Fresno State Football: 3 takeaways from dominant win over UConn

1. Jake Haener looks like the next great Group of Five quarterback

Quarterback play is critical for any Group of Five team hoping to break through and challenge for a New Year’s Six bid. Last year, after sitting out the 2019 season following a transfer from Washington, Jake Haener showed signs that he might be the next great Fresno State quarterback. He finished fourth in the FBS with more than 336 passing yards per game, though the Bulldogs went only 3-3 in league play.

On Saturday in the heart of the Central Valley, Haener made his 2020 body of work look pedestrian and showed off an arm that could potentially shift the balance of power in the Mountain West.

In the first half of play against Connecticut, Haener put on a clinic against a Huskies defense that had few answers. Haener went 17-of-22 in the first two quarters, connecting with eight different receivers for 299 yards and three touchdown passes by halftime as the Bulldogs rolled up a 31-0 lead on the visitors.

Haener didn’t spend much time on the field in the second half, finishing the game with 331 yards through the air and his three scoring strikes on 20-of-26 passing. With Haener under center, the Bulldogs asserted their aerial attack to its fullest; Logan Fife did not look nearly as confident in his chances to lead the offense. When Haener was in the game it also opened things up on the ground for an offense that that has struggled to run the ball in recent years.