Fresno State Follies

Football Wrapup, Part 1

2009-12-30T16:20:00.000-08:00

I don't know how this keeps happening, that I don't keep up with some or maybe even half of the season. Almost like FSU football isn't that big of a deal. Well, here's what happened next.

A 31-21 win in Moscow, ID made it five straight for the 'Dogs and gave them a conference record of 5-1. Then came a sobering, golden-shower-of-a-wakeup with a 52-14 loss to Nevada. Didn't somebody around here predict that? Well, it sealed FSU's football fate with both Nevada and Boise St. ahead of them in the conference standings and just one conference game remaining.

That was a 30-28 home win over Louisiana Tech. Yikes.

So all that was left was one last non-conference game at Illinois, and then whatever prestigious bowl could win the bidding war to land the 'Dogs.

4 Straight, Vandals Next

2009-11-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

Wow, this is the kind of housecleaning the 'Dogs are supposed to be doing in conference. The Watchdog is pretty inclined to say "WTF, should you have to make a big second half comeback to beat the 2-5 Utah State Aggies at home?" but this is a kinder, gentler season for ol' GreenV, haven't you noticed?

So yeah, 185 yards from Ryan Matthews, 256 passing yards from Ryan Colburn and a second-half shutout pushed the Bulldogs to 5-3 overall and, more importantly, 4-1 in the WAC.

Even so, wouldn't it be cool if we were sitting at 7-1 with non-conference wins over Southern Illinois and Louisiana Laffayette along with that boat race win over UC Davis?

Well, that's the great debate, isn't it? We chew on this all year round at the Me 'N Ed's Victory Grill and the World Sports Cafe.

"We play all these tough non-conference games but can't win the WAC."

"We're too beat up to win the conference games"

"The tough games out of conference give us a higher national profile."

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Well, Boise St. already happened and that was the annual loss on national T.V. But we're only down one game in conference and Boise could still lose to Nevada on November 27th, right?

Well, yeah, I guess Nevada could easily lose at Boise. But here's the problem. WE'RE GONNA LOST TO NEVADA ON NOVEMBER 14TH.

Ok, ok, if FSU pulls the road upset I'll take it all back. But, meanwhile, I'm still squarely in the camp of those wanting to see a WAC championship before talking BCS. And I'm ready to go back to the Sweeney era if that's what it takes. And I only say this because the non-conference rigors have gotten so tough for the program. This year's shutout (and I'm not counting Davis) was the final nail. Let's take care of WAC business and worry about the heavies later. Hell, we got a BCS top 10 team in our conference. Let's kick their ass.

And then not stub our toe on La Tech or Utah St.

Well, we handled the Aggies this year. Barely. In front of a stadium full of red...nearly a third of it paint on empty seats.

Now it's back to the road with a tough trip to Idaho. If you haven't noticed (and you'd have to be a complete football geek to be able to say you have) the Vandals are 7-2 overall and 4-1 in conference and CBS Sportsline has them at #44 in the nation, one spot behind the #43 FSU Bulldogs. They've beaten San Diego State, Colorado State and went to San Jose and beat the Spartans. Their only losses are at Nevada and at Washington. They did give up a total of 112 points in those two games, so there's some hope.

No 'Dogs Down!

'Dogs Win 3rd Straight WAC Game

2009-10-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

Are we sure the Mayans predicted the world wouldn't end until 2012? I'm ready to sell my belongings and go to the top of the water tower downtown and await the end of time.

Well, it's probably not that earth-shattering, considering the opponents were Hawaii, San Jose St. and New Mexico St. but two of those three (Hawaii and NMSU) were on the road so that's worth a little something. Like a tie for second place in the WAC behind unbeaten Boise St. and Nevada.

The first of these three wins was a 42-17 stomping of Hawaii out on the Islands. Yes, the Warriors are the #96 team in CBS Sportsline's top 120 but after three straight losses, nobody cared.

Then came a 41-21 beatdown of San Jose St. at Bulldogs Stadium. Sorry to keep pissing all over these huge wins, but SJS clocks in at #108.

And then came last night's 34-3 win in Las Cruces. What the hell? The Aggies are ranked #109? Crap. And next up is #104 Utah State. It almost sounds like the WAC sucks. I wonder why the hell we're not a BCS conference.

NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE HAS ITS WAY WITH 'DOGS

2009-09-26T15:08:00.001-07:00

Wait a minute, GreenV, you can't say that. What about that big win in the opener over UC Davis? Yeah, ok.

Well, there wasn't too much motivation last week when the 'Dogs lost to Boise State at home on a Friday night in front of an ESPN audience. Saying the 'Dogs lost to Boise is like saying the sun came up, the sky is blue or Kanye West is a jackass. It happens all the time, everybody knows it. Not much poetry in that.

The only noteworthy thing was that the FSU faithful went through with their brilliant "whiteout" plan, thus making it look like they were all rooting for Boise St. who was also wearing white. FSU played tough and it was a good game, but I already gave the team credit for that this year so no brownie points from the Watchdog for dropping to 1-2 on the season and 0-1 in the WAC.

Today was another kick in the balls. FSU did everything you could possibly list in a "keys to victory" segment and lost. Cincinnati averages 900 points per game, FSU held them to 28. The Bearcats give up around 65 yards per game on the ground and the Bulldogs shredded them for 290. FSU held the ball for 43:42 seconds, keeping the high-powered Cincinnati offense on the sidelines for all but 16:18 of the game.

And the result was a 28-20 loss.

That win over Division 7 school UC Davis seems like about 10 years ago.

The 'Dogs are 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the WAC and that's with them playing very well.

There was one boneheaded decision today when Pat Hill elected to go for it on 4th and two from the Cincinnati six-yard line in the third quarter. They were down 21-17 at that point and had it all going their way. They had drained the clock at the end of the first half with a time-consuming drive that ended in a touchdown. They got the ball to start the second half and were moving well before self-destructing with penalties and ended up punting.

FSU stopped Cincinnati and forced a punt and with all the momentum going their way, they embarked on another steady drive that ate up the rest of the third-quarter. When they got to fourth and two deep in Bearcat territory, they passed up the field goal that would have made it 21-20 and went for the first down. What's the worst thing that could happen?

Well, that didn't happen but the second-worst thing did. Ryan Colburn threw an interception and quickly made the tackle preventing a length-of-the-field pick six.

About 3 1/2 seconds later Cincinnati scored another touchdown and it was 28-17 (that would be an 11-point defecit rather than a 1-point defecit) and the 'Dogs weren't heard from again.

So here comes a bye and then a trip to Hawaii. They can only lose one of those.

Back For More Follies Action

2009-09-12T14:47:00.001-07:00

Alright, where the hell was I? The Diamond Dogs got blown out of their regional so they didn't even make it to Omaha this spring. Then came the summer and it wasn't until just recently that all the BCS talk started up around here. But it was a little muted compared to previous years. The expectations didn't seem quite so unreasonably high as what we're usually subjected to around here. I don't know, maybe it was because the QB situation was unsettled, Pat Hill's still the coach, we've never won shit. Whatever.

Well, the FSU football team kicked it off last weekend against UC Davis and beat the holy piss out of them, 51-0. It was a joke game from the opening kickoff, everybody got to play and the players on UC Davis had to pick up trash in the grandstands for being the losing team. A real Little League kind of game.

I guess the Follies' expectations are a little lower as well, because I'm not really feeling the need to blast them for playing a weak sister team. The shame of it is that with only five home games this year for the season-ticket holders that pay the freight, this was one of them.

But what the hell, they should have handled Davis and they did. On to Camp Randall.

Even that went pretty well, despite a 34-31 double-overtime loss. FSU was up 21-7 in the second quarter and really had things going their way. But the Badgers scored 10 points down the stretch including a 983-yard field goal just before the gun to make it 21-17. (I think it was actually 57.)

It was a good second half but the Badgers took the lead with about five minutes to go and it was all FSU could do to get a clutch field goal from Kevin Goessling to put it into overtime. (What the fuck did I just say? Goessling.....clutch...???)

The first OT was touchdown-touchdown so they went to double OT. FSU had the ball and Ryan Colburn threw an interception in the end zone. Wisconsin got a field goal and that was that.

Pretty good reviews for Colburn, but he tends to put a lot of air under the ball. 289 yards, 4 TD's 3 INT's. Coulda been better, but he's in his second start. We won't start making fun of him just yet.

Pretty good reviews for the rushing defense, except that the play that gave Wisonsin the lead was 72-yard run right down Broadway. Oh well.

Now we can get back on our feet against.....oh shit. It's Boise State. It's Friday. By the time you get into the stadium the Broncos will be up 21-0. That national exposure....oh man, not again. Go 'Dogs!

Diamond Dogs Going For De Ja Vu

2009-05-24T22:55:00.000-07:00

How do you celebrate the most crazy-ass national championship that has ever happened in the NCAA in any sport? If you're the Fresno State baseball team, you fuck around for the entire season and then start playing good when you're facing elimination. Almost like last year.

In 2008, the 'Dogs got off to their customary good start and posted a mark of 8-12 in the early going. But then they maneuvered their way into the WAC tournament only to face elimination. Then they kicked it into gear and moved on to a regional. Same deal there, and it was on to Omaha. The rest is history and the FSU baseball team roared into 2009 as the national champs.

But last year's team was 47-31 when it was all said and done.

This year's sqaud scrambled their way into the WAC tourney with a mark of 28-27. Like clockwork they lost their first game and had to win out.

They did.

What the hell?

They beat the number one seed San Jose St. Spartans on Friday, then beat Hawaii on Saturday and New Mexcico St. TWICE on Sunday. And last month at this time they couldn't beat their meat. From April 7th till May 2nd, FSU lost 13 out of 17 and fell into the WAC cellar.

Now they've won 12 out of 15 and are headed to a regional. Mike Batesole's a genius. Bob Bennett is writing a poem about how stupid he was to stack his team with awesome players. And Jeff Weaver....well, he's on the Dodgers and he sucks.

But here comes the NCAA's and if the trend keeps up, who knows how shrill Paul Loeffler's voice will get?

Rocky Road for Hoop 'Dogs

2009-02-10T17:30:00.000-08:00

Paul George pumped in 29 points to lead Fresno State to a big upset of Boise State at the Save Mart Center last night. It was only the second WAC victory for the young team in what has been at times an agonizing transition year.

Including a non-conference win against Houston Baptist, the 'Dogs have now won three of their last six and stand at 10-14 for the season. But despite all the Dwight O'Neal drama (I don't have time to elaborate, just check the Bee from time to time to see what the hell he's up to) the team has fought pretty hard, especially lately.

A couple of weekends ago FSU fought conference kingpin Utah State to a standstill before losing in overtime. An effort like that didn't seem possible a month or so ago.

Before that there was an excellent 0-2 road trip, if there is such a thing. Tough losses at Utah State and Nevada by a total of nine points were actually a sign that Steve Cleveland's getting things turned around.

So kudos to the basketball team. They have a bright future. With a strong finish they'll probably be able to wave to the football team as their elevator's pass each other in their different directions.

FSU FOOTBALL FINISHES STRONG

2008-12-28T17:56:00.000-08:00

Well, where were we? Last time I gave enough of a shit to post anything, the 'Dogs had just pulled a last-second victory out against a hapless Utah St. team to improve to 5-2 on the season. But who are we Red Wavers to call another program hapless? The calendar turned to November and we now know that there were only two more wins on the 2008 schedule.

There were a few little things of note along the way, though. You know, like a 61-10 loss in Boise with that invaluable national coverage showing all the gory details, a three-point loss at La Tech with 14 people in the stands and a come-from-ahead loss to Colorado State in the prestigious New Mexico Bowl. A guy you never heard of ran the equivalent of three full marathons while the FSU defense cheered him on as the Rams pulled it out 40-35.

There was one other thing of note....what the hell was that....something about....Oh yeah! Pat Hill applied for the Washington Huskies job and everybody in the Valley hoped he'd get it. Then he broke our hearts yet again when he pulled out of the running. He gave U-Dub a small window to make their choice because he needed to get the 'Dogs ready for their bowl game if he wasn't heading north. Good thing he made that call, it paid big dividends in Albuquerque.

So this season that started with typically unwarranted hopes of a BCS berth ended at 7-6 with a crushing loss in one of the first bowl games of the season. December 20 is a long way from New Year's Day.

And the Fresno State football team is a long way from building what Bobby Bowden built at Florida State and Frank Beamer built at Virginia Tech. As 2008 turns to 2009, we're nowhere near being a national power, can't win the WAC, don't belong on the same field as Boise State (who is almost certainly moving to a better conference while FSU stays behind in the wasteland that will be known as the WAC), and our coach wants to leave because not enough fans show up for his team's half-ass performances.

Go 'Dogs!

MIRACLE IN UTAH, BCS WILL HAVE TO NOTICE

2008-10-26T19:57:00.000-07:00

On Saturday afternoon, Fresno State faced one of the most daunting tasks that any college football team has ever had to tackle. The WAC and national powerhouse 'Dogs hit the road for a gutcheck in Logan, UT against CBS Sportsline's 113th ranked team. Hell no, it wasn't easy. But what do you expect when you're in third place in the WAC? EVERYBODY'S gunning for you. You get everybody's "A" game.

A huge upset looked to be in order when the Aggies took the lead with 38 seconds left on a Marquis Butler rushing touchdown.

But the 'Dogs wouldn't be denied and they kept their highly anticipated showdown with Texas in the BCS Championship Game in order with a clutch 58-yard field goal by Kevin Goessling as time expired.

You knew it was going in, too. At 58 yards it was an all-time school record. Goessling can handle that from the left hash. Just don't ask him to knock in a 22-yarder. If he could do that, none of this drama would have even been necessary.

Let's see the Bowl Coalition ignore this. Not a chance. Let's just hope Texas can keep from being upset.

HAWAII 32, FSU 29 OT

2008-10-04T22:40:00.000-07:00

It is a distinct possibility that there will be a two-loss team in the BCS championship game on January 8th in Miami, but I am very skeptical that it will be Fresno State, their excellent schedule nothwithstanding.

After tonight's 32-29 overtime loss to Hawaii AT HOME, let's recap this glorious season so far.

9/1 - A 24-7 win over Rutgers, who is now 1-4

9/13 - A 13-10 loss to Wisconsin, who is now 3-2

9/20 - A 55-54 2OT win over Toledo, who are 1-4 and lost to Ball State 31-0 tonight

9/27 - Another monumental win over a BCS opponent, 36-31 vs. UCLA at the Rose Bowl. UCLA is now 1-3 and has been outscored about a billion to 5 this year. And they scored 31 points off of Fresno State's defense when Bullard High would probably have held them to 20 or less.

And now this masterpiece tonight. Hawaii moves to 2-3 and Fresno State is in a class with Weber State as a team that has lost to the Warriors. Weber State lost out on the island, however. Pat's boys managed to turn that feat at home in front of a sellout crowd.

Several things are pretty clear at this point. First, the disappointing season of 2006 wasn't an aberration. Last year's winning season was.

Second, Tommy Brandstater makes Paul Pinegar look like David Carr. Get rid of the freakin' ball, for crying out loud.

And finally, Hawaii is FSU's daddy. Everybody do the Haka Dance now!

WISCONSIN 13, FRESNO 10

2008-09-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

Season's over.

DOGS' SEASON NOT YET OVER, 24-7 WIN OVER RUTGERS

2008-09-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

It's September and that can only mean that Fresno State's football team is a matter of mere weeks away from, by its own definition, having the season declared a failure. September 1 would have been a great precedent to set, but Pat Hill's troops managed to get out of New Jersey with a 24-7 victory over Rutgers.

It was 0-0 at halftime, so you know both teams brought their "A" games. But once the offense got into gear, the Fresno State defense remained stingy and now the team is 1-0 on the season.

Next up is a bye, so hopes are high the team can stay focused and remain unbeaten.

After that is a rare visit to Bulldog Stadium by Wisconsin, who is ranked 13th or thereabouts by the many polls that probably don't really matter. Then a trip to So Cal for a game against UCLA. Neither of those should be easy. And I'll go ahead and bring everybody down by reminding you that Boise St. still exists, still plays in the WAC and still appears on Fresno State's schedule.

Other than that, what could possibly derail this community's high hopes for a BCS bowl? (Question of the day on pre-game 'Dog Talk: will you be disappointed if FSU doesn't go to a BCS bowl? I'm serious, that was the question.) It's Follies time again so buckle up and hang on. This should be one of the better rides we've had so far.

FOOTBALL FINISHES 8-4, GOES BOWLING IN BOISE

2007-12-06T22:46:00.000-08:00

Fresno State won their last regular season game by beating New Mexico St. to finish at 8 -4. But nobody gave a shit because America lost an icon that day when Evel Knievel died. So after the national weekend of mourning the loss of the greatest American to ever wear a cape (Liberace and Elvis were pansies, Evel's a legend)I read somewhere that the Bulldogs got invited to the Boise, ID bowl. Whatever it may be called this year. MPC? Humantarian? Some shit. Whatever they're calling it, it takes place on New Year's Eve, it will be approximately -20 degrees and 15 people outside of the Fresno/Clovis area will watch it on TV. Oh, and the team that is going to kick Fresno State's ass is Georgia Tech.

Meanwhile Paul Swearengin and Kelly Carr have been going on and on about how Pat Hill should have been WAC Coach Of The Year instead of June "undefeated-WAC-Champion-That-Got-Invited-To-A-BCS-Bowl" Jones. Holy fucking shit.

DOGS BEAT K-STATE, TRAVEL TO NMSU

2007-11-30T13:15:00.000-08:00

Fresno State beat Kansas State in the last home game of the season by a score of 45-29 to push their record to 7-4. Surely a berth in the Acme Back Hair Remover Bowl awaits. After knocking off another BCS team (yeah, that's right, here we go with that shit again) FSU has guaranteed a winning season. And though K-State isn't exactly the class of the Big 12 at 3-5 and 5-7 overall, it was just last year that the 'Dogs crossed the finish line with a 4-8 record sporting a loss to Utah State on its ledger. So I guess the blind and delirious around here can't be blamed too much for feeling like Pat Hill is Pete Carrol. They're still dumbasses, but.....you get the point.

So tonight the regular season ends with a road game against 1-6/4-8 New Mexico State. Rumor has it that the crowd is expected to be smaller than an O.J. Simpson For President rally. But that Friday-night-at-rush-hour-with-nobody-in-the-stands exposure is what this football program thrives on. Go 'Dogs.

FOOTBALL TEAM LOSES AS SCHEDULED IN HAWAII

2007-11-17T17:57:00.001-08:00

Plus another banner week off the field/bb court

The Fresno State football team lost in Hawaii as expected by the score of 37-30. The result was deceptively close due to the injury of Hawaii's record-setting quarterback Colt Brennan in the fourth quarter. Before the Heisman candidate scrambled into a big hit by Marcus Riley he was torching the hapless Bulldog defense to the tune of 28-39, 396 yards and two touchdowns, plus a rushing TD.

Prior to the injury the game was going according to form. The Warriors scored 1:26 into the game on a 67-yard TD pass and raced out to a 21-0 lead. It was 34-16 after three quarters. The 'Dogs scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make it look respectable, but when everybody was at full strenth Hawaii was moving the ball like it was a scrimmage.

The second WAC loss officially ended Fresno State's football season. But basketball was just getting started.

Rekalin Sims was suspended indefinitely from the basketball team because he was facing two felony charges. And even for a program with the rich history of the Hoop 'Dogs, these are doosies.

Sims is a 6'9" senior transfer from Kentucky (what's wrong with this picture?). He got busted last week for an incident in which a car he was driving stopped and one or more passengers got out and allegedly kicked, punched and robbed a 29-year old handicapped man. And no, Steve Cleveland hasn't been covertly replaced by Tark or Ray Lopes.

There's a lot that could be said in a forum such as this but I'm going to defer to Matt James on this one:

School Better Off Cutting Some Losses

He covers all the bases including references to samurai swords.

And back to football, Jason Shirley won an appeal of a suspension that he was given after being charged with driving drunk into an apartment and knocking a guy off the toilet. On Wednesday Shirley returned to practice. On Thursday he was held out of practice after he was cited early that morning for driving with a supsended license and expired registration.

I don't want to be overly negative....well, actually, that's what I do I guess. So I'll just go ahead and say Jason Shirley doesn't get it.

The football team is off this weekend and the basketball plays in Bakersfield tonight. Someone might want to tell both squads that the Fresno police are still on the job all over the city.

'DOGS AVENGE WORST GAME EVER....

2007-11-04T18:22:00.000-08:00

But we'll always remember

Fresno State beat the second-worst team in college football (CBS Sportsline) on Saturday, which puts them a step ahead of where they were last year. Before reveling in this landmark victory, let's reminisce about the day the Red Wave longed for games against Cal Poly and Bakersfield College.

In October of 2006, Utah State was a pathetic college football team. Only problem for Pat and the gang was that FSU was worse. And they proved it. 13-12 Utah State last year in Logan.

Well this year it was time for revenge at the Doghouse. The final score was 38-27 but FSU was up comfortably at the half, 31-7. The Bulldog running attack looked a lot like Boise St.'s ground foreces in racking up 275 yards. And the best part of all was that Tommy Brandstater only had to throw the ball 18 times. Brandstater handing off rather than throwing is a key ingredient for Bulldog victories.

So, it wasn't exactly a victory over USC or even Boise St. for that matter. But it was a conference win and made the 'Dogs bowl-eligible. That's right, a berth in one of the worst bowls in the nation against the ninth-place team of some other nobody conference is there for the taking. This landmark win was so important, attendance was announced as 32,904. That's just under 10,000 short of filling up the place. And rumor has it that some of the people who bought tickets actually showed up at the game. If this keeps up that second deck will be added on to the stadium in a mere 50 years or so.

The joy continues next week with a trip to AP #14 Hawaii. It's another revenge game for a different kind of disaster from last year, so the boys should be really fired up. And FSU always does so well out on the islands. Should be fun.

BOISE ST. BLACKENS BULLDOGS' EYES

2007-10-28T23:25:00.000-07:00

Boise St. brought their BCS-crashing football program to Bulldog Stadium on Friday night and flaunted it in front of a reported sellout crowd that included a bunch of goofs in "blackout" T-shirts. 34-21 Boise, and it wasn't much of a game after a wild first-quarter start. It was 14-14 with a few minutes to go in the first when Fresno State realized that they were disrespecting their daddies.

Fresno State's kick returning was stellar, including a Clifton Smith TD, but Boise State's running backs advanced at will. It was ridiculous. 282 total rushing yards for the Broncos and they racked them up effortlessly. Boise St. converted 10 of 18 third downs while Fresno State was just a bit behind them at 1 of 13.

So that's 43 WAC wins in their last 44 WAC games for Boise St. Fresno State, meanwhile, is doing cartwheels over the fact that this was their first confernce loss of the season. So while Boise State may have already botched their chance for another seat at the main table this season, the 'Dogs are clearly headed to a seat with a TV tray alongside the grandchildren. Again.

ROLLED OVER THE SPARTANS, HERE COMES THE BULLY

2007-10-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

A 30-0 win over San Jose St. at Bulldog Stadium kept Fresno State perfect in conference play and continued the roll that the offense has been on. FSU is doing a lot of damage with the running game and now has a four-game winning streak and has scored at least 30 point in their last three games. It's time to celebrate. It's time to party. It's time to think "Freedom Bowl!" It's time....to play Boise St.

The Broncos will be in town this evening and given FSU's recent success it looks like the home team may have the upper hand. Then again, Boise State has thwarted the Bulldogs every which way from the football field to the basketball court to living out Pat Hill's promise to be party-crashers. So let's not underestimate their ability to piss all over our "We're Back!" parade. I can't wait to see how this goes.

I'M BACK.....AND SOME AROUND HERE THINK THE DOGS ARE TOO

2007-10-18T21:04:00.000-07:00

Oh, man what have I done? This mess of a football season is almost half over and I'm just now getting back to mocking it. I'm going to have to summarize quickly to get this thing current.

The Bulldog faithful were treated to another opening night spectacular when good 'ol Sac State came to the corner of Cedar and Barstow. The preseason buzz around here was inexplicably upbeat, so much so that they took the 24-3 victory as a good sign. Sac State. I mean, Sacramento State. 24-3.

Out on the road went the Bulldogs to face Texas A & M. The Aggies were ranked somewhere around #23 at the time. (Hint, hint...they're not ranked now. CBS Sportsline has them at #35). Disillusioned goofballs all over the Central Valley were shaving off their fu manchus when halftime rolled around and A & M was up 19-0.

The Bulldogs got inspired, somehow, and scored 29 points in the second half to force overtime. First overtime, they matched field goals. Second overtime, they matched touchdowns with 1-point conversions. Third overtime, A & M 8, FSU 6.

Yeah, it was tough. The refs and the Iraq war and global warming all conspired against Fresno State. Poor guys. But it was worse for the fans, and they didn't even know it.

Thank goodness for local sports talk radio. Apparently without missing a beat this community shifted from "Anybody, anytime, anywhere" to "I'm so proud of our Dogs for playing well in defeat on the road!" Oh yeah, this was a GOOD loss. I never thought I'd miss the days of Pat Hill using the phrase "run the table" in every sentence. Funny what a 4-8 season will do to those ideas of "a seat at the main table" and "crashing the party." And I guess seeing Boise State pull it off last year kinda changed things around here too.

Well, next up was another bodybag.....uhhh, I mean road game against a BCS conference team. Oregon killed Fresno State 52-21. If there was time I'd go into detail but really all you have to do is think of any video you've seen of a building being brought down by dynamite charges. A systematic destruction of key points that bring the whole thing down in a heap while people look on from a safe distance. It was over in the first quarter.

At that point FSU was 1-2 and some folks remembered that last year was a complete disaster. Could it happen again?

Oh HELL no! Back to Jim Sweeney field it was for a 17-6 win over Louisiana Tech. The 'Dogs lit up the offensive stat sheet with a grand total of 262 offensive yards and somehow during the explosion managed to punt eight times. Back to .500 at 2-2.

The next two weeks are hard to comprehend and there surely will be more information forthcoming to explain these events. FSU outscored Nevada 49-41 in Reno to move to 3-2 and then made it a streak with a win over Idaho. Branstater's Bullies ran up 37 points in the team's third win in a row. That made them 4-2.

Now they face San Jose St. at home on Saturday. The Spartans just lost a shootout with Hawaii on their home field. This is the first of three home games for FSU, with Boise State and Utah State to follow.

Oh, and the best part of the whole football season from the Follies' standpoint - what the hell is THIS?

Basketball Wrap-Up

2007-03-22T19:11:00.000-07:00

Men's, Women's Basketball

Well, go figure. After the men's hoops team finished hot with six straight wins and seven out of eight, they celebrated their return to post-season play with two big duds. The trip to Las Cruces for the WAC tourney was brief, with (stop me if you've heard this before, like every football season since the turn of the century) Boise St. dumping the 'Dogs, 78-73.

The NIT came calling and FSU flew cross-country to Athens, GA for a butt-whooping at the hands of Georgia's Bulldogs. The final score was 88-78, but the two teams were separated by more than a mere 10 points.

The ladies finished up in similar fashion, though with slightly better results. After closing out the season with four wins in their last five games, FSU notched one win in the WAC tournament before bowing out to a certain collection of Broncos. No NIT bid for the ladies team.

So the men finished up with a record of 22-10 overall and 10-6 in the WAC, while the women came in with a mark of 17-13, 9-7 in conference.

Improvement on the mens' side, a little dropoff from the ladies. But no controversey or sanctions. We'll call it good.

CLOSING IN ON 20 WINS

2007-02-22T22:07:00.000-08:00

FSU Men's Basketball

A lot's happened since that magical night in Moscow, ID when Ja'Vance Coleman led the Bulldogs to a thrilling 72-70 overtime victory. Well, let's see, where should I start.....oh yeah. Ja'Vance was kicked off the team right after that. Undisclosed reasons. My best guess is that he's the one that's causing global warming. I don't have any proof or anything, just a hunch.

Then there was a home loss against Nevada, 81-69. The Wolfpack is just that good. It's tough to win on the road in the WAC, but Nevada's pretty close to a legit elite team.

Since then it's been three wins. The first came at home against New Mexico State, 75-69, and that's a pretty good win. Not as great as some around here would lead you to believe, because NMSU is on the outside looking in unless they win the conference tournament. But they are the next best thing in the WAC after Nevada, so it speaks well of the Bulldogs to be able to pull that one off.

Next stop was a supposed bracket-buster against Sam Houston State and nothing in the 78-60 FSU victory is worth noting. Not even Eddie Miller's 28 points. The opponent was more along the lines of the pre-conference schedule.

And tonight, the Bulldogs pulled out a 64-63 win at Louisiana Tech. Obviously there was no Paul Milsap in the La Tech lineup and the....uh....crowd was smaller than most family reunions. But this crazy collection of basketball players from Fresno pulled off a last-second win on the road. Dominic McGuire had six second-half blocks to pass up Melvin Ely as the school's single-season leader in that category.

Fresno State sports a deceptive 19-8 record and doesn't have a ghost of a chance to get into the NCAA tourney. But we all get to dance naked in the streets when that NIT invite comes in, all the while acting like it still has the prominence it did back in the middle of the last century.

STAND BY FOR THE SECOND COMING

2007-02-03T21:27:00.000-08:00

Men's Basketball

I don't want to frighten anybody, but it is my duty to report that.......not only did Fresno State win a WAC road game tonight in Idaho, but.......oh lord.......Ja'Vance Coleman nailed down the win by lighting up the nets in overtime.

The score was something like 72-70 and Fresno State won. Coleman repeatedly threw a round object at a cylindrical object nailed to a big square and the ball kept going in. Most of the time it was from the free-throw line but one of them was actually a three-pointer.

Oh, don't worry about his shooting percentage rising above 20% Ja'Vance still went 1/7 from the field. But he was to go-to guy in overtime and he delivered.

Great Cesar's Ghost! Van Halen has reunited with David Lee Roth. The Police have gotten back together to play at the Grammys this year. And Fresno State has won a game behind the scoring of Ja'Vance Coleman.

Here's footage of me immediately after the game finished. I'm still not completely back to normal. Enjoy.

STILL O-FOR-THE ROAD IN WAC PLAY......BUT EVEN WORSE AT HOME

2007-02-03T19:50:00.000-08:00

Men's Basketball

After that glorious revenge game against San Jose St., the Hoop 'Dogs traveled to Boise, ID where they proved once again that winning on the road in conference will happen sometime after Guns N Roses releases Chinese Democracy. The final score was 65-61, Broncos, and the team played without the suspended Ja'Vance Coleman. It's hard to imagine how missing practices was seen as more egregious than Coleman's abysmal shooting this season, but if I had known that that was all it would take to leave his empty pea-shooter behind, I would have kidnapped Ja'Vance several weeks ago. Alas, FSU still lost on the road, but how many injuries were prevented with none of Coleman's bricks falling out of the Boise sky?

Next came a home game against Louisiana Tech, again without Coleman. Quinton Hosley scored 19 points and Eddie Miller nailed five of his 10 three-point attempts en route to a 17-point performance as the 'Dogs won 70-64. That improved FSU's record to 15-6 overall while evening their WAC record at 4-4.

What happened next can hardly be described accurately with just words and pictures. In a nutshell, the Fresno State basketball team watched tapes of the football team's game against Utah St. last fall and basically followed suit. In a game that set the Hoops program back at least 25 years, Fresno State manged just 12 first-half points, then went on to finish with a 22% shooting performance and a 54-42 loss to Hawaii. At home. It was a meeting of the Bricklayer's Local 0.22. McGuire - 4/12, Hosley - 3/11, Coleman (re energized after serving his suspension)- 1/7, Hernandez - 1/4.

And the newly elected head of the Bricklayer's Union: Eddie Miller. Two for 15 from the field. 0-10 from three-point range.

Remember when Tark was here and dumbshits who thought they were going to catch some of his poisonous pixie dust would say ignorant things like "shooters just keep shooting"? They supposedly will eventually shoot themselves out of it. Just like magic! Because shooters aren't ballhogs, they're BLESSED ballhogs. They have a gift. The gift of not having a conscience while lofting the ball from geographic areas that still haven't been mapped while totally ignoring their teammates. In the Tark system, that's a virtue. Terence Roberson could go 0-40 in the first half and Jack Fertig and John Anabo and Bill Woodward and all those hopeless Tark Enablers would say that same old sorry-ass line.

Well, against Hawaii, the shooters definitely needed to shoot. Themselves.

I can't do any better than this:

Matt James' Column

I'm not a huge Matt James fan but if you haven't read this already, you need to. It's a dose of truth serum for anybody who's still thinking NCAA's.

Next up: at Idaho tonight. Back with an update when it's over.

WHICH WAS WORSE, THE LOSS OR THE....UHHH.... WIN?

2007-01-23T20:53:00.000-08:00

FSU Basketball

As scheduled, the Bulldog hoopsters crapped out in Reno. The final score was 85-75. Nick Fazekas did, in fact, play and he scored 20 points and pulled down 10 boards while still showing some tenderness from his recent injury. Dominic McGuire paced the 'Dogs with 19 points but that along with the rest of the crew's support wasn't enough in hostile WAC territory. The Bulldogs dropped to 13-5 overall and 2-3 in the WAC while the Wolfpack continued their march toward madness, improving to 17-1 and 5-0.

And that's the good news.

Remember how the Bulldogs lost on a last-gasp shot in San Jose not too long ago? Well shame on the Watchdog for not pointing out that the Spartans doubled their season win total with that victory. Oh, yeah, that was an ugly loss for FSU alright. And who might the other SJSU victory have come against? The mighty Cal Poly Mustangs of the Big West, of course.

Well, that's pretty sad. Yes, it was a road game in the wacky WAC and the 'Dogs weren't blown out, in fact they had a chance to win. But what the hell? At that point the Spartans "improved" their season mark to 2-14 overall. And FSU was in double-digits in the win column. Might some of those victories been a little suspect?

So Monday night was the night for revenge. The 'Dogs got the Spartans on the Save Mart Center court and.........trailed all the way until there were seven minutes left in the game. The home team pulled it out in the end, 67-64, but that wasn't exactly the revenge Steve Cleveland had in mind. A nail-biter over a ranked team would be a big victory for this program. Hanging on to send San Jose St. to its 16th loss in 18 outings.......ugly.

That makes FSU 14-5 for the year and breakeven in the WAC at 3-3. Even the good news is bittersweet. Cleveland got another spark out of Eddie Miller after Ja'Vance Coleman endured another miserable performance. The Coleman situation is mind-boggling. It's hard to remember a time when a pillar of a college basketball team has gone into such a funk after being so solid and dependable. But Coleman was 0-9 from the field and finished with 0 points. Meanwhile, all of Miller's points were on threes. It's time to ride the hot hand.

Off to Boise. Who knows how the squad will perform up there?

FRESNO STATE HITS THE ROAD......AND THE ROAD HITS BACK!

2007-01-18T00:46:00.000-08:00

FSU Basketball

The Bulldog basketball team hits the hardwood in Reno on Thursday after a couple of bumpy spots on the current road trip that have left their record at 13-4, 2-2 in the WAC. All they have to do is knock off #13 Nevada at their place to salvage a win on this trip that included stops in Hawaii and San Jose. I can't see where there could be a problem.

The trip started in Hawaii when, seconds into the game, JaVance Coleman launched a three-point shot that clanged off the rim. The game was over less than a minute later. Hawaii drilled the 'Dogs by 17 points, 83-66, but it was a whole lot worse than that. There really isn't much to recap other than a shocking lack of structured play for FSU. Hawaii played their game, FSU got down early, got down on themselves shortly after, and featured some frenetic, out of control play as the players individually attempted to scramble their way back into the game at various times. It was a butt-whooping, and, honestly, quite a surprise from this team of solid performers to date.

Next was a stop in San Jose and it didn't go well either. A three-pointer was missed at the buzzer as the Spartans survived for a 64-61 win.

Now it's on to Reno on Thursday, with the San Jose St. rematch on the hallowed floor of the Save Mart Center looming on Monday. Advice for the 'Dogs from Follies Central is to stay at the Silver Legacy. It's a great hotel, right in the middle of all the action. Failing that, try to beat those nationally ranked guys opposite them on the Lawlor Events Center court. But I like their chances better at the tables. Or in the state lottery, for that matter.

Come Monday, San Jose gets payback when Fresno State returns home to where they play so well. After that it's Boise St. and I can't figure out what this team can do on the road well enough to predict that outcome. But they've had an alarming tendency to get drilled on the road (Santa Barbara, Hawaii) or just lose to a team that would appear to be inferior to them (San Jose).

Well, all the best to the boys, and here's hoping they don't get Fazekas-ed. But I like the Spartan Revenge option next week a whole lot better.

BOWL-MANIA

2007-01-03T21:29:00.000-08:00

FSU Football

Well, Bulldog fans, how is the bowl season treating you? Something missing? It's one thing to have no fifth-rate bowl game berth for our beloved 'Dogs, something that's been pretty much a given in the Pat Hill era. But how do you like the taste of San Jose St., Hawaii and Boise St. racking up wins while Nevada plays Miami down to the final gun in a loss?

Now, that Boise St. game was something. I've heard a lot of talk about such a game around here over the past several years. It was such a beautiful story, too. So beautiful that it wouldn't even have hurt if it never happened. But what a fine holiday season it is to watch the Boise St. Broncos become the darlings of the college football world while our bitter asses are sitting here with a 4-8 record for the season. Chris Peterson is known to the world as a cold-blooded tactition with the guts of a burglar while Pat Hill is regrouping and rebuilding. While FSU is looking to plug holes and figure out who, if anybody, can play QB, ESPN and Fox are doing Boise St.'s recruiting for them.

On the brighter side, the clock is ticking on Boise St's exodus to a BCS conference so all FSU has to do to regain a stronghold is get Reno, Hawaii and San Jose St to leave with them.

'DOGS DROP THRILLER TO CARDINAL

2006-12-19T22:21:00.000-08:00

FSU Hoops

Probably frightened by an unparalleled mass of people in the seats, the Fresno State basketball team let a pretty decent opportunity to knock off Stanford slip away at the Save Mart Center on Tuesday night. This Bulldog team played a solid game throughout, with only a questionable effort in the final seconds to lament as they lost 69-67.

Over 15,000 fans showed up at SMC, and though that was a record, it wasn't the strangest thing about the attendance. An inordinate amount of the fans were wearing white T-shirts which would almost lead one to believe that the whole thing was planned. Like some sort of "white-out" promotion was going on. But God knows nobody around here will do what you tell them and season ticket holders can't possibly be expected to show up on the day of a game, much less wear something that isn't red because somebody told them to. I'm still wondering what the hell that was all about.

But I wasn't the only one distracted. The 'Dogs themselves came down the floor in the waning seconds with a chance to tie the game or even go for a win with a three-pointer. After over 39 minutes of tight action and drama with the Pac-10 foe, down by two points, the ball was in the hands of.......JaVance Coleman.

Ok, anybody who has been paying attention this season knows that a three-ball isn't going in. So what happened? In Ja'Vance went, finding his way to several tall guys wearing red uniforms until the ball got knocked out of bounds with .01 on the clock. Game over.

(Bag on Ja'Vance? Don't bag on Ja'Vance? Hmmm.)

Ja'Vance Coleman has been a great player around here and everybody loves him, as they should. But it ain't happening so far this year, and who knows why. Not too many months ago I would have been screaming at the tube for Coleman to launch that thing from the perimeter. Not this year. It capped a four-point night for Ja'Vance who went 1-10 from the field including 0-4 from three-point range.

Unfortunately Hector Hernandez and Quinton Hosley were on the bench at this time. Hernandez had nine points on three treys and Hosley had 18 points. Dominic McGuire was the star with 25 points and 13 rebounds.

On the other side of the court, Stanford got 17 points from Lawrence Hill and 12 from Fred Washington to lead a balanced attack. It was Hill who nailed a pair of free throws with 14.7 seconds left to give the Cardinal its two-point lead.

The Lopez twins, Robin and Brook from San Joaquin Memorial High School, brought their seven-foot frames back to the Valley and each put in 10 points. Just like Chris Hernandez of Clovis West, these two Valley high school stars took their acts to Stanford, which begs a baffling question. Why in the hell would a kid want to move to a remote dump of a city like Palo Alto and play Pac 10 basketball while becoming a doctor when he could much more easily stay home and attend Fresno State and live out a lucrative career of delivering pizzas to the fine establishments along Motel Drive. Who knows why, but some of these kids opt to head north.

Fresno State fell to 9-2 with the loss while Stanford improved to 7-2. Obviously the NCAA needs to look into why Stanford has played two fewer games and it was probably that extra rest that put them over the top. There could be sanctions against this outlaw program in the near future so stay tuned.

Next up for the 'Dogs is a Saturday game against Cal Poly at the Save Mart Center.

TIME TO MOVE ON

2006-12-10T23:50:00.000-08:00

Football's over. Well, around here anyway. I probably should have posted that San Jose St. beat the Bulldogs in the season finale to drop FSU to 4-8 on the year. It just got to where it wasn't that big of a deal, I guess. Maybe when my ticket order arrives next summer and they've gone up another 20% I'll get all fired up again.

Meanwhile, it's basketball season. Pre-season, yes, but still, it's time for hoops. The early unbeaten run is over after a loss at Santa Barbara. That's not a big deal, according to Follies Central. The basketball team is on the right track and the official position here is that they will grow into that big arena sooner rather than later.

But isn't that just like the Fresno State administration? Just when they've got a good thing going in a perfectly laughable basketball program, they go and hire a solid coach and individual like Steve Cleveland and start turning things around the right way. That's OK. Not a problem. The humor in Fresno State athletics is most prominent in its logic-impaired fan base. When the local buzz turns a win over North South Central Western University Tech into a breakout win that demands national attention, I'll be here for you. All of you. Because you know it's going to happen. They bounced back from the UCSB loss with another victory over Montana St., but if they lose the next 11 straight and then bounce back with a double digit win over La Tech, I'll have to turn off the Paul Swearingen show because of all the Big Dance talk from the various goofball callers.

Tune back in soon for a recap of the 2006 football team's dream season. I might mention losses, lack of experience, ticket prices and the jackass that talked shit to me over the phone. I'm not sure if I've covered those topics yet.

WIN OVER LA TECH MAKES THREE

2006-12-02T00:14:00.000-08:00

Buckeyes Brace For Date With Streaking 'Dogs

Well, maybe not. It appears either Michigan or USC are still in line to face Ohio St. for all the marbles next month, despite Fresno State's three-game winning streak. The latest conquest was an exciting 34-27 victory over Louisiana Tech. With that the 'Dogs of Fresno improved to 4-7 while the 'Dogs of Ruston dropped to 3-9.

This type of scenario makes for a challenge here at Follies Central as a three-game winning streak late in the year is definitely to be applauded. Especially for this young FSU team. However, this blog's stated purpose is to offer clear-minded commentary on a pattern of events surrounding this university that are nothing if not comical.

All that having been said, celebrating this victory and the two that preceded it are a lot like me celebrating routine acts like getting the mail and taking out the trash. Or at the very least they should be, if you believe the hype and the arrogance of the last few years.

With my skull still bruised from being beaten over the head by Coach Hill about what a national phenomenon this program is; with the arrogance of the university fresh in my mind after dealing with tickets, seating, stadium experience, et al.; and with a brain that understands sports by not allowing it to be overrun by my heart, I look at the last three games as wins over New Mexico St., Idaho and Louisiana Tech. No more, no less.

And when I compare that stretch to the scenario that unfolded in the fourth quarter of the USC game last year, it's hard not to laugh. If you're thinking clearly, that is.

In November of 2005 the Bulldogs walked off the LA Coliseum field thinking they should have beaten the top-ranked Trojans and Pete Carrol proclaimed them a top-10 team, "no doubt about it."

In November of 2006 the Red Wave rejoices at the ability to pull one out in the waning seconds of a game that was attended by fewer people than I saw in line at Wal-Mart this afternoon.

At least Florida State has national championship hardware in its trophy case and is suffering its losses to teams in a major conference.

Does this season's events sober up the university or not? I doubt it. For crying out loud, they "offered" to put a cupholder on the back of the seat in front of me for a mere $18 just a couple of seasons ago. And all the while, the team was treading water and the scoreboard graphics remained EXACTLY the same as every season since I started attending games. Same on-field features, same music at the exact same times. Same shit, higher price. Tradition's special if you're talking about Touchdown Jesus and a Golden Dome. But they can dump "Jump Around" any decade now at Bulldog Stadium. And just put that damn cupholder there, it's at every other relevant stadium in North America, including the one the Grizzlies play in. But then again, the Grizzlies are on the Triple A level, and that is a bit of a step up from the local college football team at the moment.

Next Up: @ San Jose St.

HOW 'BOUT SOME ROUNDBALL?

2006-11-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

Hey, I hope nobody out there thinks this funfest is winding down just because football season's almost over. (Actually, it's been over since the first week of September for FSU, but I digress). Ooooohhhhhhh HELL NO! Let's hit the hardwood, shall we?

This is going to be a little tougher because I am, despite some opinions to the contrary, entirely too smart to slag on Steve Cleveland. It ain't gonna happen, at least not like what you're used to seeing here. I abandoned my Red Wave ties to the basketball program very early in the Tarkanian debacle and was absolutely shocked to find I was the only one in town who saw Ray Lopes' true colors from the start. I was here for Boyd Grant, pleasantly tied up in the military during the Ron Adams years, and back in the fold when Gary Colson came to town. The big event that this town clamored for, Jerry Tarkanian coaching the basketball team, drove me away quicker than 12 guys can destroy a hotel room at the San Joaquin. It was a terrible mess that never got any better and Lopes was hardly an improvement.

But now we've got Cleveland. Hmmmmmm. I'm not going to be the dumbass that gets turned into a pillar of salt for blasting this guy. And especially when he's the very thing I've been screaming for over the last decade. And certainly not while Coach Cleveland makes the program competitive again like he did at BYU and certainly will do here.

No, this is a whole new set of circumstances. I'll need to lean on history even more than I have with football, for one thing. But that's fine. I'm ready. It's been the same mindset with this program, historically. A win over Utah or Tulsa gets everybody thinking we're on par with Wooden's UCLA teams. When the Fresno Bee reports actual events that shed too much light on the miscreants of the Tarkanian era, it's all the Bee's fault that things aren't going right. That kind of stuff. There's plenty of material there and the likelihood of the Wavers turning this year's team's success into grand delusions is just about a lock.

So let's get this thing started in a positive manner, while pointing out that the undefeated opening to this season has taken place without the benefit of any opposition that could be seen as formidable. I'll let the near-miss in an exhibition with Fresno Pacific slide because it was just that, an exhibition. But before anybody starts talking about Madness, let me reel off several self-explanatory points: Winston-Salem State, South Alabama, UC Irvine, USF and Arkansas Pine Bluff. That's all, no more and no less. The road's not going to be this easy come December, let alone in conference.

Go 'Dogs.......to class. And without machetes, please.

TWO STRAIGHT.....IT'S BEEN A WHILE

2006-11-21T23:39:00.000-08:00

FSU 34, Idaho 0. Now, that's newsworthy. A shutout and a second consecutive win are both things that aren't to be taken lightly around here. The sky has indeed fallen and a win over the Idaho Vandals is something to treasure. The 20,000 empty seats at Bulldog Stadium last Saturday will never forget it. Never.

It's nice to see Pat Hill be a bit more humble and somewhat less paranoid in the face of a Titanic-esque season but it's a little sad as well. The biggest-talking little university in the NCAA did a great job of getting itself noticed over the last few years but now hangs its hat on a PCAA-like win in a half-filled stadium. A solid day for Dwayne Wright, nothing special from Tommy Brandstater. And, EUREKA!...... an interception. Dennis Erickson is a long, long way from Miami these days. While Pat Hill's program has slipped badly behind the likes of Ty Willingham's Washington Huskies and June Jones' Hawaii Warriors, it's nice to know the Red Wave doesn't have to take a back seat to the Vandals. I guess.

And so it goes in the quest to get into CBS.Sportsline.com's top 100. The 'Dogs are up a few notches to #102 and can smash through the gatekeepers with a visit to #100 Louisiana Tech this week. What an historic victory that would be. I can't believe anybody thought this was going to be a down year for the 'Dogs and that another healthy hike in the ticket prices wasn't warranted.

IT WAS THOSE DAMN DECALS!

2006-11-12T20:44:00.000-08:00

With the weight of the logo stickers removed from their helmets, the Fresno State football team went out and won a football game on Saturday. Dwayne Wright topped the 100-yard mark and Tommy Brandstater didn't, but the once-again starting QB did an efficient job in guiding the team to victory over New Mexico St. Brandstater went 11-19 for 99 yards.

That put the 'Dogs at 2-7 on the season and 2-3 in the WAC. NMSU fell to 2-8 overall and 0-6 in the WAC.

The announced attendance was 33, 241, which is quite respectable considering the state of affairs with the product on the field. I looked in the FSU football media guide at attendance figures just briefly and I think the last crowd under 30,000 at Bulldog Stadium was in the '80's for a game against Fullerton State. If this season is as low as the program is capable of going, i.e. rock bottom, then that's a pretty loyal fan base. What I don't know is how many of those announced attendees didn't actually make it to Cedar and Barstow yesterday.

After a long, dry spell the team deserves credit for racking up a win. A halftime deficit was erased and a fourth-quarter touchdown was the difference maker. Special teams blocked two PAT attempts.

It was good to see Pat Hill had read my suggestions for turning things around. Lonyae Miller had one carry for one yard.

Up next for FSU is another WAC home game against a national bottom-feeder. While the 'Dogs jumped up four spots in CBS.Sportline.com's ranking of all 119 Division 1A teams, from 111-107, they welcome the number 97 team, the Idaho Vandals. Idaho sports a record of 4-6 overall and 3-3 in conference. That's who Fresno State needs to beat to post back-to-back victories for the first time in over a year.

And to think Boise St. is breathing a sigh of relief after their comeback win over San Jose St yesterday. Even with all that BSU has at stake, that sigh doesn't compare to the one that came out of Bulldog Stadium.

THIS SATURDAY AT BULLDOG STADIUM.....IT'S 111 vs 112!!!

2006-11-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

That's right sports fans. Don't have a ticket for the Game of the Century this Saturday? Well I hope you have a couple of thousand dollars laying around if you want to get into Bulldog Stadium because this is a once-in-a-generation matchup. You just don't see this kind of matchup in the regular season very often. CBS.Sportsline.com's #111 ranked team (out of 119) Fresno State welcomes #112 New Mexico State.

It's basically a preview of Ohio St. vs. Michigan, only in reverse. The lower-elite of college football is just a step away, and it's a "who's who" of not-so-major football programs. Florida International is currently the anchor of the rankings with only Duke, Stanford, San Diego St., Louisiana-Monroe, Temple and Miami (Ohio) in between them and the loser of FSU-NMSU.

More goofiness on local talk radio this week but there's just too much of it and it's all along the lines of what's been said here already. Plus Pat Hill announced yesterday that the preparation and game-planning hasn't been a problem this year. That's right, it's all on the players. Now go out and win four straight, dammit! And be perfect! And end the war in Iraq! If you don't, you're not men!

SOMETHING GOT RUN......AND IT WASN'T THE TABLE

2006-11-05T23:58:00.000-08:00

Almost exactly one calendar year ago the Fresno State Bulldogs threw a huge monkey from Pat Hill's back with a win over Boise St. in Bulldog Stadium, 27-7. That was on November 10, 2005. What has happened since has placed the Fresno State football program amongst the dregs of Division 1 football programs.

Following that landmark win for Hill's program last year, his Bulldogs went on to suffer a close loss in a thrilling battle with then-Number 1 USC at the LA Coliseum, 50-42. We all know what happened next. Fresno State got drunk on success gleaned from a failure and the hangover never ended for the 2005 team.

11 losses later, the 2006 'Dogs hold down the prestigious #110 spot in CBS.Sportline.com's ranking of college football's 119 Division 1-A teams. That's 110 out of 119. For those new to rankings, football, life, etc., it's the goal of all 119 teams to be near the top, not the bottom.

This blog has been a vent-fest and a rant-fest and my history as a Red Seat ticket holder has been detailed at length. So have the win (singular) and losses (plural) of the year that has passed since that November evening when all seemed right with the Pat Hill era at Fresno State. Hill had finally guided his 'Dogs to a victory on The Island and a win over arch-nemesis Boise St.

What a difference a year makes.

But I'm ready to move on. If only the program will.

Of course, the dick on the phone who argued with me about what a "great" year this was going to be is all wet. Of course the local talk show hosts are deeply into "what went wrong" mode. And, inexplicably, those same hosts are hiding behind a paper-thin "who knew?" motif.

I knew, that's who.

But here we go with solutions.

1. Play Brandstater the rest of the year - He's the best bet to salvage some dignity over the remainder of this year and be "the guy" for the remainder of his college career. I don't have a problem with Norton and this, most definitely, is NOT Adrian Claiborne vs. Richie Donati. Both of these guys can do this job and be succesful. But they're both absolutely, positively green. Brandstater's better and will become the better QB with more playing time. This is the horse to ride. Being that he is a sophomore and he had no meaningful game experience going into 2006, it is way too early to worry about his Pinegar-esque interceptions that come at the worst possible time. Both QB options were void of experience. Hence the rough year, my disbelief at the over-confidence of the Bulldog faithful, etc., etc....They've both done the best they can. Brandstater's the future. Let's do it.

2. Feature Lonyae Miller - Dwayne Wright's got an impressive skill set that could be deadly if used correctly, but Miller, even as a freshman, is good to go. I would propose something like a 60-40% distribution of the rushing duties between the two, with Miller getting 60% of the carries. With Wright as a feature back you're going to see fumbles and injuries. That's all there is to it. But he would be brutally effective as a change of pace, on short yardage and catching passes out of the backfield, as we saw against Colorado St. The thunder and lightning of these two would be as impressive a running attack as any in the country. Maybe FSU could even get out to a lead behind these two one of these days.

3. Get an offensive philosophy - Steve Hagan is the new offensive coordinator and Jeff Tedford and Frank Cignetti are long gone. It is hard to know for sure just exactly what Hagan is dealing with this season with two inexperienced QB's behind a suspect offensive line. There are three money receivers in Paul Williams, Joe Fernandez and new blood Chastin West. Can Brandstater and Norton get the ball to these guys? This year's answer has been a mixed bag. But with those three and Bear Pascoe at TE, the "O" is sporting a bunch of weapons out there. Plus Wright and Miller out of the backfield. Well, Wright anyway, at this point. FSU was once spoken of around here as Wide Receiver U. Pat Hill's citing of the stats be damned. Stretch the field.

4. Hey, Bulldogs fans (in Axl Rose voice)....."Do You Know Where You Are?!?!?!?!" - You're in Fresno, baby. You're gonna struuuuuuuugggggggggglllllleee. Sad but true, folks. Hill's been brilliant in bridging the years so that there haven't been any abysmal seasons like this during his tenure. But Fresno State does NOT attract the blue chippers by nature. Hill's brought in great talent from throughout the Valley and sparred with the heaviest hitters in the NCAA and that's to his ultimate credit. But we've got this coming once a decade, don't you think? Being comfortable with losing is unacceptable, but you can't possibly think of yourself as elite when your gold standard of teams (2001, 2005) can't avoid three losses each year and can't beat the likes of Hawaii and Louisiana Tech. The truth hurts. This isn't USC or LSU or any other elite program. It's Fresno State and thank goodness for Pat Hill bringing his lunch pail and blue-collar attitude here because it will take nothing less than that to get this show on the road. It's not working this year. The team takes the field short handed almost every week. But to get back to having that puncher's chance against the titans, you're just going to have to ride this one out. And Hill's going to have to pick his weapons (Brandstater or Norton, vertical game or this crap that's going on now, etc.) and build, build, build. He's got a pretty good track record after taking over for Sweeney with the cupboard absolutely bare.

5. After 11 losses in 12 games, stop challenging these guys to win out - 2006 is beyond saving. Yet Hill tells his team, after this latest blowout, that he expects to win all four remaining games. God damn. David Carr and Nick Burley and Bernard Berrian aren't in that locker room. This team's another animal. Build. Grow. All expectations have been shattered. All the sexy goals are unattainable at this point. Forget winning four straight games. Put two good offensive series together. Get consistent stops from the defense. Or even an interception once or twice a season. Give them something to build on and feel good about. And I don't mean the fact that no kickoffs went out of bounds this game. Build these units and make them a team. Start at ground zero, because that's pretty much where the hell you are.

2006 is a wash, from the standpoint of continuing the drive for a BCS bowl and all that. FSU can't be bowl-eligible, even if they (sigh!, I hate this freaking phrase) run the table. So look up and look ahead. David Carr's not suiting up this week or ever again for FSU. (And even if he did, he'd have trouble with Boise St., but I digress). Go 'Dogs, win.......something.

DRILLED IN BATON ROUGE, NOW READY TO RUN THE TABLE?????

2006-10-31T22:08:00.000-08:00

I guess it's actually worse than I thought. Two Saturdays ago, the Fresno State Bulldogs left the Fresno Air Terminal en route to Baton Rouge, La. When they landed the 'Dogs were down by two touchdowns. Which was expected by myself and absolutely nobody else in the Central San Joaquin Valley. Then came an interesting plot twist.

The 'Dogs were able to stop the bleeding and (I can't believe I'm actually saying this in the year 2006) played good defense until halftime. After trading field goals with the Tigers in the second quarter, the halftime score was 17-3. Here's where the Red Wave and I go our separate ways. After having Pat Hill in my face for about a decade telling me we can win these big games on the road, it's a little difficult for me to look at the fact that we're not down by 30 and be happy. But happy the Red Wavers were, and are.

The second half was actually worse for the 'Dogs as they were outscored 21-3 over the final two quarters. Final score - 38-6. My take? We didn't really belong on the field with the number 14 team in the country. The Red Wavers? Oh, I can hardly believe it myself. They think it was a good loss. The team played well. The defense showed up. Sean Norton showed what he can do out there.

I was at a loss to understand the commentary I heard on the TV and post-game Dog Talk that espoused this nonsense. But I felt like Jimi Hendrix on a super-duper load of the most powerful acid known to man when I heard the next epiphany from this bunch.

The first guy I heard say it was Tony D'Addato. Then came Paul Loefler. Next thing I know, it's being treated like a cogent thought. Seemingly coherent people around here were suddenly talking about........get ready for this.........running the table to get bowl-eligible and then winning a bowl game.

I'm absolutely, freakin' stumped. This team just lost its sixth straight and 10th in its last 11 contests. It couldn't find the end zone even once. It is STILL looking for its first interception of the season. But because they didn't give up more than 60 points and the special teams didn't embarass themselves, we're now poised to win five straight? Starting with Boise State, at Boise?

Let's recap the last three games for the 'Dogs. The most recent game was LSU and they were never in the game. Before that was a 68-37 loss to Hawaii at home. (Now, am I the only one that realizes the 'Dogs lost by a wider margin against LSU than vs. Hawaii? Oh, nevermind. Those are just facts and the Red Wave is pretty fast and loose with those.) Then there was the game that set the program back 20 years, a 13-12 loss at Utah State.

Wanna go one more game back? Colorado State manhandled FSU at Bulldog Stadium for a 35-23 victory. That just leaves the two losses to Pac-10 teams and the (gasp!) victory over Nevada in the season opener. But those three competitive matchups are several light years in the past right now. The current trend is more pertinent as it is intact and shows no signs of reversing. It has momentum. This team is taking a beating.

I think FSU will win one more game this season and possibly two. I can't see anymore than that. And I don't believe tomorrow night's tussle on the blue turf in Boise will be one of the victories. This team is in a rough stretch and finds itself overmatched on most Saturdays. It needs a coach that can pull it together, build its confidence and come up with a strategy to outplay a superior team. But it doesn't have such a coach. It's got Pat Hill challenging its manhood and being a drill sergeant.

The impetus for starting this blog was my disbelief in the Red Wave's naive view of the 2006 season as it approached this summer. I was genuinely shocked that no one was seeing that this would be a much different team from the 2005 version and that the 2005 version wasn't anything special. The four-game losing streak wasn't visible to anyone who was blinded by the glow of almost beating USC. The change of personnel seemed to be a non-issue, like FSU is a major national power that just reloads each year. Even after living here all these years and hearing this kind of crap logic applied to the 'Dogs as well as the SF Giants and 49ers, the Oakland Raiders and anybody else these people want to call their own, the blindness of the masses this summer just floored me.

And now, six loses and only one victory later, we're ready to run the table and win a bowl game. Holy shit.

WARRRRIORRRSS.....COME OUT AND KICK OUR BUU-UUTTS!

2006-10-18T23:47:00.000-07:00

If being a punching bag for sad-sack Utah State wasn't bad enough, seeing Hawaii run up 68 points in front of the home crowd should have done the trick for the remaining true-believers. Let's step back in time to relive the scenario that led up to this glorious season.

Fresno State lost its last four games of 2005. The first of those four losses was an admirable setback to number one-ranked USC, but the others were to Louisiana Tech (nobody), Nevada (nobody) and Tulsa (nobody). "Anybody, Anytime, Anywhere" was starting to ring a bit hollow.

Not to worry, according to the Pollyannas of the Central Valley. Despite losing a four-year starter at quarterback (who everybody bitched about, win or lose) and seeing the secondary graduate and/or move on to the NFL, visions of "crashing the BCS party" and "having a seat at the main table" danced in everybody's heads.

In a rare stroke of intelligence, Fresno State actually broke with a tradition that they had carried out for 900 years and scheduled Saturday games in the afternoon. God, that sounds like what every other school in the universe does. Oh, those Thursday and Friday night ESPN games (where FSU routinely gets massacred in front of a national audience) are a boatload of fun. But against all odds, Saturday day games appeared on the 2006 schedule.

Now, I don't think the Bulldog faithful quite had this scenario in mind. Bright, sunny day, stands full of fans and a 1-4 pin-cushion of a Fresno State team taking the field for homecoming. The national anthem plays, the 'Dogs go right down the field like they always do on their first drive and.........well, Hawaii goes on to storm the end zone like it was the beach at Normandy.

68-37.

68-37, I said.

You want more numbers? How about Hawaii's starting quarterback throwing for over 400 yards in three quarters before sitting out the entire fourth quarter?

How about Dwayne Wright coughing up the ball deep in FSU's own end not once but twice?

How about Fresno State enduring its fifth straight loss and ninth in the last 10 games?

Oh, yeah, I hear you screaming already. Sean Norton came off the bench to throw for 700 yards, created peace in the middle east and helped an old lady across the street. He's the greatest quarterback in the history of college football. All 5' 4" of him. I'm sure everything will be cool next week against......who are the 'Dogs playing again? That's right, LSU. Yeah, I don't see any obstacles there.

Well, as unattractive as it is to say "I told you so," I am more than happy to recount a conversation I had over the summer when my season ticket renewal came in. I saw that my seats that I bought for $125 each when David Carr was at the helm were now going for almost $250. And not only wasn't David Carr at the helm anymore, I didn't know jack crap about the guy who was, be it Brandstater or Norton. And I did know that the secondary and offensive line were a huge step down from......any of the previous 10 seasons.

I called to see about sitting out a year and the rude jackass that I had to deal with basically talked me into sitting out the rest of my life. When I asked what happens if I don't purchase the tickets for one season, I was essentially told I didn't know crap about football. My response included the fact that Fresno State Football is an institution and a community event but that in light of my financial situation at this particular time, I wasn't willing to put up the money for what I thought was going to be a down year.

"A down year? What are you talking about?" He asked.

Oh, hell, I don't know. Maybe a five-game losing streak including a loss to winless Utah State. 68 points given up to a Hawaii team that probably could have scored 100 if they wanted to. One win in nearly a full calendar year. A quarterback dilemma. A secondary that doesn't have an interception as of the third week of October and who couldn't cover a guy in a wheelchair. A kicking game that's as productive and efficient as FEMA.

But the 2006 season isn't without its humor. How about Fresno State, down by over 30 points, gaining enough yardage to actually move the chains and then hearing the PA announcer proclaim "and that's another Fresno State......FIRST DOWN!"

What would really be strange is if any of this was Pat Hill's fault. But of course that's not possible.

Next Up: @ LSU

HMMM.....OK, THAT WAS A WAC LOSS, WASN'T IT

2006-10-10T22:47:00.000-07:00

Well, what the hell's left after that? And who says the oddsmakers are always right on? Fresno State went to Logan as something like a four-touchdown favorite and lost 13-12 to a bunch of guys that probably couldn't have lettered at Clovis East High School last year.

It's only one loss in the WAC, you say? Well, buckle up, Jughead, because Utah State hadn't won a game prior to Saturday night and sported a loss to the sad-sack Idaho Vandals by 20 points. The road ahead isn't just rough, it's a veritable suicide mission. Hawaii at home, or anywhere for that matter? LSU and Boise State on the road? Oh, yeah, there won't be too much bloodshed there.

To make a list of the things that went wrong in the loss at Utah State would be like listing all the Yankee managers that preceded Joe Torre under George Steinbrenner's watch. It just can't be done and serves no purpose. But, if you didn't see the game, you'll be shocked to hear that special teams is on the list. A missed 27-yard field goal, another kickoff out of bounds.The word "special" is being stretched to new limits.

Can Tommy Brandstater be the QB of the future? It looks less likely every week but that still may not be his fault. The secondary is abysmal. Utah State went down the field like they were escaping from a tsunami in the waning moments and even threw the winning touchdown pass twice. The first one was called back by a questionable penalty for pushing off.

I am absolutely fed up with hearing post-game quotes where players and coaches allude to the fact that they weren't prepared and the other team wanted it more. Not that we don't notice while the game is going on, but it's a lot of salt in the wounds to those of us who have seen our ticket prices go up, up and away with each passing year while the illusion of moving this program into the upper echelon of D-1 college football remains exactly that, an illusion.

I can take a win over a dogmeat team like Washington or Kansas State being trumped up as a landmark win over a BCS power. It's bullshit, but I see where Hill's going with that. What I can't take is crap like last Saturday night, the Saturday before that against Colorado State, and other pathetic efforts during the now-famous Bulldog Tailspins that follow tough losses to quality opponents. I know perfectly well that Fresno State probably should have beaten USC last year but they didn't and there's no way in hell you let that hangover last until you don't even win the conference title. But that's exactly what happened.

And you can't beat Nevada in the opener, fight tooth and nail against Oregon and Washington, only to turn around and nap your way through the most embarassing loss in Hill's tenure a few weeks later. And then the players say the other team was more "up" for the game? There's absolutely nothing elite about that. No seat at "the main table," no crashing the BCS party, none of that nonsense for this outfit. That's a million miles away right now. "Anybody, Anytime, Anywhere?" Nobody in red is ready for that anymore.

If there's going to be a second deck built anywhere it will go on Ratcliffe Stadium.

GAME 5: AT UTAH STATE

2006-10-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, I guess we have to go over that whole "this community expects to win" crap. Yes, yes, yes this college football program is light years ahead of where it was when Jim Sweeney had them playing at Ratcliffe and started building Bulldog Stadium at the corner of Cedar and Barstow. That's a given. So is Pat Hill's indelible mark on the program by taking it in a new direction. I'm not saying that any of that didn't happen or that any of that is bad.

It's just that it's not working right now.

This football season is a struggle. That's just the way it goes. Happens to the best of programs, even up in the rarified BCS air which the Bulldog faithful strives to join someday. Hey, Bobby Bowden's having a rough go of it this year. Joe Paterno took on a ton of water two seasons ago.

But those two guys are established on the highest level and have national championships to their credit. It hurts a little more for a program that's knocking on the door to prominence and trying to get noticed.

Well, here we are. We entered the season minus a four-year starter at QB, who graduated, with a whole lot of inexperience in the secondary and numerous other holes that weren't so obvious at the time. Fans called into the local talk shows and debated whether the team would be 6-0 or 5-1 going into the LSU game. Would the LSU game take too much out of them, win or lose, when they took on Boise State 10 days later? How high would LSU be ranked in the polls when FSU arrived in Baton Rouge? Would FSU be in the top 10 by then?

Instead of all these bullshit questions, fans should have been asking if Tommy Brandstater could play quarterback and if the offensive line could protect him. The hosts (i.e. the enablers) at the local talkies should have been pointing out to fans that the Washington Huskies were a different team than the dismal bunch that FSU had beaten a couple of years ago. But that was then and this is now.

What's gone on since then is a gutsy win against Nevada, a tough loss in a very physical game against Oregon, a close loss at Washington and a clear-cut beating at the hands of Colorado State. 4-0 has become 1-3. At 1-2, Sporting News Radio's Tony D'Adato was having a contest to see how many times he could say "of course this team could be 3-0 but should this team be 3-0.?"Almost everyone he posed that question to on the air said that things were probably right where they should be at 1-2. It was what it was. And now, one loss later, it is what it is.

So why in the hell did I listen to all this dismissal of Utah State this week? Oh, hell, I think Fresno State's going to win. But I'm not taking anything for granted at this point. While these same talkies were going over the three-game stretch of Hawaii-LSU-Boise State and wondering how many of the three were winnable, here's what I was wondering:

How will Fresno State do against Utah State in Logan without Paul Williams or Joe Fernandez when the temperature at game time will be 45 degerees? And falling. I honestly wonder how they would do at full strength with Brandstater under center and with the same secondary, special teams and offensive line that they had against Colorado State.

Well, that's why I'm here. And why I don't call the talk shows. It's hilarious. People who never cared about winning the WAC suddenly care with all the non-conference losses stacking up. They want Brandstater out and Sean Norton in at QB. They want all kinds of stuff. Soften up the non-conference schedule. Don't soften it up. There's even an occasion "get rid of Pat Hill." It's a smorgy of goofiness on the phones and behind the microphones.

Back to the original point, it is definitely good that people care about the team and get pissed off when the team isn't going good. What's crazy is that we even debate that point. I think they'll beat Utah State tonight. It won't prove a whole hell of a lot if they do but it will make the present state of affairs in FSU football very clear if they lose. Here's the bottom line:

For all the talk of becoming a national power, crashing the party and all that, the 2006 Fresno State Football team has played a tough non-conference schedule and lost a tough one that turned into a three-game losing streak. And that is EXACTLY what they did in years past with Paul Pinegar at the helm. And also with David Carr. They previously waited till the end of the season to hit the skids but this is all stuff we've seen before around here. The team may be a huge step below where it was even a season ago, which I believe to be the case. Or it could reel off a bunch of wins sandwiched around a good outing in Baton Rouge to get everybody all riled up again. Heck, they could be the giant slayer again with a win over LSU. My point is, it's Groundhog Day. Same as it ever was in the Pat Hill era. FSU's progress in the battle for BCS recognition has basically been the same whether Carr was on the cover of Sports Illustrated or Paul Pinegar was being criticized by the Red Wave. FSU's no closer to the penthouse but really, no further away.

As Sweeney used to say, "Go Dogs, win the WAC."

GAME 4: VS. COLORADO STATE

2006-10-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

Here's one where I was as wrong as everyone else, except for the overblown confidence of a win. I thought Fresno State could handle these guys at home. The local talkies had it in the bag. A walkover.

What actually happened was a beatdown put on the Dogs by the Rams. Fresno State had a 17-14 lead at the half and got manhandled in the second half to fall 35-23. What went wrong?

CSU quaterback Caleb Hanie threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns (hi, secondary).

FSU's Dwayne Wright rushed only 16 times for 77 yards. (He did catch five passes for 96 yards, but that's not what his role is supposed to be).

FSU QB Tommy Bradstater went 19-42 with three INT's.

FSU's special teams unit continued its new tradition: a missed field goal, an extra point blocked by CSU and a 58-yard punt return for a td by the Rams' Damon Morton.

That season-opening victory against Nevada has gone from "cutie-pie" to "supermodel." The WAC championship is far from an afterthought anymore. It's a SuperLotto jackpot. Those non-conference games against BCS opponents? National recognition? Crashing the BCS party? Who wanted any of that? It's all about winning the WAC, baby.

Next Up: @ Utah St.

Game 3: at Washington

2006-09-30T16:59:00.000-07:00

With time at a premium, it really disappoints me that I didn't have time to blog this one before it happened. Games like this are why this blog exists. This was a win. Guaranteed. There were absolutely no pitfalls possible on this road trip to PAC 10 country.

That's what I heard, anyway.

This is a game that everyone in the Valley was sure the Dogs would win while I was almost certain they would lose. And lose they did

The Fresno State team went to Washington a couple of years ago and beat a Huskie team that was among the worst in Division 1 college football. Of course, it was spun as a huge win over a BCS opponent.

For some reason, the folks who wear red from head to toe were under the impression that Ty Willingham was going to send the same guys out on the field this year to play Fresno State. That turned out to be highly misguided as Washington won this encounter by a score of 21-20.

Once again, FSU's special teams played the goat as the margin of defeat was the blocked extra point attempt after the Bulldogs' final touchdown drive. Prior to this year the special teams unit was an elite outfit that accounted for an insane number of blocked kicks against the opponent. This year's unit is making mental mistakes and getting its own kicks blocked.

No sooner had the Bulldogs dropped to 1-2 on the season then those amazing, whiny voices of rationalization started trumping up the fact that the team is still 1-0 in the WAC and that the non-conference losses don't mean anything. And there is the multiple personality of the Fresno State football fan base. It's all about crashing the BCS party until the losses start piling up, as the inevitably do. Now, the not-so-important WAC race is the most important thing in the world. I wonder what happens when WAC loss number two shows up a few weeks from now.

Next Up: vs. Colorado State

WEEK 2: VS OREGON

2006-09-17T23:08:00.000-07:00

That would be five losses in the last six games, sports fans. If you're an aficianado of local sports-talk radio.........YOU WERE WRONG. 6-0 heading into the LSU game? Maybe not. Time to change those letters in your head from B-C-S to W-A-C. As Pat Hill used to state fairly regularly a couple of years ago, with this 31-24 loss (at HOME), the season is over. There's nothing left to play for.

Well, maybe that's not quite true anymore. That LSU game is still out there October 21st. FSU can go to Washington and get another "huge win" over a BCS opponent next week. And we will now be compelled to call into Dog Talk and other radio shows and claim a moral victory with this loss to an Oregon team that is better than USC ever was, twice as good as the Indianapolis Colts, and strong enough to dominate Lombardi's Packers.

This game was physical. The Fresno State team acquitted itself well, especially in the face of a very rough first half. But this game shows exactly what the difference is between WAC wannabes and PAC10 powers. Fresno State just isn't there yet. This year's Fresno State team took a big shot in the mouth, literally as well as figuratively, in the first half. They fought back and played the Ducks very close.

But Oregon is better than Fresno State. Stronger, deeper, more experienced. That's how this went. Last year's more seasoned team could have won this game at this point in the season at home. This year's edition isn't there yet. They did good, but they're still a mid-major.

Next Up: At Washington

2006-09-17T22:49:00.000-07:00

LET THE 2006 SEASON BEGIN

Nevada game:

First let’s back up and explain some of the history of this program under head coach Pat Hill. The former Fresno State College rose to previously unthought-of heights under head coach Jim Sweeney, who took the program from playing at Ratcliffe Stadium, home of the local JC, to a home of its own in Bulldog Stadium. The stadium has been upgraded and expanded several times and now seats around 42,000.

Sweeney put the school on the map with a victory over USC in a long-forgotten bowl game that was known as the Freedom Bowl in the early 90’s. That USC team, despite having a lot of future NFL talent on its roster, was enduring a down period while FSU was on the rise, with Trent Dilfer and Lorenzo Neal among the future NFL’ers on its roster.

Hill came to FSU after Sweeney’s retirement with a noble goal and a flashy slogan: anybody, anytime, anywhere. Big-time BCS teams won’t come to Fresno so Hill will go there. At first there were bodybag games , but much more competitive games would follow.

During Hill’s tenure, the definition of “big game” has changed. Wins over Wisconsin and Colorado with David Carr at the helm were absolutely huge, with FSU playing David to the established schools’ Goliath. Subsequent wins over Kansas St. and a Washington Husky team that was at absolute rock-bottom were trumped up as “wins over BCS opponents,” which, of course, they were. But those wins certainly didn’t compare to Carr & CO. going into Camp Randal and emerging victorious. Or even to the Freedom Bowl win.

Hill openly states that his goal is to have his WAC team crash the BCS party by going undefeated against a strong non-conference schedule and riding that momentum into the WAC season. Some years it works out well in the pre-conference season (2001). But a huge problem presents itself. That would be the WAC. First it’s Boise State. Then Louisiana Tech. Then an ugly habit of stumbling to the finish line dogs the Dogs.

The “glass is half-full” perspective is stretched to its absolute limits with Bowl wins over the likes of Georgia Tech and Virginia in venues such as the Silicon Valley Classic and the MPC Computers Bowl.

Hill, the master motivator and champion of Fresno State’s cause, constantly paints these successes in the best possible light. He moves Fresno State games to Fridays to get ESPN exposure wherever possible, knowing that that game is watched by everybody in college football, as they are all preparing for the normal slate of games on Saturday.

Unfortunately, Hill also states publicly that getting to the BCS is the only acceptable goal and that the FSU season is over with a loss, any loss. The trouble with that: FSU’s “season” ends sometimes as early as week 2.

Another possible fallout is the heavy burden of playing teams from the next level, often on the road, that seems to take a lot out of the Bulldogs. Conference losses stack up, even in years that the ‘Dogs have beaten the likes of Wisconsin, et al. And often one loss turns into three.

Last year was a perfect example. An early loss at Oregon in a very close game was shaken off as FSU climbed the polls with a series of wins. Then came the non-conference blockbuster game that the entire season was centered around: #1 USC. Of course this game took place on the road. The spirited Bulldogs, ranked somewhere around 16, traded bombs with the two-time defending national champions and even held a lead in the fourth quarter. USC and Reggie Bush proved to be too much in the end and the ‘Dogs came home with a well-deserved moral victory.

After going toe-to-toe with the juggernaut Trojans, the Bulldogs responded by losing their next three games to the likes of Nevada, Louisiana Tech, and Tulsa, along with any national ranking, to finish the year on a four-game skid.

That’s how it goes in the land of the Green V.

Enter the year 2006. With four straight losses on the books and a four-year starting quarterback gone, along with some key defensive players, FSU enters a season with all the usual marquee non-conference matchups. Oregon comes to Bulldog Stadium while the ‘Dogs have a date in Seattle with the Washington Huskies. And mid-season is another “game of the century,” this time at LSU.

But it all starts with Nevada, a team that methodically defended its home turf the week after the FSU-USC game for a 38-35 victory. Lots of offense for the Wolfpack, who didn’t have Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush or Lendale White in uniform. The FSU defense just couldn’t corral them in the cold Reno night and one loss had turned into two. (La Tech would make it three less than a week later, of course).

The 2006 opener against Nevada would be a Friday night ESPN affair, kicking off at 5PM local time. QB Tommy Brandstater would take over the reins from the departed Paul Pinegar, who graduated. The Wolfpack brought back Jeff Rowe at QB and the battle was joined to start a new year.

The four-game skid was halted as the ‘Dogs posted a 28-19 victory in front of its home crowd. Kudos to the ‘Dogs for getting revenge and especially to the new QB who handled himself quite well and connected on 16 of 24 passes.

A possible harbinger of things to come, however, was the free-running Nevada receivers in the Fresno State secondary. Rowe missed several wide-open receivers who had a step (or five) on the inexperienced Bulldog secondary.

Bottom line: Dogs win, Brandstater can definitely do this job, Dwayne Wright is a force at running back (158 yards) and the pain of last year’s finish is behind the team.

Cause for concern: The secondary is abysmal. Wright is coming back from injury and his workhorse running style will definitely lead to two bad things – more injury and fumbles while fighting seven or eight defenders for that extra yard or two.

Next up – Oregon.

LET'S LAUGH

2006-09-10T23:03:00.000-07:00

The Fresno State University Bulldogs. Not since cracksmokers.com was up and running have the missteps of this goofy entity been chronicled for the world to see. That will change starting now.

It's OK to go watch a Little League baseball game and see young kids thinking that their game is as important as the World Series. It's quite another for an entire community to watch mediocre, middle of the road college football and call it domination. Or to stand by idly while hoping to catch some pixie dust off of a 900-year-old basketball coach who will one day, inevitably, leave the school in shame and the program in disarray.

But that's just what they do in the central San Joaquin Valley. "Go Dogs!" You betcha. Root, root, root for the home team. But please, have the sense to understand what it is you're watching. That's all I ask.

Buckle up, sports fans. This is going to be fun.