arceneaux run for 4 yds to the GASO 37 for a 1ST down
Elijah Gilliam run for 3 yds to the GASO 34
Johnathan Arceneaux run for 1 yd to the GASO 33
C. Conklin takes a knee