5 Thoughts ...
2008 New Mexico Bowl
Colorado State 40 ... Fresno State 35
GAME REVIEW: Gartrell Johnson runs wild
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2008 CFN New Mexico Bowl Preview
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New Mexico Bowl
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1. Was this the official
announcement that Colorado State
is about to become a player
again? Even after exploding on
Fresno State, and despite a nice
battle with TCU earlier in the
year, there's still a ten-mile
wide talent gap between the Rams
and the top teams in the league.
RB Gartrell Johnson is gone and
QB Billy Farris needs to be
replaced, but as head coach
Steve Fairchild showed, he has
things pointed well in the right
direction. Now the coaching
staff has to use the off-season
to find some semblance of a pass
rush. This was the nation's
worst team when it came to
getting to the quarterback and
there wasn't any pressure on FSU
QB Tom Brandstater. -
Pete
Fiutak
2. Can we all stop genuflecting
to Fresno State head coach Pat
Hill now? The Bulldogs haven’t
truly been scary since the
beginning of the decade and this
year’s squad was a major
disappointment. At times, the
program and the coach have lived
off an old reputation without
being able to back it up. Once
ranked, Fresno State went 2-4 to
close out the season, including
a pretty weak effort in the New
Mexico Bowl. Anyone, anyplace,
anytime? It’s catchy, but
slogans go only so far in an
improving WAC. -
Richard Cirminiello
3)
The
Fresno State program is an open
book, and the pages don't offer
wholesome reading material. This
team always gets jacked up for
big-name opponents, but it plays
poorly against teams it
should beat. Within the course
of a given game, Fresno
surges when it gets a positive
run going, but sags when a
negative play abruptly halts
momentum. This was exactly the
case on Saturday, as a horrible
interception by senior
quarterback Tom Brandstater--with
the Bulldogs leading 28-20 early
in the fourth quarter--led to a
22-point run by Colorado State.
It's always fascinating to see
certain football programs
display the same characteristics
year after year, as though the
same patient has the same
diagnosis and the same
psychological profile. Fresno
State is one such school, and
after this fourth-quarter
meltdown, it's time for head
coach Pat Hill to re-evaluate
the way he motivates his team.
Instead of putting all the focus
on the sexy early-season
non-conference matchup he
normally schedules, Hill needs
to emphasize weekly consistency.
Only then will the FSU
coaching staff produce a more
levelheaded approach--and
gain more positive
results--from a roster of
players that is too hyped in
moments of glory, and too down
in moments of frustration.
Getting players to play on an
even keel will serve Fresno
State well in 2009 and beyond. -
Matthew
Zemek
4. Yeah, we’ve
all heard about the glut of bowl
games that reward mediocrity.
Blah, blah, blah. Hey, if we
didn’t have so many berths,
think of how many smaller school
players, like Colorado State RB
Gartrell Johnson, would never
get a chance to strut in front
of a national audience. Events,
such as the New Mexico Bowl,
allow Johnson a rare opportunity
to introduce himself to a nation
that has probably never seen him
run. In case you missed it, the
senior put on a show at the
expense of Fresno State, racking
up 375 total yards and scoring
twice. -
Richard Cirminiello
5)
Throw it up and hope it sticks.
When you can pound away with the
running game like Colorado State
was able to do with Gartrell
Johnson, you can get a few
breaks when it comes to the
passing game. Colorado State,
who generally likes to run
deeper routes anyway, took a
couple of big shots that
shouldn’t have worked, but did.
The first was a 22-yard
touchdown pass to Kory Sperry
with two seconds to play in the
first half. Sperry wasn’t open,
but he was able to come up with
the play in double coverage. The
second was the key 69-yard
touchdown catch from Rashaun
Greer. It was a mediocre,
underthrown pass by Billy
Farris, bad coverage by Fresno
State, and a score that changed
the game around before Johnson
put it away with his 77-yard
scoring dash. In bowls, the
underdog/team with nothing to
lose can take more of those big
shots that aren’t necessarily
there. They certainly make the
early bowls more fun. -
Pete
Fiutak