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This Saturday, Fresno State cornerback Cameron Lockridge will experience the other side of a football rivalry.
“It’s probably going to take me, like, a couple snaps to really zone in,” said Lockridge, who will face his former team when Fresno State hosts Hawaii at Valley Children’s Stadium. “I circled this game.”
Lockridge was a key part of the Rainbow Warriors’ defense for two seasons after transferring from Reedley College in 2020. But after the tumultuous 2021 season, during which several Warriors voiced concerns about the stern atmosphere under head coach Todd Graham, Lockridge was among seven defensive starters to enter the transfer portal.
“There was a lot going on,” Lockridge said. “I don’r really want to speak too much on it, but it was a lot going on — on the field and off the field and behind the scenes. Everybody felt like, you know, it just needed a new face.”
On Jan. 15, Graham resigned. A week later, former UH quarterback Timmy Chang was hired as Graham’s replacement.
“Coach Chang is over there doing a good job of keeping them boys in spirit,” Lockridge said. “I heard he’s a good guy. We’ll probably try to chop it up after the game.”
Lockridge, who grew up in Tampa, initially committed to South Alabama two weeks after the end of the 2021 season. But he changed his mind, and enrolled at Fresno State, a 24-minute drive from Reedley.
“It’s like a breath of fresh air,” Lockridge said of returning to Central California. “It comes full circle.”
Lockridge said he enjoyed his time with the Warriors, although the pandemic kept him from taking advantage of Hawaii’s amenities. He played in only one fully attended UH home game.
“I missed out on a lot of things that people get to do now, like Halloween (on Monday) night,” Lockridge said. “I never got to experience Halloween in Waikiki. It’s kind of bittersweet. I am blessed I got the opportunity to go out there and showcase my skills and be part of a culture like that. There’s no other culture like that.”
Lockridge said he is part of a group chat with several Warriors. On Tuesday morning, Lockridge said, “I texted them … ‘y’all know who we play this week?’ Tried to get them riled up for Saturday when they come out here, see what’s up with them.”
Lockridge said he looks forward to facing UH quarterback Brayden Schager and receivers Zion Bowens, Dior Scott and Jalen Walthall. The first-team units went helmet-to-helmet several times during team drills last year. “Practicing with them last year, there was always competition,” Lockridge said. “Like I said, ‘I’m here to get you better, you’re here to get me better.’ Saturday should be the same thing.”
Last year, the Bulldogs were 4-1, having upset UCLA, entering their game against the Warriors at the Ching Complex. UH had beaten New Mexico State a week earlier to end a two-game slide. “We just needed a redemption win,” Lockridge said.
Lockridge said he noticed the Bulldogs appeared to be “lackadaisical” during warmups. Lockridge suffered an injury on the opening kickoff, and was in the training room when he watched Matthew Shipley kick the decisive field goal in the Warriors’ 27-24 victory.
Lockridge said he expects UH to bring its best.
“You know, they’re coming in with that mentality, like, it’s the Rainbow Warrior way, like, play hard every game,” Lockridge said. “We’re not going to see any quit in those boys on Saturday. They take every game the same approach. This season hasn’t been going their way, but we can’t let them slide at all, because of what happened last year. We’ve got to go in, execute.”
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