I live about three hours from Fresno. I moved here a year ago. I was warned by co-workers that it was a gang capital and told I might want to not take my three daughters to the game. I am glad I didn’t listen.
My experience was similar to yours. I bought my tickets from the Utah ticket office. I was surrounded by Utes which was fun. Two of my daughters had not wanted to attend football games previously. They feel on love with the environment and cheering for the Utes.
Interactions with Fresno State fans were very positive. I liked their stadium layout. I was surprised to see the expansion plans given how many empty seats were there throughout the game. It would be great to see similar plans for Rice-Eccles. Overall I would love attend another Utes game at Fresno State.