Yesterday evening, the Fresno State Bulldogs unveiled a special new all-black uniform, which will be worn for one game this season. (Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.)
Anyhow, as seems to be the new trend this fall, an FBS team unveiled a black one-off, and the team have announced they will wear this uniform for the “Fright Night” game against rival San Jose State. And as you might suspect from the game’s nickname, it takes place on October 26th, 2024, which is the Saturday before Hallowe’en.
Unfortunately, the team didn’t provide any still photos of the uniforms, but…shockingly…they produced a hype video. And you’re not going to believe it, but it features lots of quick cuts and poor lighting. I was able to make a few screen grabs. But first…
. pic.twitter.com/wupXhI5DOd
— Fresno State Football (@FresnoStateFB) August 21, 2024
As you may been able to see, the helmet, jersey and pants are all black. The helmet is a matte finish, and features “Bulldogs” in a red metallic script, outlined in white. The front bumper reads “’Dogs” (thankfully there’s no apostrophe catastrophe). The helmets have a black cage.
The back of the helmet features a bunch of decals, and the words “FRESNO STATE” on the rear bumper. If you’re not familiar with the green decal that is in the shape of a “V”, that green “V” (which appears on the Bulldogs’ helmets, uniforms, and playing field) symbolizes California’s Central Valley, specifically the San Joaquin Valley, the agricultural valley from which they draw their support. As we’ll see, they also have the “V” at the base of their collar.
The jersey is black and has “FRESNO STATE” as a wordmark in block red letters. Front numbers are red, outlined in white, and TV numbers in the same style are located on the sleeve caps.
Also across the front of the jersey are the Mountain West Conference Patch, maker’s mark, and the green/red “V” logo, which is at the base of the collar.
The rear of the jersey features a NOB rendered in thin red letters, and the numbers are in the same style as on the front, and slightly larger on the back.
Pants are black and stripeless. On the right hip is the Bulldog logo, with the maker’s mark on the left hip.
This is a new BFBS uniform (Fresno State’s colors are red and blue, plus green for the “V” logo), but it’s not the first time the team has had a black uniform. Back in 2015 they featured a different BFBS look.
It’s no surprise I’m not a fan of this uniform as it’s another in the seemingly endless parade of BFBS uniforms. But as a uniform (disregarding black not being a school color), it’s fairly good. Despite being outlined in white, I don’t think the numbers will show up especially well, and I’d prefer the pants to have stripes. But it’s also 1) not designed with me in mind (the players and recruits probably love it), and 2) it’s a one-off uniform, in one of the Hallowe’en colors, and the game will be played the weekend before Hallowe’en. So at least it’s festive. Let the kids have their fun!
Your thoughts?