Fresno State at Rutgers- Position, Individual and Unit Comparisons

It's a brand new season, so all stats are for last year. This is the first meeting between the two teams, and it is the furthest the Bulldogs have ever travelled. Rutgers is coming off a 8-5 season, with losses at home to Maryland, #20 Cincinnati, #6 West Virginia, and at Louisville and #16 Connecticut, and beat South Florida when they were ranked #2 in the country. They are coming off a 52-30 win over Ball State in the International Bowl. The bulldogs return much of a team that went 9-4 with wins over Kansas State and Georgia Tech.

Quarterbacks- Rutgers returns senior quarterback Mike Teel, who is coming off an impressive year having completed 203 of 349 attempts for a 58.2 percentage. He threw for 3,147 yards and 20 touchdowns. He is not much of a duel threat, however, having netted -49 yards rushing last season. He passed for 9 yards per attempt for a 145.4 passing efficiency, 2nd for returning QBs in the Big East. Fresno State's senior QB Tom Brandstater went 211 of 337 for a 62.6 percentage, throwing for 2654 yards and 15 touchdowns. He is more of a threat outside of the pocket, netting 118 yards rushing with 3TDs and averaging 2.5 yards per carry. He is 2nd in passing efficiency for returning WAC quarterbacks with 7.9 yards per attempt and an efficiency of 150.8.
Advantage- Even, though slightly in Fresno State's favor because of Brandstater's scramble and slightly better percentages. Teel was injured late last season to his thumb, which negatively impacted his numbers, but both are of similar size and ability at around 6-4 220. Unfortunately for Brandstater, last year's Rutgers team was the 2nd most tenacious passing D in the nation, giving up only 1927 yards in the air. Fresno State was a more middling 60th in this category. The Bulldogs' improved D-line should prove important to pressuring Teel, whose mobility is a question mark for the Knights. Both QB's are also likely to bring a senior-year, multiple-year starter maturity to the position which should make the game interesting.

Running Backs- This unit is going to be interesting for Rutgers, as it was lead by school- and Big East- record holder Ray Rice, whose 2012 yards and 24 TD's last year will be sorely missed by the Scarlet Knights, whose leading returning rusher is backup QB Jabu Lovelace with 332 yards and 4TDs. Mason Robinson, as sophomore, is the starter who produced only 202 yards and no TDs last year behind Rice. Along with Robinson, Kordell Young went for 58 yards last year and will return. Fresno State returns multiple options in Ryan Mathews, Lonyae Miller, and Anthony Harding, all of whom rushed for over 400 yards last year with Mathews leading the pack with 866 yards and 14 TD's despite limited playing time. The unit was 19th in the country last year with 2493 total rushing yards, and loses only Clifton Smith form last year's team.
Advantage- Even without Clifton Smith's 625 yards and 5 TDs, the Fresno State running attack should be much stronger than the Scarlet Knight's with the loss of so important an element a Ray Rice, though one hastens to discount his backups of previous years on mere stats alone. That said, Fresno State has multiple options and an scheme with multiple sets, giving the running game more depth and complexity. Both rush defenses were in the bottom half of running yards allowed in the NCAA last season, meaning a strong ruining game from Fresno State provides a solid advantage for the Bulldogs.

Receivers/ Tight Ends – Both teams have important returnees in this unit, with Rutgers returning Kenny Britt, Tiquan Underwood, Tim Brown, and Kevin Brock, their four leading receivers, all returning. Britt lead the team last year with 1232 yards on 62 catches averaging 19.9 yards per catch and 8 TD's, followed by Underwood with 1100 yards off of 65 receptions for a 16.9 average and 7 TD's. Brown and Brock round out the receiving corp with 340 and 241 yards, respectively, and 2 touchdowns apiece. Fresno, too returns its top receivers in Marlon Moore, Bear Pascoe, and Seyi Ajirotutu. Moore went for 694 yards of 48 receptions with 5 trip to the end zone, while TE Bear Pascoe caught 45 catches for 553 yards and 4 TD's. Ajirotuto rounded out the top three with 29 catches for 491 yards. Also contributing were Jason Crawley, Isaac Kitner, Tim Lang and Jamel Hamler with 199, 111, 82, and 8 yards between them, respectively. Chastin West, lost at the end of last August, also returns for the Bulldogs. Last year Rutgers' receiving unit was 39th in the nation in total receiving yards with 3267 and 273 yards per game, compared with Fresno State at number 69 with 2760 and 230 yards per game.
Advantage – Even, veering slightly toward Rutgers. Both are likely to be the best receiving corps either team will have seen for some time, and will be among the top of their conferences and in the upper echelons of I-A football. While Rutgers' unit outproduced the Bulldogs by 500 total yards last season, Fresno State does return West who is likely to make up for the difference and this should make an impact. The major note of concern is noted above in the QB section- Rutgers' pass D is the 2nd best in the nation in terms of fewest yards allowed, meaning the Bulldogs' receivers will face a difficult challenge.

Defenses- This can be something of an area of concern for the Bulldogs. I have talked briefly already about the defenses for both sides, but a more detailed examination of each is revealing. Rutgers was 31st in the nation last year in fewest points allowed per game, giving up only 21.8; Fresno State was 62nd overall, giving up 26.9 points per game. Rutgers' pass D is the most troubling area of concern, giving up only 1927 passing yards, 2nd best in the nation after Ohio State. Fresno State is 60th nationwide in this category, having given up 2725 yards in the air. Neither team is in the upper half of rushing D, though Rutgers does also lead in that category in ruining yards allowed, 1871 to Fresno State's 2193. Free Safety Courtney Greene lead the Knights in tackles last year with 101 and returns, along with defensive tackle Jamaal Westerman who recorded 8 sacks and 6 tackles for a loss. CB Jason McCourty also blocked 12 punts for Rutgers last season. Fresno State loses a 132 tackler in Marcus Riley, and returns Ben Jacobs who recorded 81 tackles last season. Jon Monga was credited with 6.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss last year for the 'Dogs.
Advantage- Rutgers. Both teams are very similar in most categories, but Rutgers is exceptional in its ability to stop the pass, and the Bulldogs lose some important components in Marcus Riley, Tyler Clutts, and Damon Jenkins for our defense. Rutgers looks to continue it's solid pass D as they return 7 from their backfield which will be a major issue for the Bulldogs if the running game is unable to make up for the difference.

Special Teams- Fresno State returns AJ Jefferson who lead the nation in kick returns with 930 yards and a 35.8 yard per return average, which compares favorably with Rutgers' Tim Brown and Mason Robinson, a tandem who averaged 20.7 and 19.6, respectively, last season. Both teams face major losses to their kickers, as the Bulldogs lose Clint Stitser and the Knights lose Jeremy Ito, both of whom had a huge impact for this unit and it will be difficult for either team to replace their production. Rutgers also loses their special teams coach Darren Rizzi, who has become the head coach at Rhode Island. The Bulldogs also lose punter Kyle Zimmerman and punt returner Clifton Smith to graduation, and both are important losses.
Advantage- Toss-up. Both teams are pretty much gutted. the Bulldogs look to start Kevin Goessling as kicker and Robert Malone as punter, both underclassmen. Rutgers looks to do no better starting San San Te at kicker and Teddy Dellaganna, also two underclassmen. The one obvious advantage for the Bulldogs is the return of AJ Jefferson, who lead the nation in kick return average and should be in good form to do so again this season. I will note that, in watching game tape from both teams, both head coaches seem to enjoy trickery from special teams. I give two examples: in 2004, at home against Hawai'i in what would be a 70-14 rout, Pat Hill had just scored the 2nd TD of the 1st quarter when he lined up to return the ball, only to fake an onside kick which was recovered by the Bulldogs. For Rutgers, in last year's win over USF, the Knights missed a third down conversion and were forced to give the ball over, and lined up to kick it to the Bulls at the far end. Jeremy Ito took the snap and, instead of kicking it away, passed it to a receiver to secure the first down and continue the drive. My point is both teams will utilize such methods and I would look out for them to come very early in the game.

Coaches- Fresno State’s Pat Hill is 85-55 (.607) coming into Monday’s game. He’s 60-27 against the WAC, and 30-39 away from Bulldog Stadium. Rutgers' Greg Schiano is 38-46 (.428) with a home record of 23-22, and is 2-15 against teams in the top 25, which Fresno State is for the Coaches' Poll, but not the AP.
Advantage- Fresno State’s Pat Hill is willing to take on anyone, anytime, anywhere, and will have his team more than ready for the cross-country game in Rutgers Stadium in front of 43,000 (just 1,969 more than Bulldog Stadium, so a similar environment in that respect- even the same colors!). Greg Schiano has turned around a program that was close to sharing Temple's fate of being kicked out of the Big East and looking for friendlier digs in the MAC. Schiano ensured that would not happen and through a combination of smart recruiting in Florida, a connection with the populated NY/NJ corridor, and and AD willing to stick with a guy after a 1-11 season, and has proven to be one of the best coaches of the decade. And, he's got the balls to take on the Bulldogs, which about 60-odd other BCS schools can't say, even ones with coaches that used to play and coach here... I'm going with another toss-up in this category as well, both men are solid coaches on and off the field.

“Taste of the Town”- It’s California vs. New York, East Coast vs. West Coast, BCS vs. Mid Major... Now, I've got to admit a West Coast Bias. Always had one. But I finally moved to the East Coast (Boston) and found the place to be pretty all-right. New York is an amazing place, with amazing food, lights, and all the rest. But, New Brunswick/ Piscataway isn't quite the same as Manhattan. But it is close enough.
Advantage- Fresno. West Coast Bias. But, if you've never been to Manhattan, you are missing out.

Conclusion- This is going to be an amazing game. The two teams are surprisingly evenly matched in each position, with similar quarterbacks, wide receivers, defenses, and losses on (and tricks by) the special teams. Two places they radically differentiate- Rutgers lost their super-star running back, while Fresno returns multiple options; and Rutgers returns virtually all what is statistically next to the best pass defense in the nation. The Bulldogs will likely exploit the advantage on the ground and keep the maturing Kight running game in check. However, Rutgers' passing attack should be an interesting test for going into the much more pass-happy offenses to be faced later in the season. Fresno State and Rutgers are an interesting statistical match-up, though I think the running game of the Bulldogs will be the decisive factor in a Bulldog victory, so long as the team can focus after the long travel and change in atmosphere. I also forecast special teams to play a major role and hope that it is a role in our favor, as we have seen costly special teams mistakes take a toll in the past. Still, my call is: Bulldogs 32 - Scarlet Knights 27

The 2008 Fresno State Bulldogs Offense

Fresno State fans to this point have addressed their worries as to how the Bulldogs are going to be able to stop opposing team’s offenses. While our front line on defense should be strong the best answer as to how the Bulldogs will stop the other team’s offense is through the use of our own. I realize this may sound confusing but sometime’s a team’s best defense is their offense when it comes to college football. The longer Brandstater and company are on the football field the better. If the Bulldogs can find a way to put together long drives that eat up time off the clock look for the defense to be energized each time they step onto the football field. Here is a review of those offensive players who will do their best to make the defense’s job that much easier.


At QB Tom Brandstater will take the reigns for his senior season. The offense will only go as far as Brandstater directs them to. While the running game is a huge part of the Fresno State offense the Bulldogs will need Brandstater to come through when the running game is not churning out yard after yard. Chances are that the Bulldogs will have to rely on Brandstater at least once this season. In 2007 when the Dogs had to turn to Brandstater he came through nearly every time. If the Bulldogs can get similar stats from Brandstater look for them to make noise on the BCS front this season.


The RB situation is one that is usually positive for the Bulldogs. 2008 will be no different due to the fact that Fresno State returns Ryan Mathews, Lonyae Miller, and Anthony Harding. All look to be in outstanding physical shape and have a healthy level of competition between one another. With the offensive line opening holes for the Bulldog running backs look for one of these backs to break the 1,000 yard barrier this season. At the same time one cannot forget that A.J. Ellis and Rashad Evans will be used in the Fresno State offense as well. Each of these players brings a different aspect of explosiveness to the field which will allow the Dogs many more options on offense. While the situation at QB and RB seems positive they in no way compare to what the Bulldogs have returning at wide receiver and Tight End.


The Wide Receivers may be the position with the most talent for this 2008 Bulldog football team. With returning receivers such as Marlon Moore, Seyi Ajirotutu (who looks to have enhanced his game since last season), Jason Crawley, Devon Wylie, Matt Lindsay, Darren Newborne, and Chastin West the Bulldogs look to have the height (Ajirotutu, Lindsay), speed (Moore, Wylie) and physical nature (Crawley, Moore) to dominate the outside of the field. Add in the fact that Bear Pascoe is next to impossible to cover and you have a Fresno State offense that is going to score early and often. In 2006 the Bulldogs averaged 23 points per game on offense. In 2007 the Bulldogs improved their offense to the tune of 33 points a game. If Fresno State can improve slightly in 2008 they will average anywhere between 35-40 points per game. If Fresno State can find a way to put that many points on the board every week opposing teams will have a hard time keeping up with this high octane offense. This very well may be one of the best offenses the Bulldogs have ever fielded. Unfortunately we will have to wait 26 more days until we know if this offense is truly as good as they look to be.

Will Fresno State be Defensively Challenged in 08?

Throughout the summer fans of Fresno State continued to realize that 2008 may be a special year not only for the players but for the fans of the Fresno State Bulldogs. With 16 returning starters Fresno State has the experience to make a serious run at the BCS. The offense will be explosive in 2008 as every starter returns aside Ryan Wendell. Replacing Wendell will be tough but Fresno State has always been known for its outstanding offensive line and 2008 should be no different. While the offensive side of the ball looks great the defensive side is left with nothing but questions. Can Fresno State replace WAC defensive player of the year Marcus Riley? Will Fresno State be able to create more takeaways en route to one win after another? Will the defensive line have enough depth to cause problems for opposing team’s offenses? The problem is there is no sure answer to any of these questions. I will do my best to answer each of these questions as I sat through practice today and have a bit better idea as to how good our defense truly will be.


To begin let’s address the defensive line. Fresno State finished second in the WAC with 36 sacks this past season. Look for that total to increase this season. Ikenna Ike and Wilson Ramos are going to give offensive lineman fits as defensive ends. Cornell Banks has both the speed and side to put pressure on the offensive backfield. Chris Lewis will do a great job coming in with the second team to provide pressure from the defensive end position. Bryce Harris looks to be a mountain of a man and should do well with the second team as well. Chase McEntee and Anthony Williams (who looks gigantic) will come in and provide depth right from day one. With all of this talent there should be no worries as to how much pressure our defensive line will cause. If you noticed I haven’t even mentioned the one player that I feel will cause the most havoc on the defensive line: Jon Monga. Monga will be the leader of this defensive line. Look for Monga to have an outstanding season as both a run stopper and momentum killer as well. I realize that many of you worry that our LB’s are going to have a problem stopping the run due to the loss of Marcus Riley. Let’s see how the LB’s break down this season.


Our top three linebackers will be Ben Jacobs, Nico Herron, and more than likely Chris Carter (who has not played the position in two years). Quaadir Brown will be at fall camp but he may not be able to go due to personal issues. We can only hope that Brown finds his way back to football because he is definitely needed on defense. With that being said our first team LB’s are solid. Carter may be stepping into the LB role again but do remember that was his position in high school. He will adapt to the LB role much faster than any other newcomer may have. Damion Whittington will be in fall camp this week providing much needed depth. Kyle Knox, Austin Raphael, and Sean Plummer will provide depth at this position as well. LB is definitely the weakest of any area for the Bulldogs. On the positive side the secondary will be deep and provide the LB’s with the help they need to get through the season.


The secondary will have little problems improving on their paltry takeaway totals from 2007. With A.J. Jefferson, Damion Owens, and Sharrod Davis at corner the Bulldogs should be able to cover man to man and press often. Marvin Haynes and Moses Harris will provide safety help as they have the ability to run with anyone in the nation. Backing up Harris and Haynes will be Zak Hill and Jake Jorde. Both of these men also have the ability to lock down the secondary with their cover skills. It will be because of the secondary that this defense is able to gamble and blitz much more this season than ever before. Look for the Bulldogs secondary to go to press coverage in order to give the safeties and corners time to blitz the QB. If the defensive front four combined with one or two CB’s or safeties blitz there will be very few teams who can stop Fresno State.


The Bulldogs defense is not nearly as worrisome as many have made them out to be. The first and second teams are strong and have the experience to make plays. Fresno State’s offense will provide the defense a large margin for error as the offense should average anywhere between 35-42 points per game. Fresno State’s defense will be fine and they will find a way to hold the other team just enough to give the offense a chance to win every game on the schedule.

What to Expect in 2008

This past week the Fresno State football players began eight weeks of individual practices in which coaches will not be present. During individual workouts QB’s and Receivers work on their timing and route running in order to prepare for the 2008 football season. These eight weeks have become far more important to the Bulldogs than they have to most other teams as Fresno State generally opens with a murderous schedule. In 2008 the Bulldogs season begins as follows:

Sept. 1st - @ Rutgers
Sept. 13th – Wisconsin
Sept. 20th - @ Toledo
Sept. 27th - @ UCLA

Once again Fresno State will have their work cut out for them in September as the Dogs opening month is one of the more challenging in the nation. If Fresno State can find a way to run off victories in each of the above mentioned games they will more than likely be ranked somewhere in the middle of the top twenty-five. In order to accomplish such a feat Fresno State will have to get the most out of their practices up until their first game of the season at Rutgers. The past few seasons Fresno State fans have had high expectations for the football program run by Pat Hill. But in 2008 should Bulldog fans once again expect the Dogs to make some noise nationally before WAC plays begins? The simple answer is absolutely.

Fresno State returns a majority of their offensive starter’s aside Clifton Smith and Ryan Wendell who both have moved on to the NFL. However, Bear Pascoe returns. Tom Brandstater returns. Ryan Mathews returns as does Marlon Moore, Chastin West, Seyi Ajirotutu, Devin Wylie, Jamal Hamler, Lonyae Miller, Anthony Harding the entire offensive line (if healthy), and newcomers such as Rashad Evans, A.J. Ellis, and Ebahn Feathers. This quite possibly has the making to be one of the most explosive units in Fresno State history. If the Bulldog’s offense can continue to gel together as we have seen during spring ball look for the offense to average well over thirty points a game. Last season J-Mac’s offense averaged 33 points a game. If this returning unit can punch one more TD in per game you will be looking at a team that averages forty points a game. If that is the case this will be a very hard Bulldogs team to beat. While the offense looks to be in great shape what can expect from our defense early on in 2008?

Defensively our first team defensive line will create havoc for most opposing teams. Players such as Jon Monga, Chris Carter, Wilson Ramos, and Cornell Banks will all demand attention on the defensive line. The Bulldogs secondary will be experienced with Moses Harris and Marvin Haynes at safety. One corner spot will be occupied by the speedy A.J. Jefferson who may be ready to depart for the NFL at season’s end. The other corner spot is up for grabs but players such as Sharrod Davis and Damion Owens should fill the voice left by Damon Jenkins who also made the jump to the NFL. The one position defensively Bulldog fans should worry about is Linebacker. Although Ben Jacobs, Nico Herron, and Quaadir Brown look to be a solid unit there is very little depth with respect to the unit. Fresno State will have two additions to help bolster the LB core in Damion Whittington and Ricky Pemasa, but both of these players will be coming in as freshman. If the starters do not do their job on defense then the Dogs will give up large amounts of yards and will be involved in games where scoring is happening far more than we as Bulldog fans would like it to be.

Fresno State’s special teams units look to be solid although the Dogs will be starting two kickers with relatively little experience. Robert Malone will take over punting duties. If he continues to punt the way he has in Spring ball Fresno State will have very little to worry about. At the same time Kevin Goessling will take over for Clint Stitser as the placekicker. Goessling has an accurate leg and should be expected to get the job done from forty yards and in. However, if the Dogs have to venture past forty yards this freshman will have his work cut out for him. Kick returning is in great hands with A.J. Jefferson. Fresno State has very little to worry about when it comes to the special teams units. John Baxter generally has these players prepared for every situation possible.

What does this all mean? It means that Fresno State football in 2008 will have a shot at an amazing season. The men’s baseball team just qualified for the College World Series. The women’s softball team missed a super regional by one questionable call. The women’s basketball team qualified for their first NCAA tournament ever. Fresno State won the WAC commissioner’s cup. Overall it has been an amazing year of sports here at Fresno State. Now it’s the football team’s turn to step up and show the nation how truly good they are in 2008. Here is exactly what you can expect from Fresno State in 2008: A team that will fight until the end week to week with a desire to win at all costs and a drive to show the nation just how good this Bulldogs team is as a whole.

The Role of the Underdog

Every sport aside FBS college football has a true champion crowned at the end of the season. Sometimes the champion crowned is exactly who everyone figures it will be. During the 1990’s the Chicago Bulls were as sure a bet as anyone could make during their six championship runs. On the other hand sometimes the favorite is upset in monumental fashion. During the 2007-2008 Super Bowl we as a nation were able to watch one of the bigger upsets in history as the New York Giants knocked off the undefeated New England Patriots. Sure there are fans out there that picked the Giants to win the Super Bowl, but the Patriots were overwhelming favorites prior to the start
of the game. I realize none of this directly has to do with the college world series unless you take a look deeper into what I am trying to say. This weekend Fresno State will compete in their first college world series in seventeen years as heavy underdogs. As an underdog Fresno State has done the job over the past two weekends with huge upsets in Long Beach and Tempe. Is it possible that they just may pull the biggest upset of them all?

In order to understand the role of an underdog in the college world series let’s take a look back at the past five years to see how the favorites have faired:

2007
Winner – Oregon State (unranked)
Highest Ranked Participant – Rice (2 seed)

2006
Winner – Oregon State (unranked)
Highest Ranked Participant – Clemson (1 seed)

2005
Winner – Florida (7 seed)
Highest Ranked Participant – Tulane (1 seed)

2004
Winner – Cal State Fullerton (7 seed)
Highest Ranked Participant – Texas (1 seed)

2003
Winner – Rice (5 seed)
Highest Ranked Participant – LSU (2 seed)

If you look at the past five seasons you will notice that not one time has the favorite won the college world series. In fact since rankings have been given only Miami has won the College World Series as the one seed. In other words being unranked heading into the College World Series is not necessarily a terrible spot to be in. What most people do not realize about the World Series is that it rewards those teams who have caught the hot hand at the right time in the season. While it is true that teams such as Miami and North Carolina are ranked as the top two teams in the nation, it also remains true that they quite possibly could be knocked out of the tournament by a lower ranked team who has caught fire at the right time.

Many of you may be asking what exactly does this mean for Fresno State. It means that the Bulldogs will be decided underdogs in this tournament. But remember the Bulldogs were underdogs in their previous two regionals and found a way to come out on top in both of those. I am not saying the Bulldogs are going to win the college world series. I realize to come out on top in a tournament such as this you have to be clicking on all cylinders and the ball must bounce your way from time to time. The difference for Fresno State now is they have reached their ultimate goal and know they have the talent to win it all. The Dogs just upset the #3 team in the nation on a field where the Sun Devils had lost a total of three games the entire season. At the same time Fresno State is a team that is most comfortable playing the role of the underdog. They realize they are not supposed to win the college world series. But here they are as one of the remaining eight teams in the nation playing for the biggest prize that college baseball has to offer them. Their determination, effort, fight, and desire has put them into an eight team tournament to become the best team in all of college baseball. Sports are cyclical as some teams remain on top for long periods of time until another rises up to knock them off of the perch they sit upon. In the end I am left with one phrase that is exactly how I feel about the Bulldogs chances in the college world series:

“Why Not Us?”

It’s simple, to the point, and exactly how I feel about the Bulldogs chances in 2008. Why not us? Go Dogs and thank you for this amazing season you have given us as fans.

A Team for the Ages

The year began just as it had the past few seasons in Fresno. The Bulldogs would be ranked in the top twenty five only to falter out of the gates. Diamond Dog fans in Fresno were once again left to question whether this team had the talent to win their third consecutive WAC title. As the season moved along Fresno State sat near the .500 mark for much longer than many of us were comfortable with.
The Dogs were not playing good baseball and everyone including the players themselves knew it. Towards the tail end of the WAC season Fresno State held on to first place by the skin of their teeth and entered the WAC tournament as the one seed. What happened next is something that every Bulldog fan will remember for the rest of their lives.

Fresno State went on to win their third straight WAC tournament in 2008. To this date the Bulldogs have not lost once during the course of the WAC tournament in their history. But Fresno State had been in this position before. Much like the Lady Dogs softball team the Bulldogs commonly qualify for a regional yearly. The only difference between the 2008 Bulldog baseball squad when compared to year’s past was the fact that had the Dogs lost the WAC tournament this year they would not have qualified for a regional. However, Fresno State won the WAC and was placed in one of the toughest regionals in the nation where the seeding would look as follows:

1) Long Beach State
2) San Diego
3) California
4) Fresno State

Each team was ranked nationally in the regional aside Fresno State. In other words the Bulldogs had their work cut out for them. It was the Bulldogs against the rest of the world and unlike many times in the past this 2008 Bulldog team was up for the challenge.

After an opening win against Long Beach State the Dogs took on and shut out San Diego in the second round of the regional 6-0. Fresno State sat in the winners’ bracket awaiting the winner of the Long Beach State-San Diego matchup. Once San Diego had defeated the Dirtbags the Bulldogs knew they had to win one game to advance to their first super regional in over a decade. Fresno State went out and were promptly torn apart by the Toreros in game one 15-1. Many Bulldog fans worried that the Dogs would follow suit to many teams in the past and lose again to San Diego in the deciding game of the regional. Instead the 2008 Bulldogs would make history with a 5-1 defeat of the Toreros. With their regional win Fresno State would then be sent off to Tempe, AZ to face the third ranked Sun Devils of Arizona State. Arizona State sported a 48-11 record with only three losses during the entire season at home. Fresno State had their work cut out for them as it would require a monumental upset to knock off the Sun Devils in their own house.

In game one the Bulldogs played tough but untimely errors did them in as they trailed 8-4 heading into the eighth inning. ASU’s hitters were too much for the Dogs in game one and the Dogs would face an early hole in the series with a 12-4 defeat. Fresno State would now have to win the final two games of the series in order to return to the College World Series for the first time since 1991. Game two of the series would come down to one key at bat in the fourth inning and timely pitching at the tail end of the game. Gavin Hedstrom stepped up to the plate in the fourth inning with two outs and the bases loaded. The Dogs had put together four hits with two outs but had only one run to show for it. With two strikes Hedstrom swung at a curveball that jumped off of his bat to left center field. The ball carried over the fence giving Fresno State a 7-5 lead that they would not relinquish. Fresno State would finish off the victory with strong pitching from Brandon Burke. But the Dogs still had to win one more game and were depleted in the pitching department. Could the Dogs pull off one of the biggest upsets in college baseball during the 2008 season by knocking off the Sun Devils?

Game three would be tough for both teams as the pitching staffs were equally depleted. For the first six innings both teams battled back and forth as the score sat at 5-5. Then the top of the seventh arrived. With two outs and the bases loaded Hedstrom was hit by a pitch to give the Dogs a 6-5 lead. Eric Wetzel followed with a double that cleared the bases given the Dogs a 9-5 lead. While a four run lead in most games is suitable the Dogs were playing the Sun Devils and no lead is ever safe against them. Following Wetzel the WAC player of the year Steve Susdorf stepped to the plate and crushed the ball deep to right center field to increase the lead to 11-5. The Dogs would need every last one of those runs as an eventful ninth inning was in sight. The Dogs would head to the bottom of the ninth with a 12-5 lead only to watch Sean Bonesteele and Brandon Burke allow four runs to score. With two outs and the bases loaded the Bulldogs would finally capture their dream they had played so hard to reach. With a fly ball to left field the Bulldogs had won the Tempe regional and reached the college world series.

Fresno State will open up against Rice, the #6 national seed. Rice used to be a part of the WAC until they jumped ship to conference USA a few ago. Fresno State will have to hope their pitching and hitting can come through as it will take an amazing effort to win the college world series. But do remember that this is a team that was not supposed to win their regional as the four seed. The Dogs were not supposed to knock off the Sun Devils in the Tempe regional but they did. Now Fresno State is not supposed to win the college world series. To this writer it sounds like the Dogs are right where they want to be.

Pat Hill's Recruiting Style

Over the past eleven years we as Bulldog fans have witnessed a change in Bulldog football. It all began with the head coach. Pat Hill took over Fresno State in 1997 and immediately made an impact as the head coach of this team. At the time recruiting was not nearly viewed in the same light as it is in today's world. Recruits were not under a microscope in the same respect that they are today as everyone desires to know what a recruits strengths and weaknesses are before they commit to a school. As fans we feel like we can evaluate a player based on what we have seen from him in his high school years. I for one thought Beau Sweeney would be hands down the best QB for the Bulldogs after watching him play during his Junior season. However, I realize I was wrong only because I let my heart and desire for valley football get in the way of what is truly best for Bulldog football. While we may question Pat Hill and his recruiting style, the fact remains that Hill continually finds players that fit the Bulldog football program perfectly. Regardless of what we think of his efforts as the head coach when it comes to recruiting Pat Hill does it exactly how all head coaches should. He recruits with respect to what the team needs and will only take players that he feels fit into the program perfectly.


In 2006 The Bulldogs underachieved at a level we had not seen since the mid 1990's. The question of who should play QB came up early and often. Sean Norton was the backup to Tom Brandstater who most felt was not ready to be the starting QB. However, Pat Hill showed tremendous faith in Brandstater by making him the starter for the majority of the season. Although a large amount of fans disagreed with Pat on the QB issue only one season later we were able to see that Pat was right in keeping Brandstater in as our QB. Headed into his senior year Brandstater is viewed as the man to lead this team to their first WAC title in nearly ten seasons. Without Pat Hill's support who knows what would have happened to Brandstater during the course of his sophomore season. He was continually put down by the public and criticized for his play on the field. Week after week Hill supported Brandstater and we as fans could not figure out why. Today we know that Pat was able to see what Brandstater could truly do on the field while we as fans were not able to see past his performances early in his career.


The difference between Pat Hill and your average fan is that Pat understands what it takes to be a college football player at Fresno State. He realizes what players will help the team and what players won't. When Hill goes on recruiting trips he understands the needs of the team and does not have the desire to tell a recruit that the Dogs are going to offer him if he does not believe it is in the best interest of Fresno State to do so. While schools such as Florida, Cal, and UCLA can offer scholarships to hundreds of players only to pull them back when they reach their allotted amount, Fresno State on the other hand only offers scholarships to players they want in their program. The Bulldogs do not offer every single five star recruit because it is not realistic to do so. While it makes sense to show a top flight recruit attention, if that attention falls on deaf ears then what exactly is the point of the attention in the first place? Pat Hill did not actively recruit Derek Carr but Derek decided to attend Fresno State. Travis Brown may be the first five star high school recruit in Bulldog history. However, to find other recruits Pat is forced to earn his money as head coach.


I realize that many times we as fans think we know what is best for our hometown team. I think at times my knowledge of offense is exactly what allows me to understand what type of players the Bulldogs need. The truth is only the coaching staff and Pat Hill know exactly what is best for this program. Regardless if I have been a fan of Bulldog football for the past five, ten, or fifteen years I am not a coach in the Bulldog football program. In other words when all is said and done trust Pat Hill and his recruiting style. He may not be flashy with the way that he recruits, nor will he promise anyone more than they will actually be able to accomplish at State. Pat will be honest and that is something to be remembered in today's world where lying seems to get you ahead and a players word means absolutely nothing. Pat has done a great job recruiting here in Fresno and if we are lucky as Bulldog fans we will be able to enjoy his recruiting classes for many years into the future.

What the 2008 Bulldog Football Season Hinges on

This past weekend I attended the Under Armour camp with Mdg and Zagfan559 (I have a horrendous sunburn on my forehead to prove it). While watching all of the junior and seniors compete one on one in drills I began to think about the many different avenues the 2008 Bulldog football season might take. I have had a hard time coming up with what I think will happen during the football season if only because of how the 2007 season went. As one of my good friends said "the 2007 season was one of the best coaching jobs Pat Hill has done in his time at Fresno State." I tend to agree with this sentiment due to the amount of injuries the Bulldogs endured this past season and it is injuries that I believe will impact the 2008 season more so than any other factor.


Anyone who follows the Bulldogs knows the Dogs may be more talented on the field in 2008 than ever before. Tom Brandstater returns as the Senior QB with both experience and talent. The RB situation has only become that much better with the addition of players such as A.J. Ellis and Rashad Evans. Not to mention Ryan Mathews, Lonyae Miller, and Anthony Harding are not exactly guys you would want on the bench in the first place. The receiving core on offense is one of the deepest the Bulldogs have seen in years and is backed by a tight end that is NFL material (Bear Pascoe). With the offensive line in tact come fall practice there is no reason to think this team will not average close to forty points per game. The problem is when thinking about all of the weapons the Bulldogs have on the field we as fans are not considering who we may lose during the course of the season to injury. Here is a better question to consider if you are a Bulldog fan. Who can we afford to lose and still enjoy a successful 2008 season? At the same time what do you as fans consider a solid 2008 football season to be? I refrain from making predictions on any game until the week before due to the fact that injuries will impact the way a football team plays. But you as readers of the blog are welcome to leave comments as to what you feel is possible for this team in 2008.


While I have mentioned the offensive weapons we have fans should also remember that we are returning a bulk of our defense as well. Our entire secondary returns aside Damon Jenkins who will be replaced by either Sharrod Davis or Damion Owens. Our Linebacking core lost Marcus Riley and it will be a tall task to replace such an outstanding linebacker. However, Fresno State brought in both Ricky Pemasa and Damion Whittington to fill the Riley void. The defensive line will be in great shape with Ramos, Banks, Monga, Carter, Lewis, and Ike. However, this will be one area where injuries could wreak havoc on the Bulldogs. Fresno State's first team defensive line will cause problems for most teams they line up against as they have both the size and speed to play with anyone. Unfortunately after the first team there is a huge drop in the talent that will be on the field. To hope for relative health out of the defensive line would be an understatement in the least. How Fresno State is able to deal with it's injuries in 2008 will be the tell tale of how the season will transpire.


In the end most players that step on the field are replaceable if only because there is talent there to step in and take over. The one position Fresno State can ill afford an injury to in 2008 will be the QB position. Make no mistakes about it, this 2008 team has the talent and ability to run the table. As long as the defense keeps the Dogs in the game the offense is going to get the job done with Brandstater at QB. If for some reason Brandstater is not able to go the reigns are then turned over to little used Ryan Colburn. Many have confidence in Colburn and feel he can lead this team just as well as Brandstater can. However, Colburn has very little game experience and that is exactly how you become a more seasoned QB. After all what happened the last time we started a season with a QB that had very little game experience?


Injury. One word that can completely change the face of an entire football team. Here is hoping that for the first time since 2001 the Bulldogs will not have to deal with a major injury that single handedly changes the course of the 2008 football season.


Note: I will be doing my best to blog more often in the off season. I apologize to those who read the blog daily and will do my best to make sure there is content for everyone to read throughout the entire 2008 football season.

How is this year different?

SF Gater again taking the gauntlet as guest on the Fresno State Bulldog Blog. As previously mentioned, those who pay attention to college football are placing the Bulldogs in their top-25s, and the team may be the presumptive favorites to win the conference for the first time since 1999. Nevertheless there are naysayers who point out that the Boise State Broncos have dominated the WAC since joining the conference in 2001, that they have not lost a WAC game at home since joining the conference, that Fresno State has a record for being, in Stewart Mandel’s words, the “Clemson of mid-majors: A big tease.” This raises the question- is this year different? How?

A corollary to the above question might be, how were all those other years different? I propose that this year’s team is a unique entity, one radically unlike those preceding it in several important respects. The first is experience. As much of the team was injured last year, many bench players had an opportunity to get valuable game experience, while many of the starters had played in previous seasons. One of the major separating factors between BCS and mid-major teams has long proven to be depth- often the starters may be comparable, but there is a radical divide in the second string down, where backups at BCS schools would likely start at their mid-major counterparts. Fresno State this year will be in a position unique for a mid-major in that there are skilled bench players such as Adam McDowell, Reynard Camp, and Cornell Banks, who can come in and make a difference after starting games last year.

The biggest difference made is in fortitude and discipline, the ability to shake off a loss. Each of the previous few seasons has an example of a though loss that affected the next game, and the one after, in a negative way. Last year, however, was different. The Texas A&M loss is a key case in point. After going into the half with a big deficit, the Bulldogs rallied and tied the game, taking it into three overtimes before a crushing loss. The next week was never a contest, with the Bulldogs losing by several touchdowns to Oregon. But the team did not let those twin losses get the best of them, and rallied for a four game winning streak against La Tech and Nevada teams that had bested us in similar situations before. The Hawai’i game is another example, when the team dropped a close game to a ranked opponent. The team just went ahead the next week and handed Kansas State a miserable loss. They didn’t lay an egg; instead they took big losses and turned them around into wins.

I think the composition of this bulldog team is different from previous years. The offense will be composed nearly entirely of returning starters, and the bench players behind them largely come into the game with experience. The key might be how to play in adverse circumstances, and the Bulldogs have proven they are able to do so.

Opening the season at Rutgers on September 1^st is going to be an intense challenge; it will be important for the team to draw strength from the adversity in an East Coast venue. As the game draws closer, we will discuss the matchup in more detail, but today it can address the question of how this team is different from ones in the past, and most particularly in those qualities that might lead them to excel in the coming season.

Bulldog Rankings

Hi folks, SF Gator here, and I'd like to thank NSC and MDG for giving me the opportunity to represent as a guest contributer to the FSFB. The Barkboard has come alive of late with the various preseason rankings that have been released by magazines, websites, and other media, placing the Bulldogs securely in the top-25. The preseason mags begin to heat up during the summer, and the two that 'really matter,' the AP and the Coaches polls, both are released latter than that; nevertheless, the post-spring workouts have yielded college football fans and pundits a variety of musings, which have manifested in rankings like the following:

ATHLON has released teams in its top 25 once-a-day, starting auspiciously with the Bulldogs at #25;

CBS Sportsline pundit' n' hack Dennis Dodd actually didn't suck for the first time ever, placing the Bulldogs at #24;

ESPN has their man Mark Schlabach pegging Fresno State at a solid #21, with opponent Rutgers nowhere in sight (like Dodd, but unlike Athlon who has them at #22);

So, given this mayhem, what conclusions can we draw? Well, obviously the Bulldogs are getting some preseason love, both from the nice lil' pasting of the Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech in the Boise Bowl and the accompanying 9-4 record, and return of guys who played well and returning health of guys who should play well next year. Some of our opponents this year are in interesting positions; Boise isn't ranked by anyone, and neither is Cal Los Angeles; Rutgers is only ranked by Athlon; and everyone has Wisconsin in the top 18 at least. It's likely those positions will shift during the season so that some other teams do find themselves ranked when they play the 'Dogs.

At this point, the Bulldogs have found themselves ranked at one point or another at least once since 2001, but haven't managed to go preseason to postseason ranked all the way though by any major poll. Still, it seems likey that the Bulldogs should start the season against Rutgers in the top-25, which is important since any media will represent the scores of all top-25 teams with more detail (like a write-up or Sports Center highlight) than even a really good or well-known outside of the top-25. It's also good because it's harder to move up from unranked to ranked really high if you weren't thought of well to begin with. Also, playing the likes of Idaho, Utah State, and NM State each and every year (and often one after the other) means there will be some attentionless days in October or November when a ranking at least draws attention to the fact that you mopped the floor with somebody. And lastly, the fact that pundits are paying attention in mid-May means that it's likely that they'll pay attention in Mid-August.

Keep playing well, and someday the Bulldogs could find themselves ranked perennially, and viewed as a regular favorite for a WAC and Mid Major title. The powers-that-be recently scoffed heartily while drinking champagne at the idea of a playoff, so we'll be living with our present system for a while to come- meaning, a non BCS team that finishes in the top-12 is guaranteed a BCS bid, and the impression that the Bulldogs make this year will be an important one. Starting high and losing (once and only once) against a badass may not be a kiss of death for the Bulldogs making a BCS bowl, and if the initial impression for the Bulldogs is good enough and the team does well enough, a BCS bowl is a realistic probability. But keep in mind that BYU is ranked and ranked higher than the Bulldogs in every single one of those polls. and the Cougars don't have to play Wisconsin or Rutgers.

one more rankings note: I'm absolutely amazed at the way these rankings folks have ignored UC Berkeley this year. Normally, the pundits overrate them tremendously (I'm looking at you, Mel Brooks look alike Lee Corso); but this year, after losing their last six regular season games and going 7-6, everyone has stayed clear. Okay, everyone who has ever read anything i've ever written or heard me speak in my life knows my feelings toward UC Berkeley are like Cap'n Ahab's toward that damn whale; but I honestly can't see this year's UC Berkeley football team winning fewer than 8 games. I don't buy the QB controversy thing, Tedford'll take care of it, most coaches can handle having two solid options at QB, a solid but sometimes shaky senior and a rising star underclassman, the only guy who couldn't was Dirk Koetter and he was the exception that proves the rule.

Look, not to harp on this, but they open at home against Michigan State, a few people's sleeper but i just cant see them beating the Bears at home to open the season, there is too much speed, to many experienced upperclassmen and the coaching is too good. This is practically the same team that beat the SEC West champion Volunteers to open last season. Then they go to a depleted Wash State, then go to Maryland to face Fridge's Terps, which'll be a tough one but, look, they are not losing that game, i don't think. Maryland isn't as fast on offense as UC Berkeley, they just aren't, even at home. They'll open 3-0 and everyone'll jump on their bandwagon like they did in the last 5 years, and former Fresno State QB Jeff "the Douche" Tedford will be everyone's September coach of the year. Guys like Dodd, Mendel and Schlabach will jump on that bandwagon in seconds. I'm just saying, y'all saw it here first.

Bear With Us

It's the off-season and with me publishing BarkBoard.com and NSC working his real job, the site has suffered. We at FSFB apologize for the lack of content. We've asked for help, but all who have come forward failed as regular contributors.

NSC says once the season is back in full swing, he will contribute on a regular basis. Spring ball is in full swing and complete coverage is available at BB.C. As most of you know, the 08 Bulldogs will be very good. One reason why is because of the gentleman pictured to the right!

A Confident Realization

by nsc

We are all familiar with the offensive problems that the Bulldogs suffered throughout the 2006 football season. We are all also very familiar with the offensive improvement that was shown on the football field in 2007. Tom Brandstater looked like the QB we all hoped he would turn into. Our running game once again dominated nearly every game as the Bulldogs averaged over 200 yards on the ground per game. Receivers such as Marlon Moore, Seyi Ajirotutu, and Jason Crawley showed they can be the go to guy when the game is on the line. Fresno State raised their points per game average nearly ten points from 23 to 33 and showed the ability to not only hit on big plays but to control the clock for the entirety of a game. While it would be nice to credit the players for this improvement the fact is their offensive coordinator is the reason the Bulldogs changed their fortune during the course of the season. Many may have forgotten that this Bulldog team began the season just as the 2006 team did: 1-2 with a close loss to a top twenty five team. In 2006 the Bulldogs came unglued faltering in their next six games following their hard fought loss to Oregon. When 2007 began in the same manner with a hard fought loss at Texas A&M many worried that the Dogs would fall apart once again. However, J-Mac would not let the 2007 Bulldogs suffer the same fate as the team of year's past had experienced.

It would be unfair to credit only the offense for the 9-4 record the Bulldogs achieved in 2007. But to ignore what J-Mac did for this offense would be naive in every sense of the imagination. J-Mac took an offense with little direction and turned them into a powerful unit that would be capable of scoring each time they had the ball. In 2006 Fresno State often led with the run because the creative side of the Dogs offense had disappeared. No longer did the Dogs rely on passing the ball to gain yardage. Many Bulldog fans were left wondering if the coaches had any faith in the Fresno State offense. Steve Hagen (one of the single worst offensive coordinators to ever set foot at Fresno State) let this team fall apart right in front of our very eyes. The offensive woes culminated with one of the single most embarrassing defeats in Fresno State history: A 13-12 defeat at the hands of winless Utah State. The Aggies would go on to finish with one win in 2006 and Fresno State would be the lone victim. During their loss to Utah State it became apparent that the Bulldogs lacked any type of downfield threat. The reason for the lack of passing however did not lay in the hands of the players themselves. Fresno State had receivers capable of making plays but the offensive coordinator did not allow the Bulldogs to exploit Utah State and their horrendous pass defense. Instead Hagen chose to allow Utah State to remain in the game by constantly running the ball between the tackles. That was an experience that no Bulldog coach, player, or fan ever wanted to experience again. J-Mac made sure this became a realization in 2007.

In 2007 the Bulldogs opened the season just as they had in 2006: Leading with the run. However, something was different about the 2007 Bulldogs offense. Instead of calling 60% run plays the passing game began to make an appearance on the football field. J-Mac showed that he was the type of coach that not only would pass the ball, but if the defense allowed him to J-Mac would direct the offense to throw the ball often. The first sign of the passing game occurred against the Aggies of Texas A&M. In a game Fresno State trailed 19-0 at halftime the Bulldogs opened the second half allowing Brandstater to open the offense up. That was exactly what Brandstater did as the Dogs scored 45 points over the span of the second half and three overtimes. While the Dogs offense did not explode after this game it was only a short period of time before Fresno State fans were able to see what J-Mac could truly direct this offense to do. Three weeks later Fresno State traveled to Nevada and scored 49 followed by 37 at Idaho and 30 against San Jose State. In eight of their last nine games the Bulldogs scored at least 30 points in each game. The offense had arrived and the fans in Fresno finally were able to see what this team was capable of on the field of play.

As I stated earlier it would be foolish to think that J-Mac had little to do with the improvement the offense showed in 2007. So it should have come as no surprise that J-Mac immediately became a hot commodity to the rest of the college football world. His alma mater Eastern Washington offered him the head coaching position. While the decision was tough for J-Mac he realized that Fresno is where he wants to be for now. Once the Bulldogs offense heard the news that J-Mac was staying they exhaled and were able to breathe fresh air once again. Players such as Tom Brandstater, Ryan Matthews, and Marlon Moore know this offense is because of J-Mac's creativity. Without J-Mac these players would not show the level of confidence that they do on the football field today. it is because of J-Mac's creativity that the Bulldogs feel they can score on anyone anytime they take the field. While the Bulldogs may not be able to hold on to J-Mac for many more years into the future they seem intent on doing their best to take full advantage of his creative mind sooner than later. It is J-Mac that allows the Bulldogs to confidently realize that in 2008 they may just become the type offense that no team can shut down regardless of what conference they play in.

NSC asks...Can Fresno State Replace These Seniors?

by nsc

In 2007 the Bulldogs will endure the losses of a handful of seniors. Fresno State's offense will bid adeu to both Clifton Smith and Ryan Wendell. On the defensive side of the ball the Bulldogs will say goodbye to Marcus Riley (ouch), Damon Jenkins, Tyler Clutts, and Charles Tolbert. On special teams the Bulldogs say goodbye to Clint Stitser and Kyle Zimmerman. Obviously there are more seniors moving on such as Shannon Dorsey and Jesus Tapia but the players listed above are the ones that will be the most important to replace. How Fresno State goes about replacing these key players may determine what happens on the field of play in 2008. Since the offense has the least amount of work to do we will start with them.

2008 Bulldogs Offense: Key Losses: Clifton Smith and Ryan Wendell. Key returning players: Everyone else. Yes I could list the players returning but you all know who is coming back if you are a true Bulldog fan. With our entire receiving core returning Fresno State's offense should be as explosive as any team in the nation. It should also be noted that Fresno State returns three RB's who made a name for themselves on the field in 2007. While returning so many core players is important it should also be noted that our QB returns, our #1 TE threat returns, and our entire offensive line minus Wendell returns. I realize Wendell was wonderful on the offensive line but Fresno State rarely has problems with the offensive line. There is a reason this team rushes for so many yards season after season. The offensive line is the main reason that Brandstater has been sacked 23 times in 24 games over the past two seasons. Anytime an offensive line gives up less than one sack a game they are doing their job to protect the quarterback.

What to expect from the 2008 Offense: Expect the Bulldogs to plug in players such as A.J. Ellis , Tim Lang, and Devon Wylie to help shoulder the loss of Clifton Smith. While these players may not have the moves that Smith did they are young and will have time to develop on the field of play. Each of these three players bring different aspects to the field and will be able to show how talented they are in 2008. The replacement of Wendell will be much easier as Fresno State has so a plethora of offensive lineman to step in and play right away. Players such as Joe Bernandi and Devan Cunningham will be on the field often opening up holes for our three headed running attack in 2008. Expect this Bulldog team to score nearly 40 points a game during the 2008 season.

2008 Bulldogs Defense: Key Losses: Marcus Riley, Charles Tolbert and Tyler Cutts. Key Returning Players: A. J. Jefferson, Damian Owens, Ben Jacobs, Quaadir Brown, and Jon Monga. Defense is going to be the question mark of this football team in 2008. The offense will produce early and often for the Dogs so the defense is going to have to make sure that the opposing team does not hang with the high powered offense of the Dogs. Fresno State will not be able to replace Marcus Riley. He is not the kind of player you can replace in one season. Ricky Pemesa was tabbed to replace Riley and may be able to do so, but it will take much longer than one season. Ben Jacobs, Q Brown, Todd Chisom, Nico Herron, Ryan Machado, and Ryan Mckinley will all have to step up and find a way to bring the defensive intensity that Riley brought to the field. If the defense can find a way to compensate for the loss of Riley they will do fine in the long run.

What to expect from the 2008 Defense: Early on the Dogs will suffer on defense if for no other reason than team leadership. I realize we have a good amount of players returning on defense but the intensity that players such as Tolbert, Clutts, and Riley brought to the field will be hard to match. Fresno State will do it's best as they will add the Jackson brothers and Matt Akers to their defensive line. While he has not committed a player such as Valentine could single handedly sure up this defensive line. The secondary will be a step up from 2007 as both Harris and Haynes return as safeties with Jefferson and Owens at corner. Although Jenkins started for Fresno State for the greater part of his college career he never truly developed into the type of corner the Dogs had hoped he would. With Jenkins gone other players such as Davis will have a chance to make a name for himself in 2008. Fresno State will give up a lot early on but expect this defensive unit to come together and eventually learn to make plays by the middle of 2008.

2008 Special Teams Key Losses: Kyle Zimmerman and Clint Stitser. The special teams unit will now turn the reigns over to redshirt Freshman Kevin Goessling. This kid has an amazing leg and will do just fine as our field goal kicker. He is left footed which may remind many of you of Asen Asperuhov. Goessling will do his best to make us forget about Clint Stitser. As for punting Robert Malone will take over duties here. Malone was tabbed the punter a season ago only to lose his job to Zimmerman. Hopefully in 2008 Malone will mature to the point that he becomes the type of punter this program always thought he would be. Special teams may take a while to come around in the kicking game. We shall see how this plays out.

Overall the Dogs look to have a solid team on paper. At the end of 2007 the Dogs finished 30th in coaches poll. Look for Fresno State to open near the top 25. If the Dogs play strong at UCLA and K-State look for a top ten Wisconsin team to head to Fresno to face a top 20 Bulldogs team. Hopefully everyone remembers the last time a top ten team came to Fresno. If you don't it was Oregon State in 2001. This Bulldog team has the talent to do exactly what the Dogs did to Oregon State in 2001. Here is hoping that it is in the cards for the Dogs to make a run like they did in 2001. If the newcomers play to their potential 2008 will be a great season for Fresno State. All the Dogs need to remember is the only game that matters right now is their next game against UCLA.

The State of the Bulldogs

by nsc

Recently, I spent three days in Boise, Idaho to watch our Fresno State Bulldogs take on the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech. I had high hopes for Fresno State coming into the Humanitarian bowl if for no other reason than the fact that the Bulldogs were able to turn around their fortunes on the football field when compared to what happened during 2006. Since the Bulldogs defeated Georgia Tech I have read that Fresno State will be the team to watch out for in 2008. I have read that if there is a mid-major primed to make a run at the BCS in 2008 it's the Bulldogs. While I tend to agree with this sentiment I want to cover a few thoughts that fans of Fresno State should stear clear of during what should be a very eventful offseason for Fresno State. I realize that Pat Hill is currently en route to signing one of his best recruiting classes in Bulldog history, but staying grounded is what we as Bulldog fans need to do from now until August 31st and the following reasons are why I think we need to be cautious as to what we dream of.

1) Refrain from all BCS talk: Yes it's great to believe that Fresno State is a team on the cusp of the BCS. Yes it's great to believe that our beloved Dogs will one day rise above the rest and find a way to run the table regardless of how tough their schedule is. However, I warn all Bulldog fans to stay away from BCS talk. Fresno State is going to be a good team in 2008, I have no doubts about that. However, we do play a very grueling schedule and after the Hawaii debacle it is going to be even tougher to qualify for a BCS game as a mid-major. No, they won't change the formula or the way a mid-major has to qualify but the voters will be much more apprehensive when voting for a mid-major. With that being said Fresno State does have a schedule that can reap rewards if they play smart. To me smart is attempting to go 1-0 for twelve straight weeks. It does not matter what happens in week 5 if you don't win in week 1. I advise all of you as fans to begin the season believing that a 1-0 start at the Rose Bowl is exactly what this team needs. We do not need to look ahead to Boise or Wisconsin. We need to play UCLA first and that is where the journey begins.

2) Understand Fresno State must improve on defense: Yes the Bulldogs went 9-4 this past season. But the Dogs defense gave up more yards than the offense gained. We continually had problems as we once again had a season with five or less int's. Fresno State is going to have to find a way to improve their defensive numbers in order to become a top flight team. Yes our offense will be loaded and we will score plenty of points, but will that matter if we lose 48-45? Without an improved defense the Dogs will lose the same games they did this past year, and believe me when I say this is going to be hard to do seeing that our best Linebacker in Bulldog history no longer with us (Marcus Riley). If we do not have anyone step up the defense could be in for another long season.

3) Do not put too much stock into true Freshman: I know Ebahn Feathers will be debuting for the Bulldogs next fall but remember he is a Freshman. Yes it is possible for a Freshman to make an impact such as Ryan Matthews did in 2007 but it does not happen often. If you realize that these young players have plenty to learn then you will be pleasantly surprised at how good they do when given the chance to play. You won't see these players on the field nearly as much as the upperclassmen and rightfully so, but we will need contributions from every player on the team if we hope to have an oustanding 2008 season.

4) Last but not least please let Tom be Tom: My last request and to me most important is to let Brandstater be himself in 2008. I think fans came along ways in 2007 with respect to accepting Tommy B. as our QB. But I still read plenty of messages and threads that say Tom is not as accurate as Carr or as talented as Carr. In the end all I want is for Tom to be himself. I think he is going to be great in 2008 and I think he has done just fine with the team he has. I believe his Junior year was very impressive and when I watch him play I see the skills that tell me one day he will play past Fresno State. I just hope everyone else in Bulldog land will accept him for who he is. Tom does not need to be Carr, Tom needs to be Tom. If Brandstater is the best he can possibly be week in and week out the Bulldogs will win a majority of their games in 2008.

2008 can be a special season for Fresno State. We have the talent, we have the coaching, and we have the determination as a team to make 2008 unforgettable. But we as fans need to hold back and keep all of this talk about winning every game under raps until the twelth game of the season. If the Dogs are 11-0 then I have no problems talking about where they may end up. Remember we were upset with Pat Hill for dreaming of the BCS a few years ago when we could not win the WAC. That is exactly what we need to stay away from as fans. Enjoy the offseason. We will have plenty of news about practices, players, and the direction of this team. Just enjoy it because right now isn't it great to be a Bulldog fan?

Comparing Tom Brandstater and David Carr (yes it can be done)

by nsc

In 2001 we all remember the magic ride the Fresno State Bulldogs embarked on to begin the season. The Dogs opened up with three straight wins over BCS schools and were awarded the #8 ranking in the nation for doing so. David Carr had an amazing season as he threw for over 4000 yards and 45 td's leading the Bulldogs to an overall record of 11-3. Today it seems that regardless of how good or bad our teams are we continually compare them to that 2001 team. The other day I wrote a blog on Tom Brandstater and how he has matured over the season. I wrote that I feel his development is ahead of where David Carr was at the same point in his Junior season. I am quite sure many of you do not feel the same way as I do so I decided to use opposing team's record, common stats, and team schedules to try and further prove that Tom Brandstater is right where we need him to be at this point in his career. Brandstater had a very tough 2006 season but I cannot use that in comparison because David Carr was not our starter his sophomore season. While many awful things were said about Tom during our 4-8 season last year he was only a sophomore and there is no way to reference that for any type of comparison. Instead I will use Tom's Junior season and the records from the teams we play his senior year to compare the two QB's side by side. Now don't get me wrong, David Carr was an absolute godsend for this program as he helped put the Dogs into the national spotlight. All I am trying to say here is that Brandstater may be on the same maturation level as Carr was when he blossomed into one of the best QB's in college football. Let's begin the comparison by referencing Carr's Junior season and how he did during that season.

In 2000 Carr led the Bulldogs to a 7-5 record as they lost in the Silicon Valley Bowl to Air Force 37-34. In that game David Carr showed us glimpses of what he would become in 2001. Carr threw for 388 yards and five td's while bringing the Dogs back from a 34-7 halftime deficit. For the season Carr finished with the following stat line:

216 for 349 for 2,729 yards 62% completion rate 27 td's

What is far more interesting about the Bulldogs 2000 season is the record of the teams that Carr won and loss against. The teams Carr led the Bulldogs to victories over had a combined 26-56 record. The teams Carr and the Dogs lost to had a combined record of 41-19. In other words the teams the Dogs beat that season were teams they were supposed to beat. The Dogs did not lose to anyone they shouldn't have lost to with respect to team record and the Dogs did not beat anyone they shouldn't have beaten. Now let's take a look at Brandstater in 2007 and how he has fared against believe it or not very similar competition overall. Brandstater's line to date is as follows:

178 for 288 for 2,164 yards 62% completion rate 14 td's

Remember that Brandstater still has two games remaining. No Brandstater will not throw for 13 td's in the next two games but it is possible that he may throw for 500 yards and say five td's. If that does happen he will end up with 2650-2700 yards passing (right where Carr was) and around 18-20 td's. Now let's take a look at the win-loss records of the teams the Dogs have played in 2007. Against teams the Dogs have beaten the opponents record is: 23-47. The teams the Dogs have lost to have a combined 36-10 record. You can try and make a case that the teams we lost to in 2000 are superior to the teams we have lost to this season but a further look shows this to be untrue. In 2000 we lost to Ohio State which is comparable to this year's Oregon team (record wise). In 2000 we lost to UCLA which is comparable to this year's TAMU team (record wise also). However, in 2000 the only other team that was anywhere near as good as this year's Boise and Hawaii team's would have been TCU. Air Force was not a dominating force in 2000 nor was UTEP. If this is not enough in the comparison arena for those who read the blog let me take a look at Carr's 2001 season to further prove that Brandstater will have a chance to show he can be our next star QB.

In 2001 Carr had what many consider to be the best QB season in Bulldog history. We know his stat line was astonishing and there is no way Brandstater will ever match what Carr did in 2001. However lets take a look at the win-loss records of the opponents Carr faced in 2001. The teams Carr led the Bulldogs to victories over had a combined 57-71 record. The teams Carr and the Dogs suffered a loss to had a comnined 24-12 record. As of right now the team's Brandstater will take the field against in 2008 have a combined 68-75 record. In 2001 Carr led Fresno State to three straight victories over BCS teams. In 2008 the Bulldogs also open the season with three consecutive games against BCS teams. I realize that comparing stats of two players is quite hard to do. I know that Carr and Brandstater are playing in different eras of Fresno State football. While we ran the ball in 2001 we realized that our QB could win games for us and our offense allowed Carr to do just that. In 2008 I expect much of the same from our offense. I expect early on that J-Mac and Hill will realize that if we have to we can win games by throwing the ball we will. I expect the offense to put trust in Brandstater and ride his back to victories from time to time. As I said earlier Tom will not achieve the stats Carr did in 2001, that's just not possible in today's Bulldog offense. However, if Fresno State finishes 10-2 or 11-1 and Brandstater throws for say 30 td's with 7 int's or so and 3000 yards won't that be enough to say Brandstater was just as successful as Carr was as our starting QB? Remember you cannot compare their sophomore seasons, that is not fair to either QB due to starting time and the team surrounding each QB. If the Dogs can come through in 2008 and finish 10-2 TB will have a record of 18-6 (assuming we beat NMSU this Friday and not counting our bowl game this season). Carr had a 18-8 record as our starter in 2000-2001. To me that sounds eerily similar. If you do not see the connection that is fine. I realize many of you loved David Carr and cannot fathom Brandstater as the type of QB Carr was for this program. However, if you take the time to look at the numbers and compare the two you might find out they are much more similar than at first glance.

NSC...on Brandstater's Revival

by nsc

2007 has been an interesting season to say the least. Fresno State has endured more injuries across the board than most teams in Div. 1A college football, yet they sit at 7-4 on the season. The Dogs travel to NMSU for their final game of the season this Friday with a chance to double their win total from 2006. Fresno State will play in a bowl game again this season. Fresno State's offense has pulled a complete 180 this season as they have averaged well over thirty points per game, up from 23 per game in 2006. However the biggest improvement this season has been in our signal caller. Brandstater struggled through 2006 as we all know. But what we did as fans that was not fair to Brandstater was blame him more so than everyone else on the team. We as fans felt that Brandstater was the sole reason that the Bulldogs offense failed miserably in 2006. We as fans were completely wrong. Today every single Bulldog fan should be praising Brandstater. For some reason that is not happening, at least not from what I am reading on the BarkBoard. Brandstater turned in a performance that was reminiscent of Carr in 2001 as he completed 23 out of 29 passes for 313 yards and 2 TD's with no int's against K-State this past Saturday. Somehow it still comes across as not good enough for many fans.

On Saturday Brandstater looked comfortable as he hit his receivers in stride and continually put the ball where only our receivers could catch it. At the same time the progression chart seems to have become a part of Tom's game as he would look down field for a receiver and check down to his second or third option if receiver one was not open. On one play Tom avoided a sack, spun around in a complete circle and looked up to complete a fifteen yard pass downfield. On that one play I realized that Brandstater had arrived. But the problem is Brandstater had arrived much earlier during the 2007 season, not just on Saturday. While Saturday certainly was an outstanding performance for our Junior QB this was not the first game Brandstater had done well. If we take Tom's past three games into account he has completed 51 out of 73 passes which equates to a 70% completion rate. In that same span Brandstater has accounted for nine TD's and only one int. To say one game does not make Tom a good QB is correct, but it has not been one game that Tom has been outstanding this season. It may just be me but I feel like so many of you have forgotten why we had a chance late against Hawaii. We did not come back against the Warriors because of our superior running game or our great defense. Instead our offensive passing game gave us a chance late in the second half. True our defense gave us the ball often in the second half against Hawaii but we would not have scored any points had it not been for Brandstater and his receivers. To ignore what Tom has done over the past month for this football team would be a disservice not only to Tom but to the Bulldog football team as a whole. So many have complained about the way Tom has played, but in all honesty his Junior year is on pace to match many of the numbers that David Carr put up. The most important stat (Wins) may very well pass up what Carr was able to do his junior year as well as the Dogs that season finished 7-5 with a loss to the Air Force in their bowl game.

As I stated earlier Fresno State is going to play in a bowl game to end the season. Whether that game is in Hawaii, Las Vegas, Boise, or New Mexico is yet to be determined, but Brandstater and the Bulldogs will play in a bowl game. For many Bulldogs it will be their first experience in a bowl game as most of the players on the team are Freshman and Sophomores. But the bowl experience will be one that the players can build on heading into 2008. Brandstater has done his part to make the Bulldogs a successful team this season. Tom has averaged nearly 200 yards a game for a team that leads with the run. Tom also has a completion percentage of 62% while throwing for 14 td's to only five int's. As I showed in a blog a week ago David Carr also completed 62% of his passes for 2700 yards his junior year and look what happened to Carr his senior season. If Tom can go out Friday night and perform as he has the past month I have no doubt that he will once again throw for 200-250 yards with 2-3 td's and no more than one int. If Brandstater throws for 250 yards in each of the final two games this season he will close with 2650 yards averaging over 200 yards a game. In other words Tom will be very proficient in the Bulldog offense.

All I am trying to get across to many of the Bulldog faithful is that Brandstater has become a very competent QB in our system. Saturday Tom showed that he can throw the seem pass, and he can throw it quite well at that. For those of you who focus on the pass he threw behind Harding shame on you. Why not pay attention to the twenty great throws Tom made this past Saturday and forget about the one throw he did not complete. In fact why not concentrate on how many throws Tom has made the past two games that have been close to being intercepted. Well if you try to do that then you will realize he has not made one throw that was anywhere close to being taken away. Brandstater has come full circle and we as fans should support the changes Tom has made both on and off the football field. While Brandstater has had a tough go to this point remember that David Carr's breakout game came in 2000 against the Air Force in the Silicon Valley Bowl where he threw for 388 yards and five td's with one int. If you take that game into consideration I would say Brandstater is actually ahead of where Carr was at this time seeing that Brandstater still has two games remaining before the end of the 2007 season. I am pleased with the improvement of this team and especially the improvement our QB has made this season. The Bulldogs have a chance to finish the season 9-4. If you told me during the 2006 season that next year we could go 9-4 with 28 injuries to key players I would have told you to get your head examined. Instead it looks like I have to be the one to get examined because the Bulldogs are doing exactly what we all wanted: Playing hard and getting results on the football field. In the end isn't that all we really can ask for from this team? Don't forget we are one play away from being 8-3 right now. This has been a very successful season for Fresno State and I just hope that each and every one of you realize it before the 2007 season comes to an end.

Not So Offensively Challenged Anymore

by nsc

Each time I write about our offense I have to refer to 2006 and how everything went horribly wrong. I don't do this because I enjoyed what happened during the 2006 season but instead I use 2006 as a reference to show Bulldog fans how bad things truly were for this program at this very same point last season. At this point last year Fresno State sat at 3-7. Our offense was non-existent aside one Dwayne Wright and our defense looked worse as the season wore on. Fans continually complained about the execution of our offense and how often the Bulldogs ran the ball regardless if the defense put nine men in the box to stop the run. Our QB looked lost, our plays lacked creativity, and our receivers did very little to help our QB succeed. We as fans threw most of the blame on the QB when in reality the problem lay with our offensive coordinator Steve Hagan. Hagan seemed to run the offense into the ground. The reason I say this is under Frank Cignetti the Bulldogs averaged 39 points a game the previous two seasons. In Hagan's one year as offensive coordinator the Dogs average dropped to 23 points per game. Fresno State had the same running game, three returning receivers, an outstanding tight end, and a stellar offensive line under Hagan yet they could not sustain a drive the entire season. At that time it may not have been obvious but our offensive coordinator was the sole reason this team struggled throughout the entire 2006 season. Enter Jim McElwain at offensive coordinator and everything immediately began to change.

Jim McElwain spent six years of his coaching career at Louisville and Michigan State. During his tenure at Louisville the Cardinals averaged 31 points per game. While McElwain wasn't the offensive coordinator for Louisville he helped lead the Cardinals to the Liberty Bowl in 2000 and 2001 and the GMAC bowl in 2002. From there McElwain moved on to Michigan State where the Spartans averaged 31 points a game as well. McElwain then made the jump to the NFL where he took over as the QB coach for the Oakland Raiders. However, we all know the Raiders had absolutely no talent to work with making J-Mac look much worse than he actually was. In a sense the Raider failure led J-Mac to Fresno State where for the first time in his coaching career he would become an offensive coordinator. J-Mac had his work cut out for him once he arrived here due to the fact that Hagan had ruined everything great about the Fresno State offense. McElwain was going to have to make the Bulldogs believe that they could dominate the game once again on offense. At the same time J-Mac would have to work under Pat Hill who had always preferred the run over the pass, the opposite of the offense J-Mac worked under in the past. Would J-Mac be able to succeed in a system that was foreign to him up until this point in his college career? In one word: yes.

To see the difference McElwain has made with the offense look no further than QB Tom Brandstater. His completion percentage has gone up 6% while he has thrown twice as many TD's as interceptions. Instead of handing games to the opponent Brandstater is now managing games in which he has given us a chance to win every single game this season aside the Oregon game. While the QB position has improved tenfold under the watchful eye of McElwain the running game has also thrived to the surprise of many. The Bulldogs knew going into the season they would have a strong runner in Lonyae Miller. What they did not realize was that Ryan Matthews as a true Freshman would shine the way he has. With two games remaining Matthews needs 250 yards rushing to top the 1000 yard barrier. If the Dogs qualify for a bowl game Matthews will have three games to reach the 1000 yard goal. While the running game has thrived in McElwain's system the wide receiving core has done far better than their counterparts in 2006. Seyi Ajirotutu has become a receiver the Dogs can count on down-field. Marlon Moore has emerged as a go to receiver in the slot. Clifton Smith has been amazing underneath and we all knew Bear Pascoe would be huge the entire season. The offense has gone from averaging 23 points a game in 2006 to 31 a game this season. While 31 points a game in college football is not an amazing number the way Fresno State gets to thirty one is the reason they are winning twice as many games as they did last season. McElwain has been able to keep defenses honest with his variety of formations that he lines up with. At times we see Brandstater alone with five receivers on the field. Other times have three receivers bunched on the left with one receiver to the right. Still there are times where McElwain will line up two running backs to stay in and block for Brandstater. In other words this offense is a shell of what it was in 2006.

Last season we as Bulldog fans realized how amazing our offense truly was before Steve Hagan arrived. We realized that maybe we had been spoiled with the offensive explosions the Dogs put up week after week. In one five game stretch during the 2004 season Fresno State averaged over fifty points a game. McElwain is trying his best to get the Bulldogs back to that level on offense. Generally it takes most teams years to improve their offense to the point they are happy with it. Fresno State will not work out all of the kinks in one season. We have made a vast improvement from the product that was put on the field in 2006. The goal from here on is to improve to the point that our offense in 2007 is an after thought. If Fresno State can hold on to McElwain at coordinator for the next couple of seasons this offense will begin to thrive in ways we have never seen before. Next year Ebahn Feathers comes into the Bulldogs system as he will add a variation to the Dogs offense we have never seen. I truly believe McElwain will use Feathers to help Brandstater enjoy his most successful season as a Bulldog. It is for these reasons that I believe when all is said and done the 2008 season will be one of the more successful seasons for the Fresno State Bulldogs. Finally Bulldog fans will be able to count on the Dogs scoring often once again, a feeling we all want back much sooner than later. With McElwain in charge I no longer worry about if this offense is going to explode but instead look forward to when it is going to happen.

On the Right Track

by nsc

The past two seasons have been a tumultuous time for Tom Brandstater. In 2006 he was booed more often than he was cheered. In 2006 he led the Fresno State Bulldogs to their worst record since 1996. Brandstater's stat line was less than stellar in 2006 as he completed 54% of his passes for 1490 yards with 13 td's and 14 int's. The future looked dim for the Bulldogs signal caller. The fans in Fresno did not want to see Brandstater take another snap after his horrendous start. However, Pat Hill stuck with Brandstater throughout 2006. While Tom's 2006 season was not one to write home about the chance to erase all of those memories would come at the start of the 2007 season. Whether fans feel like Tom has moved past 2006 is left up to their perception of the QB position at Fresno State and how they view success. I feel Tom has been very successful in 2007 and to show why I feel this way I am going to use the junior seasons of two of the best Bulldog QB's in our recent history: Bill Volek and David Carr.

Everyone remembers David Carr and Bill Volek as outstanding QB's in the Fresno State football system. Carr threw 46 td's his senior season compared to only nine int's. Volek threw 30 td's his senior season compared to only 3 int's, which today is still the most efficient college football season in history. But what most fans tend to forget is what these two players did their junior seasons. Below are three stat lines without the players names. Can you tell me who is who:

216 for 349 for 2,729 yards 62% completion rate 27 td's
151 for 261 for 1,973 yards 58% completion rate 10 td's
155 for 259 for 1,851 yards 60% completion rate 12 td's

Each of the above stat lines represent Tom Brandstater, Bill Volek, and David Carr's junior seasons. If you could not tell by now the top line is David Carr, the second line is Bill Volek, and the third line is Tom Brandstater. Tom is doing much better with respect to these other two QB's than many have come to perceive on the BarkBoard. Not only is he having a much better year than Volek did his junior year, but if Tom were to continue to play how he has the past two games he would end up with close to 20 td's, and 2500 yards passing on the season. In other words maybe Brandstater is not nearly as bad as many have made him out to be. Playing QB in college is a tough job. Many don't realize how hard it is to become the focal point of an offense. I am not making excuses as to why Brandstater's sophomore season went horribly wrong but instead am trying to get people to understand that he is headed in the right direction. In today's' era we expect a QB to step in and do the job right from the first snap. Honestly this is as unreal an expectation as one could have of a QB. Most college QB's do not step in and perform the way Tim Tebow has at Florida. Instead struggles are common for new QB's. Sometimes the QB cycle follows a different path as a QB has a solid first season and struggles his second year (See Jared Zabranski).

Brandstater has dealt with various situations since he took over at QB for the Bulldogs. I have to admit that I was one who wanted to see him replaced last season, but I failed to realize that Tom was not the only problem with our team last season. I wanted to put the blame on the guy who throws the ball without looking elsewhere. The fact of the matter is last season our receivers underachieved, our defense was atrocious, our offensive coordinator was lost, and our team as a whole was bad. To blame one man for the entire season is wrong and I am as guilty of that as the next Bulldog fan. Earlier this year Matt James wrote an article in which he apologized for the chastising of Brandstater in 2006. I did not go to the extremes James did but I do feel I should recant many of the things I said about Tom. He has played hard every game he has stepped on the field and he deserves some credit for the improvement of the team this season. Would any Bulldog fans have imagined being down to TAMU and Hawaii big only to come back and make it a game with our passing offense? To me that shows that Brandstater has improved far more than we give him credit for. He has finally began to look for receiver options two and three in the offense and can make the dump off throw underneath far better than he ever has.

However, I do see a problem with our offense headed into our final two games of the season and I am going to trust that our offensive coordinator will take care of it. The Bulldogs offense heavily relies on the run which is fine. The problem is that we sometimes fall in love with the run so much that we forget our QB can throw the ball. I fully expect J-Mac to throw the ball much earlier next game as Kansas State is susceptible to the passing game. I do not see Brandstater throwing for 300 yards, but he does not need to do so to win games. Brandstater needs to continue to be efficient in this offense in 2007 in order to lead the Dogs to victories. I am sure Tom has learned quite a bit in his two years as a starter. There is no reason to think that 2008 won't bring Tom his best season yet. After all both David Carr and Bill Volek had average junior years only to explode their senior season. Why can't Tommy do the very same? I believe and think he will and I hope that by now the rest of the Fresno State faithful have begun to realize the improvements Tom has made on the field. If you haven't then please take off your blinders because if you don't you are going to miss some good QB play in the next year.

The Four Quarter Requirement

by nsc

Saturday night Fresno State mounted a comeback against Hawaii that many Bulldog fans did not believe was possible. Fresno State's offense had left many of us wondering what would happen if we fell behind a good offensive team by a large amount early in the game. Oregon jumped out to a insurmountable lead in the first half earlier this season and Hawaii looked as if they were on their way to doing the very same to Fresno State this past weekend. However, the 2007 Fresno State Bulldogs showed us that they are nothing like the team from last season. We all know last season a game such as the one vs.Hawaii would have ended with Fresno State losing by forty. In 2007 the Dogs fought back and lost by seven. While the comeback can be used as a great motivational tool in the locker room what the Dogs should learn from this experience is that it takes four solid quarters of football to win a game. Up until this point in the season you would be hard pressed to find a game that Fresno State played a solid four quarters in. Let's take a look at the season and see where exactly the Dogs may be able to make improvements to play a complete game.

The Bulldogs first challenge this season came from Texas A&M where the Dogs played a horrendous first half only to mount an impressive second half comeback. If the Dogs played a solid first half they walk away from the A&M game with a win. The following week the Dogs started slow once again against Oregon. Fresno State played a decent second half but found themselves too far behind to mount any kind of comeback. The three games after all told the same story. La. Tech showed us that the Dogs can play defense but they did not come out on offense until the second half. Against Nevada Fresno State opened up strong but played a shaky second half. The Dogs did the very same thing against Idaho and we all know what happened against Boise. Utah State brought the Dogs a very strong first half but the second half was a disappointment to say the least. Leading into Hawaii the Dogs had not put one complete game together and after the Dogs left Hawaii they still have not put one complete game together. The first half against Hawaii went as so many games do with the Warriors. The Warriors scored three touchdowns before Fresno State had even settled on to the football field. The Dogs mine as well have begun the game down 21-0, at least they would have had more time to come back in the game. My point is if Fresno State can come out with that instinct to take care of business right from the first snap they will win games more frequently.

Fresno State could have beaten Hawaii. Fresno State should have beaten Hawaii. Yes, with 22 injured players and Pascoe and Matthews on the sidelines Fresno State still should have walked out of that stadium with a victory. Unfortunately Fresno State did not win the game and they need to learn from this experience. Every Bulldog fan is tired of hearing how our team is young and will be great next year. The saying "Wait till next year" has been used by countless Dogs fans for the past five seasons. There is no more waiting, the time needs to be now for the Bulldogs. Fresno State has to learn and grow from this experience against Hawaii. Aside the Bulldogs game against Oregon this season they have been close in every game they have played. This team is a few plays from being 8-2, but they are not 8-2. However, Fresno State does have 2 games remaining. If the Dogs play a full four quarters in both of these games I fully expect them to end the season 8-4, one game better than I had predicted at the beginning of the season. An 8-4 record will lead the Dogs into the bowl season once again and will give them momentum heading into off-season recruiting. In other words the Bulldogs have an opportunity in front of them. If they handle their business in the final two games of the season they very well may be rewarded with a West coast bowl game that Bulldog fans will travel to in large numbers. But if the Bulldogs once again find a way to play incomplete games they will spend the bowl season watching from home, something seniors like Marcus Riley and Tyler Clutts do not want to experience again.

What We Learned in Hawaii

In 2006 Hawaii came into Fresno and jumped out to a 28-7 lead before Bulldog fans could get comfortable. We all remember what Hawaii did from that point on as Colt Brennan tore Fresno apart en route to a 68-37 victory. The Bulldogs defense never seemed to get on track in that game and everyone in the stadium knew as soon as Fresno State fell behind by two touchdowns the game was over. The 2006 Bulldogs lacked heart. The 2006 Bulldogs lacked toughness on the football field. The 2006 Bulldogs did not have the talent to come back from a deficit of any margin. Saturday in Hawaii Fresno State once again fell behind by 21 points to the Warriors in the first quarter. It looked as if the Bulldogs would be blown out of Aloha stadium once again as trips to the island have never gone well for Fresno State. But something happened when the Warriors put their third touchdown on the scoreboard nine minutes into the game. Fresno State decided this game was not going to get out of hand. A.J. Jefferson returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 21-7. It was the second week in a row that Jefferson had done so on a kickoff return. Right before halftime Fresno State drove down field getting into the end zone to cut the lead to 31-16. While many of us felt good about what the Bulldogs did in the second quarter that would be nothing compared to what they did to Hawaii in the second half.

After numerous blown opportunities to close the gap Fresno State finally made a play we have not seen since the San Jose State game. Hawaii had the lead at 34-16 and Brennan was driving the Warriors for the killing score in the third quarter. Brennan fired a bullet over the middle that looked to be in stride with his receiver. The score would have been 41-16 and all but out of reach for Fresno State until Marcus Riley made what looked to be one of the most athletic interceptions ever at Fresno State. Many people probably do not realize how important that play was for Fresno State. The Bulldogs kept Hawaii out of the end zone the entire second half only allowing the Warriors three points. Fresno State was able to fight back and close the gap with one minute remaining in the game as they were down 37-30. Unfortunately the onside kick did not bounce Fresno State's way and they once again left Aloha stadium with a back breaking loss. Where Fresno State goes from here will be important to the future of this program. Fresno State has a bye week coming up followed by games against two opponents they can beat. If Fresno State can knock off Kansas State and New Mexico State they will finish 8-4 headed to a bowl game once again. I am holding out hopes that we can replace the Pac-10 in a bowl game somwhere on the West Coast here (Emerald or Las Vegas bowl) but any bowl is better than no bowl.

I realize that we have gone down the "This team is getting better" route thousands of times. This time around Fresno State has to move on and make that jump. The school cannot degress anymore. Fresno State in 2001 made a jump to a level many of us were not expecting. Today we know the talent on this team is there to become an elite team not only in the WAC but in the nation. Whether the Bulldogs do this or not truly falls on the shoulders of our coaching staff. J-Mac has given this team a life on offense we have not seen in many years. However, one improvement the Dogs are going to have to make is at the QB position. I do not mean they need to replace TB but instead they need to allow him to throw the ball much earlier in the game. He may not be 100% accurate but he has shown of late he can throw the ball when given the oportunity. Against Hawaii he finished 15-26 and had three balls thrown perfectly that were dropped. You can make the argument that he missed some throws so they cancel out, but I cannot recall many missed throws in the Hawaii game. His last two halfs where he was given the opportunity to throw the ball look like this: 22-33 5td's no int's. Those stats consist of Brandstater's first half against Utah State and his second half against Hawaii. In other words maybe Tom is ready to throw the ball more than the Bulldogs coaching staff is allowing him to do.

Losses hurt regardless of who they are against. Sometimes you can look at a loss as a turning point for a team while other times losses should just be forgotten as they hurt the program more than they will ever help the program. Fresno State must make Hawaii a turning point. The Dogs went into a hostile environment with ridiculous fans and should have left Aloha stadium with a win. They played defense when they had to and their offense made a comeback that many of us fans did not know was possible. The Bulldogs were down 37-16 and pulled within one TD. If they do not fumble on the opening drive in the second half who knows what happens in this game. As I said before this game must be used as a turning point for this team. Marcus Riley and the rest of the seniors have one home game left. They deserve our support when the Dogs take on Kansas State. I hope that the rest of the Bulldog fans feel as strongly as I do about this team and will be there two weeks from now when the Bulldogs knock off Kansas State. It would only be fair to those on this football team that have given their all for the valley and every fan in this city.

Instructions on Beating Hawaii

Tomorrow night Fresno State will begin another compelling match up
with the Warriors of Hawaii. At first glance this game looks to be a
mismatch as Fresno State does not generally implore the type of
defense that can stop Hawaii. The Dogs tend to play a soft defense
that allows the five to seven yard route. Fresno State relies on it's
LB's and secondary to make tackles as soon as the ball is caught
(something they have not done too well this season). There is a way
to beat the Warriors and it was on display last season when the Oregon
State Beavers traveled to the island. True, Oregon State was quite
hot and had defeated a very talented USC team only weeks before, but
they ran the type of defense it took to stop the Warriors amazing
offense. While I can write down the steps to stopping Hawaii's run
and shoot offense it does not mean that they will necessarily work.
College football is a game of sixty minutes and Hawaii can adjust to
what a defense is doing as well as any other offense in the nation.
However, these are the steps I deem
necessary to knock off the Warriors on the island. I am sure you will
notice this is written like a recipe and rightfully so since
directions need to be followed in order to beat Hawaii.

1) Add a little pressure to Colt Brennan's passing attack- Oregon
State sacked Colt Brennan six times last season and forced him to
throw two int's. While Brennan still managed over 400 yards passing
the Warriors lost because Oregon State forced Brennan to throw the
ball much earlier than he anticipated. Brennan does not make many
mistakes and when he does defenses must take advantage of them.
Fresno State will have to find a way to pressure Brennan on every play
or he will sit back in the pocket and do whatever he pleases. If you
want proof of how good Brennan is when he has time to throw watch the
highlights of the 2006 Fresno State-Hawaii game. That game should be
used as an example of what not to do when playing Hawaii.

2) Mix in physical play from the corner position - Hawaii loves the
underneath routes. This team uses five to seven yard routes to create
thirty yard gains. Grice-Mullin, Bess, Rivers, and Hawthorne (yes
they have four accomplished receivers) are all capable of turning a
small route into a large gain. If the Dogs do not get up close to the
line and knock these receivers off their routes right from the start
it will be a long day for the defense in Hawaii. True Hawaii is a
place where vacations are wonderful, but the Dogs defense will
experience a nightmare of a game if they do not play physical football
against Hawaii. Playing ten yards off the pass and allowing the
receivers to run underneath routes untouched will not get the job done
Saturday night.

3) Throw in a little blitzing from all over the field - Fresno will
have to disguise it's defensive game plan to in a sense trick Hawaii.
The Bulldogs will have to make the Warriors believe one man is
blitzing when someone else is altogether. Fresno will have to bring
the safeties at times. On other plays they will have to bring the
corners. Still the LB's will have to be forced to blitz as well. The
key is to sack Brennan or force turnovers. For a team that has one
interception the entire year they will need a breakout performance
resulting in at least two interceptions if they hope to beat Hawaii.

4) Add in a sprinkle of ball control - Fresno State loves to run the
ball. While Matthews may not be 100% for this game he is scheduled to
play along with Miller and Pascoe. Our offensive line will not be
100% due to all of the injuries suffered to this point but they have
played together long enough to know what blocking schemes are what.
Fresno State will have to do everything in their power to control the
clock. If the Dogs do not hold the ball for at least ten minutes
longer than the Warriors they can kiss a victory goodbye. Hawaii
scores fast and the only way to combat that type of scoring is to hold
on to the ball for long drives. To see how this is done watch the
super bowl that took place in the early 90's between the Buffalo Bills
and the New York Giants. The Bills held the ball for all of 19
minutes in that game and still should have won. That is the kind of
effort it is going to take from Fresno State to win tomorrow.

5) Last but not least avoid mixing in turnovers - The Warriors will
have the ball enough to score fifty points if their offense is
clicking. The last thing Fresno State can do is allow the Warriors to
touch the ball more than after the Dogs score or punt. Last year
Fresno State turned the ball over three times en route to the 68-37
bombing they took. This year in order for the game to play out
differently the Dogs must reverse the turnover story. If Fresno State
cannot take the ball away from Hawaii and continues to give the ball
to the Warriors as if Christmas came early, there is absolutely no way
Fresno State will be close in this game.

I realize these steps are easier said than done. Stopping the run and
shoot offense is next to impossible, but it can be done. As I said
before Oregon State did it last season and if the Dogs can follow that
defensive plan they will have a shot in this game. If the Dogs do not
put pressure on Brennan and allow the Warriors to run untouched across
the field look forward to turning this one off at halftime. We just
do not have the type of offense that can come back from a large
deficit and that is exactly what Hawaii will try to do to us in the
first half.

Random Thoughts

by nsc

Each time I write a blog on Fresno State I try to be as objective as I possibly can. I try my best not to use any personal bias when I predict scores or how the flow of a game will go. I try to analyze each aspect of what a team brings and in turn compare each team's strengths and weaknesses against one another. I do not predict scores or discuss a game based on how much I love the Fresno State Bulldogs or how much I dislike the Hawaii Warriors. Instead I give those who read the blog a fair assessment of what could happen in each football game the Bulldogs play in. But today I don't want to discuss the Hawaii game. Today I don't want to think about the 6-3 record the Dogs have or what bowl game they could possibly play in. Today I don't want to assess the positives and negatives of the Bulldog football program. Today I would rather focus on random thoughts across the sports world. I like blogging about the Dogs but every now and then it is nice to have some fun with what you write about. So without further adieu here are my random thoughts on the sportsworld:

1) 350 million dollars for A-Rod? Are you kidding me? Who wants to pay 350 million dollars for a guy who has gone 0 for his last 27 with men in scoring position in the playoffs? Knowing my luck my Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (yeah what a name) will pick him up so he can go 0 for 10 in the playoffs this season as well.

2) The valley playoffs start tonight in Fresno when Buchanan takes on Sanger. At least there will be no complaints that Fresno fans can't make the Bulldog game because of a muy importante high school football game in the valley.

3) Apparantly going undefeated doesn't warrant you a number one seed in the valley playoffs as well. Maybe the C.I.F. is following the college football mold a bit too closely as El Diamante was awarded the one seed at 9-1 while Tulare Union went 10-0 and was granted the 2 seed. While there doesn't seem to be much of a difference El Diamante does not play in the first round and Tulare Union does. Wow, see what playing Clovis West gets you in the central section. El Diamante is rewarded for losing to Clovis West as the C.I.F. stated "Hey at least they played Clovis West, who cares if they won the game".

4) If Ohio State makes the college football championship I might ram my head into my bedroom door. I was as excited as the next guy to find out that Ohio State was rebuilding, only to be screwed when they began the season 8-0. Our only hope in this college football season is for Michigan to knock them off at the end of the season. Yes, the same Michigan team that loss to App. State. If Michigan can't do it then look forward to another wonderful championship game with an overhyped Big-10 team.

5) Fresno State begins it's basketball season tomorrow night as they take on Portland State at the Save Mart Center. However, you may not know that it's a game that counts when an announced crowd of 9,000 turns out to be about 4,000 fans too many.

6) Wait a minute, did another prospect commit to a Pac-10 school instead of Fresno State? Well that just goes to show you that playing time isn't all that important to most of these prospects. Instead it may be that much more fun to ride the bench at a Pac-10 school because they have and I quote "Great Facilities".

7) Oh did you hear that? Another group of Fresno State fans just complained as to why they cannot make the football games in the valley. Amongst the reasons given the most important one I can recall is "Fresno State doesn't win enough for me to be in the seats".

8) Why is it when you predict your team to lose a game you are not supporting your team but when you pick them to win that very same game you are crazy? If you want any further proof check out the difference between responses to my blog on the Bulldogs and Warriors game and what responses Gator received. I said the Dogs lose, and Hawaii fans said I don't support our team. Gator said that we would win and they called him crazy. Weird bunch of fans over there really.

9) This just in: When you are rivals you generally use the word hate to describe how you feel. Ask a Florida fan what he/she thinks about Georgia. You think they will say "I dislike them but I don't hate them because they are in our conference". Fans don't truly hate the other school, they just hate that side of the football rivalry. Fans shouldn't take the word hate to heart, it's all in good fun when it comes to college football.

10) Last but not least one of the many reasons why college football is a much better sport than the NFL will ever be: New England @ Indianapolis last weekend. While the game was in week nine there is no doubt that one of these two teams will win the Super Bowl this season. How is that fun? How is knowing these two teams are far and away better than the rest of the NFL a great time? Yes, the NFL has a playoff but what's the point? At least in college football with four weeks of games left we still have absolutely no idea who will play in the championship. The NFL speaks of true parity. Well check out college football this season, there is your parity in a nutshell. Well that and the fans in college are a much more lively bunch.

If anyone has any random thoughts to share let me know. It's always great to hear what people think about the sportsworld even when it doesn't have to do with the Fresno State Bulldogs.

Hawaii vs. Fresno State - Position, Individual and Unit Comparisons

Fresno State is racked with injuries, so this comparison will be slightly different, looking at probable starters by position. We’ve met the Rainbows 39 times, beaten them 20 and have the awful 1985 game as the lone tie. The Bulldogs are 1-5 on the islands since ’95, but did beat them in Aloha the last time there.

Quarterbacks- remains the same; TB is healthy, as is Colt Brennan. The numbers here are likewise straightforward. Brennan is passing for 405 yards per game (2nd NCAA), has 26 passing touchdowns (tied-5th NCAA), and has completed 225 of his 328 attempts for a 68.6 passing completion percentage, and 8.6 yards per attempt. He has thrown 11 interceptions and been sacked 12 times. As a scoring offense, Hawai’i has scored 50 or more points in every home game this year, and no team has kept them under 42 points on the road. For Fresno State, Tom Brandstater has passed for 182 yards per game, has passed for 9 touchdowns and been intercepted 5 times. He has completed 140 out of 233 attempts for a completion percentage of 60.1, and is averaging 7 yards per attempt.
Advantage- Obviously, Hawai’i’s Brennan has ridiculous stats, and while much of the heisman talk has died down some, his numbers have still been video-game-like against every team they’ve played. Still, there are some interesting numbers to look at. Brennan and Hawai’i have faced the 48th, 84th, 96th, 102nd, and 103rd ‘best’ passing defenses in the nation, not including the 74th and 120th best passing D’s in the FCS; the best pass D they have faced all year has been UNLV who allow 211.9 pypg (but they still dropped 49 points on them). Fresno State comes into the game allowing only 192.9 passing yards per game, which is 24th in the country, so this will be the best pass D they will have faced all year (and will prepare them for Boise State at 17th nationwide with 186.4 pypg). This represents an advantage of sorts, but obviously not sufficient to expect to do much more but try to hold the Rainbows to under 50 points for the first time at home all year. The losses of OGs Popovich and McDowell, along with C Joe Bernardi, will mean their backups, likely Masse, Meeks, and Harris, may not provide the same protection to TB as the starters and he may be under more pressure.

Running Backs- This unit is completely torn up for the Bulldogs, which is obviously a huge problem since establishing the running game is always strategy #1 for Fresno State. Both Ryan Mathews and Lonyae Miller, the stars in the offensive backfield and 5th and 9th in the WAC in yard per game, respectively, are questionable for Saturday, and backup Jamal Rashad is out. If Mathews and Miller don’t play, the running game will largely fall on the shoulders of Clifton Smith, whose 40.8 yards per game comes off 62 carries and a 5.9 yard per carry average. He is coming off a career game with 126 rushing yards against Utah State (though he does have the memorable 189 yard punt-return game against Weber State from 2005). Also likely to become more important with the leaders out is Anthony Harding, whose 19.2 ypg average and low 3 yard per carry average would likely rise with more touches. On the Hawai’i side, Kealoha Pilares is their leading rusher with 36.8 yards per game on 50 caries, for 5.9 yards per carry. Also in the mix is Leon Wright-Jackson with 21.9 yards per game and also with 5.9 ypc.
Advantage- Even without Miller and Mathews, the Fresno State running attack should be stronger than Hawai’i’s, even if only because the ‘Bows run the ball so rarely and pretty much only to keep defenses honest. The concern is Hawai’i’s rushing defense, which is 17th in the country and 1st in the WAC, only allowing 102.5 yards per game on the ground. That surprising tenacity should cause problems establishing the running game and keep Smith and Harding from establishing the run, getting first downs, eating up clock and keeping their offense off the field as effectively as a healthy team might. I say that if either Miller or Mathews is able to play, it makes a big difference in the game’s outcome.

Recievers/ Tight Ends – Already a problematic unit for the Bulldogs, ranking 94th in the NCAA with 188.9 receiving yards per game, now that Chastin West is out, and Moore is in but playing hurt, along with the loss of Shannon Dorsey, it all puts the Bulldogs at an even greater disadvantage. But the biggest loss would be that of Bear Pascoe, whose 462 receiving yards this season is 11th in the country among tight ends, and who is probable for the game. Hawaii is a completely different story, with Ryan Grice-Mullen pulling in 952 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns, Davon Bess 748 and 9 touchdowns, and C.J. Hawthorne 519 yrds and 5 TDs. This is in contrast to Moore’s 315yrds and Seyi Ajirotutu’s 266. Hawaii is getting 532 yards per game, and the majority of it from this unit.
Advantage – Hawai'i. When a player has more ypg than the opposing team, you know you’re in trouble. When most of the starters are out or playing hurt for the game, you are really in trouble. But Fresno State does have one advantage- the aforementioned passing defense, which is one of the few areas not plagued with injury, with the exceptions of Jason Roberts and Terrence Dennis. While the D-line is really banged up, the passing D that is one of the best in the nation is mostly healthy, which might be expected to keep the UH passing game in check. A defense allowing 194 receiving ypg against an offense generating 461 ypg puts the offense in the advantage, but makes it more likely that they won’t score as much or as often as they have against other opponents.

Defenses- I have talked a lot already about the defenses for both sides, but a more detailed examination of each is revealing. Hawai’i is allowing the 2nd fewest points per game in the WAC after Boise at 22.4, while Fresno State is 3rd in conference allowing 26/game; nether is in the top 25 nationally in scoring D. Of course the injuries to the Fresno state line stand out strongly, with Ahijah Lane, Jason Roberts, and Ikenna Ike out or playing hurt, and Machado, Schenck, Talyor Smith, and Austin Raphael all out, meaning the Hawai’i running game can be more effective. Also a concern is the fact that the Bulldogs have only recorded a single interception all year, compared to Hawai’i’s 17 which is tied for the WAC lead. Interestingly, Fresno State has only allowed their opponents 78 first downs all year, 21st fewest in the nation. This may be particularly relevant against the Rainbows as their major efforts will be to control the game and have our D on the field as long as possible.
Advantage- Hawai’i. Their ground D is solid; our aerial D is solid. Fresno State does have certain situational advantages but overall the Hawai’i defense has allowed fewer points, yards and touchdowns than have the Bulldogs.

Special Teams- Fresno State is 9th in the country in average yards per kick return with 16.22, while Hawaii is 15th with 13.94. Fresno State’s returns are all Clifton Smith, while Devon Bess is the leader for the rainbows. A.J. Jefferson averages 36 yards per kickoff return, 2nd nationwide, while Hawai’i’s Ryan Mouton is tied for 8th with 31 yards per return; both have returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Hawai’i’s kicker Dan Kelly is tied for 30th in the NCAA with 78 points and is in 5th place for longest kick with a 54-yarder; Clint Stitser is tied for 61st with 62, though he is tied for 9th nationwide for distance with a 52-yard kick this year. Neither is in the top 50 in terms of field goal percentage.
Advantage- Fresno State. While both teams are in the top ten nationwide in several special teams categories, Fresno State is clearly ahead statistically. Jefferson is particularly impressive in returning kickoffs, and is a major threat for starting field position.

Coaches- Fresno State’s Pat “the Lineman” Hill is 82-54 (.658) coming into Saturday’s game. He’s 59-26 against the WAC, and 29-38 away from Bulldog Stadium. June “Screwdriver” Jones is 72-40 (.556) with a home record of 53-20, and is 43-24 in conference. Jones is 7-5 off a bye, which they are coming into this game.
Advantage- Fresno State’s Pat Hill is willing to take on anyone, anytime, anywhere, and will have his team more than ready for the #14 Rainbows of Hawai’i. Though there have been some questions as to his leadership by various fans of late, most concur that there are few who would prefer another at the reigns in a big game like this. June Jones, on the other hand, is a great coach, but does have Jeff Tedford to thank for being only #2 on the list of ‘good-coaches-who-are-also-complete-assholes.’

“Taste of the Town”- It’s Hawaii vs. California (State), Oahu vs. the San Joaquin Valley, Manoa vs. Fresno… never any love lost between these two schools or regions, and plenty interesting about both. Lets start with food. California produces its own meat, doesn’t get it shipped from ‘the mainland’. But, the seafood isn’t so great in the Valley, while you can probably get some bang-up sushi in the islands. But, they might put spam in it, which wouldn’t be fun. Can you get a big steak in Hawai’i? Not so much. But they do have smoking-hot women. So does Fresno, but… not really the same as Hawai’i.
Advantage- Fresno. I’m going with the place with good looking women and I can get a steak. Seriously, since there’s a lot of trouble I can get into with a post-colonial discourse here, I’ll just say that as cool as Hawai’i is, sun, surf and sand are sweet and all but we can get that in the Valley, too. I’ve made it abundantly clear elsewhere who my biggest rival is, but for most it’s Hawai’i, and all the Wahines out there aren’t going to sway Bulldog fans.

Conclusion- Milk Can and the 152 aside, this is Fresno State’s biggest conference rival, and they are at their highest perch ever, ready to be taken down a notch. Still, the Bulldogs are playing hurt and the Warriors may have their best team in a decade or more. No clear, rational analysis can objectively suggest that the Bulldogs are in a position to knock off the Rainbows from their lofty status as this year’s big Kahuna in the WAC; however, this is the part of the study where I radically depart from rational analysis and dissolve into ludicrous speculation and indefensible flights of fancy. Behind a fired-up TB playing the game of his life, the Bulldog secondary slows down the regularly high-flying Hawai’i offense while the running game and big plays by Smith allow the ‘dogs to match Brennan touchdown-for-touchdown until the final drive to secure the upset. My call is: Bulldogs 52 - Warriors 49.

Hawaii's Schedule Hurting Credibility

by nsc

It is not often that a team begins the season 8-0 as Hawaii has. The problem is that Hawaii is viewed as a team who has scheduled down in order to get to where they are today. With remaining home games against Fresno State, Boise State, Washington and a road game at Nevada Hawaii does have a chance to run the table and finish 12-0 this season. The question is: Will that be enough to get the Warriors into a BCS game? If the BCS rankings have anything to say about it the answer is a difinitive no and would you really be able to argue this decision? Could you make the argument that a school who has played two Division 1AA schools and has a schedule littered with teams who have won two games or less should be a BCS qualifier? Here in lays the problem with the Warriors. They have all the talent in the world on offense and their defense does just enough to get them wins. But these wins are coming against sub-par competition. Even if the Warriors knock off the Broncos of Boise State later this season and finish the year undefeated a marquee win against a WAC school does not speak volumes to the rest of the college football world. At the same time what does going undefeated with such a soft schedule say to the rest of college football?

Pat Hill has always believed to be the best you have to beat the best. In Fresno the Bulldogs take on schools from across the nation and have received rave reviews from all directions. Although Fresno State has struggled against BCS competition the past two seasons the Dogs are still viewed as a team that has the talent to knock anyone off at any point in the season. Fresno State has not began a season 6-0 since 2001, yet every season they are considered a team who has the opportunity to make a BCS run. The reason behind this is the Bulldogs schedule up when they play out of conference. Instead of continually playing Div. 1AA oponents the Bulldogs take on the elite teams in the nation. In 2005 the Dogs played Oregon and USC. IN 2006 the Dogs played Oregon and LSU. In 2007 the Dogs once again played Oregon but this time add Texas A&M and Kansas State to the schedule. 2008 will have it's challenges as well as Fresno State will play UCLA and Kansas State on the road while Wisconsin travels to Fresno. With an out of conference schedule such as this Fresno State sets them selves up to be a part of the national picture if they ever make any kind of run. That is the reason why in 2001 the Dogs shot up the charts so quickly before their devastating loss to Boise State. Wins over Wisconsin, Colorado, and Oregon State will help a team's image to voters, something Hawaii is struggling to do in 2007.

Hawaii has had a magical start to the 2007 season. They have eaked out close wins over both San Jose State and La. Tech in overtime. The Warriors have destroyed all other teams they have played to this point. But looking back at their schedule if the Warriors had lost any of these games they would not have been considered a threat in the BCS picture. In contrast let's take a look at Fresno State's 2005 season. The Dogs lost their second game of the year 37-34 to Oregon. From that point on Fresno State ran off seven wins in a row and traveled to USC with the #16 ranking in the nation. Had Fresno State pulled off the monumental upset at USC they very well could have qualified for a BCS game at the end of the season even with one loss on their record. What it all comes down to in college football is credibility. Fresno State may have been down for the past few seasons but the nation has the view that Fresno State is the type of mid-major that can challenge you. Boise State is slowly achieving this same status after their upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl last season. Hawaii however continually lags in the nation's eyes.

Hawaii has built an offense that most teams (including BCS schools) cannot stop. The Warriors continually pressure defenses into making decisions on who they are going to cover play after play. The reason Hawaii averages 50 points a game is because they take advantage of mismatches all over the field. The Warriors try to get a LB to cover one of their speedy receivers, something that is nearly impossible to do. Unfortunately Hawaii will never get credit for being a great team unless they beat someone of worth in the process. The Warriors schedule in 2007 has left fans of opposing teams upset. These fans have no desire to see a team schedule the way the Warriors have and be rewarded by achieving the BCS dollars. If this were to happen it would prove that a team's schedule doesn't matter. Instead all that matters is making it through the season undefeated. With that thought in mind teams such as Fresno State look ridiculous for playing the teams they do because there is no reward in the end. Hawaii may go undefeated this season and quite possibly will qualify for a BCS bowl. However, until Hawaii makes a statement against a team the nation respects they will always be the team that took the easy road. And as well know the easy road never garnered any team respect regardless of what sport is being played.

The Hawaii Challenge

Anyone who knows me knows the hatred I have for the University of Hawaii. I think all true Fresno State fans hold a hated for the Warriors that cannot be rivaled by any other team. Hawaii has been a rival to the Bulldogs in every sport for as long as I can remember. If it isn't football then it's basketball. If it isn't basketball then it's baseball. If it isn't baseball then it's women's softball and so on. There is absolutely no love lost on the field of play when it comes to Fresno State and Hawaii. Pat Hill is known for taking his foot off of the gas pedal when Fresno State jumps out to a big lead, that is of course unless the Dogs are playing Hawaii. Hawaii on the other hand tends to score uncontrollably regardless of who is on the opposite side of the field. Saturday Fresno State faces one of the toughest challenges of the season when they travel to Hawaii to take on the Warriors. Fresno State has not fared well on the island the last twenty years. However the Dogs did win their last game in Hawaii during the 2005 season. In that game the Bulldogs used a strong defensive performance to hold a rather inexperienced Colt Brennan and his offense to 13 points. This year the story will be much different. Fresno State will be at an decided disadvantage if for no other reason than the list below:

2007 Bulldog Injuries

LB Ahijah Lane - starter - completely out
OG Cole Popovich - starter - playing hurt
DT Jason Roberts - starter - completely out
DE Ikenna Ike - starter - completely out
OG Adam McDowell - starter - completely out
RB Lonyae Miller - starter - may return
RB Ryan Mathews - starter - status conditional
C Joe Bernardi - starter - completely out
WR Chastin West - starter - completely out
WR Marlin Moore - starter - playing back in
LB Ryan Machado - backup - completely out
LB Ryan McKinley - backup - playing back in
TE/HB Isaac Kinter - backup - playing well now
LB Nico Herron - backup - may be called in
LB Robert Schenck - backup - completely out
RB Jamal Rashad - backup - completely out
DE Taylor Smith - backup - completely out
CB Will Harding - backup - status unknown
WR Shannon Dorsey - backup - completely out
S Terrence Dennis - true frosh - completely out
LB Austin Raphael - true frosh - completely out
OT Eric Sproal - true frosh - completely out
(Thanks to BarkBoard Poster ARX for the list provided above)

The Bulldogs will head into the game against Hawaii missing numerous contributors who would have had the opportunity to make a difference in a game of this magnitude. With all of these injuries the Dogs will count on many second and third team players to come in and do their very best to stop the Warriors potent passing attack. This game could end many different ways but below is how I feel it will end given the state of the Bulldogs at the present time.

Fresno State will continue to try and control the clock against Hawaii. However, if Matthews, Miller, and Pascoe are not on the field I have no idea how the Dogs will be able to do so. Clifton Smith has done a great job filling in at RB but lacks the strength to take a pounding for the entire game. Anthony Harding will spell Smith when Smith needs a breather. While Harding can take a pounding he seems to lack the vision that both Smith and Matthews have. Fresno State is not going to be able to sustain a drive if Tom Brandstater cannot complete third down passes. We will continually be facing third and long in this game due to the state of our running game so once again we will be relying on our QB to get us over the hump. Hopefully J-Mac will come up with various creative plays to keep Hawaii's defense on it's heels because if he doesn't the Dogs will have very little chance to be successful on offense.

Hawaii's offense will score and will score often. Fresno State's corners tend to give far too much of a cushion and Hawaii takes advantage of quick short routes. The Dogs will allow Hawaii the five yard route because they always seem to. I expect Hawaii to score at least fifty this weekend on the island because our offense is missing too much to be successful and our defense will be on the field too long to stop the Warriors consistently. I do believe our special teams returners such as A.J. Jefferson will give us great field position. He will have a chance to return plenty of kickoffs as Hawaii will get in the end zone often. I don't believe Smith will be much of an advantage on punt returns because he won't be fielding many punts in the first place. With all of this being said I see a game where Fresno State comes out and fights hard. Unfortunately I do not think the Dogs will be able to recover from their massive injury list and will lose this game convincingly. This is not a knock to the Bulldogs. They have played their hearts out this season and I believe they will fight hard once again come Saturday night. Sometimes injuries catch up to you and there is literally nothing you can do about it. That is where the Bulldogs currently stand. If the Dogs were healthy I believe this would be one of the better games in the 2007 season. Unfortunately that is not the case and it is going to take the Dogs best game of the season to keep this one close.

Hawaii - 51
Fresno State - 24

The Walking Wounded

As the injured list continues to grow for Fresno State I have begun to wonder if God has a vendetta against the Bulldogs. I am not sure if I have ever seen a college football team ravished so badly by injuries. To really understand how bad the injuries have been just take a look at what Fresno State has gone through since Summer practices began:

Ahijah Lane: Out for year
Chastin West: out for year (both occur before first game of the season)

When the season finally began the Dogs looked to move past early injuries to play solid football. However the first two injuries on the list were merely a precursor to what would occur during the course of the season. After West was lost for the season Bulldog players began dropping like flies as you can see in the list provided below:

Cole Popovich and Adam Mcdowell - Both lost off of the offensive line at same time
Joe Bernardi - out for season
Lonyae Miller - missed past two games due to bruised knee
Marlon Moore - missed three games due to ankle sprain
Jason Roberts - Out for season
Ryan Machado - Out for season
Ryan Matthews - Status unsure for Hawaii, possibly out
Bear Pascoe - Status unsure for Hawaii, possibly out
Jason Shirley - not injured, however suspended from team for disciplinary reasons
Chris Lewis - school related suspension for entire season

I am sure there are plenty of injuries to this team that I have missed. However, if you take a look at that list you will find at least seven key players on the Bulldogs team that will not return or have missed extensive time on the field this season. It's one thing to deal with the loss of one impact player but it is an entirely different challenge to deal with the loss of five impact players. Lane was a defensive leader. West was the one experienced WR on the roster. Shirley was the run stopper in the middle. Bernardi, Popovich, and Mcdowell helped compose a potent front line that opened up the run and protected Brandstater well. If Matthews and Pascoe do not play against Hawaii do I even have to mention how important they are to our offense? With all of these injuries hitting Fresno State in one season the only thing left to wonder is: Where does this team go from here?

Although Fresno State sits at 6-3 their victories have come against sub-par competition for the most part (aside Nevada who is turning into quite a formidable team down the stretch). If you take a look at the season and how many injuries the Dogs have endured they should feel quite good about where they sit today. They have been blown out in one game to date and that was against a team who very well may play for the national championship. I realize that the Dogs may end up 7-5 this season but the effort to win is there. The Dogs put everything on the line when they step on to the field. This weekend against Hawaii if the Dogs leave the island with a bad loss it will not be because of effort. Our entire team is missing important pieces and if we go into Hawaii without our #1 RB and our #1 WR we will have very little chance to sustain a drive. Hawaii will spend all day on the field and will burn our defense merely because they will be dead tired.

Where the Bulldogs go from this point on will be interesting to see. Fresno State will have to use as many backups as we as fans have possibly ever seen. Whether it works or not remains to be seen but to get down on this team with so many parts missing is wrong. This team could be much worse than 6-3 right now but they are finding ways to win games that they could not do last season. In other words we as fans should continue to support Fresno State because the one thing you cannot plan for is injuries. We cannot blame the Bulldogs for getting hurt or missing the season because of something they have no control over. Fresno State is having what many coaches call a "Character Building" season. My goal today was to point out how many important players the Bulldogs have lost throughout this injury filled 2007 football season. I hope many Bulldog fans will read this and realize how hard it is to win when you are missing so many key players. Instead of putting this team down because of their efforts on the field maybe we as fans should realize that the Dogs are doing their best with what they have to work with. The results may not end up where we want them to but remember that it is not due to the lack of effort, heart, or team character. Sometimes things happen outside of the realm that can be controlled and that is exactly what is occurring at Fresno State in 2007. This is a good team who may become great next season. Don't lose faith, one day the injuries will not kill us and we will be able to play at full strength once again. Unfortunately we will not see that again this season.

Fresno State vs. Utah State- Unit Comparisons

Quarterback – Fresno State is putting up 30.5 points per game, while Utah State is getting 20 ppg. Fresno State ’s 196 passing yards per game is better than Utah State ’s 145. Touchdown Tommy has a QB rating of 125, and has completed 127 of his 215 attempts for a percentage of 59.1. He is averaging 188.9 yards per game, and has 7 TDs and 4 picks. Leon Jackson, QB1 for the Aggies, has a QB rating of 120.5, and has completed 65.2% of his passes for 120 yards per game. He has 4 touchdowns and interceptions.
Advantage - Fresno State’s Tommy B. Every category has Brandstater ahead and he looks to have good situational kung-fu.

Running Backs- Fresno State’s Ryan Mathews is 4th in the WAC in yards per game with 80.6; Lonyae Miller is 8th in the conference with 57.4 ypg. As a unit, Fresno State is 3rd in the WAC with 1520 total rushing yards, 190 per game. Derrvin Speight is Utah State ’s leading rusher, and has 40.9 yard per game on 80 carries. Their rushing unit has 118 yards per game, averaging 3 yards per carry.
Advantage - Fresno State. Ranked 26th in the country in rushing yards per game, ahead of USC, Texas , and Florida , Fresno State is good at pounding the ball on the ground. Utah State is 21st from last in yards per game.

Receivers - Fresno State and Utah State both rank near the bottom of the WAC in receiving yards, Fresno State with 202.1 ypg and Utah state dead last with 145.1. Utah State ’s leading receiver, Kevin Robinson, has 54.4 yards per game, one ahead of Bear Pascoe. Beside Pascoe the Bulldogs have Seyi Ajirotutu, Marlon Moore, and Sharrod Davis, each of whom has more than 35 ypg; Robinson is Utah State ’s only receiver with over 35.
Advantage - Fresno State. With a variety of options for TB, Fresno State should be able to move the ball well on the ground and in the air. While neither team is in the top 25 in receiving stats, Fresno State is well ahead of Utah State in this category as well.

Defense - Fresno State is allowing 25.9 ppg, and 400 yards per game. Utah State is giving up 35 points a game and a conference-leading 456 yards a game. The Bulldogs are allowing 190.25 ypg in the air and 209.8 on the ground; for the aggies, its 285 in the air and 198 on the ground. They have 9 picks to Fresno State ’s 1.
Advantage - Fresno State. The interceptions are worrisome and they do have an advantage in terms of rushing defense; however, the overall statistics are largely in Fresno State ’s favor.

Coaching- Utah State ’s coach is Brent Guy, and he is 4-27 both in his career and at Utah State . One of those four wins was against Fresno State . Otherwise, you got to give the advantage to Pat Hill, who cannot help but to be mindful of the taint of last year’s loss. Hill is taking a lot of heat from some Bulldog fans, but I am not one of them.
Advantage- Fresno State. Revenge is a dish best served cold. It is very cold in… Bulldog Stadium?

“Taste of the Town”- this is a new segment where I examine the ‘intangibles’ of the two teams and their communities. Mostly I wish I were eating food in different college towns across the country like that ESPN guy, so I’ll in include a section where I look at food and chicks in each place. We all know Fresno has some good looking girls and great food. Does Utah State ? No. Plus, does Logan have anything great to offer? I’m thinking no. (this segment promises to get more interesting with other opponents)
Advantage- Fresno. Logan is probably about as exciting as, I don’t know, something really boring. And probably has a lot of uggies. Tell me if I’m wrong.

Conclusion - Fresno State should not lose this game. But, they should not have lost last year either. This game has revenge all over the place, and Fresno will come out angry and make a statement on both sides of the ball. No disrespect to Utah State, but they wouldn't go .500 in the Big Sky (okay, maybe a little disrespect to Utah State). We did lose to them last year, but that was a pit of sorrow from which we will someday recover. This year is a different story- 52-6



So far I am 3-1 su, 1-3 ats.

A Letter to Utah State

Dear Utah State fans,

While it has been a tough season for you up there in Logan I have to say there is a part of me that feels sorry for your team. You currently sit at 0-8 on the season and have to travel to Fresno State to take on a Bulldogs team who will be looking for revenge after the debacle that occurred last season. As if last year's loss wasn't enough apparently your players celebrated a bit too much in the eyes of the Bulldogs making tomorrow's game that much more important to every player who sat through the game last year. Sometimes you play a game against a team who is down and out which makes it that much easier to walk away with the upset. Last season that worked out well for you as the Dogs were definitely down. However, you ran into Fresno State at the wrong time this season. The Bulldogs lost to Boise State last week and will be ready to clear their minds of that game. That is why I truly feel sorry for the Utah State players and fans. Tomorrow is going to be ugly in every sense of the word.

I usually am very reserved when it comes to so called "smack" talking before a football game is played. So much can go wrong on the field of play that no outcome is ever guaranteed. However, tomorrow's outcome was decided on October 7, 2006. As soon as Utah State ran into the locker rooms shouting and screaming about their so called "Biggest" win in history, tomorrow's game was decided. Tomorrow Fresno State will run over you. Tomorrow Fresno State will do whatever they please on the field. Kevin Robinson may be a great football player but even he will push the Bulldogs to turn this game into a blowout. You see Robinson is from our little valley here in Fresno and our players will do everything in their power to show Robinson that he made a mistake by not staying here in Fresno. Tomorrow Fresno State will throw and run the ball when they want to. Tomorrow the Bulldogs will not get caught looking towards Hawaii. Hawaii is an afterthought because of what happened against Utah State in 2006. If there ever was a game on Fresno State's schedule that speaks of a blowout it is this game against your Aggies of Utah State.

You can take consolation in the fact that it will not always be this bad for your Aggies. College football is a cyclical sport, even the worst teams find a way to improve over time. Utah State will get better one day making these horrible seasons much easier to forget. Unfortunately this season is quite ugly for Utah State and tomorrow it is going to hit a season low. Tomorrow the Bulldogs are going to play the Aggies as if they were LSU. Tomorrow Fresno State is going to come onto the field against Utah State and treat them as if they were the defending national champions. Tomorrow Utah State is going to come on to the football field with a target squarely on the middle of their backs. You can beat a team when they are down, just as the Aggies did to the Bulldogs last season. I give Utah State credit for having the game plan to beat us last season, but this season will be a different story. This Bulldogs team is ready to come out and make a statement the week before the Hawaii game. It does not matter if Brandstater or Colburn plays QB. It does not matter if Matthews or Miller walks onto the field as our RB. It does not matter if Clifton Smith, A.J. Jefferson, or Devon Wylie return kicks. The Bulldogs will win this game and it will be quite ugly.

I rarely talk any kind of game smack to opposing teams. However, I feel just like the Fresno State Bulldogs do. There is a lot of pent up frustration inside and it needs to get out. Unfortunately that is going to happen against your Aggies of Utah State. If you have the opportunity to watch the game I would skip it. I have no doubts that this may be the kind of game you do not want to read about Sunday in the paper. Fresno State has something to prove when they step on to the field against the Aggies tomorrow at 2pm. I am willing to bet that the Bulldogs get the job done, and the score reflects something us Bulldog fans saw in 2001 when the Dogs knocked off the Aggies 70-21. I promise you Aggie fans, this one is going to be ugly. I just hope you are ready for what the Bulldogs are going to bring to the football field.

The Difference Between 9-3 and 7-5

Four games remain for the Fresno State Bulldogs. All four of these games will challenge the Bulldogs in one way or another. Each team remaining on their schedule does not provide the same type of challenge. None the less each team will force Fresno State to play a different style of football to win the game. New Mexico State and Hawaii run similar offenses so the game plan against both teams will have to be quite similar. Kansas State is a defensive team that will force the Dogs to throw and Utah State will come into Bulldog stadium with absolutely nothing to lose. In other words Fresno State had better be ready for the final four games of the season. If they aren't they very well could lose each game remaining on their schedule. While four losses is possible it is not probable. A Probable finish for Fresno State would be 7-5 with wins over NMSU and Utah State and losses to Kansas State and Hawaii. However, Fresno State has an outside shot at winning their final four games. The only way that is going to happen is if the following improvements are made over the course of these games.

1) Improved QB play - Let's not sugarcoat this aspect of Bulldog football. Tom Brandstater has not made many mistakes this season. Unfortunately he has not made many big plays either. Brandstater is about as average an QB as a team could have on it's roster. If Fresno State is going to make a run at 9-3 they are going to need Brandstater to step up and make some big throws. When the Dogs face a third and ten they will need Tom to hit a receiver in stride. When the Dogs have a third and eight they will need Tom to find the open receiver in the middle of the field. Fresno State will not be able to settle for improved field position against teams such as Hawaii. The Warriors will drive down the field in less than four minutes regardless of where the ball is at. Without an improved effort from Brandstater the Dogs will win no more than two games as I am willing to bet that both Kansas State and Hawaii will force Fresno State to throw the ball to beat them.

2) Offensive Line Cohesion - Going into the Boise game Fresno's offensive line looked to have gelled to the point where Brandstater was getting put on his back at a rate of once a game. Although Tom was only sacked three times against Boise he was hit at least ten times on top of that. In order for the Dogs to win they will need to protect their QB and allow him the time to throw. Without time Tom tends to rush his decision making process and force balls into coverages he cannot complete.

3) Lock down Corner Play - This may be one of the most important factors that allows the Bulldogs a run at 4-0 to finish the season. Damon Jenkins has had problems at the corner spot all season. He tends to give too much of a cushion and seems to allow the big first down every time the ball is thtown to his side of the field. Hawaii is going to pick on Jenkins just as Boise did. If there is a third and long for the Rainbows Jenkins will be the man they attack on the field. How well Jenkins adjusts to what is happening around him will make the difference between a punt or another third down conversion for the opponent's offense.

4) Field Goal Success - While it is true that Stitser made six field goals in a row before the Boise game the reality is that he seems to become erratic when the Dogs need him the most. Last year Stitser was nowhere to be found during the season and before he converted six attempts in a row this season he was erratic once again. Stitser's missed 47 and 39 yard field goal attempts certainly were not the only reason the Bulldogs lost to Boise, but they played a huge factor in the game. Fresno will have to capitalize on every scoring opportunity and will need Stitser to find his groove here in the last part of the season if they wish to be successful.

5) Run Defense Improvement - Boise stretched the field with their running game causing Fresno State problems with respect to bottling up the runner. If the Bulldogs can not figure out how to isolate the runner and make the tackle when the opportunity is there they will not beat anyone left on their schedule.

6) Lastly, better play calling - As I posted on the bark board, I do not oppose the plays that are called for the Bulldogs offense. I am disappointed instead with the timing that these plays are being called. If we have a 2nd or 3rd and 1 run the ball. Fresno State has always been able to get that extra yard to extend their drives and to try and throw the ball on a down such as the one mentioned above takes away the strength of Bulldog football. At the same time it would not hurt to have one of our RB's pass the ball when they line up at QB. If they were to throw it occasionally the defense would not be able to stack the line to stop the run.

Fresno State has the ability to make improvements in each of the above mentioned areas. The Dogs have the talent in place to make a 4-0 run a reality. In order for the final four games to be a success Fresno State will have to find a way to hold on to the ball and take it away from the opponent. We still have one interception on the season and quite honestly that is pathetic. Florida Atlantic has one player with seven interceptions this year. Fresno State has to do whatever it takes to create extra opportunities for the offense. If the Dogs cannot control the clock and improve their offense they will lose at least two of the final four games they play. A 7-5 finish is exactly what I expected from this team at the starting of the year. I would love to see this team prove me wrong. In fact I am sure that is something the entire Fresno State fan base would love and I truly hope the Dogs can turn this team into a winning product. It is going to take much more than showing up to win these games for the Dogs. All we can do as fans is hope that the coaching staff can elevate this team's willingness to win each game they play. If the Dogs can show the same intensity that we have seen in the past this should be a fun final month of the season. If they can't then once again we will struggle to finish the season and will sit at home while every other team enjoys a bowl game.

Avoiding the QuickSand Effect

Boise State came to town this past weekend and knocked the Bulldogs off for the sixth time in seven tries. While this loss was heartbreaking for Bulldog fans and players what happens after this loss is what will truly define this 2007 Fresno State football season. Yes the loss to Boise hurts in more ways than one. The Bulldogs no longer control their own destiny with respect to winning the WAC. A win over Boise would have given the Dogs a great shot at capturing the WAC title. However, what should be remembered is the season is not over. Fresno State has four games remaining and quite honestly all four are winnable games.

Fresno State will not play a better team that the Boise team they lost to Friday. Boise plays absolutely flawless football when it comes to fundamentals. You would be hard pressed to find another college football team that executes as well as the Broncos do on game day. With that being said the Bulldogs now must turn their attention to Utah State. While Utah State is not nearly the team Boise is they still have enough talent to knock the Bulldogs off. If you don't believe that statement is true just check out the results from 2006 and you will realize a loss to the Aggies is absolutely possible. In the past the Bulldogs have followed heartbreaking losses with long streaks of horrendous football. In 2004 a loss to La. Tech paved the way for a three game losing streak in which Fresno State's offense went South. In 2005 a loss to USC was followed by three more losses to teams the Bulldogs were flat out better than. In 2006 the Dogs lost a close game to Oregon which led to one of the most painful losing streaks in Bulldog history. The Dogs would lose seven games in a row, one of which would be to the Aggies of Utah State. As you can see Fresno State may be the poster boys when it comes to quicksand and how it can affect a team.

In order for 2007 to be a successful year the Bulldogs are going to have to be able to turn the page and come out fired up to play the Aggies on Saturday. I realize this may be easier said than done, but the Aggies are a key team to recover against. If the Bulldogs can regain their ground game and find some passing lanes for Brandstater this could be the type of game that propels the Dogs into a dogfight with Hawaii the following week after. What many fans may not realize is that Hawaii now holds the key to the Bulldogs WAC fate. If Fresno State can knock of the Warriors on the island and the Warriors then turn around and knock off Boise all three teams may finish 7-1 tying for the WAC. The only way this will even be a possibility is for Fresno State to come out and dominate the Aggies from the first play of the game. Fresno State has the type of offense that can control a game against Hawaii. They will have to run the ball effectively and execute long drives that keeps the Warriors offense off of the field. But none of this is even possible if the Dogs do not take care of business against the Aggies first.

Fresno State is a better team than Utah State. Fresno State has superior talent and far better players than the Aggies do. However, Fresno State will not win this game if they ponder what could have been with a victory over the Broncos. The Bulldogs need to forget what happened against Boise and move on to Utah State. If they continue to worry about the past once again the Dogs will be stuck in quicksand and that is something no Bulldog fan, player, or coach desires to see.