2006 Fresno State Bulldogs Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews
2007
Recruiting Class Star of the Class Chris Carter,
Linebacker/Defensive Line, 6-2, 220, Fontana, Calif. (Kaiser
Fontana)
A tremendous pass rusher who is explosive off the ball ... tallied
106 tackles and 21 quarterback sacks in his senior season ...
selected third-team All-State ... named Academic All-State ...
nominated for Red Zone Player of the Year ... has been inducted into
the San Bernadino Hall of Fame ... named the Defensive Most Valuable
Player in his league ... was named to All-CIF, all-county and
all-area teams ... in his junior season, had 89 tackles and 13 sacks
... one blocked punt ... rated as the fifth-best outside linebacker
in California by one recruiting service ... helped his team to a
10-3 record ... brother, David, is a linebacker at UCLA ... Pat
Hill: "Chris is an explosive player who makes a lot of big plays.
He's got great potential to become an excellent pass rusher for us
on passing downs. In the WAC, putting pressure on the quarterback is
a premium and I see him filling a need."
Potential Instant Impact Players
Porter Hill,
Defensive Line, 6-4, 275, Compton, Calif. (Compton)
One scouting service had
him ranked as the fourth-best prep defensive tackle in California
... had 53 tackles, 19 of them solo from his defensive tackle
position ... caught one touchdown pass as a tight end ... first-team
All-Moore League ... first-team All-Dream Team West Coast ...
selected the co-lineman of the year in his league ... helped Compton
to an 8-4 record in 2006 ... had a season-high eight tackles in the
season finale against Lutheran ... recovered one fumble ... highly
recruited player, including offers from Washington State, Baylor and
Colorado State ... Pat Hill: "A powerful, strong and aggressive
player. We love the way he controls the line of scrimmage in the
middle. With his passion and work ethic and physical skills, he
should become an excellent college player."
Jermaine Thomas,
Defensive back, 5-11, 180, Duarte, Calif. (Duarte)
A speedy and highly-touted
two-way player in high school, will start out in the defensive
backfield for Fresno State ... an athletic corner who will be able
to make plays ... ranked among the top 100 cornerbacks in the
country by multiple recruiting services ... as a senior, recorded
eight interceptions and returned two for touchdowns ...had 215 yards
in interception returns ... also amassed over 2,300 all-purpose
yards while playing as a receiver and kick returner ... led team in
scoring and in receptions, as the team went undefeated in the
Montview League ... earned all-league honors two years running as a
cornerback ... also named all-league as a wide receiver in 2006 ...
also recruited by Washington State and Nebraska ... coached by
Wardell Crutchfield ... Pat Hill: "Jermaine is a tremendous athlete.
He's got great speed and change of direction, which should make for
a good college cornerback."
Dec. 2
San Jose State 24 ... Fresno State 14
San Jose State picked off FSU QB Tom Brandstater four times
while Spartan QB Adam Tafralis threw three touchdown pass in the
first half. Tafralis connected with John Broussard for an 85-yard
touchdown on the first play of the game, hit James T. Callier for a
ten-yard score, and threw a 42-yard pass to James Jones late in the
first half. Fresno State moved the ball, but turnovers proved
costly. Dwayne Wright ran for an 11-yard score and Alan Goodwin
returned a fumble 28 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Player of the
game ... San Jose State LB
Matt Castelo made 16 tackles, one tackle for loss and one
interception Stat Leaders: San Jose State- Passing: Adam
Tafralis, 14-23, 206 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Adam Tafralis, 8-76 Receiving:
James Jones, 5-76, 1 TD Fresno State - Passing: Tom Brandstater, 21-37,
215 yds, 4 INT
Rushing: Dwayne Wright, 23-106, 1 TD Receiving:
Bear Pascoe, 7-87 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
offense showed nice balance against San Jose State with Dwayne
Wright coming up with another Dwayne Wright game and Tom Brandstater
making some nice throws, but the four interceptions proved to be too
much to overcome. This is not an offense built on comebacks, and it
struggled to come up any meaningful offense in the second half
thanks to the picks. The hope has to be that the overall young team
can be sharper and more consistent next year, but this is going to
be a rough off-season.
Nov. 24
Fresno State 34 ... Louisiana Tech 27
Fresno State RB Dwayne Wright capped off a 295-yard rushing
day with a 33-yard scoring run with :53 to play to win a shootout.
Tech's final drive ended before it began with QB Zac Champion
getting picked off. Patrick Jackson ran for a three-yard touchdown
and returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score and Champion ran for a
score and threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Johnathan Holland, but
this game belonged to Wright and the Fresno State running game. Even
though the Bulldogs ran for 347 yards, it got help from Tom
Brandstater and the passing game with three short touchdown throws. Player of the
game ... Fresno State RB
Dwayne Wright ran 25 times for 295 yards and a touchdown Stat Leaders: Louisiana Tech- Passing: Zac
Champion, 18-31, 189 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Patrick Jackson, 19-87, 1 TD Receiving:
Johnathan Holland, 5-29, 1 TD Fresno State - Passing: Tom Brandstater, 14-23,
142 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dwayne Wright, 25-295, 1 TD Receiving:
Chastin West, 5-54, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... What do you do with
a struggling passing game and an inconsistent offense? You run the
ball with a superior effort from Dwayne Wright. The Fresno State
defense struggled to come up with any sort of a stop against
Louisiana Tech until the very end, but the offense picked up the
slack thanks to Wright's 295 yards and a decent day from Tom
Brandstater. As bad as the season has gone, a win over San Jose
State next week would close out the year with a four-game winning
streak and with a major confidence boost going into the off-season.
Nov. 18
Fresno State 34 ... Idaho 0
Fresno State had no problems with Idaho as Dwayne Wright ran
for 133 yards and caught an 18-yard touchdown pass. Tom Brandstater
threw two touchdown passes, but it was the Fresno State running game,
gaining 290 yards, and the defense that made it a laugher. Idaho managed
just 199 yards of total offense, committed nine penalties and completed
just ten of 30 passes for 92 yards.
Player of the game ... Fresno State RB
Dwayne Wright ran for 133 yards on 19 carries and led the team with five
catches for 26 yards and a touchdown. Stat Leaders: Idaho- Passing: Steve Wichman, 9-27,
81 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Brian Flowers, 16-114 Receiving: Wendell Octave,
4-52 Fresno State - Passing: Tom Brandstater, 14-23, 109
yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Dwayne Wright, 19-133 Receiving: Dwayne Wright,
5-26, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Ahhhhh,
the WAC. Nothing turns around an ugly season like beating up a couple of
bad teams like New Mexico State and Idaho, but this was a dangerous week
against the Vandals. The Bulldog defense did a strong job against the
pass keeping its wraps on the Idaho receivers. Tom Brandstater still
isn’t sharp getting nothing going deep and throwing two picks, so the
great day from RB Dwayne Wright was a big help. Can the Bulldogs get by
Louisiana Tech and San Jose State on the road to close things out and
finish on a hot streak? Yes against the Bulldogs, no against the
Spartans.
Nov. 11
Fresno State 23 ... New Mexico State 18
Fresno State converted three of New Mexico State's four
fumbles into 17 points, and held on as the Aggies had one final drive
that came up empty. Dwayne Wright started off the scoring for the
Bulldogs with a seven-yard touchdown run, and closed it out in the
fourth with a six-yard scoring dash. The Aggies got two touchdown passes
from Chase Holbrook, who also ran for a one-yard score, highlighted by a
47-yard pass play to A.J. Harris to take the lead in the third quarter. Player of the game ... Fresno State RB Dwayne Wright
ran 26 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns and led the team with
three catches for 27 yards. . Stat Leaders: New Mexico State- Passing:
Chase Holbrook, 39-51, 367 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Jeremiah Williams, 6-29, Receiving:
Chris Williams, 8-121, 1 TD Fresno State - Passing: Tom Brandstater,
11-19, 99 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Dwayne Wright, 26-121, 2 TD. Receiving:
Dwayne Wright, 3-27 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Fresno
State was hardly razor-sharp against New Mexico State, but the
defense came up with the four turnovers to stay in the game, and got a
great game from Dwayne Wright as the workhorse of the attack. Tom
Brandstater didn't have the game in his hands with the running game the
main focus, but he still came through with an efficient performance.
With winnable games against Idaho and Louisiana Tech up next, this win
needed to be the start of a nice run to turn the tide of a sour season.
Nov. 1
Boise State 45 ... Fresno State 21
Boise State had no problems going on long marches tearing off
a 38-7 lead with three Jared Zabransky touchdown passes and a three-yard
Ian Johnson run. Fresno State held an early lead answering a 38-yard
Anthony Montgomery field goal with Chastin West returning the ensuing
kickoff for a score. The Bulldogs couldn't move the ball, but they got
held from a Damon Jenkins interception return for a score and a 20-yard
Joe Fernandez touchdown catch to make the score look cosmetically better
before Johnson ran for another touchdown from two yards out. Player of the game ... Boise State QB Jared Zabransky
completed 19 of 25 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns and a
touchdown and ran 11 times for 57 yards. Stat Leaders: Boise State- Passing:
Jared Zabransky, 19-25, 180 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Ian Johnson, 24-136, 2 TD, Receiving:
Jerard Rabb. 4-68, 1 TD Fresno State - Passing: Tom Brandstater,
7-14, 72 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dwayne Wright, 17-86. Receiving: Joe
Fernandez, 3-38, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Fresno
State didn't do anything on either side of the ball to have a shot
against Boise State. The offense couldn't generate any sort of
consistency and no long drives, while the defense was abysmal despite
stilling the Broncos deep several times. It didn't matter what the field
position was, BSU ran all over the Bulldogs. This isn't a well coached
team at the moment with too many good players making too many mistakes.
The effort appears to be there, but the execution isn't. The corners
were awful and should have major problems next week against New Mexico
State.
Oct. 21
LSU 38 ... Fresno State 6
LSU waited out the rain and had no problems with Fresno State
with Craig Davis returning a punt 77 yards for a score and catching
a 30-yard touchdown pass and JaMarcus Russell throwing two touchdown
passes. Fresno State managed two Clint Stitser field goals, but only
gained 211 yards of total offense. Trindon Holliday started off the
Tiger scoring with a 38-yard touchdown run and Alley Broussard ran
for a 21-yard score. Player of the game ... LSU QB JaMarcus Russell
completed 15 of 19 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: LSU- Passing: JaMarcus
Russell, 15-19, 210 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Alley Broussard, 5-67, 1 TD, Receiving:
Dwayne Bowe, 4-106, 1 TD Fresno State - Passing: Sean Norton,
13-20, 134 yds
Rushing: Dwayne Wright, 15-42. Receiving: Dwayne
Wright, 5-55 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Playing LSU in Baton Rouge is hardly
what the Bulldogs needed in its quickly dying season. The defense
had no prayer of staying with the Tiger offense, while there was no
room for Dwayne Wright to run and no downfield passing game. Now
they have to run the table to be bowl eligible, which is possible if
they can come up with the huge upset at Boise State in two weeks.
The team has enough talent to be competitive with the Broncos, and
the season can quickly turn around with an upset. Don't hold your
breath. Nothing's clicking on either side of the ball at the moment.
Oct. 14
Hawaii 68 ... Fresno State 37
Fresno State got a 75-yard Bear Pascoe touchdown catch on the
first drive of the game. And then Colt Brennan went nuts throwing
five touchdown passes with two to Ian Sample and two to Davone Bess,
while Nate Ilaoa ran for three scores on the way to a 62-23 lead
after three quarters. The defense got into the act with a 54-yard
Leonard Peters interception return for a score. Sean Norton threw
three touchdown passes for the Bulldogs including a 20-yarder to
Pascoe. Player of the game ... Hawaii QB Colt Brennan completed
32 of 39 passes for 409 yards and five touchdowns and ran seven
times for a team-leading 43 yards Stat Leaders: Fresno State - Passing:
Sean Norton, 14-24, 225 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Lonyae Miller, 16-113, 1 TD Receiving:
Chastin West, 6-74 Hawaii - Passing: Colt Brennan, 32-39,
409 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Colt Brennan, 7-43. Receiving: Ross
Dickerson, 10-115, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Fresno State can't seem to find
anything to provide a spark. A 75-yard touchdown pas to start off
against Hawaii should've gotten things rolling, but instead, the
defense did absolutely nothing to slow down the Warrior attack and
had no prater of keeping up the pace. Is Sean Norton now the
quarterback? Tom Brandstater has NFL skills, but the team might need
a change. Norton did a good job of throwing deep, while Lonyae
Miller ran well when things were out of reach. Oh goody ... now come
trips to LSU and Boise State.
Oct. 7
Fresno State 13 ... Utah State 12
Riley Nelson hit Kevin Robinson for a 30-yard touchdown pass
with 55 seconds to play to upset Fresno State. The Bulldogs pulled ahead
late in the fourth on a 29-yard Clint Stitser field goal, but gave up an
80-yard drive in 11 plays that finished off with the game-winning score.
With one last shot, Fresno State's drive stalled on its own 34 and the
upset was complete. Nelson connected with Marcus Cross for a 54-yard
touchdown pass to start out the scoring, while the defense kept the
Bulldogs off the scoreboard until a third quarter 60-yard touchdown from
Chastin West. Stister missed two field goals in the first half.
Player of the game ... Utah State RB Marcus Cross ran 20 times
for 93 yards and caught five passes for 71 yards and a score. Stat Leaders: Utah State- Passing: Riley
Nelson, 9-19, 120, 2 TD Rushing: Marcus Cross, 20-93,. Receiving:
Marcus Cross, 5-71, 1 TD Fresno State - Passing: Tom Brandstater,
13-27, 155 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Dwayne Wright, 26-138 Receiving: Chastin
West, 5-91, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Welcome
to rock bottom. There's no excuse whatsoever for a team that came close
to beating Oregon and Washington, and blasted Nevada, to lose to Utah
State. The running game worked with Dwayne Wright coming up with a nice
performance, but Tom Brandstater once again had a rough outing. The
Aggies weren't scoring on anyone, but Fresno State managed to allow to
big touchdowns. Overall, the defense did a good job, but the offense
couldn't produce. The date with Hawaii could be brutally ugly if
Brandstater doesn't get more big plays down the field.
Sept. 30
Colorado State 35 ... Fresno State 23
Colorado State broke open a tight game with 211 straight
second half points with Damon Morton returning a punt 58 yards for a
score and catching a 41-yard touchdown strike from Calie Hanie to put
the game away. Fresno State's offense sputtered after getting two first
half touchdown on a one-yard Dwayne Wright run and a 28-yard Chastin
West catch, but the Rams stayed around highlighted by a 53-yard score
from Kory Sperry. Darren Williams picked off two passes for the Rams.
Player of the game ... Colorado State QB Caleb Hanie completed
15 of 23 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns Stat Leaders: Colorado State- Passing:
Caleb Hanie, 15-23, 248 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Gartrell Johnson, 24-55, 1 TD,. Receiving:
Damon Morton, 5-103, 1 TD Fresno State - Passing: Tom Brandstater,
19-42, 205 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Dwayne Wright, 16-77, 1 TD Receiving:
Dwayne Wright, 5-96 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Has
Fresno State lost its fire? Close, heartbreaking losses to Oregon and
Washington, along with two weeks off, appeared to have sapped the team's
edge. There wasn't anything happening in the loss to Colorado State in
the second half once things started going south. Dwayne Wright didn't
get enough work to get rolling since the team fell behind, and Tom
Brandstater didn't do enough for the passing game. Fortunately, a layup
against Utah State is up next to try to get the mojo back, otherwise
things will get ugly with Hawaii, at LSU, and at Boise State to follow.
Sept. 16
Washington 21 ... Fresno State 20
A nearly dead-even game was decided by a blocked extra point
from Washington's Caesar Rayford following a one-yard Dwayne Wright
touchdown run that apparently tied the game late in the fourth.
Isaiah Stanback threw two short touchdown passes and ran for a
six-yard score, but Fresno State always had an answer. Wright
started off the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run, and Paul
Williams caught a 38-yard touchdown pass.
Player of the game ... Washington SS C.J. Wallace made 17
tackles, two tackles for loss, and forced a fumble Stat Leaders: Washington- Passing:
Isaiah Stanback, 15-26, 151 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Isaiah Stanback, 12-91, 1 TD,. Receiving:
Anthony Russo, 4-34 Fresno State - Passing: Tom Brandstater,
11-21, 140 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dwayne Wright, 28-136, 2 TD Receiving:
Paul Williams, 6-85, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Can Fresno State ever get over a tough
loss and come up with a good performance? After the tough loss to
Oregon, the Bulldogs weren't quite the same team in a winnable game
against Washington. Dwayne Wright continues to run like an
All-American, but Tom Brandstater isn't up-to-snuff yet throwing the
ball. He simply has to take advantage of every defense focusing on
stopping the running game first.
Sept. 9
Oregon 31 ... Fresno State 24
In an entertaining game, Oregon broke a 24-24 tie with less
than five minutes to play on a fake field goal with backup QB Brady
Leaf pitching it to PK Paul Martinez for a four-yard touchdown. The
two teams traded big hits and big offensive punches all game long
with Jonathan Stewart starting off the touchdowns with a three-yard
scoring run, his only carry of the game, followed up by a Jeremiah
Johnson five-yard scoring dash for a 17-3 lead. Fresno State pounded
the ball with Dwayne Wright and got a touchdown pass and a one-yard
scoring run from QB Tom Branstater. Fresno had one last-gasp shot,
but the Hail Mary was picked off by Patrick Chung. Player of the game ... Oregon DB J.D. Nelson made 13
tackles and one sack Stat Leaders: Fresno State- Passing: Tom
Brandstater, 16-33, 150 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Dwayne Wright, 29-154, 1 TD. Receiving:
Daron Fairman, 8-71, 1 TD Oregon - Passing: Dennis Dixon, 23-36,
240 yds
Rushing: Jeremiah Johnson, 14-74, 2 TD. Receiving:
Jaison Williams, 6-106 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Fresno State gave Oregon its best shot, but came up just short. This
Duck team might be the second best team in the Pac 10, so coming
oh-so-close for the second year in a row is nothing to sneeze at.
Dwayne Wright is running as hard and as well as any back in the
country, and Tom Brandstater is just starting to settle into the
position. Once he fully plays up to his NFL potential, this will be
an unstoppable offense.
Sept. 1
Fresno State 28 ... Nevada 19
Fresno State RB Dwayne Wright ran for three touchdowns and the
defense held on when Nevada started to control the second half. Helped
by an early missed Nevada extra point and a missed two point conversion
attempt, Fresno State was able to put the game away on a spinning,
bruising nine-yard scoring run by Wright to put the game away. The Wolf
Pack got two touchdown catches from Mike McCoy and got 103 rushing yards
from Robert Hubbard helping to turn the game around in the third
quarter, but the blocked extra point early and a lost fumble on the
opening drive of the second half turned out to be too costly. Player of the game ... Fresno State RB Dwayne Wright
ran 26 times for 158 yards and three touchdowns. Stat Leaders: Fresno State- Passing: Tom
Brandstater, 16-24, 124 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Dwayne Wright, 26-158, 3 TD. Receiving:
Joe Fernandez, 5-58, 1 TD Nevada - Passing: Jeff Rowe, 13-34, 183
yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Robert Hubbard, 17-103. Receiving:
Caleb Spencer, 5-41 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The offensive game plan worked almost perfectly
in the first half against Nevada. With Dwayne Wright running like he did
before he was hurt, it took all the pressure off new starting
quarterback Tom Brandstater. While Wright was the main man, the
offensive line did a fantastic job opening up holes and forcing the Wolf
Pack secondary to make too many tackles. With the exception of LSU, the
Bulldogs can beat anyone left on the schedule if the line, which didn't
allow a sack plays like this.
For all the bluster and all the big talk about playing anyone,
anywhere, any time, Fresno State hasn't won the WAC championship
since 1999, and it has never won it outright.
Oh sure, the program has played well against the biggest of the big
boys highlighted by a huge scare thrown into USC last season, but
much of the national reputation has been built on beating mediocre
BCS conference teams (2004 Washington, 2004 Kansas State, and 2001
Wisconsin), or coming close against great teams (2005 Oregon and USC)
without coming away with wins.
Of course Fresno State wants to play anyone, anywhere; it's a
no-risk proposition. If the Bulldogs lose to a big-time team, no one
thinks much about it. But a win, or a close loss, and head coach Pat
Hill tells anyone who'll listen, and many who won't, how his team
deserves respect, and then the national attention follows.
While all that's great since a program like Fresno State
needs all the promotion it can get, there hasn't been enough substance
behind the hype. Does all the focus and all the attention on playing the
big name teams take away from the concentration on winning the WAC
title? After all, how can you get up for playing Nevada when you've come
within an eyelash of beating the number one team in the nation?
The bigger question becomes whether or not Hill can get
his team up for every game. A long college football season requires a
team to be steady and to know when to turn on the emotion and when to
focus on the potential landmines. Of course Hill and his staff can
coach, and the USC and Oregon games proved that this is a talented
enough program to play with anyone, so how do you possibly explain a
home loss to Louisiana Tech with the WAC title on the line and a bowl
loss to a good, but not great, Tulsa team? How do you explain an 0-3
start to the 2004 WAC season?
This year's team is good enough to win the WAC title
even though Boise State is loaded and Nevada, Hawaii and Louisiana Tech
are good. If a steady quarterback emerges from the three-way race
between Tom Brandstater, Sean Norton and Ryan Colburn, the passing game
will be explosive. The running game will be great with Dwayne Wright
returning from a knee injury to work behind a big and talented line. The
receiving corps is solid, the defense will be among the best in the WAC, and the
special teams are easily the best in the conference.
If, and it's a huge, screaming if, Fresno State can beat Oregon and pull
off a shocker at LSU, the potential is there with the new BCS format to
be in the hunt for a big money game even at 11-1. While that might sound
like crazy talk, that's the positive potential of taking on a nasty
schedule. Of course, the BCS isn't going to happen without winning the
WAC.
The Schedule: The plus: Oregon,
Nevada, and Hawaii all have to come to Fresno. The minus: back-to-back
road games at LSU and Boise State. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, even
losses to the Tigers and Broncos won't mean a big slide with home games
against New Mexico State and Idaho to follow. The opening two games
against Nevada and Oregon will set the tone for the year, while the
third game, at an improved Washington, will be big to see how strong the
team will be on the road.
Best
Offensive Player: Senior C Kyle Young. He's big, he's talented,
and he'll soon be really rich. The 330-pound senior can play center
or guard at the next level, and will be in the hunt for the
Rimington Award and All-America honors this season as the leader of
a strong line.
Best
Defensive Player: Senior LB Dwayne Andrews. Don't go handing over
the WAC Defensive Player of the Year honors to Boise State
linebacker Korey Hall quite yet. Andrews is due for a huge season as
the quarterback of the WAC's best defense. A few more splashy stats
will put him in the mix for several post-season awards.
Key
player to a successful season:
Sophomore
QB Tom Brandstater. Sophomore Sean Norton and freshman Ryan Colburn
will each get their chances at the starting gig, but Brandstater
will likely be the day one starter against Nevada. The big sophomore
has a live arm and should make some big, big plays with a veteran
receiving corps to work with. The key will be consistency needing to
keep the chains moving and not give away too many interceptions.
The
season will be a success if ...
Fresno
State wins the WAC title. It has to be the goal. Playing well
against Oregon and LSU would be icing on the cake compared to
finally getting over the hump and becoming the outright best team in
the league.
Key
game:
Nov. 1 at Boise State. The Bulldogs finally got over the
hex the Broncos held over them, and then proceeded to lose the final
four games of the year. Fresno State hasn't beaten Boise State in
Boise since 1984, and it can't win the WAC title without coming away
with a win this year.
2005
Fun Stats:
- Sacks: Fresno State 34 for 217 yards - Opponents 14 for 92 yards
- Penalties: Fresno State 105 for 944 yards - Opponents 69 for 623
yards
- Punt return average: Fresno State 18.6 yards per return -
Opponents 5.7 yards per return
The Last Time Fresno State…
…played in a bowl game…2005 (Liberty Bowl vs. Tulsa)
…missed a bowl game…1998
…pitched a shutout…2004 (SMU)
…was shutout…1998 (San Diego State)
…scored 50 points…2005 (Utah State)
…went undefeated…1985
…won a conference title…1999 (share, WAC
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2005 (Paul Pinegar)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2005 (Wendell Mathis)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2001 (Rodney Wright)
…had a first-round draft choice…2005 (G Logan Mankins)
