FRESNO, Calif. — Saturday will kick off the 2024 football season for the Fresno State Bulldogs. They'll compete against the University of Michigan, the defending National Champions.
Last season, the Bulldogs had a strong showing and finished the season 9-4 after beating New Mexico State in the New Mexico Bowl.
This season will bring some changes, though. Head Coach Jeff Tedford stepped down in July, and Assistant Head Coach Tim Skipper was named interim Head Coach.
Stephen Hicks is the Sports Director for television station ABC30 in Fresno, and he's traveling with the team to its season-opener in Ann Arbor. He said Skipper's late appointment as head coach should not have a negative impact on the Bulldogs.
"This team is rallied around (Skipper), the new voice in that locker room," said Hicks. "I've been at practice... leading up to the season, and they're just hitting on that enthusiasm and the young energy that Skipper's brought to this team."
Saturday's game will also mean one of the largest crowds the Bulldogs have ever encountered. According to Sports Illustrated, in 2023, Michigan Stadium filled an average of 109,971 seats per game. That's over two and half times the average crowd attracted by Fresno State in the same year.
Hicks says the team has accounted for this difference and has been practicing with crowd noise. To get a full preview of the game, KVPR's Elizabeth Arakelian spoke with Hicks.
Listen to the interview in the player on this page.
