Bulldogs lose Ramos for the year

The Fresno State defense could ill afford to lose another player to an already decimated defensive line, but they'll have to do without defensive tackle Wilson Ramos, possibly for the remainder of the 2008 season, joining offensive lineman Cole Popovich.

Ramos, a 6'4" 270 lbs Jr from Woodlands, CA who replaced defensive tackle Jon Monga (knee), suffered a high-ankle sprain and a slight stress fracture of his left leg Saturday in the Bulldogs' 45-32 win over Idaho at Bulldog Stadium.

With the injury to Ramos, it will force head coach Pat Hill to rely on younger players like true freshmen Chase McEntee and Logan Harrell, sophomore defensive tackle Mark Robert and sophomore defensive end Chris Lewis. Not to mention that the Bulldogs hope to have Jon Monga, who suffered a knee injury 3 weeks ago, back for the Utah State game a week from Saturday, which should definitely give this team a boost.

Other key injuries to this Bulldog squad that should be returning for the Utah State game are receivers Marlon Moore (ankle) and Jason Crawley (hamstring) as well as tight end Bear Pascoe (ankle). Starting safety Marvin Haynes should also be ready to go next weekend after sitting out the 2nd half of the Idaho game with back spasms.

'Dogs ride 3-headed monster in win over Idaho

If there was any question of how good the Fresno State running backs were, that question was answered on Saturday night.

Lonyae Miller, Anthony Harding and Ryan Mathews combined for 318 total yards on the ground, tying a season high, as the Bulldogs hung on for a 45-32 victory over the Idaho Vandals at Bulldog Stadium. Lonyae Miller would finish the night with 15 carries for an impressive 181 yards and a touchdown, which came on a 90 yard sprint down the sideline in the 3rd quarter. Anthony Harding would add 8 carries for 94 yards while Ryan Mathews, just back from missing last week's loss to Hawaii, was limited but still managed 8 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown.

Tom Brandstater had another sub par performance, though he did throw for 2 touchdowns and ran for another, he ended the night just 14/27 for 125 yards passing while Idaho quarterback Nathan Enderle was 22/39 for 237 yards and 3 touchdowns. Surprisingly, Bulldogs kicker Kevin Goessling was still the starter after missing crucial field goals against Hawaii in their overtime loss last week, but he didn't miss an attempt including a 46-yarder in the 4th quarter that barely cleared the crossbar. When asked about it, head coach Pat Hill responded, "Clint Stitser was our kicker here for three and a half years and only had two game-deciding kicks. Kevin Goessling has been our kicker for six games and has had six game deciding kicks."

Fresno State struggled again defensively against the Vandals, not only giving up more than 30 points for the fourth straight game, but allowed 452 total yards including 237 through the air and another 215 on the ground, not to mention allowing Idaho to hold possession of the football for a grand total 35:05 to Fresno State's 25:55. The Bulldog defense needs to get a whole lot better if they even hope to get into a bowl game this year, especially with games against Boise State and Nevada still upcoming on their schedule.

Next up for Idaho (1-6, 0-3), they will travel to Rustin, LA to take on Louisiana Tech (2-3, 0-2) as both teams look to gain their first conference win.

As for Fresno State (4-2, 1-1), they will have a bye weekend before they head for Logan, UT as they take on the Utah State Aggies (1-5, 1-1) on October 25th. Game time is slated for 12pm PST.