Matt Weir / The Collegian

Fresno State Bulldogs (1-2, 0-1 WAC) at No. 14 Cincinnati Bearcats (3-0, 1-0 Big East)

Breakdown: Bulldogs

For the second week in a row, the Bulldogs will be facing a Top 15 opponent – last Friday was then-No. 10 Boise State and tomorrow will be No. 14 Cincinnati.

The difference this time is that the ’Dogs will be playing 2,304 miles from home at Nippert Stadium.

“If we are not ready to match the intensity of the environment we’re in, we’ll have a very tough day,” coach Pat Hill said.

Fresno State will have to be firing on all cylinders to keep up with the Bearcats’ offense. And that all starts with quarterback Ryan Colburn.

The junior will be making his fourth start for the ’Dogs, but has yet live up to lofty preseason expectations, throwing six picks and starting the season 1-2. Tomorrow will be his chance to get the passing attack on track.

Tailback Ryan Mathews rushed for 12.3 yards per carry against Boise State. If he can stay at that pace against the Bearcats, Mathews will quickly become one of Colburn’s best friends.

The defense will again be without free safety Lorne Bell, who will miss his second straight game with a sprained MCL. Hill described Bell as “the quarterback of the secondary,” in charge of the whole defense.

Without Bell to keep the team in proper alignment, the Bulldogs might see a lot of the back of Bearcat receiver Mardy Gilyard’s jersey.

Breakdown: Bearcats

The Bearcats are the defending Big East champs and by the looks of it, Cincy is serious about its title defense.

Senior quarterback Tony Pike is leading the charge, averaging more than 300 yards a game and only throwing two interceptions in 106 tosses. His favorite target is speedy wideout Mardy Gilyard, who has already caught four touchdowns.

While the Bulldogs will surely have their hands full trying to stop the duo, their most difficult obstacle tomorrow will be conditioning. Cincinnati runs a high-paced, no-huddle offense to keep its opponents guessing.

The Bearcats have made some noise with their aerial attack in ’09, but do not move the ball on the ground very often. Tailback Jacob Ramsey is only averaging 53 yards a game. But Ramsey does have two receiving touchdowns.

The 3-4 defense Cincinnati runs has made life difficult on opposing quarterbacks this year. The Bearcats already have 11 sacks in only three games.

The reason for the pass rush’s effectiveness? Fresno State coach Pat Hill said Cincy runs its defense with “a high level of sophistication.”

Cincy will even run its defense without a single down linemen, in what Hill called a “radar” formation. The Bearcats have their sights locked in on the ’Dogs, ready to fire away.