Fresno State Football Game Preview

By Darrell Copeland III
The Collegian

BULLDOGS

Fresno State is as tight knit of a group as it has been in possibly all of Pat Hill’s tenure.

That only adds to the confusion of why the Bulldogs can’t pull out a victory. Luckily for them, a down Utah State team is on the horizon.

For a team like Fresno State, which is lacking immensely in the confidence area, a win over the Aggies would allow it to rebound — to some extent. The talent level between the two teams is so vast that the Bulldogs of the last three weeks would pull out a victory.

Head coach Pat Hill continues to look somewhat defeated, and his inability to connect with players has him frustrated. How he bonds with the team from here until the rest of the season may determine the amount of wins for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs will still need to execute on the field as well, and there are plenty of areas that need help.

No fly zone:
Through four games this season, Fresno State quarterback Tom Brandstater has passed for only 51 percent completion percentage. At the college level, that is simply not going to get it done. That being said, nobody on the Bulldogs’ coaching staff, nor the players themselves, have put the blame onto Brandstater. Hill has said he will simplify the offense this week, not for Brandstater, but for the young and inexperienced wide receivers, who will be without the injured Paul Williams this week.

Get a turnover:
Remember that one pass that Fresno State intercepted this season? Well, nobody else does either, because it hasn’t happened. Vincent Mays, who showed ball-hawking skills in camp, has came up far short of the playmaking safety Bulldogs fans thought they were getting. Safety mate Josh Sherley hasn’t been any better, although each have been solid in defending the run. The safeties will need to make some plays in the passing game, because as of now, teams — including Utah State — are very unafraid to throw the ball.

Unspecial teams:
The latest in a long line of special teams woes came this week when the Bulldogs learned punter Robert Malone will miss at least this weekend’s game. Third string kicker and punter Kyle Zimmerman will fill in for the time being. Surprisingly, Zimmerman may just be the fix the Bulldogs need in punt coverage, where he should provide more hangtime, instead of outkicking his coverage. Extra point and field goal woes still remain as well, a surprising concern with special teams coach John Baxter at the helm.

Just win:
It’s hard to win against any team when the confidence is so low and the team can’t figure out its own mistakes. To this point, film study has been unsuccessful. The Bulldogs have to get that passion and desire for a win back. For them, the hard part has been the fact that they know they have more talent, but it won’t come together on the field. The bonding the Bulldogs have shown in the locker must now show on the field as well. That’s easier said than done.

AGGIES

At this point in the season, Utah State can probably be categorized with the 10 worst teams in the country. That’s not exactly what head coach Brent Guy had in mind when he came onboard.
The turmoil has been such that Guy has made the decision to go with a true freshman quarterback — the former Mr. Football in the state of Utah, Riley Nelson. That only partially describes the incompetence of the Aggies this season. The offense has given up more than 40 points to the opposing teams defenses this year, hence the change behind center.
Fresno State will not be out of the woods completely though. There is no doubt the Bulldogs were the circled team on the Aggies’ schedule before the season began. The Bulldogs have been bitten by that bug more than once before, so an Aggie upset is not completely out of the realm.

The rebirth:
The change at the quarterback will bring new life to the Aggies’ team. With the talented Nelson at the helm, the Aggies will be playing with a recharged battery, a vast difference from what the Bulldogs will be bringing in. Whether or not that proves to be the case on the field won’t necessarily matter, because the effort displayed on the field will at its highest possible point come gametime.

Defense isn’t too bad:
The Aggies best played defensive game came against Arkansas. Before the Bulldogs got to town, that was Utah State’s biggest game. There, the Aggies only allowed 20 points. Not all news has been that good, however. As a team, the Aggies have been outscored 185-28, with only one of those touchdowns coming by way of the offense. Linebackers Jake Hutton and Devon Hall have combined for 61 tackles this season, and their roles in this game will increase heavily with a strong Bulldogs running attack on the way. The Aggies will have to play way over their heads to come within 17 points of the Bulldogs.

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