Bulldog defense dominates in win over Spartans

In what was a must win game, the Bulldogs brought their 'A' game for the 2nd straight week as they knocked off San Jose State 24-10 on Friday night.

Defensively, Fresno State was outstanding. They had to be in the field more than I'm sure they wanted to, but they were up for the challege. They would give up the only points the Spartans would score (10) in the first half, shutting them out in the 2nd half and allowing their offense to run away with the game with three second half scores including two from running back Anthony Harding and a 49-yard punt return from Chastin West.

The team was, again, without the team's leading rushing Ryan Mathews as he is still nursing his ankle injury, but they would show just how strong the running back trio of Mathews, Lonyae Miller and Anthony Harding are. Miller would carry the ball 14 times for 67 yards while Harding would have an even bigger night, carrying the ball 17 times for 99 yards and 2 scores. Jr. running back Jamaal Rashad would even get into the act as the Bulldogs' third option, finishing the night with 5 carries and 41 yards rushing.

The Bulldogs used the ground game to their advantage and it was much needed, as they got a season low 71 yards through the air from Sr. quarterback Tom Brandstater on 5-of-18 passing and an interception.

This should be an incredible confidence boost for this team as they look forward to their showdown against 9th ranked Boise State on the blue turf. With the kind of defense this team has played in recent weeks, they'll need to put up an even bigger effort against a very high powered offense.

With the win, Fresno State (7-4, 4-3) should be a lock for a post season bowl game, though we'll have to wait until probably mid-December before that is announced, but the win definitely helps their chances. Their game against Boise State will be a nationally televised game on ESPN2 on Friday afternoon. Kickoff scheduled for 3pm local time.

Never too early to look ahead

With the college football slowly winding down and college basketball just getting underway this past week, I thought we might have a little fun at looking ahead at the 2009 Fresno State football team and who you could look forward to seeing next season.

Quarterback:

Current - Tom Brandstater Status - departing Senior

Candidates:

Ryan Colburn - Colburn is 6'3" 220 lbs Sophomore from Visalia, CA (Central Valley Christian). 2008 marked the 2nd straight season that he has been the backup to Brandstater. He also saw game action in 2007 against Oregon, so he does have some playing time under his belt.



Matt Faulkner - The 6'2" 195 lbs Redshirt Freshman is getting a lot of talk as far as what his capability is as a passer. He has the strong arm of past Bulldog quarterbacks and could fit that mold in the future. Whether or not he'll win the job as a Sophomore will have to be determined during sprill drills when they begin next year.



Ebahn Feathers - The 6'1" 210 lbs Freshman from Washington Union High School is getting more talk than the previous two candidates, and for good reason. He led Washington Union to the North Sequoia League Championship, he was league MVP, 1st team All League (twice), offensive player of the year, Fresno Bee player of the year, and has over 7,800 total yards and 98 touchdowns in his high school career. This may be one of the most exciting quarterbacks Fresno State will ever see. He's got a lot to learn, but if he's a quick learner, we may see him on the field in no time.



My prediction: With Ryan Colburn already having experience in game situations, I think he is the odds on favorite to open the 2009 season as the Bulldogs' starting quarterback. If he struggles right out of the gate, I think it's going to be a close battle between Faulkner and Feathers as who takes the reigns.

Running Backs:

Current - Ryan Mathews, Lonyae Miller, Anthony Harding

Since all three of the aformentioned running backs should be back in Bulldog uniforms, they should hold their starting roles. I don't think we'll see a changing of the guard until probably 2010.

Tight End:

Current - Bear Pascoe Status - Departing Senior

Candidates:

David Gory - A 6'4" 235 lbs Freshmen from San Ramon, CA that lettered in football in both 2006 and 2007 at California High School. He'll have a lot of learning to do in his Sophomore year, but getting to see how departing Senior Bear Pascoe goes about his day-to-day routine might help any young player.



Ryan Skimore - Skidmore will not only enter the 2009 season as a Redshirt Sophomore but also 2nd on the depth chart behind starter Bear Pascoe. He impressed in spring scrimmages prior to the 2008 season and showed a knack for getting open. The 6'5" 240 lbs tight end was listed as the 9th best tight end according to one recruiting service during his senior year of high school, which would explain being recruited by Oregon, Oregon State and Washington State along with Fresno State.



Tapa Taumoepeau - Taumeopeau, the 6'3" 220 lbs Freshman out of Euless, TX chose to play for Fresno State because they were the only Division 1 school that recruited him. He lettered in his senior year of high school, was the offensive MVP as well as the 3rd team Writer's Association All State for the 15-1 State Champions. This guy definitely has talent, don't rule him out in his Junior year, but I think he spends next season learning from guys like Skidmore.



My prediction - With Skidmore already being 2nd on the depth chart, I don't see Gory or Taumoepeau making enough of an impact on the coaching staff to change that, so look for Ryan Skidmore to be the starting tight end for Fresno State in 2009.



In the sections to come, we'll talk about the wide receivers and talk a little bit about the departing seniors on the offensive line as well as what changes we can expect to see on the defensive side.

Bulldogs unable to capitalize on Brandstater's big night

Quarterback Tom Brandstater had one of his best games of the season, but Fresno State couldn't capitalize as Louisiana Tech would win the battle of the Bulldogs 38-35, Fresno State's first road loss this season.

The game might have been won on two big plays in the third quarter, leading to 10 Louisiana Tech points, giving them a 24-21 lead. The first was an interception thrown by quarterback Tom Brandstater, which Louisiana Tech would convert into a touchdown to tie the game at 21-21. The second was a blocked punt, the first allowed by Fresno State since 2002 against Oregon, which allowed Louisiana Tech to take a 24-21 lead on a field goal. Fresno State would eventually take a 28-24 lead on a 33-yard hookup from quarterback Tom Brandstater to wide receiver Seye Ajirotutu, but those previous two scores from Louisiana Tech was possibly what decided the game.

Brandstater would finish his night 23-of-38 for 295 yards and 4 TD's, throwing two a piece to wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu and tight end Bear Pascoe, the other touchdown coming on a 56-yard punt return by Rashad Evans.

Defensively, Fresno State would struggle again, giving up 297 yards on the ground while the Bulldogs' 3-headed monster, minus Ryan Mathews and Lonyae Miller, gained only a grand total of 85 yards. Lonyae Miller missed the entire game due to injury while Ryan Mathews re-aggrivated an injury he suffered against UCLA and missed the entire second half, leaving Anthony Harding to shoulder the load.

With the win, Louisiana Tech will improve to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play. The Bulldogs will travel to San Jose State as they'll take on the 2nd place Spartans. Game in San Jose is set for 8pm local time.

For Fresno State, it almost guaruntees that the WAC will probably be won by Boise State who remains unbeaten after blanking New Mexico State 49-0 on Saturday, that is, if they remain unbeaten or San Jose State drops another game or two. The Bulldogs still have a bowl game to play for, though they still have Nevada, San Jose State and Boise State to deal with, so that bowl game may not be in the picture if they can't win at least 2 of those 3 games. They'll (5-3, 2-2) return home as they welcome in the Nevada Wolfpack (4-4, 2-2) on Friday night, it'll be a late start due to national coverage. Game time will be 9pm PST.

Bulldogs need last second FG to top Aggies

Fresno State kicker Kevin Goessling had been taking a lot of heat in the media for missing kicks in two crucial losses to Wisconsin and Hawaii, two wins that would have Fresno State unbeaten at this point in the season. Tonight, he became the hero, kicking three big field goals including a game winning, 58-yard, field goal as time expired giving the Bulldogs a 30-28 win over Utah State. It was the first win for the Bulldogs up in Logan, UT since 1989 and just their third win their all-time.

The Bulldogs trailed 28-27 with just 36 seconds left to go in the game and it seemed like they would lose another game to a team that shouldn't stay with this Bulldog squad. Tom Brandstater would lead the Bulldogs down the field and into field goal range when he would hit wide receiver Rashad Evans with an 18-yard strike to the Aggie 48-yard line then a crucial 6-yard pickup to receiver Seyi Ajirotutu to the 41-yard line with just 1 second to go. Enter kicker Kevin Goessling, imagine the pressure squarely on his shoulders, Bulldog fans hiding their heads in their hands imagining the kicks he had missed, but Goessling squared up and nailed the 58-yarder, sending the Bulldog sideline into a frenzy like they had just won the BCS Championship game.

I talked a few days ago about Tom Brandstater needing to have a better game than his previous two and he did me proud. The Bulldog quarter back finished the night 25-of-36 for 257 yards and his 40th career touchdown pass as a Bulldog, putting him 7th on the All Time List, just 10 touchdown passes behind Mark Barsotti (1988-91). He was the field general on the last drive, completing 3 of 4 passes including the one to Ajirotutu to set up the game winning field goal. To make that drive with just 36 seconds to go, shows how big of a factor he can be for this offense.

On the ground, the Bulldogs were only able to muster 165 total yards on the ground while Utah State rushed for 211, including a team high 75 yards by Aggie quarterback Diondre Borel who also passed for 193 yards, giving him a total of 282 all purpose yards. Bulldog running backs Ryan Mathews (14 carries, 60 yards) and Lonyae Miller (12 carries, 69 yards) would get the other two touchdowns, one apiece, Miller having the longest of the two from 19-yards out.

With the loss, Utah State will drop to 1-7 overall and 1-3 in conference play. They will remain home as they welcome in Hawaii (4-4, 3-2) on Saturday, game time there set for 3pm local time.

As for Fresno State, they'll improve to 5-2 on the year and 2-1 in conference play. They will return to Fresno this week for practice as they get ready to travel to Ruston, LA to take on Louisiana Tech (3-4, 1-2) who's coming off a 14-7 loss to Army. Kickoff, between the 'Bulldogs', will be at 2:30pm local time, 12:30pm on the west coast.

Bulldogs hope for strong showing against Aggies

With the Bulldogs giving up 30+ points in each of their last four games, Pat Hill and his coaching staff hope the bye week gave the team time to heal and get ready for their game tonight against Utah State up in Logan, UT. where it's expected to be mostly sunny and 65 degrees. One thing to keep in mind about these two teams is the Bulldogs haven't had much success up in Logan, having not won there since 1989 and are 2-8 all time, a streak the Bulldogs hope to break this afternoon.

Yes, Utah State is 1-6 currently on the year, but three of those losses have come to 18th ranked Oregon, 22nd ranked Utah and 8th ranked BYU, so they haven't played the easiest schedule this season. However, their last two losses have been of the lopsided nature, losing 30-7 to San Jose State two weeks ago and dropping a 44-17 decision to Nevada last week.

The one thing the Bulldogs need to exploit is the Aggies' run defense, which is currently giving uip 192.3 yards per game. With Ryan Mathews, Lonyae Miller and Anthony Harding making up the Bulldogs' 3-headed monster, they could easily run up 250+ yards today. Tom Brandstater also needs to be efficient today as well, he threw for just 125 (14/23) against Idaho two weeks ago, he needs to be more of a factor if they're going to put Utah away early. The Bulldogs have always been a 2nd half team, but they can't keep letting teams hang around, it's what cost them the Hawaii game three weeks ago and possibly the Wisconsin game towards the beginning of the season.

The one 'X Factor' with this Bulldog team is their defense currently giving up over 400 yards of total offense per game. Hopefully with the bye week, it's allowed some of their injured players to be able to heal enough to make the start today against Utah State. The defensive line needs to be solid as does their secondary, if they can improve in those two facets of the game, I don't see Utah State hanging around at all.

Prediction Time: Ok, like I've said the past few weeks, I'm done predicting blowouts....well, I WAS. Fresno State coming in with three of the top rushers in the WAC going against a team giving up almost 200 yards per game in rushing defense, look for the Bulldogs to use that to their advantage. Fresno State 41 Utah State 17

'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.