Fresno State Athletics
Football Hits the Road for Two More; Lobos Next
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
October 26, 1998
"Sure, we've had a lot of adversity, but there is a lot of football left in the season."
- Bulldog head coach Pat Hill
Fast Copy
Official time for Saturday's kickoff is 1:07 p.m. Mountain Time ... the string of eight straight games between New Mexico and Fresno State was interrupted after the 1995 contest ... the Bulldogs have won the last two games and lead the series 7-4 overall ... Fresno State's last trip to Albuquerque in '93 resulted in a 41-24 win for the Bulldogs ... Fresno State assistant coaches Dan Brown and Trent Miles have both served on the Lobo coaching staff at one point ... the Bulldogs posted 32 points against UTEP, the highest total dating back to a 53-12 win over San Jose State in '97 ... the six points given up is the lowest since a 20-0 shutout against Hawai'i in 1996 ... junior quarterback Billy Volek has a string of 69 passes without an interception ... Volek's 263 yards against Utah marked his third-best career total and his second best total of this season ... senior TB and Doak Walker candidate Jaime Kimbrough ran for a career-best 184 yards with a touchdown against UTEP ... the San Diego native also had three receptions for 20 yards and three kickoff returns for 79 yards ... freshman WR Charles Smith posted his second 100-plus receiving game against the Utes, including a 37-yard touchdown pass ... in the second half, Smith had 5 receptions for 104 yards ... 28 players posted a spring semester GPA at 3.0 or above ... 23 players have cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or higher ... junior DB Payton Williams aced the spring semester with the highest GPA possible and owns the team's highest cumulative GPA.
Fresno State Football Awards Banquet
Join the Fresno State football team as it recognizes the achievements of the team at the Awards Banquet Sunday, November 22. A no-host hospitality hour begins at 3 p.m. Dinner and the program begins at 4 p.m. Reservations may be made at $20 per person or $200 per table of 10.
For more information, contact Sandy at (209) 278-3015.
Injury Update
DL Kevin Jordan (fracture left novicular) out until mid-November; LB Allan Nicholas (strained left knee) out indefinitely; OL Russ Harding (multiple ligament injury) out for the season; RB Carl Holmes (fracture and dislocation of hip, right side) out for the season; DB Sam Wilson (left knee sprain) questionable; LB Craig Lingenfelter (broken thumb), out for the season; LB Jeremy Luginbill, doubtful; WR Rodney Wright (broken rib); out for the season.
Wide Receiver University
Wide Receiver University got a big boost from its underclassmen against BYU with the tandem of Rodney Wright and Charles Smith. The two combined for nine catches for 135 of Fresno State's 189 total passing yards and two touchdowns. The week prior against Nevada, Atnaf Harris and Saleem Mahdi each pulled down passes for a score. Harris, Mahdi and Eric Mahanke, who stepped in as a backup after Wright went down against Utah, all caught TD passes against UTEP Saturday.
Total Long TD
Opponent Top 2 Receivers Rec. Yds TDs catch
at Colorado Kimbrough (6), Mahdi (3) 9 119 0 -
at Texas Tech Kimbrough (5), Smith (5) 10 135 0 -
NEVADA Smith (5), Kimbrough (3) 8 136 2* 32
BYU Smith (6), Wright (3) 9 135 2# 39
at Utah Smith (8), Kimbrough (8) 16 173 1& 37
UTEP Kimbrough (3), Thompson (3)@ 6 66 2 5
* Mahdi and Harris caught TD passes; # Wright had both TD passes
Wright suffered injury, did not return to the game; & pass from P Jeff Roberts
@ Mahanke caught the other TD pass
Top of the Hill
Bounding into his second year as head coach of Fresno State, Pat Hill's infectious enthusiasm has fired up the San Joaquin Valley. Hill guided the Bulldogs to their best record (6-6 overall, 5-3 WAC) since 1993 with a third-place WAC finish. His career record is 8-11. A former assistant coach under Bulldog coach Jim Sweeney from 1984-89, Hill returned to Fresno State after five years on the coaching staff of the Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Ravens.
For the second straight summer, Hill has rallied the Valley around the Bulldog athletic program, serving as the main attraction on the Bulldog Caravan. His commitment to restoring pride and tradition to Fresno State football goes far beyond the coaching field. Working in the community, Hill has raised funds to construct an NFL-quality practice area, outdoor weight area and meeting building as well as dedicated practice fields for the men's and women's soccer programs. Hill has his players focus on academics as well, stressing the Academic Game Plan to put the "student" back in the term student-athlete.
Kimbrough Doesn't Rhyme with Anything
Senior FB Jaime Kimbrough's stacks up career outings, rushing for 184 yards against the Miners, the 15th best total in Fresno State history, scoring a touchdown and two-point conversion on the opening drive. Kimbrough also had three receptions for 20 yards and three kickoff returns for 79 yards. His performance against then-16th-ranked Colorado accounted for 60 percent of the Bulldogs' offensive output. Though Kimbrough only scored one touchdown, he had a hand in the scoring drives of the other two as well. Take a look at Kimbrough's top five outings rushing and receiving:
Date Opponent Carries Yds TDs 10-24-98 UTEP 15 184 1 15th best in FS history 9-26-98 NEVADA 26 164 1 26th best in FS history 9-12-98 at Colorado 22 107 1 9-07-96 at Auburn 19 89 - 11-02-96 BOISE STATE 6 74 1 9-06-97 BAYLOR 8 65 -Date Opponent Rcp Yds TDs 9-20-97 at Oregon 4 92 2 9-12-98 at Colorado 6 91 - 11-23-96 at SDSU 5 90 - 10-17-98 at Utah 8 56 - 10-18-97 at Air Force 7 55 1
Games with TDs Rushing and Receiving Date Opponent Carries Yds TDs Rcp Yds TDs 9-20-97 at Oregon 12 59 1 4 92 2 10-18-97 at Air Force 9 33 1 7 55 1
WAC Players of the Week
So far this season, Fresno State has made its presence known, twice winning the WAC Defensive Player of the Week honor. Sophomore defensive lineman Justin Johnson won the award after a spectacular performance against Texas Tech. The Fresno, Calif., native returned a 33-yard interception for a touchdown which put Fresno State in the lead late in the fourth quarter vs. the Red Raiders. Senior linebacker Bobby Brooks earned player of the week after the Bulldogs beat BYU. Brooks totalled eight tackles, including four for loss of 27 yards. Three of his tackles were sacks for a loss of 22 yards.
Ind. Category Player WAC NCAA
Rushing Jaime Kimbrough 7 40
Receiving Charles Smith 10 -
Scott Thompson 20 -
Receptions per game Jaime Kimbrough 10 -
Passing Efficiency Billy Volek 3 27
Field Goals Jeff Hanna 6 35
Punting Jeff Roberts 9 48
Total Offense Billy Volek 4 38
All-Purpose Yardage Jaime Kimbrough 2 16
Charles Smith 7 50
Fresno State New Mexico
WAC NCAA WAC NCAA
Rushing Offense 14 87 10 59
Passing Offense 5 38 2 26
Total Offense 9 60 4 38
Scoring Offense 6 64 4 45
Rushing Defense 9 74 11 80
Passing Defense 11 62 5 35
Total Defense 9 59 10 60
Scoring Defense 8 47 14 93
Punt Returns 3 12 12 82
Kick off Returns 5 38 14 67
Penalties 8 54 16
Quarterback Sacks 4 8
3rd Down Con. Off. 12 7
3rd Down Con. Def 11 13
Net Punting 5 37 14 100
Turnover Margin 4 23 11 71
Academic Honors (a.k.a. Ask Us About Academic Game Plan)
Achieving recognition for the Spring 3.0 Club, 27 Bulldog football players recorded a 3.0 grade point average or better for the spring semester: Kevin Adams, Jeromy Blackwell, Vince Branstetter, Donnell Burch, Lawrence Deck, Matt Fisher, Ben Focke, Ken Foersch, Vernon Fox, Rob Gatrell, Efrain Guizar, Jeff Hanna, Grant Harrington, Eric Mahanke, Mario Miranda, Jake Probst, Jeff Roberts, Maurice Rodriguez, Jeremiah Ross, Jared Savage, David Shabaglian, Tim Skipper, Charles Smith, Anthony Tucker, Ramsey Venner, Billy Volek and Payton Williams.
Academic Personal Record Club: Kevin Adams, Vince Branstetter, Bobby Brooks, Donnell Burch, David Carr, Steve Daniel, Lawrence Deck, Chad Ede, Matt Fisher, Ben Focke, Ken Foersch, Rod Gatrell, Tyrell Grayson, Russ Harding, Grant Harrington, Bryce Jackson, Thabiti Lockhart, Eric Mahanke, Mario Miranda, Javier Ortiz, Armando Rosales, Charles Smith, Scott Thompson, Brock Torresdal, Billy Volek, Arlan Wells and Payton Williams.
Constructing Dreams
Once a lonesome ponding basin on the outskirts of Bulldog Stadium, Pat Hill and his crew have made some alterations to the area to add two full-sized, lighted football practice fields. Dedicated women's and men's soccer practice fields were resurfaced. In addition, a combination storage and auxiliary weight training facility will be constructed on the north side of the football practice fields.
Over the Airwaves
Every Fresno State football game is broadcast live throughout the San Joaquin Valley on KMJ (AM 580). Veteran sportscaster Bill Woodward, now in his 26th season of covering Fresno State sports, handles the play-by-play duties. Jon Anabo, a former Bulldog quarterback who also spent time as a Fresno State assistant coach, is in his 13th season as a color analyst. KMJ's extensive game-day coverage begins with a two-hour call-in show, "Dog Talk" and is followed by "Countdown to Kickoff," a one-hour pre-game show. The "Bulldog Review" postgame show follows each broadcast.
Miracle of Modern Technology
Now it's never too late to get the information you need for this weekend's game. Fresno State football information, as well as all other Bulldog sports information, is available through Fax-On-Demand. Don't forget to call the customer service number (770) 399-0096 to set up an account and obtain a PIN number. Dial 1-800-300-2050, the request numbers are: 1603 (release), 1604 (game states), 1605 (roster) and 1606 (cumulative stats).
Build It and They Will Come
Fresno State's events center project moved onto the drawing board as the University selected the Denver architectural firm of Sink Combs Dethlefs, in conjunction with Cannon of Los Angeles, to create the concept design for the new multi-purpose events center. The new building will be located at Shaw and Woodrow, near Chestnut.
The firm's credentials include the Thomas & Mack Arena at UNLV, the San Jose Arena, The Cox Arena at San Diego State and the new Value City Arena at Ohio State University.
Save Mart Supermarkets of Modesto and Pepsico Inc. have pledged $40 million over 20 years and Fresno businessmen Ed Kashian and Bob Duncan, have been named chairs of the fund drive. Kashian and Duncan and their corps of volunteers will seek money from gifts, luxury-suite and seat-option sales and opportunities to name parts of structure and government support.
Groundbreaking for the events center could take place as early as fall of 1999. The center is scheduled to open in November 2001.
Fresno State received a jump start in fundraising when Gov. Wilson approved $4 million in the 1998-99 state budget for the event center preparation and planning.
Weekly meetings are in session with various groups and community interests to obtain information and recommendations. While the architects are gathering ideas, the University is proceeding with the necessary steps to complete an environmental impact report.
Over the Airwaves
Every Fresno State football game is broadcast live throughout the San Joaquin Valley on KMJ (AM 580). Veteran sportscaster Bill Woodward, now in his 26th season of covering Fresno State sports, handles the play-by-play duties. Jon Anabo, a former Bulldog quarterback who also spent time as a Fresno State assistant coach, is in his 13th season as a color analyst. KMJ's extensive game-day coverage begins with a two-hour call-in show, "Dog Talk" and is followed by "Countdown to Kickoff," a one-hour pre-game show. The "Bulldog Review" postgame show follows each broadcast. The crew for pre-game "Dog Talk" is Anabo and Fresno State's Scott Johnson. Studio host for post-game "Bulldog Review" is John Scheideman. Chris Basham is engineer in charge of KMJ's game broadcasts.
Bulldogs on TV
Several of Fresno State's road games are scheduled to be televised in the local area on Fox affiliate KMPH. Currently, five games are on the docket: Colorado, Texas Tech, TCU, Utah and New Mexico, but the schedule is subject to change. Ralph Wood, sports director for KMPH-TV (Channel 26) will call the play-by-play action with television actor and former NFL quarterback Alan Autry providing color commentary.
Weekly Teleconference Call (all times Mountain)
The WAC will hold a weekly football teleconference every Monday beginning August 31 and running through November 16. Each coach will make comments relative to the most recent game and/or the upcoming opponent, and then media members will be able to ask questions. Each week, the WAC Players of the Week will be announced along with any pertinent information or special announcements. The phone number to participate is (913) 981-5508. Identify yourself and your outlet to the operator and inform the individual you wish to join the WAC Football Coaches Teleconference. There will be a replay of the complete teleconference around 4:30 p.m. (MT) the same day and can be accessed by dialing (402) 222-9904.
10:30 Rice (11:30 CT / 9:30 PT) 11:26 UTEP 10:37 TCU 11:33 Colorado State 10:44 Tulsa 11:40 Wyoming 10:51 SMU 11:47 Fresno State (10:47 PT) 10:58 New Mexico 11:54 UNLV 11:05 Air Force 12:01 San Jose State 11:12 Utah 12:08 San Diego State 11:19 Brigham Young 12:15 Hawai'i (8:15 PT/9:15 PT)
The Pat Hill Show
KMJ airs the "Pat Hill Show" Mondays at 1 p.m. during the football season. The one-hour call in show is hosted by KMJ's Ray Appleton.
Coaches Corner
KMPH-TV 26 features Coach Pat Hill every Wednesday during its regular
10 p.m. newscast.
