#23 Fresno State Bulldogs Preview
DJ Boyer |Aug 07,2008
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 #23 Fresno State Bulldogs Preview
#23 Fresno State Bulldogs
Head Coach – Pat Hill
2007 Record – 9-4
*2007 Review*
While 9-4 is about the norm at Fresno State the Bulldogs have to be commended because once again they played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation. The four losses came against
Hawaii, Boise State, Oregon and a triple overtime loss to Texas A&M. Fresno State won their bowl game and won the games they were supposed to win. The most successful part of the schedule was winning four conference games in a row after a 1-2 start and they did it winning their games by an average of 20 points.
*Team MVP*
It all falls on the shoulders of quarterback Tom Brandstater who saw his numbers jump between his sophomore and junior seasons. Brandstater saw his completion percentage rise from 54% to 62%, his yards per game go from 118 to 204, his touchdowns increased from 13 to 15 and most importantly his interceptions dropped from 14 to 5. Brandstater saw his last 113 passes of the season go without an interception, a personal high for him. Even though Fresno State relies on the running game more than anything on offense it is the steady play of Brandstater that will afford them the success they should see on offense.
*Offense*
*Quarterback*
What else can be said about Brandstater that wasn’t covered in the team MVP section? Brandstater was one of the most improved quarterbacks in the nation in 2007 and big things are expected from him for his senior season, his third as a starter. The better play shown from Brandstater showed results in the ground game and once Fresno State pounds you running the football it comes back full circle and opens things up for Brandstater. Brandstater has shown he has good size and has been a very durable quarterback as he has only missed one game over two years because of injury. Should Brandstater go down sophomore Ryan Colburn is a player many are excited about and we should hear a lot out of him over the next couple of seasons.
*Running Back*
Ryan Matthews brings his 14 rushing touchdowns back to Fresno State and he should be doing so for a long time as he accomplished the feat as a true freshman. There are plenty of carries to go around and look for fullback Anthony Harding to get his share of yards and even short yardage touchdowns. Lonyae Miller is also back in the fold and he like Harding logged over 100 carries in 2007. Look for Miller to be the primary back that will be in on third down or if Fresno is looking for receiving options as he tries to fill the receiving role vacated by Clifton Smith coming out of the backfield. While the quarterback may be the most talented player on offense the running back spot offers the most depth by far.
*Wide Receivers/Tight Ends* **
The top four receiving options are back for Fresno State and this bodes well for a quarterback who hit his stride a season ago and is looking to improve upon his numbers this season. While the receivers will get the bulk of the work the most important facet to the receiving game lies in tight end Bear Pascoe. Pascoe should be one of the finalists for The Mackey Award given to the nations top tight end and he should have at least 50 catches and 7 touchdown receptions. Pascoe has a rare blend of size and quickness to go along with what may be the best pure catching hands for a tight end at the NCAA level in 2008. Marlon Moore led the team with 694 yards on 48 catches a season ago and he is back along with Jason Crawley and third receiver Seyi Ajirotutu.
*Offensive Line*
It all looks good for Fresno State on offense as the star quarterback is back for his senior campaign, the running game has a number of people to turn to. The top four receivers are back and now throw in the fact that the entire starting offensive line will return and you start to see why people are so excited about Fresno State’s prospects. What makes this special is they have a unique balance between specialized run like Cole Popovich and pass blockers like Bobbi Lepori and Kenny Avon. While none of the players along the line are stars in their own right this is a solid group, probably the best in the conference. Young backups like Kenny Wiggins and Richard Pacheco are waiting in the wings and will ensure Fresno States reputation for having stellar offensive lines will be carried on in the upcoming years.
*Defense*
*Defensive Line*
With the departure of defensive end Tyler Clutts the defensive line looks to be significantly weaker on paper than it was last year. Joe Monga continues to develop into one of the better pass rushing defensive tackles in the nation but outside of Monga the talent pool is thin. Kenny Bjorg and Cris Carter were expected to win a position at defensive end but neither has shown the ability to so. Both will be coming off the bench behind returning starter Wilson Ramos and senior Ikenna Ike. Fresno State has been traditionally stout against the run but they were 85^th in the nation and 8^th in the conference a year ago. While Fresno State could be a little better against the run their pass rush may suffer as a result. Looks for Fresno State to take more chances with their linebackers blitzing in order to generate some pass rush, this is a major area for concern.
*Linebackers*
Marcus Riley was allover the field for Fresno State last season but his 132 tackles were lost to graduation. Ben Jacobs and his 81 tackles at middle linebacker will be back to lead what should be the strongest area on defense heading into the season. While Riley will be missed Quaadir Brown has now fully recovered from the injury that kept him out all of 2006. He returned healthy last year and was a part time starter and still finished third on the team in tackles. With Brown at 100% and Jacobs ready to be the defensive leader the Bulldogs have more than made up for the loss of Riley. Nico Herron will hold down the other spot while some talented linebackers who are inexperienced (all sophomores and freshman) await their turn behind them.
*Secondary*
The secondary seems to lack that star power or the one person to lead the unit, a player Fresno State always seemed to have in the past. The unit is solid and there are no glaring weaknesses. I am afraid it is all going back to the pass rush because without the star power in the secondary, it will force Fresno State to generate a consistent pass rush or things could get ugly. Fresno plays in a conference with a lot of capable quarterbacks and throwing offenses that can make for a long season if some stability isn’t found. What Fresno does have is size as all the four starters are over 6-0 and a player like cornerback Damion Owens has the tools to become a leader but it hasn’t shown itself yet. Sfaety play is a little spotty right now as Moses Harris and Marcus Haynes aren’t as strong in run support as Fresno State needs them to be.
*Special Teams*
Fresno State gets a new punter and kicker for 2008 so there are a lot of unknowns here other than kicker Kevin Goessling comes very highly touted. The return game with third cornerback and star return man Aj Jefferson could be among the best in the nation as Jefferson who could be drafted next season just on return ability alone. The coverage units are always among the best in the conference so if the kicking game holds up then there will be little to no worries on special teams.
*2008 Outlook*
Fresno State likes to travel and play a tough schedule and that is evident as they are on the road seven times and have only five home games. Fresno State opens with Rutgers and Wisconsin and UCLA is also early in the schedule so the schedule outside the conference is brutal once again. It could come down to the final home game for the Bulldogs as they travel to Boise State in what could be a game to decide the conference title. Fresno should go to another major bowl game but the schedule is too tough for Fresno to sneak into a BCS bid, that and too many defensive questions heading into the season.
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