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Coach Hill has a set of wheels with air By Richard Linde, 8 July 2004 For the second time in its football history, Fresno State University will visit Husky Stadium -- the game on September 5 being a season opener for both teams. In its last visit in 1979, FSU lost to the Huskies 49-14. After playing Washington, FSU tackles Kansas State at Manhattan -- really, not a good way to start the season for a mid-major school, but nothing new for the Bulldogs, who are not afraid to take on the nation’s mightiest teams. Fresno State is led by Pat Hill (55-35), who is in his eighth season of coaching. "Playing at Washington and Kansas State will be great challenges for us and a great opportunity for exposure. We have played in hostile environments and our players won't be intimidated,” he says. With his fu Manchu and wraparound sunglasses, Hill looks the part of a valley guy. Add a pair of Levis, cowboy boots, two six guns, a certain swagger and Hill might pass for an avant-garde cowboy in town, an updated version of the one once called in by local cattle ranchers to drive sheepherders off their land. Nowadays, however, valley guys drive SUVs, not cattle. During the recruiting season in the fall and winter months, the flat floor of the San Joaquin valley is desolate, cold and foggy, a place where a recruiting coordinator would rather face a pack of hostile boosters than drive through a Tule to get to some kid’s house. In the summer, it’s too hot for frying eggs on anyone’s sidewalk, and the buzzards are circling Fresno, which is in a closely fought contest with its southern-cousin Bakersfield for being the "armpit of California." A savvy, summer’s traveler never stops in Bakersfield for gas, nor will admit to it. For those reasons, most recruiters from the southland throw the Bulldogs a bone, leaving them to hunt the valley, along with rivals to the north. And that’s well and good with Fresno State fans. It matters little to them that no crooner has left his heart in Fresno; fans’ hearts belong to the Bulldogs and that’s what counts. Wielding the creative alchemy of one’s imagination and dreams to transform a pedestrian place like Fresno into a cherished home requires the wit of an Isaac Newton, who some say transmuted lead to gold. Think of alchemy that turns sun-baked dirt into food. "You should write this," Pat Hill told reporter Ted Miller: “The San Joaquin Valley (which surrounds Fresno) provides 80 percent of the nation's food. It's a very strong area as far as the United States is concerned. We're a region that is very important for the economy of this country." [Miller]. To name a couple of UW players from that area, Kenny James is from Dos Palos (Merced Country). Against FSU, James will wear the redoubtable number 8, the same number that Willie and Nip wore. And, of course, C-Dub (Curtis Williams) was from the Fresno area. Hailing from Fresno, former Husky Robin Kezirian (6-3, 300, Jr.) will play at center for the Bulldogs when they collide with the Huskies. Kezirian transferred from Washington in August 2003 and sat out the season. He redshirted at the UW in 2002. FSU has faced 15 BCS schools since 2000, winning seven of those contests, those victims being California, Colorado, Wisconsin, Oregon State (twice), Georgia Tech, and UCLA. Nine of those contests were on the road, and three were bowl games. FSU is fast turning into an erstwhile "patsy" that no BCS biggie will want to schedule. After their game in Seattle, Bulldog fans conjecture that Keith Gilbertson will tell reporters that he hopes to turn the UW into the FSU of the north. (You know, that Florida State stuff that Rick Neuheisel talked about). Since 1979, Fresno State (currently a member of the Western Athletic Conference) has a 17-16 record against Pac-10 teams, holding an 8-5 record against Oregon State and a 1-0 edge over USC -- that game occurring in the 1992 Freedom Bowl when the Bulldogs upset the Trojans 24-7. The Bulldogs beat UCLA in last year’s Silicon Valley Classic, 17-9, and beat Georgia Tech in the classic the year before, 30-21. Over the last five years, Fresno State has made five consecutive bowl appearances. In 2001, on the way to an 11-3 finish, the Bulldogs opened the season with consecutive wins over Colorado, Oregon State and Wisconsin. They lost to Michigan State 44-35 in the Silicon Valley Classic. This season, Coach Hill is driving a formidable SUV once again -- or, maybe, even worse, a Humvee. The Bulldogs come off a 9-5 season (6-2 in the WAC), averaging 23 points per game, while giving up 22.6. Their offense averaged 352.6 yards per game; their defense gave up 381.2 yards per game. They return eighteen starters (9 on offense; 8 on defense, 1 specialist) and 52 lettermen. According to Collegio football, the Bulldogs have a combined average ranking (defense and offense) of 57.4 when compared with 117 Division I-A teams for the 2003 season. The UWs ranking is 58.9. FSU played four BCS opponents last season: Tennessee, Oklahoma, Oregon State and UCLA, winning the latter two games. Thirty-nine players who rotated against UCLA return. SS James Sanders (5-11, 205, Jr.), is on watch list for the 2004 Bronko Negurski Award, which is given to the best defensive player in college football regardless of position. He led the Bulldogs with 93 tackles (8.5 for loss), with two interceptions and two sacks. OG Dartagnon Shack (6-2, 300, Jr.) is on the watch list for the 2004 Outland Trophy, which is awarded to the top interior lineman in the nation on either side of the ball. FoxSports.com lists OT Logan Mankins (6-4, 320, Sr.) as the third best player on the team. Center Kyle Young (6-5, 320, So.) is listed as sixth best, and he along with Mankins and Shack add punch to an OL that must be reckoned with. [Fox]. RB Dwayne Wright (6-1, 210, Jr.) amassed 1,038 yards on the ground last season with three touchdowns, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. He caught 19 passes for 143 yards and one touchdown. He is backed up by three running backs that will see considerable playing time in 2004. One of them, Bryson Sumlin (5-10, 200, Jr.), rushed for 509 yards last season and caught a 44-yard scoring pass against UCLA. The four members of the running back corps are being touted as the best in Fresno State history. QB Paul Pinegar (6-4, 220, Jr.) gives the Bulldogs experience at quarterback. Coming off an outstanding freshman season, he missed the first five games of 2003 because of a pectoral injury but returned to lead FSU to victory in six of its last seven games. He threw for 1,773 yards, 11 touchdowns with 9 interceptions. Over the past two seasons, Pinegar has completed 404 passes out of 697 attempts for 4702 yards with 31 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. His pass efficiency rating for the two years is 123.85. On the down side, no one backing Pinegar up has been stationed behind center in a regular season game. Averaging 9.1 yards per catch, WR Jermaine Jamison (6-3, 200, Jr.) caught 23 balls for 210 yards last year. Genetically-gifted WR Joe Fernandez (5-10, 165, So.) is quick and speedy, accounting for 22 catches and 165 yards last year. He is the son of former Los Angeles Raider Mervyn Fernandez. TE Stephen Spach (6-4, 250, Sr.) is a top-notch blocker with soft hands, accounting for 13 catches and 127 yards last year. An experienced, formidable offensive line, along with RBs Wright and Sumlin, should take the heat off Pinegar. Pinegar was used sparingly in the Bulldogs’ spring game, a game in which the Red defeated the White, 10-7. Transferring to FSU during the 2003 season and sitting out the rest of the season, Wendell Mathis (5-9, 185, Jr.) ran for 90 yards on 11 carries. Mathis played for UCLA in 2002 and is out of Merced. Five different players recorded quarterback sacks during the game. Sanders, who got one himself, was credited with five tackles, the most of any of his teammates. FSU's 2004 recruiting class is highlighted by QB Bear Pascoe (6-5, 252, Granite Hills), a physical quarterback who is considered one of the top athletes in the valley. John Guevara (OL/DT, 6-2, 270), out of Bakersfield, could be an instant impact player. Hill is happy with the progress made during the spring and noted they did not have any serious injuries during spring practices, which is unusual for a hard-hitting team. In concert with the lack of air conditioning in their Spartan locker room, FSU players could be brandishing six-pack abs after summer workouts. Hill is also happy with the progress his players are making in the classroom, although FSU has been the subject of some academic criticism over the last couple of years. In the last NCAA reporting period, the Bulldogs graduated just 33% of their football players, a fact widely reported on the internet. (Contrast this with the UW’s 67%, a fact not as widely reported.) However, FSU’s battle with the books is showing promise. According to the FSU website, FSU has led the WAC in Academic all-conference selections the last three years, producing 10 in 2002. Last year, 39 players achieved grade points of 3.0 or above, the most in school history. The Bulldogs return eight players who earned Academic All-WAC in 2003. Academics notwithstanding, Coach Hill has the figurative set of wheels with air -- his Cardinal and Blue SUV. The Bulldogs have won 29 games over the last three seasons, sixth most of any program in the nation. [Fresno]. A warning to coaches Keith Gilbertson and Bill Snyder: If you collide with an SUV, you'd better be driving one yourself. References: [Fresno]. “Pinegar Returns to Guide Fresno State Offense,” Gobulldogs.collegesports.com, 25 June 2004. [Fox]. 2004 Preview: Fresno State Bulldogs, FoxSports.com, 4 June 2004. [Miller]. Miller, Ted, “Football out to earn national respect,” espn.com, 16 August 2003. Richard Linde (a.k.a., Malamute) can be reached at malamute@4malamute.com |
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