The Morning After

Last night was as tough a loss as Fresno State has ever experienced. As I explained last night there is so much wrong with Fresno State right now that there is not one area that can fix everything. The next few days I am going to go over the areas I really feel need the most attention in the order of their importance. For me the number one area of improvement is coaching. Pat Hill, Steve Hagen, and Dan Brown are not getting the job done. Of course all of this will fall on Pat Hill because he is the head coach and he is not preparing the Dogs the way he has in the past. The Bulldogs do not look ready when they come out on the field anymore. Not only do they not look ready to play, they also have no fire. I miss the days of David Carr led teams that were out to beat the world. Pat Hill seems to have lost his fire as the head coach and in the coming weeks it is going to be as important as ever for him to find a way to rediscover it.

The most obvious question is where does this team go from here? Pat Hill has become one of the single most stubborn coaches alive and unlike previous years he has affected the performance of the football team in doing so. Earlier in the season I noticed a problem with Brandstater (against Washington) with respect to his pocket presence. I took a lot of negativity for suggesting that he may not be the right quarterback for the Dogs because he has very little poise when in the game. I realize that most of the time my negativity poses a problem but this may be the only time I have been correct about a player at Fresno State. I had problems with Pinegar but he could throw the ball well. Brandstater did not complete 50% of his passes last night against one of the single worst defenses in the nation and it is all going to fall back onto Pat Hill. Pat Hill wanted to dumb down the playbook for the so called new receivers, but we all know it is being done because Tom cannot make the plays. So why do we continue to use a QB that cannot make the plays? Has Pat Hill ruined the remainder of the season? I still believe the answer is no, but only if the coaching wises up now and begins to make some changes.

First and foremost Pat Hill has to give Sean Norton a chance. If Norton doesn't work out so be it, but he has to let him see if he can do something positive for the Dogs. Pat needs to swallow his pride for the first time in his career at state and realize that he made a mistake. If he inserts Norton as starter this upcoming weekend there will be many more fans at the game than we might anticipate solely to see how good the Parade All American can play. If he let's Tom start again the attendance might be at an all time low as fans do not want to watch this offense go into it's pathetic mode that it tends to when Brandstater starts. On offense I don't feel like any more changes are needed aside opening up the playbook and maybe running the option with Norton at QB. If that happens we add another dimension to the game that Hawaii will have trouble keeping up with.

Dan Brown and the defense will have to figure out how to get pressure on the QB. Colt Brennan is amazing as most of you saw last night, but when he is pressured he will fumble or force throws. That is going to be the only way we win next weekend, with a opportunistic defense that hasn't done anything for us all season. We need interceptions and fumble recoveries next weekend and we need them bad. Brown needs to find a way to attack the Hawaii offense or this game is going to get out of hand fast. I would attack Steve Hagen but I feel like the play calling is not completely on him as Pat Hill has final say over all plays. So once again Pat Hill needs to change something on offense. I suggested a spread formation with Norton in from time to time but Hill is so stuck on the pro style that my spread idea will never materialize.

In the end changes are needed badly. Hill has to know this after the pathetic showing we had at Utah State. Congrats to Utah State and all but Pat Hill handed them a win. If they want to thank anyone for that win they have no where else to look but squarely at Pat Hill. Utah State knew we would run early and often and did everything they could to stop it daring us to throw. Pat Hill did not get the team ready and for that he should shoulder most of this loss.

The End of the Line

To the left is the man under fire right now. He obviously is not the only one who is taking heat for Fresno State as Pat Hill, Dan Brown, and Steve Hagan have all been thrown to the wolves this time around. I can't say I blame any Bulldog fans for being dissatisfied with our team, I know I am upset beyond belief right now. To lose a game the way we did tonight to such a bad team was unthinkable in my mind. When I wrote the blog titled "The Death March" I did not include Utah State in the ugly stretch we are about to embark on, I too took this game for granted. Unfortunately the Bulldogs have so much wrong now that it will not be fixed over the next three weeks. Heading into the single toughest stretch in their history, the Bulldogs now have lost four in a row. Forget a three game losing streak, how about seven in a row? We most certainly will be thrown into the ten worst teams in the nation this season after our skid hits seven (if it does). What does this team need to do to get itself back in business?

First of all Brandstater proved tonight he is not the answer. However, Pat Hill may not agree as he never seems to. I think it is entirely possible that next weekend Brandstater will trot out there to start the game and if that is the case there will be more boos at Bulldog stadium for Brandstater then there will be for the Warriors. Brandstater has the happiest feet I have ever seen and he cannot set himself to throw the ball. On the final drive of the game the Bulldogs had 44 seconds and two timeouts remaining. Brandstater overthrew his receivers four straight times. Receivers were open every single down but it is impossible to complete passes when you only look at one receiver the entire play. Brandstater would not have broken 100 yards today had it not been for a speedy Chastin West who made something happen out of nothing. Sean Norton may not the fix but he is a solution to a problem that needs repair right now. We need to see if he is able to do more than Brandstater and we need to find out next weekend. Whether we do or not is in Hill's hands and there are very few people who agree with the way Hill has run the team. Here is hoping to a change in the way things are being done at Fresno State.

Our play calling continues to be pathetic at best and honestly it will not get any better. If we put Norton in the option run would now be in play as he is much better on the rollout than Brandstater. My point here is not that Norton is going to fix us, because one player cannot fix this team. My point is a change is needed. I am currently sitting and watching the Hawaii offense move up and down the field on Nevada as if there were only one team playing. Fresno has the personnel to run the same exact offense with Wright being a similar weight to the Hawaii running back. Norton may not have as good an arm as Brennan but who does? Norton however can run and Brennan while having decent speed is not nearly as fast as Norton. We have four receivers who can catch the ball, two of them very capable of big plays every down. We have a tight end with very good hands yet we throw the ball his way twice a game at the most. The offense needs a change and if they dont come up with it this week Hawaii will blow Fresno out of the stadium.

I understand most fans are completely pissed off right now and you have every right to be. I do not want to hear the normal Pat Hill speach about execution either after this one. I just want to hear him say he made a mistake and he will do his best to fix it as he tries to get this team back to where it needs to be: a competitive team that gives every team it's all and wins 80% of their games.

Utah State 7 Fresno State 0

We are in the second quarter with a little over 7 minutes remaining and Utah State scored on a long passing play to take a 7-0 lead. Fresno State has missed two field goals (42, 27 yards). Yes Stitser has missed from 27. The Dogs are playing with no desire. They don't look like they care who wins as they have no points against one of the worst defenses in the nation. Brandstater is 5 for 7 for 61 yards up to this point, but it hasn't been impressive to say the least. Anytime Tom is forced to throw the ball longer than ten yards he just doesn't have the touch, but the receivers don't tend to be open so it doesn't matter much. The Dogs are being outgained 144 to 109, so if they don't pick it up soon we could be looking at another loss for the Dogs.

Once again the play calling is awful, run, run, throw, or throw, run, run. Utah State knows what is going on before we do. We need to pick it up. From here on just check the comments on this blog for the updates, it's easier to get done.

Opening Drive

Fresno State stalled on the opening drive as Brandstater missed an open Chastin West down the right sideline on a third and five. So far the Bulldogs run defense is ugly to say the least. They allowed a 20 yard run on the first drive and are giving up five yars or so per carry. Fresno State wil be getting the ball back with 7 minutes left in the first quarter as they have stopped a terrible Utah State offense for a 2nd time. Bulldogs ball, first and ten on the Aggies 43 yard line.

By the way Brandstater opened up the game with a 13 yard completion to Bear Pascoe. It is currently not raining but the Dogs look as if they are going to run a lot tonight. Wright carried the ball four times out of the first six plays. Look for this to continue.

Gameday - LiveBlog

Well we play Utah State today at 5pm. I am going to do my best to liveblog the game for anyone who can't watch it and is wondering what happened. I have never done one of these before but I figure now is as good a time to start. Anyhow if you want to find out that stuff just come back to the blog from time to time after 5pm and I will tell you what happened while at the same time giving my thoughts on what Fresno State should be doing to win the game. Well go dogs, lets get back on track here.

Fresno State vs. Utah State

At the beginning of the season I thought going into the Utah State game we would be 3-1. It never crossed my mind that the Bulldogs would actually be 1-3 t this point in the season. However, that is exactly where we stand at this point in time. The Utah State game is going to be much tougher than most of us would hope mainly because we aren't a very good team right now. This game reminds me of one we played in 2004 after we had lost three straight WAC games and everyone wondered what was going to happen the rest of the season. Instead the Bulldogs went out and pummelled SMU 42-0 in what was one of Pinegar's best games of his career. True it came against lowly SMU but it was a confidence builder that led to six straight wins and a finish in the top 25 nationally. Utah State may be just the game that could springboard the Dogs back into the mix this season. If Brandstater can come out and establish himself this game it possibly could lead to more confidence leading into the Hawaii game. If this Fresno State team can figure out a way to beat Hawaii they will have a chance to win every remaining game on their schedule. Hawaii in my opinion is the hardest remaining game we have left, but it all starts with Utah State.

Utah State is not a good team, but they do have some momentum going into the game. They scored 21 points last week, their biggest offensive output of the season. They will be starting a new QB which always seems to give teams some momentum if for no other reason than the fact a change is being made. This game will be much closer than any of us as Fresno State fans want it to be. I keep believing that Fresno State's offense is going to explode but it just hasn't done it quite yet this year. I feel like this will be Brandstater's make or break game. He will either perform amazing and lead us to a big win, or once again perform mediocre leading to a change at QB. Pat Hill believes in Brandstater but you can tell that Hill will replace him if he does not do the job in this game. Hill knows he has little room for error with Hawaii, LSU, and Boise State coming up so expect him to have a relatively short leash with Brandstater this weekend, something we are not used to. Hill will have to get Norton reps before a game against Hawaii and he knows this. If he wants Norton to be sharp he knows he will have to get him some snaps in this game. So as I said, if Brandstater struggles look for Norton to come in and take his spot in this one.

Fresno State should be able to put up 40 points in this game, Idaho did last weekend against Utah State and they are absolutely one of the worst teams in the nation. If the Bulldogs score 40 they will win this game with relative ease, but this is Fresno State so don't expect that to happen. We have a problem with playing down to our opponents level. I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen again tomorrow.

Boise and the BCS - Last night was a very good night for Boise State without having to step on the field. With Florida State losing the ACC is becoming a very disappointing conference. With the new BCS rules in place Boise needs to finish in the top 12 in order to qualify automatically for a BCS game. However, if Boise finishes in the top 16 they still have a great shot to play in a BCS game. If there is no team from the ACC ranked higher than Boise and the Broncos finish at 13-16, they will qualify for a BCS game as an undefeated mid-major conference winner. The chances of this happening are very good now that Miami and Florida State each have two losses. Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and Clemson are all good teams, but none are good enough to run the remainder of their schedules without another loss meaning that each team in the ACC will have at least two losses. Hopefully Boise will represent the WAC well if they go undefeated. They will be underdogs in whatever BCS bowl game they play, but the Broncos offense is good enough to hang with just about anyone so we will see how this turns out. Not to mention that if a WAC team does make a BCS game it will help the conference as a whole as that is a great amount of money for the entire conference to split.

WAC Weekend Schedule: WAC play finally begins as four games take place this weekend with the highlight game being Nevada @ Hawaii.

1) Nevada @ Hawaii - Nevada is a good team, but Hawaii is different this year. Look for Hawaii to win this game by two touchdowns.

2) New Mexico State @ Idaho - Chase Holbrook could throw for 600 yards in this game if Mumme lets him throw the ball that much. New Mexico State could pull out a close one here.

3) La. Tech @ Boise St. - Biggest mismatch of the weekend. Look for Boise to win big.

4) Fresno State @ Utah State - Will be closer than Bulldog fans want it to be but Fresno will pull out a tough one.

Notre Dame's BCS Deal - I didn't realize this until today but Notre Dame makes money off of the BCS even if they don't participate in a game. Because of the agreement the BCS made with Notre Dame the Golden Domers receive 1.3 million dollars regardless if they play in a BCS game or not. Now I am not saying Notre Dame is cheating the system but how exactly is this fair? Why is it that Notre Dame seems to get special treatment with respect to college football and the rules of the game? It is almost as if they make an entire set of rules that does not apply to Notre Dame. Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this and cares to comment on it.

The Death March

Fresno State travels to Utah State this weekend for a game they should have a chance to win easily. However, following that game is what I view as the toughest three game stretch in Bulldog history. This stretch is much worse than the one that covered Oregon State, Wisconsin, and Colorado in 2001. The reason is Hawaii, Boise State, and LSU will finish in the top 25 this season with Boise and LSU being in the top 15 by the time the season is all said and done. If Hawaii were to knock off the Bulldogs I do not see them losing another game this season which will put them at 11-2. Boise in my opinion is not going to lose a game and will finish 12-0 now that they have finished the tough part of the schedule (if you can call it that). LSU may lose another game but they are a powerhouse of a team in the SEC. Unlike the 2001 season where 2 out of the 3 teams the Dogs knocked off to start the season struggled for the remainder of the season, these three teams are all superior and going to finish the season strong. So let's take a look at each game and see if Fresno State has it in them to knock off any of these teams.

Hawaii - In my opinion this is the single worst matchup for Fresno State this season. Hawaii is going to run it's four and five sets of receivers forcing the Bulldogs to go man to man. The problem doesn't lay within the formations or the spread offense Hawaii runs, but instead sits wth Colt Brennan. Colt Brennan is one of the better QB's in the nation and can start for just about anyone. He is not your typical Hawaii QB who is prospering in a system that makes him look better than he truly is. Ask Boise fans how good this guy truly is and they will tell you he is one of the better QB's to come through and play against Boise State. Fresno State will have to pressure Brennan early and often just to keep this game close. The fact the game is at home is a good thing because we tend to play well against Hawaii in the Dog house. Due to the fact this is homecoming and it is our rival Hawaii we should have a decent amount of fans at the game. However, Fresno is going to have to play the game of their lives to beat Hawaii this season.

LSU - One of the best defensive teams in the nation, they shoud be undefeated but faltered against #2 Auburn earlier in the season. Playing at LSU is going to be a tough task, but because this is an SEC team the offense they run will look very similar to what the Bulldogs run. The only difference is Russell (the QB for LSU) is more efficient at running LSU's offense than Brandstater has been with the Bulldogs giving LSU a decisive advantage in this game. Fresno should be able to hang in this game if they play up to their potential but they are going to have to contain Russell and stop the LSU running game. If they can take the crowd out of the game this may be Fresn's best shot at winning a game out of the three.

Boise State - Boise runs the ball as efficiently as any team in the nation. However, after watching Ian Johnson he seems to be the strongest with respect to running over the middle. Fresno State is very good at stopping the run over the middle. If Johnson can run outside that will put the Dogs in a tough position. They tackle well inside of the tackles but once everything is run outside the game changes for the Dogs completely. McCauley has been an outstanding tackler this year and if they run his way he will stop Boise. Unfortunately most running has gone away from McCauley and we just do not have the resources to keep up on that side of the field. Because Boise's strength is the run game I feel like the Bulldogs have a much better chance to play with Boise than they do with Hawaii. Yes, the game being in Boise does not make the situation any easier but the Dogs should be able to contend in this game. I would look for the Dogs to be in this one well into the fourth quarter.

This is going to be a very hard stretch for the Dogs. If they can knock off Utah State (and they really need to) they will have a little momentum going into the Hawaii game. A win at Hawaii and the LSU game might be much more feasable. If they pull out the LSU game then anything is possible at Boise. There is much hope with this team if they can pull it all together. Unfortunately there is the possibility that the Dogs could be 2-6 after this stretch. I really hope that doesn't happen, but if it does it is because we did not get the job done and Pat Hill and the Dogs will have no one to blame but themselves. I know we will win one of those three, I just don't know which one it will be. But we will win one, count on it.

Is Auburn a Good Idea?

They are ranked #2 in the nation. They are a modern powerhouse college football team. They have one of the top defenses (if not the top defense) in the nation and have a great running game that can devastate any opponent. Fresno State is willing to play them next year without anything in return aside the game itself. Fresno State wants a home game in return but Auburn is not going to give us that, we are not a BCS team. Major market teams such as Auburn will never play in a stadium like Fresno State's. For God sake's Auburn only plays four road games this season and only leaves their home state twice the entire season. In other words Auburn does what they want when they want to.

The question I have is do we as fans feel like this is a good game to play? I know that our team is going to be very young next season with many underclassmen starting. Our QB position is going through much turmoil but hopefully will be fixed by that time. We will have a new starting RB and three new starting wide receivers. We will have to replace Kyle Young at center. We will have to replace Marcus McCauley, Vincent Mays, Elgin Simmons, and Josh Shirley (although the last three on that list haven't been impressive at all). Fresno State will be going through a year of rebuildng next season as Pat Hill will have to plug in players to see where they fit best. We will have plenty of players on the field with little experience. We already have a schedule next season with Oregon on the road (who will be in the top 20 without a doubt) and K-State at home who should be much improved. Adding Auburn is really going to put a strain on this young Fresno State team. I don't necessarily think it is in the best interest of a young team to go and play a game of this magnitude. Does anyone remember David Carr's first game at Ohio State and what happened? We were a relatively young team at that time as well. It is very hard for a young team to go into a hostile environment such as Auburn and have a positive experience (plus Oregon's stadium is pretty damn hostile already). I just believe this game has such a huge downside that maybe the Dogs should find another opponent closer to the West coast to play.

However, I realize that games like this can also be good for a young program. A game like this can teach the young players how tough it is in a hostile environment to execute the way you do while in practice. If Brandstater went through a game such as this and performed above expectations it could very well stay with him for the remainder of the season improving his performance as the season moves along. This kind of game can also help to bring the team together if the Dogs can show they can hang with such a dominant team on the road. Regardless of how you look at it, this is going to be one of the toughest games in Bulldog history if they they play it. USC was tough, but it was only four hours away from home and 20,000 of us went down to USC to watch the game. It was almost a home away from home in that game for the Bulldogs. Auburn will not be that way and there will be very little Bulldog support down there for the game. I just hope the team is ready if we accept a game like this, to say the least it is going to be a learning experience.

Brandstater on Himself - Today in the Fresno Bee they covered the woes on offense for Fresno State. I was impressed with the fact that Brandstater knows he is not getting the job done. He said if he doesn't improve he knows this is going to be it for him which makes me believe he knows he has to improve. I respect the fact that Tom is not acting like he has played amazing and blaming others for his problems. It's nice to see someone taking the blame when he knows he has not performed as well as he can.

Is the FSFB Optimistic or Pessimistic?

First and foremost guys, I started this blog to share my thoughts, feelings and knowledge of Bulldog football with fellow fans. NSC is a passionate fan and has taken the time to post here, since I do not have the same amount to devote to this site as I did last season. I have asked numerous time if anyone else wanted to contribute to the blog, and no one else stepped to the plate. Now, some of the loyal readers (thank you for reading) are calling him not a fan of Bulldog football, WTF?

NSC and myself spend countless hours, reading, studying and searching for information that other Bulldog fans might find interesting or informative. You don't always have to agree with us, but just respect the fact that we are Bulldog fans and love Bulldog football.

As far as my take on scheduling, unlike NSC, I remember the days of the PCAA/Big West. Granted I was only in elementary, junior high and high school, but I followed the Bulldogs just as passionately as I do now. In fact, I probably followed them more then because it was hard to get information on them outside of the Fresno Bee.

I never thought Fresno State would ever get to play Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ohio State, USC, Kansas State, or Wisconsin in the regular season, let alone schedule home games with the latter two. But I get NSC's point. Jim Sweeney would have played the "big boys" in the 80s and early 90s, but he didn't want to whore out the program. He knew he didn't have the speed to contend with some of the better teams and wouldn't go on the road unless it was a home-and-home. He made an exception with UCLA in 1987 and 1995 and again his final season with Auburn.

Fresno State was not hurting financially like fellow Cal-States like Long Beach State and Cal-State Fullerton and didn't have to schedule "body-bag" games. Would Fresno State have had the same success under Sweeney if it played the "big boys" every year? My guess is no, and Fresno State might not have been invited to join the WAC in 1992. The football team's success in the mid and late 80s was the driving force to get the WAC invitation.

Sweeney had a very talented team in 1987, minus a QB with starting experience but the defense was relentless. But games at Washington State and UCLA took their toll early on. And the offense was not quite good enough to beat SJSU at home, close road losses at Pacific and Utah State sent the 'Dogs to an 6-5 season. If the schedule had been the usual soft self, minus WSU and UCLA, the 'Dogs very well could have started strong, worked out the kinks on offense and won the PCAA and earned a bowl berth.

Boise State knows it can't contend week-in and week-out against a tough schedule, and chooses to schedule what best fits its program. Pat Hill, on the other hand, feels his team can and schedules the best possible schedule. Am I for it? Hell, yea! But I think Hill, should realize the limitations of his team. If the Bulldogs travel to Baton Rouge in three weeks for nothing more than to be taken behind the woodshed, it really could hurt the program, instead of helping it.

USC was a great game and great exposure, but since the team has won just one game. Hill's program earned unparalleled respect from the nation and instead of building upon that, the program is regressing. And a blow-out loss at LSU, might be see Hill's program make a complete 180 in less than one year.

So with that said, why schedule a slate full of tough games in 2007, when the program might need wins and confidence more than national respect. The schedule already has games at Oregon and at home vs. Kansas State. The Ducks will be a top 20 team, and the Wildcats will be a bowl contender next season. In my opinion, there is no need to add a game at a top-flight SEC school. Sacramento State is already on the schedule, so why not try to get one or two more non-BCS school at home, giving the program seven -- or maybe eight home games -- for the first time since 1994. The game at Hawaii will give the 'Dogs 13 games in 2007, I for one would like to see at least seven home games, I am tired of "death-march" schedules with seven road games.

note: The pic is a painting of Heraclitus and Democritus. Imaginary portraits of these greatest pre-Socratic philosophers were meant to provoke reflection on two extreme attitudes in life: one optimistic and the other pessimistic. (don't mean to insult the intelligence of some, but just give the few the heads up)

Where do the QB Problems Begin?

I have been unfair in many respects to Tom Brandstater as our QB at Fresno State. I have put much blame on him for not making the throws when we need him to. I have put even more blame on him for his decision making which really hasn't been too surprising if you go back and watch the games we have played up to this point. I do feel that Brandstater should shoulder some of the blame because he is the starting QB and he really is going to have to make some throws when the team is counting on him. However, I feel that the problems at QB amount from problems that occur all over the offensive side of the ball. The Colorado State game is a perfect example of what is wrong with the Fresno State offense. Below are just a few reasons why I feel like the Bulldogs offense is sputtering.

1) Play-Calling: I honestly believe that the Bulldogs coaching staff is to blame for this part of the game. Brandstater can only get the play in from the sideline and then go from there. If the O-Coordinator or Pat Hill calls two runs on first and second down leaving the Dogs with a third and long Brandstater is automatically put in a tough spot. As a first year starter the coaching staff should be easing Brandstater into these situations and the only way to do that is to put less pressure on him in third down situations. For example last weekend we had a third and one from our own 40 yard line and instead of handing the ball off to Dwayne Wright the O-Coordinator thought it would be a good idea to try and have Tom run for it out of the shotgun. Not only was this easily the worst call of the game, but it could also lead to Tommy getting hurt which is not what we as fans want to happen. If the coaches do not change the way they call the game they are going to continually put Tom in a position to fail as our starting QB.

2) Defensive Pressure - Our offensive line was bad against Colorado State as Brandstater was sacked more times than I can ever remember a Bulldog QB going down. The Bulldogs need to learn how to pick up the blitz so Tom is not continually under pressure in the backfield. Tom has little time to throw and is forced to let go of the ball before a receiver has even made a cut. If he is to be successful Tom is going to have to have faith in the offensive line to block for him. I will say two men you cannot blame for this are D-Wright and Roshon Vercher. They both do an outstanding job of picking up whatever blitzing safety or linebacker comes from the middle of the field. I have noticed the problems tend to come from the outside as the Bulldogs seem to let a man through each time untouched.

3) Offensive Scheme - Being a run oriented team is fine. Being a predictable run-oriented team is ridiculous and that is exactly what Fresno State has become. Everyone in the stadium knows we are going to run on first down, and if we don't run they know we will not throw the ball more than five yards downfield on first down. Open it up and run some plays that other teams would be surprised to see. The Vanilla offense is not going to work in two weeks against Hawaii as it has not worked up to this date. The Bulldogs offense needs to get back to the basics with respect to running routes, blocking, and picking up the blitz. If they do this Brandstater will be a much more successful QB in the long run.

With that being said Tom does need to stop staring down receivers and get rid of the ball a bit earlier. He also needs to get a better feel for the pocket. Of course there are areas Tom needs to get better in, but if the Bulldogs offense can help him out I still believe Brandstater can be a much better QB. If Saturday the Dogs block well for him and give him time to throw and he still struggles then it will be time to replace him. However, Tom deserves a fair shot with an offense that is giving him a chance to succeed.

Note - Fresno State received a committment from Clovis High's receiver Matt Lindsey who is one of the central sections better receivers. Who do we owe for a chance to land such a good receiver? None other than Tom Brandstater as Lindsey stated that palying with Brandstater is part of the reason he decided to choose Fresno State over both Oregon State and Colorado. Just so everyone knows Lindsey is one of the top rated receivers in the central section with respect to catches and receiving yardage as he had 13 catches for 225 yards in Clovis High's opening game of the season.

Response to Scheduling Thoughts

I have to say I am surprised so many people disagree with me about the way Fresno State generally schedules. You all make outstanding points about how Fresno State is preceived to be a far more dangerous team than any of the other mid-majors because of the chances they take by putting teams such as Tennessee, Oklahoma, Oregon, USC, and LSU on their schedule. I also completely understand where everyone is coming from when you talk about how Fresno needs to continue to schedule this way. The only problem I have with the entire theory posed by each of you is this: You say that if the Bulldogs went undefeated they would be in a BCS game without conflict. While I agree that is true I also feel that Fresno State's chances of going undefeated are slim to none. One response stated that the undefeated season's by Boise, Tulane, and other mid-majors didn't warrant as much consideration for a BCS game as an undefeated season by the Bulldogs would warrant. However, these teams have all had undefeated seasons and we have not. That is the only point I make. I know that we have had a chance to make that happen but we have not done it. I feel like our scheduling hurts because the Dogs have to get up so high for a game such as the LSU game, and then they are brought back down to earth when they play someone like a LA. Tech two weeks later.

That being said I won't change how I feel with respect to scheduling. I know that sometimes teams need to schedule to fit the talent level they have so I don't question why some of the smaller schools only schedule games against schools they can compete with. At the same time I accept that most Fresno State fans agree that the Bulldogs way of scheduling is how mid-majors should do it and I will lay off this topic. However, I did get many responses from people and remember that is the point of writing a blog such as this. I try to get people interested and want to hear what they have to think. I don't mind if they do not agree with me, I just want to know what the rest of the Bulldog fans out there think about the way things are going for Fresno State. GoBulldogs.com won't write an article that is against Fresno State nor will the Fresno Bee. So that pretty much leaves MDG sand I to write about what is really going on with respect to the Dogs.

While most of the responses were warranted I have to say there is one post I can't say I agree with. One person stated "The replacement of Brandstater and the departure of Hill, would be very detrimental to the program". Coaching in college football tends to be a carousel, and the fact that Pat Hill has remained the Bulldogs coach for ten years is a testiment to what he has meant to the Bulldogs. But what many people have to realize is that change is not always bad. I mean because we go through change it does not always lead to terrible results. Colorado changed coaches and I am willing to bet down the line it will be a much better atmosphere in Boulder. If Hill could open up his mind with respect to the team such as the play calling and player rotation then I would feel like there is no need for a new coach. Hill used to feed on the fact that other teams would often overlook the Bulldogs but that is not happening anymore. Our punch them in the mouth and surprise them with our tenacity is not working anymore because other teams are coming out and becoming just as physical as we are in games. This should be noticed right away as the Dogs usually score on the first drive of the game but are continually frustrated after. The reason is the adjustments other teams make. Is it just me or does it seem like the other teams we have played all make great adjustments while we do very little after the first quarter? At the same time changing the QB isn't going to kill Fresno State. It can't get worse and that is my point with respect to this kind of change. Jenkins and Simmons rotate at corner and neither of them do a very good job as they have not figured how to cover quite yet. If Norton came in and performed as Brandstater has up to this point it would not change anything. Honestly it would be hard to do worse.

What I would like to see is for Brandstater to start against Utah State, but for Norton to get some reps during the game. If Norton could get into the game and get a feel for it he would be much more prepared for the follwing three games. Say Brandstater struggles horribly against Hawaii. If Norton has not played at all up to that point is that the kind of game you bring him into? The same should go for the next two games at LSU and at Boise. Norton would have to have some experience before that three game streak to perform at a respectable level. Whether he gets any reps at Utah State will be up to Hill, but I don't foresee that happening. I realize Brandstater has great arm strength but he needs to step it up this weekend. He needs to unload on a Utah State team that is not good by any means of the imagination. Brandstater needs to turn this game into a route early on by hitting his targets early and often. I believe Tom can do this, I just hope that he has the confidence in himself to do the very same. I know it has been a very tough start for him, but if he could orchestrate a win at Utah State and find a way to win one of the big three games following (hopefully Hawaii) he would then put us in line for a bowl game once again. If we finished 7-1 in the WAC this season we would come in second and that would warrant an eighth straight bowl. It all starts this weekend with Utah State. I know this is going to be a good weekend, I just have that feeling. Tune in because Tom or Sean is going to tear the Aggies a new one.

Scheduling Respect

Yesterday on the BarkBoard I posted a topic on scheduling and how Fresno State is affected by their own scheduling each season. I used Boise State as my example of how a team should schedule and as I expected most Fresno State fans were not happy with what I had to say. However, I feel as if Fresno State fans are ignoring the results of the scheduling that Boise and Fresno have attempted over the past three years. While Fresno State has played teams such as USC, Oregon, and Virginia they have very little to show for it aside a bowl victory over the Cavaliers in 2004. Boise on the other hand while playing a paltry schedule has been the team with the more desirable results. Boise's last three bowl opponents have been TCU (ranked in the top 25 at the time), Lousiville (ranked in the top ten at the time), and Boston College (ranked in the top 25 at the time). Quick, how many of Fresno State's bowl opponents over the last seven years have been ranked at the time they played? If you answered one you are correct. So Fresno State who has the mighty schedule and the mentality that they will play anyone anywhere in the end is the one that ends up on the short end of the stick. I do not possibly understand how any Fresno State fan could see our respect level as being better than that of Boise's with these type of results.

If our goal is to play in a great bowl game against a BCS opponent then why do we not schedule as Boise does? Boise is going to play in a BCS game this season, mark my words. They will be the only undefeated mid-major and with that they will carry votes to get into the top 12 in the nation. Each week after they rip another opponent a new one they will move up one or two spots. Boise right now sits in the 19-20 range. if they win their final seven games and move up 1-2 spots a week they will be in the top 12 when the season is over. However, remember the loophole rule that the NCAA made to give mid-majors a better chance at a BCS game. If Boise finished 14th in the rankings but no team from a conference such as the ACC finishes higher then Boise is in. With the way the ACC has performed up to this point I would not be surprised to see Boise finish higher than that entire conference. With that being said Boise would then most likely play a team such as Texas in the Fiesta Bowl. But wait a minute, Boise gets no respect and never plays anyone, until it matters that is.

The problem I am having here is understanding the Fresno State fans point of view on scheduling. It makes absolutely no sense to me why you would want as fans to continue scheduling teams we have a great chance of losing to. Yes I understand that if we win the game we all of the sudden become a headliner for college football again. However, look at it from this point of view. Say for the next three years Fresno State dumbs down it's schedule. Say the Bulldogs in turn go 11-1 for two years, and the third year go 12-0. In the first two years they play top 25 teams in bowl games and the third year they play in a BCS game. Are you telling me because we didn't play as tough a schedule you as Fresno State fans would not appreciate a BCS game in that third year? Are you saying as Fresno State fans you will not accept all of the money and accolades that comes with a BCS game?

What should be remembered here is if we do concentrate on scheduling big game non-conference opponents we are continuing to forget about the conference we play in. The WAC should be the first goal, win the conference and the move on to the bigger and better things college football has to offer. No my opinion is not always correct, it is just my opinion and nothing more. I feel like if we would have skipped the LSU game this year and played a lesser opponent then our season wouldn't be looking so terrible right now. However, we took the LSU game and there is a real possibility that this team could be 2-6 after eight games. Is that really what you as Fresno State fans want to see? I know I don't and I am tired of playing these schools that offer nothing but a big loss for us. Schedule to fit the talent of the team, don't schedule without thinking about how it will affect the team. It is this unwillingness to look at what is best for the Fresno State football team as a whole that has started this downward spiral the Dogs are currently in.

Where Do We Go From Here?

There are a few different directions this Bulldog football team can go from here. From our past the most common direction this team can go is down because Fresno State teams tend to completely fall apart once things begin to go wrong. The 2006 Bulldogs look as if they are headed down the same road as many Bulldog teams of years past. This team may be one of the more talented teams under Pat Hill, but they are doing absolutely nothing to show it. However, I along with many other fans are at the point that we have stopped blaming the players for what is going wrong. The players have to realize they are not getting the job done. The problem is we are at the point where the coaching is beginning to take the blame, and rightfully so.

Play calling has been a problem since day one. This team oriented itself around the running game of D-Wright without a second thought to what they would do if a defense shut down the run. Saturday we saw what happens when this team cannot run the ball: Nothing. The passing game of Fresno State is ridiculous to say the least. The quarterback position is looking worse as the season ages on. Each week it is as if Brandstater takes a step back instead of a step forward. As it was obvious to the 40,000 plus fans in the stadium Saturday night, a change at QB is needed right now. Unfortunately we have come to learn here at Fresno State that Pat Hill will stick with his starter through thick and thin. It does not matter how many interceptions he may throw each week, he is the starter and Sean Norton has absolutely no chance of getting into the game. If Norton could not get a chance to play in the fourth quarter down 18 points then when will he possibly ever play? I feel like the failure to allow another QB a shot to get in the game is a pride issue with Pat Hill. What if Sean Norton were to get a chance? What if Fresno State won by twenty with Norton in the game? How would Pat Hill possibly explain having Norton on the bench for as long as he did? Hill would not be able to say "I thought Tom was a much better QB" because he knows that is not true. If Norton were to come in and make the fans look right then our coach would look wrong. Just realize Bulldog fans we are not allowed to be correct when analyzing what is wrong, we are only fans and do not have an idea of what is truly going on down on the field.

So where is this Bulldog team headed? Can they salvage something from this disappointment of a start? Of course they can but will they? If nothing is changed the season will only continue to spiral downwards. The QB position needs to be addressed. The corner position needs to be fixed somehow. The secondary is terrible, there is just no other way to put it. Pat Hill stated that Tommy did all he could against the blitzing of the Rams, and he was not going to put the blame on him for the results that occurred. To me that means absolutely nothing. Tommy is a QB and his job is to adjust to the blitz. If he knows they are blitzing the middle why does he not audible to slant routes over the middle? Because he does not have the vision that a QB needs to survive in the college football world. He could be a great QB but he has to improve his vision, touch, and timing. Unfortunately those are all absolutely required to be a good QB in college. Right now Tommy is not good, he is average at best. Right now the only players that have been in the positive light are Marcus McCauley and Dwayne Wright. If we could somehow teach the other corner to play with the tenacity and fire that McCauley plays with we would have two great corners out there instead of just Marcus.

Where do I see this team in five weeks? I don't know if we are going to fix anything this season. I feel like our coach just doesn't have enough change in him to make this season a success. With Hill's son graduating from Clovis West this year we may also be in for a big change as the coaching job may be vacant. Hill has been a great man for Fresno State for ten years now, but change is part of the college football life. Every school needs to go through change and it is time for Fresno State to do so as well. The Dogs need to go out and search for a coach that is open to the offensive side of football. With teams like Boise, Nevada, and Hawaii in the WAC we need to be able to score points to win this conference. A pro style offense will not win the WAC, it hasn't in the last ten years so why would it anytime soon? Will any of this happen? I have no idea, but I am just interested in what is best for the football program as a whole and the one constant I see that we need is that of change. If we do not change anything as I said before the season will be lost. For most Bulldog fans that would be utterly disappointing considering the hopes we had before the season began.

When is a Change Necessary?

Sometimes a team comes to a point in the season where if changes are not made the outcome will only become worse. Fresno State is at that point early in the season. Although the Bulldogs have only played four games they need to change something and they need to do it soon. This season is as close to over as it possibly can be and we have not hit the halfway point of the year quite yet. In my mind many changes need to made in order for the Bulldogs to salvage the 2006 season. I fear that if no changes are made this team is only going to get worse as the season moves along. In my opinion some of the changes that need to be made are listed below in order of importance:

1) A Quarterback Switch - Tonight after Tom Brandstater threw his second pic in as many series my brother looked at me and said "I was never on the Sean Norton bandwagon, but if he doesn't get a shot to play after the way Tom has started this season he should transfer because he can't be as bad as Tom has been". I have given Brandstater the benefit of the doubt in saying that the offensive playcalling is what has lost us the first two games in this three game losing streak. Tonight we were able to see what happens when the running game is shut down. D-Wright rushed for 77 yards (far below his 150 yards per game average) and the game fell into the hands of our sophomore quarterback Brandstater. Needless to say Brandstater did not come through. He threw for over two hundred yards for the first time this season, but that was mostly because he had to come from behind the entire night. His final line looked like this: 19 for 42, 3 int's, 1 td. Brandstater has shown that he continually looks uncomfortable in the pocket and has absolutely no touch on any pass that is beyond 15 yards. I am not one to knock a guy for giving all the effort he possibly can, but I just don't feel that Brandstater has the gifts needed to be a quarterback for this team. It is quite possible that Sean Norton does not have the talent to lead this team either, but if he does not play how will we possibly know? The Dogs need to give Norton a chance now because Brandstater has been given his chance and has not been able to come through. The season is not lost, but if we don't change this qb situation things will only get worse as the season goes on.

2) Special Teams - An eight yard punt. A 58 yard punt return for a touchdown. A blocked extra point. What is the one thing these three occurances all have in common? They all happened on special teams Saturday night against Colorado State. I do not know if the problem is the fact that Malone does not have the hang time that Lingua does, but something needs to be done to fix the punting game. Whether it be to kick it out of bounds every time or just plain go for it on fourth down, our punter is not getting the results that Lingua did. I am not sure where the lapses are on the special teams return team but not only do we give up great field position every time the opposition has the ball, we also cannot provide a positive kick return to help with field position for the offense. We cannot continue to allow the opposition to start from their 35-40 yard line every time they have the ball. Our defense aside McCauley cannot tackle, cover, or do anything right when it comes down to it. If the special teams is not fixed soon our remaining games could get quite ugly for Fresno State.

3) Secondary Changes - The hard truth is that Jenkins and Simmons are just not getting the job done. I realize that Hill wanted to redshirt Jefferson but he is the freshman who has shown he can stay with defenders. Why he is not playing is something I would love to know. Mays once again showed that four star hype out of high school will get you no where if you don't preapare yourself for the season at hand. Not only has Mays struggled in the safety spot but so has Sherley. The only bright spot in the secondary was Marcus McCauley which is usually the case for the Bulldogs. He did give up a long touchdown that made the score 35-17, but if you were to look back and view that touchdown you might notice a Colorado State receiver pushing off on the play to catch the ball. Unfortunately I do not know how the secondary can possibly be fixed. The Dogs need to figure out if they have a playmaker who can step in and play on the level that Richard Marshall did for the Dogs. If we cannot find any defensive help in the secondary Hawaii is going to man-handle us.

4) Create Pressure on the QB - Tonight in the second half of the game we were able to see Sherley (#97) get constant pressure on the Colorado State offense. However, as I said it only occurred in the second half. For the most part Fresno has not figured out a way to get their players near the opposing team's qb's. If this continues even a team like Utah State will give us a run for our money.

5) Offensive Play Calling - The Dogs coaching staff needs to figure out a way to pass the ball but only in a way that fits Brandstater (or Norton sometime soon). Although I would like to see Norton get a chance I know how stubborn Pat Hill is and there is no way he will blame any of this on the quarterback right now. Somehow Hagen is going to have to figure out a way to get this offense going. I think the change needs to be the quarterback but I am not sure if everyone believes that. If the O-coordinator has a quarterback that can make the longer throws while being somewhat accurate then maybe he would feel confident about calling deep routes more often.

Lastly I want to say it was great to have Clifton Smith in the game returning kicks. He had a chance to run back the first kick he fielded but instead fell down after a gain of 30 yards or so. At the same time it was nice to Marcus Riley out there roaming the field quite often. I know that most of you are avid Pat Hill followers. I realize I am going to take a huge hit from the fans for this one, but I also feel like it might be time for Pat Hll to move on. I know you are going to say that is ridiculous, but we have lost seven out of our last eight games. Hill has done absolutely everything he wanted to during his time at state. He built the program up and made them into a nationally known name. Pat Hill has the ability to be a great NFL coach because of the system he likes to run. It might be time for him to make that jump. At the same time Pat Hill makes an awful lot of money (over one million dollars a year) to coach a team that has won eight games on the average per season. It just might be time to get someone in here that is a little bit more offensive minded.

Fresno State endured a beating tonight at the hands of Colorado State. If the university does not do something about the football program and its coaching then the football team may very well become the Idaho of the WAC. It may not be something you want to hear, but Fresno State this year is definitely along the same lines as of a San Jose State and such (maybe not, San Jose did beat San Diego State 31-10). As I stated before this season is lost if Pat Hill and the Dogs do not change anything. I just know a change is necessary here and if we don't accomplish one then the Dogs will continue to fail during the remainder of the season.

Game Four: A Must Win Situation

What to Expect - From Fresno State's offense we should expect D-Wright, D-Wright, and some more D-Wright by the time this game is all said and done with. Wright averages 30 carries per game but I would not be surprised to see Wright end up with 35-40 carries in this game. Pat Hill did not put a lot of faith in the vertical game this past week when he said that he should have ran the ball every down against Washington. Hill feels the Dogs are at their strongest when they continually pound the ball play after play. I realize Wright is a huge factor in our offense and is big and strong and can take more hits than most running backs can. However, with so much use he could end up tiring out before the season is over, so we have to be careful with Wright. From time to time Fresno State will try to throw the ball but don't expect any trick plays or creativity from our offensive coordinator. He is just as vanilla as Frank Cignetti and the more this continues to happen the more it has to be put on Pat Hill that our offense just doesn't prduce in the passing game. I highly doubt that both Cignetti and Hagen were against throwing the ball. Hagen was the offensive coordinator for Nevada when they fnished in the top five in the nation in offense. That tells me he does have the ability to make an offense work, however if he is not given the chance to then it doesn't much matter. The way I view our offense is similar to the movie Any Given Sunday. In the first game the O-coordinator is begging Al Pacino to let him throw the ball but Pacino is adamant about running tha ball. I believe Hill and Hagen probably have a very similar relationship. I have a feeling that Hagen asks over and over again to throw and Hill instructs him to run. Regardless of the situation expect the Dogs to score in the high 20's to low 30's in this game. Our offensive game plan just doesn't allow us to score much more than we did against Nevada.

What to Expect - From Colorado State's offense: Well not much. Their qb is not that productive nor accurate. Their running game is a mess, and they just don't score many points. However, Colorado State is a good defensive team. As many have pointed out they have not been tested with respect to defense too often because their schedule has been weak up to this point in the season. Their only test up to this point had been Nevada on the road and Colorado State went down 28-10. However, if they had played better in the second quarter that game would have been much closer. Overall expect the Dogs to run on the Rams, and expect them to do it often. If the Rams can draw up a plan to stop D-Wright then the Dogs will be in trouble because I just am not sure they can throw the ball succesfully downfield. Colorado State will score 17-20 points. They won't score enough to win this game but they will make it close.

Game Prediction - Fresno State 28 Colorado State 20

I would like to think the Bulldogs can put up more than 28 points, but their offense has been so lethargic that I don't see this game as the one where the Dogs figure out all of their offensive woes. The fix is honestly realtively easy to accomplish for the Dogs. All they have to do is trust in Brandstater and let him throw the ball. Their will be a game down the line where Brandstater has to make it happen for us to win. The Dogs should be giving him more and more freedom as each game goes on. The funny thing is it seems like he gets less freedom as each game goes on. Unless the offense opens up Hawaii, Boise, and LSU are going to have a field day with this team.

Instant Replay, Conference Affilliation, and BCS Thoughts

In the last two weeks we have had game changing mistakes made by the instant replay officials. The first (and probably the most seen screw up in instant replay history) occured two weeks ago when Oklahoma played Oregon. Not only did the replay official miss that the ball was touched early by an Oregon player but the entire officiating crew seemed to miss that Oregon did not actually recover the ball in the first place. However, instant replay rules do not allow you to review ball possession after the fact. In other words if the ball is ruled down the replay official cannot review posession. Last week Houston played Oklahoma State and a similar mistake was made. Oklahoma State had caused a fumble and the replay booth was given the task of seeing if it indeed was a fumble. Instead the replay booth ruled the runners progress was stopped and therefore the play should have been whistled dead. In the end Houston kept the ball and scored a touchdown en route to their close win over Oklahoma State. Now the question I ask is do you as fans feel like the instant replay system in college football is working? I know that I am a proponent of the system because I feel like more often than not they make the right call. I just wish they would go to the same system that the NFL uses for replay. Just wondering if everyone saw the Oregon game and what they thought when they saw that.

Today I read an article in the Fresno Bee about the rivalry between the MWC and the WAC. I have to say I don't feel this so called rivalry between the two conferences, but I may be missing something. When Colorado State comes to town I don't feel the city gets up for it like we do when we play Hawaii. I realize we used to be in the same conference with many of those same teams in the MWC but does everyone else feel like these teams are true rivals to us at all? We used to play great games with BYU, San Diego State, and even Utah. However, if we scheduled any of these teams on our non-conference schedule I am willing to bet that the city of Fresno would not look at it as a great rivalry game, but instead a trap game. I have to say that althought the WAC has some terrible teams I prefer the WAC over the MWC without a doubt. In Nevada, Hawaii, and Boise State we have three other teams that can go out and play with great teams. Hawaii gave Alabama all they could handle to open the season and I am willing to bet they would actually beat Alabama now. Boise State is on the national scene as they are currently ranked #22 and have a chance to run the table. They probably would need TCU to lose since they started ranked higher and they seem to have the nation's support to make a BCS run. I am not saying it is impossible for two non-BCS teams to make it, but it is hard to say the least. The point I am making is between these two confences the WAC is jst as competitive. it may be a top heavy conference, but in a few years things will change as they always do.

BCS wise Boise State has a chance to make a BCS game as I stated earlier. Yes, this is a position Fresno State desires to be in yearly. So here is the question I pose to everyone. Is it better to run a schedule like Boise has this season with it's toughest opponents being @Utah, and Fresno State at home? Or is it better to schedule as Fresno State does, with LSU and Oregon on the non-conference schedule? The Bulldogs put their selves in a tough position and would make a BCS game if they could run the table, but with their schedule it would be a stretch to do so. Instead the Dogs may go 7-5 this season. What would you as fans think if we had a schedule like Utah did two years ago when they made their BCS game, with their big game opponent being an unranked North Carolina team at home? I have to say that if that is the way to make the big money in a nationally televised BCS game, then why not take advantage of it? I have a feeling that if we played Oregon State and Wyoming instead of Washington and Oregon, we would be 3-0 easily. Well if anyone cares to chime in on any of these topics, please do. I wrte this blog to find out what you have to say and to let you know what I think as well.

Note - The picture above is our victory at K-State. Remember the good times, they wll be back again soon.

What's in a Redshirt?

Since I have been talking about our depth problem the last few days I started thinking about the number of Redshirt Freshman that are in our program yearly. I have never understood why a coach would go out to get a player and redshirt him. Ok, yes I get that you want the freshman to learn the system before he gets playing time but what does that do to a guy who is so young? Does it help that an 18 year old learns the system before he gets game experience? I would say yes if you are talking about the quarterback position. The quarterback has to learn the playbook in and out before he can get in the game. He has to learn defensive schemes, what adjustments to make and so on. If a freshman played the cornerback position he would have to learn coverage schemes, that's all. Yes covering a receiver in college football is no easy task, but the truth is these guys will not get any better without getting on the field and experiencing it for themselves.

A.J. Jefferson played in the first game this season against Nevada and did an outstanding job of blanketing Nevada's receivers. Since then I may have missed it but I have not seen him in the game. If that is the case then I have to ask why? I realize they might want to redshirt him, but if he has the physical and mental ability to play corner already why not play him? Will having him for that extra season really help in the end? Or would having him on the field make him a better player right from the start? I feel like if we stop redshirting every single guy that comes through the system our depth would imporve heavily. Instead of having to rely on rarely used freshman we could fall back on players that are now experienced sophomores. Maybe it's just me, but if you go out and recruit someone, shouldn't you want him in the system so he can play instead of getting him to sit back and watch the games? These guys do not want to go to college to sit, they want to go and play. Lonyae Miller is a very good example of using a freshman. His stats are not phenominal, but you can tell game by game that he is slowly getting better. By the time his sophomore year rolls around he will be ready to be a big part of the offense.

Maybe I am just bringing up something that doesn't really matter. I just really wish we had more depth. I know it's Fresno State and we don't get the amount of top line recruits that a PAC-10 school does, but we do have plenty of capable players that just don't have the exprience yet. In order to have a successful season a team will have to learn to make it through injuries. I always complain that our best players get hurt every year, well so do most teams. Jarrett is out for USC as is their starting fullback. Let's see how they respond in the next 2-4 weeks of the year. Fresno needs to be able to do the same thing. We need to be able to have that Linebacker that can step in and take Riley's place if he is hurt. We need to be able to have that corner to step in if McCauley goes down for a few plays. I believe our lack of depth will forever be a problem if we continue to redshirt at the high rate we do. It may be pointless to think about, but in the end I feel like it really does effect the team in the long run.

New Scoreboard Ready - As most of you can see, the new video board is just about done. It is said to be up and running this Saturday and honestly, does it not look ten times better than we had thought it would? Make the trip out this weekend and watch the game against Colorado State even if it is just to check out the new video board out (although I hope the reason you go is to watch the game). This will be our last home non- conference game so I hope we can support the Dogs during this game.

Game Comparisons - You might notice I have not really compared Fresno State and Colorado State. The only reason I haven't is Fresno State is a much better team in all facets of the game and should win this game quite easily. Will they? I don't know if our offense is good enough to blow anyone out, but however bad our offense is, Colorado State's is far worse. So I think a game prediction is all that is needed here. If anyone wants to know what Colorado State brings to the table just let me know and I will write something up on it.

Random Thoughts on the Young Season

Panic seems to be the emotion of choice for most Fresno State fans and who am I to judge you fans for feeling this way? We currently sit at 1-2 and have a chance to lose the most games this season since 1998 when we finished 5-6. What seems to boggle most Bulldog fans is we have what could be the best collection of talent Fresno State has ever put together. We have quite possibly four players that may very well be drafted in the first two rounds. I am not 100% sure, but I would venture to say Fresno State has never had that many players drafted so high in the same draft. How is it possible to have such a strong collection of talent and wind up losing two out of the first three games this season? The answer: Depth.

Fresno State may have outstanding talent in many positions but once a star player is hurt we have very little to back that player up. Yes we have Lonyae Miller at backup but is he truly on the level of Dwayne Wright? If Marcus McCauley were to go down how would the Bulldogs handle that problem? Well if you watched the Oregon game you were able to see what would happen. Oregon immediately attacked McCauley's vacated side of the field play after play leading to a touchdown pass from Dixon. The reason I bring up depth is that the Bulldogs in the span of three days have learned they will be missing three key players for most of the season. Jaron Fairman will miss the remainder of the season due to an ACL injury. No Fairman is not the most talented player on this team, but he runs great routes and has amazing hands as the third receiver. Chastin West and Marlon Moore will have to step in and try to show they are ready to be an important part of the Bulldog offense (that is if we decide to throw the ball anytime soon). Cole Popovich will miss six to eight weeks due to an injury sustained during the game against Washington. Now this injury hurts but not as much as the others have because our offensive line tends to do a great job regardless. The third loss the Bulldogs will have to deal with is Mike Lingua. Robert Malone has stepped in to punt for Lingua but the difference has been obvious to most. In the Oregon game Fresno State allowed more punt return yards than they did the entire 2005 season because Malone does not have the hang time that Lingua did. This ends up hurting the Bulldogs with respect to the field position battle throughout the course of the game.

What do we have to look forward to is what most fans are wondering. Will the Bulldogs come together and make this a memorable season for both the players and the fans? I believe they will, and I believe we will recover beginning with the game this week. I believe Pat Hill is going to allow Brandstater to throw the ball eventually this season because he knows he has to. I would look for a stretch somewhat close to this:

Wins Vs. Colorado State, New Mexico State, Idaho, San Jose State, La. Tech, and Utah State
Losses vs. Boise State, and LSU
Tossup against Hawaii

Now take a look at those results. If the Bulldogs can win those games they should and win one of the three monster games that remain they fiish the season 8-4 with a 7-1 WAC record as long as they beat either Boise or Hawaii. That will be good enough to get us in the Poinsetta or New Mexico bowl this year. I would hold out hope for the Emerald bowl, but they shunned us once already so I wouldn't expect that bowl to come calling. The unfortunate problem here is that Boise beat Hawaii last weekend. Hawaii winning that game could have given Fresno State a chance to tie for the WAC as long as we beat Hawaii in return. Now I am hard pressed to say Boise may very well run the table and end up in a BCS game. If that is the case then we will come in second or third depending on how Hawaii finishes.

This season has many possibilities and if Fresno can figure out a way how to fix their offensive woes they will have a successful season. I know many of you have lost faith but we have only lost two games. I may not always agree with Pat Hill's decision as head coach (ok I usually don't) but these players this season are far too talented to not succeed. Brandstater or Norton or whoever will succeed at qb whne they finally allow the throwing game to open up. The running game will continue to tear up defenses and we have a chance to do some damage against both Boise and LSU. Do not count out the Dogs, we have plenty of time to show the nation how truly good we are.

An Injury Worth Discussing?

I was searching the net today when I came across an interesting article in the Merced Sun-Star. According to the article Tom Brandstater was injured when he was hit early on in the Oregon game. Now anyone who has seen this hit knows Brandstater was on the ground for a good five minutes after he was drilled with a helmet directly to his ribs. However, Brandstater being hurt from this hit creates a situation that has continually upset me over the years with respect to Pat Hill. Now I am not saying Brandstater is truly hurt, I am going off of an article I read that was put in the paper in Merced. However, if this is true that means that Hill played a quarterback against Washington that was hurt. If he played Brandstater hurt then he put our chances of winning that game in jeopardy. If we had no other backup quarterback I could see why Brandstater played the entire game against Washington, but we have Norton. I don't know what is going on behind closed doors inside Fresno State's locker room but it is becoming quite disturbing. I am not sure what Sean Norton has done to make this situation so anti-Norton but am I the only who is beginning to think this is ridiculous? I realize this could be speculation and I might be way off base but if it is true then Hill is risking wins to keep someone in the game that is hurt. Why would someone do that to the football team? This has continually been a problem with the Hill regime in Fresno.

In the past we have seen Hill stick to his guns with both Volek and Carr. Those two quarterbacks worked out well for Fresno State as they both can be viewed as two of the better qb's the school has ever seen. However after these two qb's moved on the qb situation rapidly changed. Jeff Grady was supposed to step in as the next great Bulldogs qb but he was injured early in the 2002 season. A young inexperienced Freshman stepped in and was annointed the starter the rest of the season. His name was Paul Pinegar. Regardless of how Pinegar played over the course of his career he was always the starter. While the backups during Pinegar's tenure were not necessarily great, many times a change at qb could have changed the season around. Pat Hill did not budge and left Paul in there. Until the end of the 2005 season this decision always seemed like the right one.

While Pat Hill's decisions have paid off up to this point, if he did leave Brandstater in there injured I would love to hear why. I would love to hear the reasoning for keeping someone on the bench who is mobile and free of injury right now. I would love to hear the reason why we kept someone in to essentially hand the ball off play after play. Can Norton not accomplish a hand-off? Is it that hard for Norton to understand the offense? He seemed to have a grasp on it early in the season and I don't think he has given up hope on playing. Is Norton ever going to have a chance? The way it looks I would venture to guess that Colburn will be the second string quarterback next season. If Hill has a problem with Norton's height he obviously has not been watching Florida's Chris Leak who is also 5'11. he is listed at 6'0 but that is generous. He is leading Florida to an undefeated start and has looked amazing in Florida's offense. Leak is vertically challenged with respect to quarterback size, but is starting for the demanding Urban Meyer. Sean Norton cannot break into the Bulldogs offense even with Brandstater being hurt. I just wonder what Bulldog nation thinks about this? If this article were true does it bother anyone else that we essentially played someone that was hurt and could very well have cost us a win? Just wondering because it looked like Brandstater could have ran the ball many more times than he did but he held back. That really makes me wonder, what about everyone else?

Is The Ride Over?

For Fresno State it all began with the man to the left. David Carr brought a sense of euphoria to Fresno State that had never been witnessed in this mid-sized central valley city to date. With a 6-0 start in 2001 including victories over Wisconsin, Colorado, and Oregon State the Bulldogs of Fresno State climbed all the way to the eight spot in the nation. The city of Fresno for the first time was on a national stage as Sports Illustrated put David Carr on the front cover and did an article on the small school that could hang with the big boys of college football. However, was this the beginning of the end for Fresno State? Fresno State would drop two conference games to Boise State and Hawaii that in turn cost the Bulldogs a shot at the national championship. Since that season Fresno has lost at least three games each year although they have had promising starts in two of those seasons only to see the same thing happen each time. Because of our slow start this season and the outlook on the 2007 season I ask all Bulldog fans out there: Is the ride over for Fresno State? Are we slowly returning to the football program we were before David Carr arrived?

To prove my point let's take a look at Fresno State over the past five years since David Carr departed. While it is true we have played in a bowl game each year, aside the Virginia game what bowl game was against a top 25 team? UCLA, Georgia Tech, and Tulsa were not ranked teams meaning we played average schools at best in each of these bowl games. In each of these seasons we also lost three games or more. I realize we lost three games with David Carr in his senior season, but the wins we compiled that season thrust the Bulldogs into the spotlight, something that has only happened one time since. In 2004 Fresno State opened with road wins against Washington and Kansas State only to lose it's fourth game of the season to La. Tech. So where does that leave the 2006 Fresno State Bulldogs with respect to what the team has done over the past five years under Pat Hill?

This year the Bulldogs could legimitely lose six games. With remaining games against Hawaii, @ LSU, @ Boise, and @ La. Tech Fresno State is going to have a hard time finishing the season at 7-5. If the Bulldogs were to pull out an 8-4 year (which is what I felt they would do at the starting of the year) they will have done an outstanding job to get to that point with two losses already in the books. However, Fresno State may have an even worse season next year. With road games @ Oregon, Hawaii, and possibly Auburn or Tennessee Fresno State is already looking at three losses and that is not including the rest of WAC play. We will lose Dwayne Wright, all three of our senior receivers, Kyle Young, Marcus McCauley, and Dwayne Andrews. I realize Wright is a junior but he would be crazy to pass up the NFL with the season he is on his way to having. To say Fresno State will be weak next year would be an understatement. If the Bulldogs do not get some outstanding recruits who can step in immediately and contribue it will be a long season. In other words, expect this team to be down for a year or two. Football is a cyclical game with teams winning for years at a time followed by down years. Fresno State will be going through some hard times here in the future and it is quite possible that the high we have experienced over the past five seasons will be gone. However, all is not lost.

With the national recognition came better recruits, a brand new scoreboard, ESPN telecasts, and an overall sense that the Bulldogs had become a national player for the first time in Bulldogs history. The Dogs may be down for a year or two but they will be back. One day Pat Hill will have moved on and we will have someone else step in and do a great job in his place. Remember the years of David Carr. Remember Pat Hill. Remember Dwayne Wright, Bernard Berrian, and Mracus McCauley. These were the men that started it all for us. Ten years from now when Fresno State has become a top 25 program year after year, it will be these men that we reference to our children as the beginning of it all for the Bulldogs. One down year does not mean the program is going to fall off the map. Continue to support the Dogs, the foundation has been established and it is only a matter of time before everything comes together for this team. I know it's hard to see right now, but give it time. Every team has it's year and I still believe our best is yet to come. Let me know what you as fans think as well. I know I am a bit of an optimist, but I love Fresno State's football team and always will. There is nothing that will ever turn me away from following the Bulldogs and I hope most of you Bulldog fans that read this blog are the very same.

FSU-Colorado State QB/RB Preview

Quarterbacks - At first glance this game looks to be one of the bigger mismatches of the season for Fresno State as Colorado State may be 2-1 but that is no indication of how this team has played up to this point. With their first two wins being over Weber State (A division I-AA school Fresno State knows well) and the underachieving Colorado Buffaloes the jury is still out on Colorado State as a whole. If their loss at Nevada was any indication of how good this team is, Fresno State in turn should have very few problems Saturday. However, most Fresno State fans know better than to take any opponent for granted with our storied history of dropping games to lesser opponents (such as Washington only a week ago). The quarterback situation for the Bulldogs has been well documented up to this point as it has been non-existant to say the very least. Last week Jeff Rowe of Nevada completed 19 out of 22 passes for over 200 yards against this weak Colorado State defense. Brandstater will have time to throw and will even have the lanes to throw if the offense so desires it, but that has not made a difference up to this point as Washington gave us every opportunity to throw down field and we did not take advantage of it. I want to give the quarterback edge to Fresno State but I cannot go off of talent anymore as far as advantages go. Promise and talent only take you so far in college football. Execution is the most important aspect in college football and our passing game has not executed. I have no reason to believe that we will open up the passing game against Colorado State. Although their starting quarterback (Caleb Hanie 49 for 70, 1 td, 3 int's) has average numbers at best, they are no worse than Brandstater's numbers up to this point (48 for 73, 3td's, 3 int's). I am going to call the quarterback competition equal, but not because I feel it truly is. Instead I am calling it a draw only because I know Pat Hill will not allow Brandstater to throw the ball as he should be able to. Our play calling is the only reason this aspect of the game is equal.

Quarterback Advantage - Even, due to lack of creativity in playcalling for FSU.


Running Backs - Fresno State will enjoy an enormous advantage with respect to the running game. Colorado State's leading rusher (Gatrell Johnson III) has gained 64 yards on 34 carries up to this point. Yes those numbers are correct, he is averaging less than two yards per carry. Dwayn Wright (one of the nation's best up to this point) has gained 448 yards on 83 carries for an average of 5.5 yards per carry. Fresno State should be able to completely control the line in this game. If Dwayne Wright does not rush for at least 150 yards and two scores I will be surprised. he is far too powerful and Fresno State's O-line is much too effective for Colorado State to disrupt the Bulldogs running game. However, here in lies the dilemna against Colorado State. Does Fresno State finally try to work in a passing game that will be necessary to beat Boise, Hawaii, and LSU or do they continue to run the ball continuously because Colorado State cannot defend it? We shall see what the Dogs do, but if I were to guess I would say they continue to pound the ball time and time again.

Running Back Advantage - Fresno State

Boise-Hawaii In Game

Well I may have been wrong about the Hawaii-Boise game. Right now Hawaii trails Boise 24-12 pending the extra point. It would be a 22-14 game but Boise blocked an extra point and returned it for two points. Colt Brennan has 230 yards passing and two touchdowns right now against Boise's weak pass defense. However, Boise can stop the run, hmm does that spell trouble for Fresno State since we have yet to establish a passing game? I would say I am definitely afraid of both of these teams right now. Hawaii converted the two point conversion, they now trail 24-14 with 5:50 left in the first half. This could turn out to be a good old WAC shoot out. Anyhow I will get the final score on here when the game is over. Thus game could be very important as to who comes out on top of the WAC this season. Here's hoping for a great finish.

The WAC Weekend

The WAC weekend will be without Fresno State for the only time this season. However, the marquee game for the conference is no dud with Hawaii visiting Boise State this Saturday. The game will begin at 5pm here in California and can be seen on Boise State's athletic web site. I advise all Bulldog fans worried about the WAC title to watch this game as these will be two of the better teams in the WAC this season alongside our Bulldogs.

Now moving in another direction I have had a week to deal with our last loss to Washington. MDG wrote a blog on Fresno State's credibility as a giant killer and after our loss to Washington I would be hard pressed not to agree with him. Fresno State needs a big win against a marquee opponent and it needs to happen sooner than later. The problem is the only BCS school we have left on the schedule this year is LSU, who by no means is an easy victory. I did watch the game against Auburn (who plays a much better defensive scheme than we do) but I have to say LSU is not this juggernaut that I thought them to be. If Fresno can fix it's problems by the time we face LSU we definitely have a shot to do some damage against them. We run virtually the same offense as LSU (aside the fact they actually open up the playbook for Russell and throw vertically) and that should give us a chance to hang with them deep into the game in Death Valley.

At the same time there is a situation going on right now between Bulldog fans over on the Barkboard that is becoming problematic in my opinion. The situation over whether we should keep Brandstater or start Norton is getting out of hand. If anyone has noticed the past two games Brandstater has not lost these games. In fact I would go as far as saying he kept us in the Oergon game by minimizing his mistakes and making big plays when he had to. The Collegian feels like we as fans shouldn't give up on Brandstater . Tom Brandstater only one week ago was praised by so many Bulldog fans for being tough and playing through many ferocious hits from the Oregon Ducks. Only one week later many of our fans are ready to crucify Brandstater for a loss that for the most part should be pinned on our lack of execution with respect to the special teams unit. Give this man some time. Opening the season against Nevada, Oregon, and Washington is no easy task and if you want to try and compare him to someone Like Booty from USC you have some issues because Booty has so much more to work with than Brandstater ever will.

In the end the only point I am trying to make is this Bulldog team is going to be just fine. On a side not the video board was installed yesterday and is on schedule to be in operation next Saturday against Colorado State. There are no high school games and the game is at seven pm next Saturday so there is no reason for fans not to be out to support the Dogs. If you need a reason to get out there how about the weather being beautiful and the new board being installed? I don't feel like I should have to give you reasons to go watch Fresno State get back on track, but with how fair-weather many of our fans are I am sure people will not be attending simply for the fact that the Dogs are not ranked and are 1-2. Prove me wrong people, please do.

The WAC this week faces a tough road as I see only two teams coming away with wins. here is the WAC schedule:

NorthWestern @ Nevada: Nevada should come away with the win at home

Utah State @ BYU: Utah State can only hope to keep it close

La. Tech @ Texas A&M: Tech can stay close as A&M struggled with Army

Idaho @ Oregon State: Idaho just isn't that good and won't do much here

Cal Poly @ San Jose State: San Jose better win here against an inferior team

Hawaii @ Boise State: I am going with Hawaii in a shoot out. I know Hawaii doesn't win away from home, but this team just seems different.

What Happened To The WAC?

With a loss Saturday Fresno State fell to 1-2. Fresno State's last two weeks of football will be games that we as fans would just as soon forget. Yes, Fresno State could very easily be 3-0 right now but we have to accept that they aren't. Our non-conference schedule has bitten us in the worst possible way this season, but I think too many people are forgetting what our first goal should be year in and year out: To Win The WAC. In the off-season Fresno State fans made it a point that our team should concentrate on the WAC championship this season. In the past our hot starts always lead us away from paying attention to our conference. This season is obviously far different from most. We will not be a BCS team this year as we have no chance of being in the top 12 at the end of the year. Maybe it is a good thing that for the first time in the past three years we have no chance this early in the season. Maybe for the first time Fresno can actually turn this thing around and take the WAC and run with it. Obviously it will not be easy because of two games that are on the schedule: Hawaii and Boise State. Is it possible for the Bulldogs to win the WAC this season? The answer is absolutely. We were able to see the difference in the run defense with the addition of Marcus Riley. Yes, I realize Stanback ran for plenty of yards but the two running backs for Washington rushed for a total of 30 yards. Every time James or Rankin touched the ball they were absolutely swarmed. If Fresno State can figure out how to stop someone on third and long they may be able to turn their season around. If Fresno is to return to prominence this season a few changes need to be made. Some of these changes in my opinion are:

1) On defense Fresno State needs to create pressure on the quarterback in one way or another. Whether it is through blitzing corners, safeties, or linebackers they need to figure out a way to get into the backfield (on a side note our safeties cannot cover anyone anyway so why not blitz them from time to time?). At the same time Fresno State needs to create turnovers. We had a chance to be 3-0 and have no interceptions on the season. I may be wrong but we only have two fumble recoveries this season as well. In order to control the game we need to create more opportunities and that won't happen without turnovers.

2) We need to figure out a way to open up the vertical game. If the coaches do not trust Brandstater to make these throws then put Norton in. I don't care who our quarterback is as long as the coaches let him throw the ball. It is continually becoming annoying to watch the Bulldogs run only because our passing game is no where to be found. We have some great receivers and we need to start taking advantage of this part of the game.

3) Fix the special teams problems. If we played special teams like we normally do we would be 3-0 at the moment. Right now we are 1-2 but if we can tweak the special teams back to what they were a year ago we will begin to win again.

I know these seem like simple answers but we really aren't that far away from being a very good team. We may finish 8-4 or 7-5, but 9-3 is not out of the question. We have some tough games remaining, but remember we are 1-0 in the WAC. Let's take advantage of that and run with it. I hope to see everyone out at the Colorado State game next weekend. It has been a tough start but we can support the Dogs and help them turn this thing around.

WAC Supremacy

When one thinks of the WAC Fresno State and Boise State automatically come to mind for most people. The one team they are leaving out to start this season may be the one team that walks away with the WAC crown, and is a team that should scare the crap out of every single Fresno, Boise, Nevada, and whatever other fans of WAC teams there are out there. That team this season is Hawaii. The Warriors opened the season with a last second loss to Alabama in Bama's house which obviously is never an easy place to walk out of with a victory. At the starting of the year I said Hawaii could conceivably go 9-3 with losses to Fresno, Boise, and Alabama if they decided to play a little defense. Let me retract that prediction. Hawaii may have played offensively challenged Bama and a pretty bad UNLV team, but they have yielded 38 points in the process. If the Warriors limit the offenses of other teams to 30 points a game they will win every game remaining on theirs schedule. Yes, they will beat Boise, Fresno, Nevada, and La. Tech. It doesn't matter where these games are, the offense for this team is absolutely unreal.

Do not look at this as someone trying to prop up Hawaii, this is going to be my WAC weekly review from here on. I realize Hawaii played UNLV but take a look at the rest of their schedule including their final four games:

Sept 23rd: @ Boise State
Oct 1st: Eastern Illinois
Oct 8th: Nevada
Oct 14th: @ Fresno State
Oct 21st: @ New Mexico State
Oct 29th: Idaho
Nov. 4th: @ Utah State
Nov. 11th: La. Tech
Nov. 18th: San Jose State
Nov. 25th: Purdue
Dec. 2nd: Oregon State

Now there is not one person out there who can view this schedule and think Hawaii will lose more than two games on this schedule. They finish with their last four games at home and should be a tough game for both Fresno and Boise. If Fresno tries ball control against the Warriors and it fails we could conceivably be blown out of the stadium because of how fast their offense scores. Overall I am just giving out a warning here to us Dog fans and every other team in the WAC. The Warriors are going to be tough to beat. Don't pencil them in for an automatic victory, they are just too good to do that to anymore.

The rest of the WAC had a good week aside Fresno State (Loss @ Washington) and Utah State (loss to Utah). Conference play begins for many teams this week and the highlight game of the week for the WAC is Boise State vs. Hawaii. I am actually stunned they are not carrying this game on television Saturday. These two teams have top 25 caliber talent and apparently the college football world does not see this. For any Dog fans who want to check these teams out they will be playing a live stream on Boise State's website. Just go to the football schedule and click on the tv there and you will be able to see it. it should be a very good game. I will not pick a winner, they are to damn close in talent to say who will win, but it will be close just like last year's game was on the island.