FRESNO, CALIF. >> This Central California valley is indeed the “Land of the Raisin Sun.”

Half of the world’s raisin supply comes from Fresno.

Fresno also is known for producing grapes, almonds, pistachios, tomatoes, poultry and beef. A few years ago, Fresno seized from Gilroy, Calif., the title of “Garlic Capital of the World.”

It also is producer of the Red Wave, the boisterous followers of the Fresno State football program. The Bulldogs lead Mountain West teams in attendance with an average of 40,621 tickets issued per home game.

The Fresno fans are their most vocal when jeering alongside the “Red Mile” – the 168-pace walk from the visitors’ locker room at Valley Children’s Stadium to Jim Sweeney Field.

At the end of Tuesday’s practice in Manoa, UH associate coach Chris Brown reminded the Rainbow Warriors — in pointed language — what it was like to play the Bulldogs, especially on the road. Brown was a standout linebacker for the Warriors through the 2022 season.

“We were raised in the fire,” Brown said of the UH-FSU battles.

The fire soon will be extinguished on this series. Fresno State announced it will secede from the Mountain West in 2026 to join the Pac-12 remnants. Fresno State and UH were both in the Western Athletic Conference before moving to the Mountain West. The Bulldogs lead the series 30-24-1, but the Warriors won two of the past four meetings in Fresno.

The matchup, which does not have a rivalry trophy, has changed since the time they were led by fiery head coaches June Jones of UH and Pat Hill of Fresno State.

“Back in the day, it was: Who are the bad boys of the WAC?” Brown said. “We took a lot of pride in that. Coach Pat Hill emphasized they were the toughest. We respected that, but we said, ‘No, we’re the toughest.’ Every time we played each other it was a bar fight. It was a big ol’ brawl. We brought it every single time. They got us a few times, but we took care of business.”

Today’s game will have diverse importance. The 5-3 Bulldogs are 3-1 in the Mountain West and in contention for a spot in the league’s championship game. They have managed to remain on track despite Jeff Tedford’s health-related resignation in July. Tim Skipper is the interim head coach.

The Warriors ended a three-game losing streak with last week’s 34-13 victory over Nevada to improve to 3-5 overall and 1-2 in the Mountain West. In that game, the Warriors solved recent third-down and red-zone struggles by adding more run concepts to their four-wide offense.

“We’re trying to get the ball in the end zone,” said UH coach Timmy Chang, whose Warriors scored four touchdowns and two field goals in six red-zone possessions against Nevada. “That’s the name of the game, any which way. That means we’re going to do what we have to do.”

The Warriors employed offensive tackle Dean Briski as a tight end in short-yardage situations, moved around playmaker Tylan Hines, and green-lit quarterback Brayden Schager to take off on run/pass option plays or scrambles. Schager netted an adjusted 135 yards on non-sack rushes.

The Warriors also will receive a boost with the return of safeties Justin Sinclair and Peter Manuma. Sinclair, an aggressive in-the-box safety, missed last week’s game. Manuma was held out of the past two games because of health issues.

“It’s really good Peter’s back,” Chang said of the co-captain. “He’s a good player. We’re happy to have our leader back.”