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All Quiet on the Football Front 2006-12-07 19:10:00
After two days of departures from the Fresno State football team (Hagen, Norton) a less eventful day finally presented itself to Fresno State and it's football fans. However a story did arise that is quite interesting when you think about it. I feel that Pat Hill putting himself out there for the NFL hurt the Bulldogs and their team unity this past season. Hill had convinced many players to return to play their senior season only to turn around and show that he was interested in coaching somewhere else aside Fresno State. Two days ago it was reported by an Arizona newspaper that Pat Hill had shown interest in the coaching opening at Arizona State. Whether this is true or not does not matter because of what happened last season. Even if Pat Hill does not have any interest in coaching the Sun Devils (although he should, what a great job that would be) we as fans of the Bulldogs tend to believe the opposite of whatever Hill says. It seems that Hill has fed this team and city so much Read more:Quiet
, Football
, Front
A Concerning Exit 2006-12-06 17:45:00
First Sean Norton decides to leave Fresno State to search for a better opportunity to play. One day later offensive coordinator Steve Hagen decides to leave for North Carolina to coach with his old friend Butch Davis. I realize most Fresno State fans are happy to see Hagen go, but do you know what this could possibly lead to? Yesterday Pat Hill was quoted as saying he is in no hurry to find a offensive coordinator and he may even call the offensive plays himself. Is there anyone out there who still questions whether this offense is the fault of the coordinator or that of Hill? I believe that quote in itself tells you exactly what is wrong with the offense. If Hill is going to run this offense then we have absolutely no chance of scoring next season. He is the reason we run-run-pass so often. He is the only college coach in America who feels the way to win a game is to control the clock and limit the opposing team's opportunities. Wake up Pat. College football does not run by the sam
Saying Goodbye to a Great Kid 2006-12-05 16:46:00
Yesterday the Fresno Bee reported what every Fresno State fan knew was coming: Sean Norton was given his outright release from the Fresno State football program. He now can look at other options as far as playing college football. As everyone who reads this blog knows I was thoroughly impressed with the way Norton played when he was given a chance to come into the game against Hawaii. He showed a toughness to me that Brandstater just doesn't have. At the same time I feel like he was a much better deep threat than Brandstater will ever be. I know Brandstater has a strong arm but he has absolutely no accuracy down the field. Case in point: Take a look at the deep ball thrown Fernandez's way on Saturday. Brandstater should know by now that ball needs to be thrown deep to the corner of the end zone. Instead he floats the ball short to a spot only the defender can get to. Norton did not make the same mistake when he would throw the ball deep and aside two throws during his three game t Read more:Goodbye
, Great
Do We Expect Too Much? 2006-12-04 23:34:00
With the season coming to a disappointing end a question came to mind with respect to our football team. Do we as Fresno State fans expect too much out of our team? I think the easiest way to go about posing this question is to use the much debated quarterback position. Our past three QB's (if we forget the Grady experiment) were Billy Volek, David Carr, and Paul Pinegar. Each of these QB's had very little problem throwing the ball although Pinegar had a bit of a problem closing out close games. However, these three QB's were the kind that you never wanted to let go of. I feel like Paul Pinegar is missed far more now than when he said good bye last season. I never realized that Pinegar was so clutch on third downs during his career. Brandstater has not been able to grasp the third and long concept up to this point in his career. But do we put unrealistic expectations on our QB position or the entire Bulldog team for that matter? Is asking a mid-major school to win 8-1 Read more:Expect
A Fitting End to a Disappointing Season 2006-12-03 16:42:00
We should have seen this coming. Each one of us should have known what would happen if the Bulldogs needed to ride the arm of Tom Brandstater to victory. In my game preview I stated if Brandstater had to throw the ball more than 25 times there would be no way the Bulldogs could win the game. Yesterday Brandstater threw the ball 37 times. Final score:
San Jose State - 24
Fresno State -14
The offense put together one scoring drive yesterday of which ended in a Dwayne Wright TD. Fresno State's defense scored the other TD on a fumble recovery by Goodwin. This game provided what is exactly wrong with Fresno State: If they cannot run the ball over and over again they have no chance to come away with a win. In Fresno State's four wins this season Dwayne Wright has averaged 24 carries for 177 yards. Yesterday Dwayne Wright earned his yards the hard way as he carried the ball 23 times for 106 yards, but the offense needed another spark. Tom Brandstater could not provide that spark. Read more:Season
Who's More Hated? The Donks, Rainbows or San Hoser? 2006-12-02 01:07:00 NSC questions from early today are bit more serious and relevant to the Bulldog football team, but with San Jose State's moderate success this season, it has renewed a dying rivalry. And I had to ask, do Bulldog fans still hate San Hoser? Hawaii has risen up on the charts in recent years as the most hated rival. The Donks BCS run is sure to conjure up some more dislike for them. The old-timers will talk about San Diego State and Pacific, but take away the Marshall Faulk years and neither of those rivalries have meant anything to any Bulldog fan under the age of 30.I first started following Bulldog football religiously in 1985. My first game was the 1982 Cal Bowl and subsequently went to all the home games in 1983 and 1984, but it was the success of 1985 that kept my attention, after all I was just in grammar school. As well, my uncle had a bunch of old Bulldog programs, pics, tickets and etc -- kept in his old room at my grandma's house -- which I found while digging for his stash of Read more:Rainbows
Where Do We Start? 2006-12-01 17:39:00
Over the 2006 Fresno State football season we have seen plenty go wrong for this Bulldog team. Lately we have been lucky enough to see this team somewhat turn their season around (albeit against terrible teams). Today I only propose one question to anyone who reads this blog. Please give me your insight so we can discuss this through you readers as well. Believe me I enjoy giving every one of you readers my thoughts on the Bulldog season and what I have thought of the coaching and the players. However, I think Fresno State's failure this season is something that we all have an opinion on. So here is my question for every Bulldog fan out there that desperately wants to see this team improve:
"What do we need to do to fix this team?"
I know there are many problems within the Bulldogs football team but I wonder what you as fans think needs to be fixed in order to turn Fresno State back into the squad that challenged every team on their schedule regardless of who they Read more:Start
A Rivalry Renewed? 2006-11-30 16:23:00
When you think of rivalries the first that come to mind tend to be the national rivalries that we always see on TV, hear about on the radio, and watch when they are televised. You have USC-Notre Dame, Ohio State-Michigan and Florida-Georgia just to name a few. Here in Fresno we tend to think about Fresno State-Hawaii as the rivalry that we love/hate the most. At one time that rival was San Jose State. In a series that began in the early 1900's the San Jose State-Fresno State series has seen every type of game possible between the two. San Jose State has gone on a long streak of victories over the Dogs just as Fresno State has done the same over the Spartans. In the past these two schools would play for the Cal bowl year in and year out. The winner of the annual San Jose State-Fresno State game would be awarded a Cal bowl birth. Unfortunately times have changed for these two schools as Fresno State seems to have changed it's focus with respect to football. Over the past sixteen Read more:Rivalry
Fresno State - San Jose State Preview 2006-11-29 21:31:00
First off, expect to see a great deal of Dwayne Wright this Saturday. He will get the ball between 25 and 30 times depending on the flow of the game. There is no way Brandstater will throw the ball more than 25 times throughout the course of the game. If the Dogs have to rely on the passing game they will not beat San Jose
. San Jose is not the most talented team. I realize they have won seven games but I question how truly good this team is. San Jose's victories have come against teams with a combined record of 21-59 (and that is including div. 1AA Cal Poly who went 7-4.) I am not saying FresnoState
is any better because our four wins have not come against very good teams either (aside 8-4 Nevada although that is debatable as well). However, the nation has the view that Fresno State
is in a down season while San Jose State has overachieved. I guess this is true if you feel that San Jose beating six of the bottom thirty teams in the nation is overachieving. However, this is an e Read more:Preview
What Could Have Been 2006-11-29 00:50:00 The Utah State game will haunt Pat Hill forever. 5-7 is better than the 1-11 most fans were thinking less than a month ago, but most thought the Utah State would be one of many "bad" losses this season. But it is turning out not to be the case, and the Aggies lone win of 2006 will likely be the culprit for breaking the Bulldogs West Coast leading seven game bowl streak.
Colorado State nose-dived after beating the 'Dogs. The Rams were 4-1 after beating Fresno State then UNLV the following week but lost their last seven. It looks like a bad loss, but nothing as bad as losing to 1-11 Utah State. The Aggies were never close to winning any game except Fresno State, and that game should have never been close. Coach Hill can speak all he wants about how this team will finish strong, but with losses to Colorado State and Utah State, not even a blow-out over San Jose State will shake the bad-taste from this season.
Especially when you consider the bowl possibilities the Bulldogs could have en
Is Tommy Our Guy? 2006-11-28 22:40:00
Over the past few days I have read countless messages covering the topic of everyone's favorite QB Tom Brandstater. I have to say it is actually quite funny to see such a discrepancy with respect to what the fans truly think about Tom. A large group of fans do not approve of him and I can see their point. A smaller group of fans do approve of Tom and I can see where you are coming from as well. My opinion on Tom is to sit in the middle and see how the situation plays out. Earlier in the year I had a stretch of six or seven posts in a row where all I did was complain about the Bulldogs QB position and how I did not approve of Tom. I felt very good about having Sean Norton in the game but felt he was not given a fair shot. However, my concentration of this post is not whether Norton received a fair shot this past season or not, but instead if he will receive one over the offseason. I also want to focus on if Tom has truly earned the starting QB position with his play over the past ten Read more:Tommy
A Positive Ending? 2006-11-27 18:34:00
Fresno State's season has been a winding road that has led us to this point:
1) Three wins in a row
2) A running back who has single handedly carried us through the past three games inscluding 295 yards rushing Friday night.
3) A QB that may have found some confidence this past week with three td passes.
4) A 4-7 record with one game remaining.
The last statement shows that 2006 has been a disappointment to say the very least. Fresno State has become synanomous with winning over the past five years in college football. Whether it be ESPN, CBS, or ABC they all wonder what happened to the team that normally challenges for a BCS slot through the first half of the season each year. 2006 did not begin this way but the Bulldogs seem to have found some life towards the end of the season. The seniors did not want to go out on a losing note and the team as a whole has done everything in it's power to make sure that does not happen. San Jose State is the only obstacle t Read more:Positive
, Ending
The Wright Way 2006-11-25 20:30:00
Who needs passing? When you have a guy who rushes for 295 yards and carries the team on his back, passing is the last thing you want to do as a team. Last night in Ruston Dwayne Wright
carried Fresno State to a 34-27 victory over La. Tech. Had it not been for untimely turnovers this game would have been far worse for La. Tech as they capitalized on three by Fresno State to keep the game close. Brandstater had a coming of age game as he finished 14-23 for 140 yards and three touchdowns. True he only passed for 140 yards but he made good throws and for the first time since the Oregon game he looked comfortable playing QB for the Bulldogs. It may be hard to believe, but this was a big win in many ways for Fresno State. Next week they will take on San Jose State who is playing for their first bowl game in God knows how many years. Fresno State has not lost to San Jose in more than a decade and does not want to start now.
Although La Tech scored 27 points much of it came
La. Tech-Fresno State Preview 2006-11-22 21:18:00 It's hard to believe that La. Tech and FresnoState
are both having such down seasons simultaneously. You have to say it is much more surprising that Fresno State
is having a down year with 16 returning starters. La. Tech for all technical purposes lost their entire defense to graduation this past season. With a depleted defense and an inexperienced offense the Bulldogs of La. Tech were going to have a down season regardless of who their opponents would be. Unfortunately for La. Tech they would open the season @Nebraska, at home against Texas A&M, @ Clemson, and @ Boise State. Only Fresno State's three game stretch of Hawaii, @LSU, and @ Boise State could be comparable to such a tough stretch of football. So what should we look for in Friday night's game between these two teams of whom are both named the 'Bulldogs"?Fresno State is going to do the usual. They Will run Dwayne Wright early and often. With no Sean Norton available even if Brandstater struggles he is our only option at Read more:Preview
Fresno State's MVP: Dwayne Wright 2006-11-21 18:02:00
2006 will mark the end of an era for many Bulldogs at FresnoState
(18 I believe). None will be missed more so than DwayneWright
, the do everything running back that carried this team throughout his career. Wright's path to greatness at Fresno State
did not take place without a few speedbumps, but the end result is one that we have become used to with running backs in this program. Wright will end his career while rushing for over a thousand yards in two different seasons and making a name for himself at Fresno State. In order to really respect what Wright has done for Fresno State we as fans should take a look back at Wright's career with the Bulldogs and what he has gone through to get to the point he currently sits at today.
Dwayne Wright broke onto the scene in 2003 when he took the place of Rodney Davis who seemed to be faultering at the running back position. Wright did not disappoint as he rushed for over a thousand yards in his first year with the Dogs. Fresno
Special Blog: Who Should Play in the National Championship? 2006-11-21 01:22:00
With respect to the national championship picture we know one thing: Ohio State is in. After that the BCS has once again given us a gigantic mess. Because USC, Arkansas, Florida, Notre Dame, Michigan, West Virginia, Rutgers, and Louisville all have one loss there is no telling who is going to end up in the championship game this season. As of right now Michigan sits in the number 2 slot but if USC beats Notre Dame Saturday and then defeats UCLA the week after they will represent the West Coast in the national championship. Where the picture gets muddy is if Notre Dame or UCLA can knock off the Trojans. If this happens then the BCS will turn into a mess with few answers once again. There are many possibilities to this year's BCS mess and here are just a few options that could play out if the Trojans go down to Notre Dame:
1) If USC cannot get by Notre Dame it is possible we will see a rematch of Michigan and Ohio State, in fact that is the most likely scenario only because Notre D Read more:Special
, National
Two Down Two To Go 2006-11-20 18:09:00
Pat Hill stated that this Bulldog team would finish the season 4-0 and why shouldn't they? This Bulldog team is not nearly as bad as the 3-7 record they currently hold. A few breaks here and there and this team is currently 6-4 playing for eight wins and a bowl birth. Next up is La. Tech, a team with more problems than Fresno State has right now. Yes, I realize that is hard to believe but La. Tech has done very little right this season. Fresno State wll not be traveling down to Ruston this week to play in front of a large television crowd. Instead the Dogs will head into Ruston and likely play in front of maybe 10,000 fans. In other words there really won't be much of a homefield advantage for the Bulldogs of La. Tech. Fresno has lost to La. Tech two years in a row, both of them being back breaking losses. The first loss ended a 3-0 start with wins over both Washington and Kansas State. The second loss ended any chances of the Dogs tying for the WAC title last season with Boise
Offseason Recruiting - Defense 2006-12-08 19:09:00
Yesterday's blog on Pat Hill and his flirting with other jobs across the nation with respect to college football received a complaint due to the fact that all we seem to be talking about is Pat Hill anymore. Today I will use the rest of this blog to cover defensive recruiting and will not mention Hill's name anymore (for the rest of this blog, not forever). As you can see the picture to the left is Damon Jenkins who was beaten on this fourth and two play for a TD in the third quarter after the refs gave San Jose a chance to change their decision on whether to take a running into the kicker penalty or let it go. (Is that even allowed?) The reason I picked this picture for the recruiting blog is we need some definite help in our secondary. Since McCauley is leaving (although he ended up doing far less than I thought he would in his senior season) we will have to replace him at corner. Losing Simmons will not hurt much, he never seemed to grasp the corner lifestyle in college. Shir Read more:Offseason
, Defense
Offseason Recruiting - Offense 2006-12-11 16:14:00
The most disappointing group on the Fresno State Bulldogs during the 2006 season was their offense. Well truthfully that statement is only half true. The offensive line and running game came through for the Dogs as Brandstater only endured six sacks during his ten starts. At the same time the Bulldogs offensive line allowed the Dogs to average over 180 yards rushing per game. This ended up being a positive aspect to the Dogs offense because their passing game was nothing to write home about. Brandstater averaged 135 yards passing per game, a rate that would be terrible even for the bottom feeders in the WAC. In order for 2007 to be any better the offense will start and end with Brandstater. But the Bulldogs will be losing the one man that made their offense work this season: Dwayne Wright. In order for the Dogs to rebound on offense each player will have to take their game and step it up.
Quarterback - Barring any unforeseen circumstances Brandstater will be the starter in 20 Read more:Offseason
, Offense
Recruiting - What's Needed? 2006-12-12 19:55:00
The past two blogs have revealed what I think are the most important needs with respect to recruiting this season. I feel the D-Line and Speed are our two biggest needs on this team. I know our secondary was bad but I feel like that is because the D-Line did not get enough pressure on the opposing teams QB's. Today's blog is not going to be long and drawn out but instead I am going to ask you a few questions with the most important one being:
In your opinion as fans what do you think we need to go after with respect to recruiting?
Obviously both of our kickers will return, but do you feel that it is important to go find another field goal kicker now instead of waiting for Stitser to move on? At the same time we have two new QB's coming into the system but I ask again do you feel like that is enough for the Dogs right now? As I always say it's great to hear from those huge Bulldog fans because you tend to have the clearest outlook on the team from the outside. Let's see what
Recruiting - Who's Coming In 2006-12-13 18:25:00
The man to the left in the picture (Dwayne Wright) will be the most important piece of the Bulldog puzzle to replace going into the 2007 season. Fresno State has already received ten recruits this offseason with many of them looking to help the Bulldogs as soon as their Freshman season. I stated we needed help with respect to speed and that is one area the Bulldogs seem to have upgraded immediately with the commitments of the following players:
Terrance Dennis - As a safety he had 115 tackles his junior season. From all accounts he is one of the hardest hitting high school safeties across the nation. He runs a 4.4-.5 40 meaning he has a mass amount of speed that will only help on defense. Dennis will have an opportunity to help the defense from the day he arrives at Fresno State.
Sharrod Davis - A corner who runs a 4.4 40 is never a bad facet to have on defense. Davis brings this amount of speed to the Bulldogs with JUCO experience. We know the secondary needed help and with
The Recruiting Difference 2006-12-15 17:04:00
The Bulldogs may have experienced their worst season under Pat Hill in 2006 as they finished a disappointing 4-8. As we all know by now the Bulldogs did not operate their offense in the way we have become accustomed to seeing as they had problems scoring points for the first time in over a decade. However, in a sense this turned out to be positive for Pat Hill and the Bulldogs. No, it isn't positive in a sense that the Bulldogs lost twice as many games as they won or that they underperformed throughout the entire 2006 season. Instead the positive side is showing itself after the season has ended. The recruiting for Fresno State this offseason has gone relatively well up to this point. The reason I believe recruits now want to take their chances in Fresno as opposed to another school has to do with the Freshman status and how they are being handled at Fresno State.
It wasn't long ago that Pat Hill would insist that nearly 80% of all Freshman should redshirt to give themselves
What I am Truly Thankful For 2006-12-26 18:32:00
With the end of 2006 right around the corner I started to think about the Fresno State Football program and where we sit today. I began to think about how much this football program has changed over the past fifteen years. I began to think about what we should be thankful for as Fresno State Football fans instead of thinking about what we should be disappointed with. True the 2006 season was not what we had hoped for or expected, but there is so much more to be thankful for in this football program although many of you may not see it that way at the time being. Without further adeu here is my top five reasons why I am thankful to be a Fresno State Football fan:
1) The feel of the central valley. The green V on the back of the helmet says it all as this team is the pride of the valley. We live in an area that is often overlooked by the rest of California but for the most part our football team can play with just about anyone in this state.
2) I am thankful for the progressio Read more:Thankful
What the Future Holds 2006-12-27 18:19:00
As soon as the college football season ends another season begins that possibly may be just as important as the actual football season itself. Recruiting season tends to heat up just as we finish cheering for our respective football teams in whatever nonsense bowl game they are a part of. Let's be honest here, unless your team is playing in a BCS game there really isn't much to be happy about with respect to the bowl season. Yes we can be happy about playing in the Liberty Bowl but at the end of the day it is just another ho hum bowl that few people care about. Our goal at Fresno State is to one day crash the BCS just as Boise State has done this season. The problem is Fresno State continually struggles to win the WAC. Although most people in this city put a BCS game down as our number one goal, we have to realize there is no way that will ever happen unless we go undefeated in the WAC first. To me this is where
recruiting becomes one of the more important factors into ho Read more:Future
Fixing What is Broken 2006-12-28 19:00:00
If you were to use one word to describe Fresno State as a team in 2006 Broken
may be the most appropriate. Our offense seemed flustered more times than not, our defense seemed lost for the most part, our kicking game was a problem for the first time in countless years, and our special teams unit played as poorly as any unit in the nation. To concentrate on one area with respect to poor performance for Fresno State would be a mistake. Fresno State will have to find a way to fix much more than one aspect of their football team. The problems with Fresno State really can be broken down into three different areas, of which I will rank from least
to most imporant.
1) Defensive secondary - I know most will say I am crazy for thinking this is the least of our problems but I don't feel the secondary underperformed nearly as much as we have viewed them as doing. In most of our games the defense kept the games close enough for us to win. We lost games by 7, 1, 12, 1, and 10. Yes the th
Does a Boise Win Equal a Playoff? 2007-01-04 19:09:00
Monday night we all watched Boise
State dominate Oklahoma for three quarters only to have to pull out a victory in overtime 43-42. First and foremost let me tell you my view of this game. Boise State should have won this game easily. This game should not have come down to trick plays for the Broncos. This game should have been put away in the third quarter but wasn't. However, I am not going to take away what the Broncos did. In the end they won against a top ten football team on the national stage. Boise finally came through and beat a team while everyone in the nation watched. However I want to address a point I have been hearing since this game was put to bed. Since Boise State finished 13-0 I have heard numerous reasons why their should be a playoff. I today will construct that playoff for you just to show that a playoff will never work in college football (at least not in today's game). Just so everyone knows I advocate a playoff because I feel that is the single best way to c Read more:Equal
What's in an Offensive Coordinator? 2007-01-05 17:06:00
As everyone knows we are without an offensive coordinator with the departure of Steve Hagen to North Carolina (who seems to horde all of our coordinators for some reason). However the question I want to pose to all Bulldog fans is will it really matter if we hire someone outstanding as our offensive coordinator? Let's take a look back at the past three offensive coordinators under Pat Hill. The first memorable coordinator was Andy Ludwig who is pictured to the left with Mike Bellotti. Ludwig had the opportunity to coach David Carr and was given relatively free reign to run the offense. This would also be the last time Fresno State had any type of an open offense that featured both the passing and running games as a viable offensive option. Ludwig served as coordinator from 1998-2001. Ludwig would move on to Oregon where he would run the Ducks offense into the ground.
Fresno State countered losing Ludwig by hiring the New Orleans Saints QB coach Frank Cignetti. Cignetti took over an Read more:Offensive
, Coordinator
The Nightmare Known as Recruiting 2007-01-06 21:34:00
Imagine yourself making a decision you are 100% sure about. The decision is such a no brainer that you don't have to think twice about it. At first everything looks promising but as time passes you begin to notice that maybe you made a mistake. Eventually you realize that this decision you were so sure about turned out to be the exact opposite and somehow affects your future. Welcome to the world of recruiting. Every year Pat Hill and his staff must step out into the world and find new football players for the Fresno State Football Program. Sometimes Hill and his staff find diamonds in the rough that work out in a way the coaching staff could have never imagined. Other times four star recruits who look promising never truly develop. Over the past ten years Pat Hill has done a decent job of bringing in players that fit his under the radar mold. To better understand the inconsistencies of the recruiting world let's take a look at the past four years with respect to the recruits Pa Read more:Nightmare
Motivation.....The Difference Between Winning and Losing 2007-01-10 16:34:00
There is a distinct difference between being a coach in the NFL and being a coach at the college football level. Yes the talent plays on a whole new level in the NFL but this difference between the two levels of football goes much deeper than talent. NFL players know the game. NFL players do not need motivation to play. Most NFL players have been around the block five to ten times and already know the grinds of the NFL football season. A coach can try and give a "Win one for the gipper" speech but the truth is many NFL players are either going to give their all or they aren't. College kids are a different breed of football player. Many college kids have just turned eighteen and are still very impressionable. A coach showing that he believes in the team and believes they can win every game they play makes a big difference in the college game. If you question this look no further than Pete Carroll of USC. There is no better motivational coach in the college game. Yes Carroll has the Read more:Winning
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