San Diego State · L 23-26
No tackles.
Oregon State · W 38-22
6 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack
The other 6 games average 3 tackles. This one was 3 above.
Tierney has tackles in 7 of Fresno State’s 8 games: none against San Diego State.
“Ethan Tierney continues to be a massive liability”
Fresno State fan, r/CFB game thread · vs Oregon State, Oct 31
Ethan Tierney
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. The three seasons span two programs and two head coaches: Thomas Hammock and Matt Entz. One game to point at: 6 tackles and 1 sack against Oregon State — Week 9, 2026.
22 tackles · 1 sack
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Fans first named Ethan Tierney at USC.
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| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Fresno State | 22 | 11 | 1.0 | 1.0 | -- | 2 |
| 2025 | Fresno State | 20 | 10 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2024 | Northern Illinois | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 43 | 22 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3 | 3 |
Last game (Wk 9): 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 7 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 0-39@ No. 14 USC | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 49-3vs Sacramento State | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 26-10@ San José State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 38-24vs Rice | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 26-6@ Washington State | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 31-38vs No. 23 Boise State | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 38-22vs Oregon State | 6 | 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Total | 22 | 11 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 |
Oct. 31 · W 38-22 vs Oregon State, play by play
6 tackles, including 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 10-yard loss. Third quarter, up 38-16.
His game this year: taking the ball away — 2 interceptions in the 7 games with play by play.
How Fresno State’s defense played that day
Oregon State’s 12 drives: 7 stopped (2 takeaways) · 5 scored. While the game was within a score they held 1 of 4.
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
A big game: 1 tackle, including 2 interceptions, tied for the most interceptions in FBS that week. His interception ended San José State’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted. Second quarter, up 6-3. Ended San José State’s drive (int).
Intercepted. Third quarter, up 13-3. Ended San José State’s drive (int).
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 3 of his 4, sacks included.
5 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -29 to +14 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
0%0 pass breakupsInterceptions
2interceptionsTackle volume
22tackles this seasonTFL rate
5%1 TFL22 tackles · 1 for loss · 1 sack · 2 interceptions.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 3.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 2.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 6.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Entz
Pass share
46.2%
217 pass / 253 run
Plays / game
58.8
8 games
Team sack rate
5.9%
239 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS defensive backs who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Two-star recruit. Now #129 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Pac-12
Based on 2025: #33 of 42 Mountain West DBs — his program moves to the Pac-12 for 2026
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%). It was measured on players who stayed in the same conference and is not adjusted for the move to the Pac-12.
The No. 2,678 recruit in the country is starting in the secondary in the Pac-12 as a junior.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coachesPlayed for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Thomas Hammock and Matt Entz.
