Fresno State Athletics
1999 Football Season Outlook
7/19/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 19, 1999
Balance.
It?s the perfect description of the 1999 Bulldogs. Head coach Pat Hill has assembled his finest team yet at Fresno State, and while the offense still may be a little wet behind the ears in some areas, they?re countered by an experienced defense that should put the ?Dogs in a position for a run at the Western Athletic Conference title.
From day one, coach Hill never talked about rebuilding or having to wait several years to produce a winning team. For Hill, the mission is simple: Win the next game, no matter what it takes.
In his two years at Fresno State, Coach Hill has carefully, but quickly, been collecting the pieces to put in place for a program that?s now on the rise. This season the Bulldogs will look for the pieces to start falling into place. This year?s team will have a good mix of veterans, who have been in the Hill system for the past two years, and new talent that will make an immediate impact on the program.
?This is the best team we?ve have had so far, on paper,? Hill says. ?Every game they play, they?re going to get better, but this team needs game experience, especially on offense.?
Anchoring this year?s team will be a tough, hard-nosed defense that returns seven starters from last year?s squad and 21 letterwinners from the 1998 campaign. On the other side of the ball there will be some new faces, but the man they are protecting, senior quarterback Billy Volek, is the confident leader that the Bulldogs need.
?We are now in the third year of our program, and I feel on the defensive side of the ball we return a very experienced group of players,? Hill said. ?With the experience they have gained, they are on the verge of becoming a big time unit.
?On the other hand, our offense has plenty of unproven talent and needs to work on learning the system and gaining experience. Our kicking game is strong, but with the loss of Jeff Roberts, at lot of pressure will be put on the new punter,? says Hill. ?But from an overall standpoint, I truly feel this team is ready to contend for a WAC championship in 1999.?
Hill knew when he arrived two years ago that if the Fresno State football program was going to grow, the seeds had best be planted right away. His plan for Fresno State was a constant and consistent building process with a design for success.
In his two years, Hill cultivated the seeds, he created support, built practice fields, preached the Academic Gameplan and sought the tough opponents. Each year brought Hill closer to his reality. Each recruiting class as well has brought Fresno State closer to reaching some demanding, but attainable goals. When Hill took over two years ago, he had just 56 players on scholarship. This year, he has 85 on full rides.
?People can physically see practice fields and the crowds grow and read about our academic success,? said Hill, ?But sometimes it isn?t so easy to see the recruiting plan. This September, when people come to watch us play, they will understand and finally see what we have been working so hard on not only for 1999 but for the new Millennium.?
This year?s class was ranked among the top 50 in the country and the best in the WAC. They inked 21 high school seniors to letter of intents in the spring. Eight of those were identified for national or regional recognition from major recruiting publications, including Prep Star and Super Prep. Every member of this year?s class earned all-league or all-city honors with six student-athletes earning league, city or district most valuable player honors.
?Our goal for Fresno State football is to become a top 20 program,? says Hill. ?And to become a top 20 program, you have to schedule the best non-league opponents available. Sometimes that makes it tough on a young team and its development, but as these young men get older and win against that kind of competition, then all of a sudden we put ourselves in a place where we are recognized as a legitimate top 20 football program and we are that much stronger for it.?
Fresno State?s 1998 schedule was rated the 37th toughest schedule (five teams were bowl participants) in the nation by Sporting News. The 1999 schedule will be no cake walk either. This year?s home schedule should rank among the best ever in school history with home dates against TCU, Colorado State, Rice and San Jose State.
During the second week of the season, Fresno State travels to Corvallis, Ore. to take on Oregon State followed by a trip to southern California where they?ll battle the UCLA Bruins, who are fresh off a PAC-10 championship and an appearance in the Rose Bowl. They must then travel to Nevada (who was inducted into the WAC this past summer), followed by home dates against TCU (winner of last year?s Norwest Sun Bowl) and Colorado State. The ?Dogs will then begin the second half of the season on the road against SMU.
?Playing tough games on the road is the price you pay for getting into that elite circle,? says Hill. ?It?s called tough experience, but you only grow in positive ways when you go through challenges like that.?
?I feel the foundation has been set, the future is bright and the expectation level for our football team in 1999 is to go out and win a conference championship.?
With that said, the rallying cry for Bulldog football grows louder and stronger. Fresno State is ready to answer that call, armed with potential on the verge of national recognition. Bulldog fans are anxious for a winning season and they know with Hill in command and with his vision closing in on reality, the pride-filled Saturdays in the Valley are on the way.
Here is a position-by-position look at the players who will be bringing the winning tradition back to the Valley this year:
Quarterback
Entering training camp last summer, there were some questions about who was going to be the Bulldogs? signal-caller. This year, however, there is no doubt as senior Billy Volek (Fresno, Calif.) will be the man behind center.
?Billy Volek is our quarterback for 1999,? Hill says. ?We are looking to him to be the leader of this football team and help with the maturing of a young, but talented offensive backfield and line.?
Knowing that he is the main man, Volek entered spring practices without worry, fully concentrating on leading the offense. Using the experience he gained from hard fought victories over BYU, New Mexico and San Jose State, along with the tough losses to Colorado, Texas Tech and San Diego State, Volek will be one of the top quarterbacks in the country and the perfect leader for the young squad.
In 1998, Volek ranked fifth in the league in total offense, averaging 177.7 yards per game. With one more season to go, he ranks 10th on the Fresno State all-time total offense list and eighth on the career passing list with 3,709 career yards to date. Among the quarterbacks returning for the 1999 WAC season, Volek has the highest quarterback rating at 131.7. Last season he was the second highest rated quarterback in the conference and was 32nd in the nation.
Through the air, he passed for 1,995 yards ? the sixth most in the WAC ? and 14 touchdowns, while only throwing three interceptions. In two years, Volek has only had nine passes picked off and had a string of 73 completed passes in 188 attempts over four games. Last season he set the single-season record for lowest interception percentage at 1.14, and from his first two seasons at Fresno State, he has the lowest career interception percentage at 1.55.
He had his best day as a Bulldog against Texas Tech, throwing for a career-high 349 yards, the 17th best single-game performance in Fresno State history, including the longest pass of his career, a 63-yard pass to tight end Scott Thompson. Against Hawai?i, he threw for three touchdowns as the Bulldogs routed the Rainbows, 51-12.
Last year?s number two quarterback, sophomore David Carr (Bakersfield, Calif.), will redshirt the 1999 season and return in 2000 when the ?Dogs open at Ohio State.
?Dave?s development in 1998 was outstanding and we?re excited to see great things from him. He?ll be the guy who leads the ?Dogs into the new Millennium,? Hill says.
Fighting for Carr?s role as the back-up quarterback will be sophomore Drew Johns (Bakersfield, Calif.) and freshman Jeff Grady (Huntington Beach, Calif.). Neither Johns nor Grady has thrown a pass in a Fresno State uniform, but both are very athletic and capable of stepping in when called upon.
Running Back
The biggest shoes needed to be filled in 1999 were those left by 5-9 running back Jaime Kimbrough. Once a walk-on, Kimbrough carried the offensive load last season leading the team in rushing with 1,229 yards and adding 391 receiving yards. Kimbrough racked up 1,952 all-purpose yards, ranking him first in the WAC at 177.5 yards per game, and finished his Fresno State career with 3,931 yards ? placing him sixth all-time.
Taking on the challenge of replacing the WAC Pacific Division Offensive Player of the Year is sophomore Paris Gaines (Vista, Calif.). Though Gaines is four inches taller than Kimbrough, they have very similar running styles. One advantage Hill will have this season with Gaines is his burst of speed that enables him to get to the corner faster and allows him to blow past defenders once he is in the open field. Another area Gaines? speed will be utilized will be on kickoff returns. The shifty sophomore averaged 22.6 yards per return last year with a long of 45 yards.
Splitting time as the starting fullback and a fill-in for Gaines will be junior Akka-Ar Moses (Long Beach, Calif.). Moses has increased his size (5-11, 235) and looks to offer the Bulldogs a versatile package , rotating between fullback and tailback. Senior walk-on Jeromy Blackwell (Lindsay, Calif.) is listed second on the depth chart in pre-season and was the team?s best lead blocking fullback in ?98. The ?Dogs will be looking to go to Blackwell in tough, short-yardage goalline situations.
Gaines and Moses are the only two returning running backs with any game experience, but there are even more Bulldogs looking to carry the ball. The ?Dogs have four highly acclaimed high school running backs who should offer stiff competition: James Tillman (Los Angeles, Calif.) was the 1997 L.A. City high school player of the year, Derrick Ward (Moreno Valley, Calif.) was the Riverside County player of the year, Marcellus Armstrong (Fresno, Calif.) was the Central Valley player of the year and Josh Levi (Chino, Calif.) was the CIF player of the year out of Southern California.
All four highly-touted players have a redshirt year behind them and are ready to step up and build the next era of running backs at Fresno State. All four backs rushed for at least 1,000 yards with Armstrong and Levi topping 2,000 yards each to set records in their respective areas.
Wide Receiver
In 1999, last year?s most inexperienced group returns as one of the team?s strongest assets, led by first-team Sporting News freshman All-American Charles Smith (Union City, Calif.) and Atnaf Harris (Fresno, Calif.). This core of wide receivers will certainly be analyzed, picked apart and drilled throughout fall practices. With Volek at the helm, they are clearly a group that needs to be counted upon this season.
?Although this group is made up predominantly of sophomores and freshmen, many of them gained experience last year,? said Hill. ?Fans can expect big things out of this group. It?s loaded with talented and determined athletes our fans will be able to follow for years to come.?
Volek?s main target last year and his go-to guy once again this season will be Smith, a player every pre-season rating service picks to finish first team All-WAC. While he might be underestimated for his size, Smith has great leaping ability and separates himself well to get into the open field. Once he breaks away, his speed and agility will be beneficial for the ?Dogs as well.
Last season Smith was the only WAC freshman to rank in the top 20 in receiving yards, pulling in 621 yards for the 1998 campaign. He was also among the conference leaders in receptions and all-purpose yards, finishing 12th in the WAC in both categories. Smith will also contribute on special teams. Last year he was only three yards behind Kimbrough with 390 kickoff return yards.
Across the field from Smith at flanker will be sophomore Rodney Wright (Bakersfield, Calif.). Much like Smith, Wright has excellent speed and breaks away from defenders well. Although he was plagued by injuries last season, Wright caught six passes ? two of which resulted in touchdowns.
Like the starting wide receivers, the back-ups are also in their second year of Bulldog football. Harris will be a key part of the Bulldogs? receiving corps this year ? not only as a back-up to Wright, but as a serious target. Coming in at 6-0, Harris is a good mark for Volek and has proven he can make key catches. Last season Harris and Volek connected on 17 passes, with three of them resulting in touchdowns.
Vying for time behind Smith at split end will be sophomore David Shabaglian (Clovis, Calif.). Even though Shabaglian did not play in any games last season, he has the skills and determination to find a spot at Wide Receiver U. Also running routes for the Bulldogs will be junior Saleem Mahdi (Pittsburg, Calif.) who saw action last year before going out with an injury. Also look for Bernard Berrian (Winton, Calif.) and Marque Davis (Dos Palos, Calif.) to get tested early as highly touted incoming freshman.
Tight End
With the graduation of Scott Thompson, the tight end position will be filled by senior Vince Branstetter (Anaheim, Calif.) who has been patiently waiting for his chance to showcase his abilities. Listed at 6-3 and weighing in at 255 pounds, Branstetter will be one of the key elements to the Bulldogs? blocking strategies and a welcomed target for Volek. Last season, Branstetter hauled in eight catches for 74 yards.
Many times this season the Bulldogs will go with a two tight end set to sure up the running game. Just like their receiving counterpart, the tight ends will be staffed with sophomores on the depth chart. In the two tight end formations, second-year players Billy Jack Pierce (Clovis, Calif.) and Donnell Burch (Fresno, Calif.) will be competing for time and both will get a chance to fill in for Branstetter. Three freshman will also get strong looks: Tim Osborn (Bakersfield, Calif.), Alec Greco (Auburn, Calif.) and Jeremy Johnson (Long Beach, Calif.).
Offensive Line
The biggest mystery on offense this year will be the offensive line. This season the men in the trenches will be bigger, stronger and faster than the offensive line of years past, but the key factor may be experience. The line will be tested in the first few games of the season, but has the potential to grow tremendously with playing time.
?We?re more physical this year and the guys we have up front are bigger and stronger,? Hill said. ?What is really important is that we gain game experience.?
Anchoring the offensive line will be senior left guard Rob Gatrell (Brentwood, Calif.). Gatrell is the only player on the line this year that started every game last season and has more starts than all the other linemen combined. Helping the Bulldogs hold up the middle will be right guard Ahmad Bhatti (Santa Clara, Calif.). The senior filled in throughout the year in ?98 and ended the season by starting against Hawai?i and San Jose State. He will be challenged by sophomores Johnny Potasi (Carson, Calif.), and Mike Stovall (LaVista, Neb.) and freshmen DeJon Kelly (Clovis, Calif.), Ian Harper (Chula Vista, Calif.) and Keith McKnight (Bakersfield, Calif.).
Making his collegiate debut at center will be freshman Rodney Michael (Tehachapi, Calif.). Michael enters fall practice at 6-4, 290 and should progress rapidly with veterans on either side of him. Stovall will also pressure for the nod at center.
The tackle position will play a big role this year, and while the two players there will be making their first starts at Fresno State, the possibilities are endless as they improve each week. Holding down the left side of the line along with Gatrell will be freshman Joe Schey (Diamond Bar, Calif.). Schey is a prototypical lineman, coming in at 6-6, 305 pounds. Balancing out Schey on the right side of the line will be all 6-5, 295 pounds of Kevin Jordan (Los Angeles, Calif.) who moves over from defense to offense for the 1999 season.
?The offensive line will be young,? says Hill. ?But the young offensive line that is developing during the 1999 season will become the strength of our future teams. There is definitely a bright future in the trenches for the ?Dogs.?
How bright? Just recently, Allan Wallace?s Recruiting Service ranked three of Fresno State?s incoming offensive linemen ? Mike Painchaud (Norco, Calif.), Justin Brown (Chatsworth, Calif.), and Rene Arguelles (Glendora, Calif.) ? among the best in the west.
Defensive Outlook
Four years ago, Fresno State was 104th in the nation in scoring defense. But Hill has made a commitment to stopping the other team?last year the ?Dogs were 33rd in scoring defense, and with a wealth of experience coming back, look to see more of the same in ?99.
The strength of this year?s defense centers around the team?s speed and ability to run to the ball. The ?98 squad was one of only 16 defenses in the nation to allow for nine or less touchdown passes the entire season, ranked 10th nationally in turnover margin and pushed the two-year sack total to 74. With several key players returning, defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle has high expectations of the Bulldog defensive unit.
?With our defensive system in place, and a veteran group returning, we expect to be extremely competitive from a defensive standpoint this season,? says Coyle. ?This group has worked extremely hard in preparation for this season and they know what it will take to win.?
Linebacker
The heart of the defense will be its linebacking corps. Standing tall in the middle is 5-7 junior Tim Skipper (Kenner, La.), a first team All-WAC selection last year. What Skipper lacks in size he makes up for with determination, intelligence and quickness. While some linebackers get the job done with pure force, Skipper uses his knowledge of the game to beat opponents to the ball and make key plays.
While many opponents may overlook Skipper, many are forced to look him in the eyes when he is bringing them to the ground. No Bulldog got to the ball more times than Skipper last year, leading Fresno State with 108 tackles, which ranked him ninth in the WAC. Of those 108 tackles, 60 were unassisted and 16 were for a loss.
?Tim Skipper is not only an outstanding football player, but he is also developing into a great team leader,? says Hill. ?Size has nothing to do with the way this young man plays.?
Working on either side of Skipper at outside linebacker will be two juniors ? 6-1, 220 lb. Tyrell Grayson (Fresno, Calif.) and 6-3, 220 lb. Justin Johnson (Fresno, Calif.). Primarily used as a reserve in ?98, Grayson made 30 tackles, 11 unassisted and 19 assisted.
Johnson will take a few steps back this year on defense as he switches from defensive end to outside linebacker. As a defensive end last season, he turned in 50 tackles while starting in all 11 games. Johnson was named WAC Defensive Player of the Week last season after a fine performance against Texas Tech where he blocked a punt early on in the game and then ran an interception back 33 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
A tight battle will be fought for the starting job at the SAM position. Going into camp, junior Giachino Chiaramonte (Santa Cruz, Calif.) appears to the be the front runner for the job, but will face some competition from senior Seandale Jackson (San Diego, Calif.) and freshman Nick Burley (East Palo Alto, Calif.). Chiaramonte had seven tackles last season, including two solo tackles at San Diego State, while Jackson had a season high five tackles against the Aztecs on his way to 17 tackles for the year.
The linebacking corps is very deep for Coach Hill. Besides bringing back Skipper and moving Johnson to outside linebacker, the Bulldogs will have several players with actual game experience. Senior Kevin Adams (Stockton, Calif.) made five starts at outside linebacker, making 48 tackles and one tackle for a loss. Also vying for time will be Rasheed Saafir (Highland, Calif.) who played in all 11 games last season and twice recorded six tackles. Battling for their turn on the field will be sophomore Maurice Rodriguez (Visalia, Calif.) and juniors Orlando Huff (Upland, Calif.) and Matt Fisher (Delano, Calif.) along with Allan Nicholas (Bronx, N.Y.) who returns for his senior season with the Bulldogs after sitting out the past two years with injuries. Also look for freshmen Sam Williams (Clayton, Calif.) and Marc Dailey (Fresno, Calif.) to make waves.
Defensive Line
Despite Johnson moving from defensive end to linebacker and the loss of second team All-WAC selection Jerry Lemon, the defensive line is stacked with talented athletes who can play hard-nosed football in the trenches. The men up front are big and mobile. Bringing in experience from last year is senior defensive end Frank Battle (Elm City, N.C.). At the tackle position will be 6-3, 275 lb. Alan Harper (Fontana, Calif.) and the 280-lb. junior Thabiti Lockhart (Oakland, Calif.) will take on the nose guard job.
Bigger and stronger this year, Battle comes into the season at 6-5, 270. Last year he started the first six games and appeared consistently throughout the remainder of the year. Twice last season he had a season-high six tackles and finished the year with 28 tackles, including three for a loss and two sacks.
Getting in wherever he could, Harper did some damage to opposing players last year recording 43 tackles, including two for a loss and one sack. As a sophomore, Lockhart didn?t see much playing time behind all-WAC selection Lemon. But when he did get in, he made his presence felt. Playing in eight games, he made 14 tackles, one for a loss and broke up a pass as well.
The defensive line will hardly miss a beat when it comes time for the back-ups to get their shot. Besides playing the SAM position, Seandale Jackson could see some time at nose tackle. Brock Torresdal (Redwood City, Calif.), who played in eight games last year with 19 tackles, will push Harper at tackle, and sophomore Ramsey Venner (Oakland, Calif.) will see some time at defensive end. Jake Probst (Midway, Utah) also returns for 1999 after playing through 1998 with a knee injury. After surgery in the off-season, look for Probst to battle for a starting position in fall camp. Andy Ritenour (Nipomo, Calif.), Karl Holley (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Kerry Hunter (San Bernardino, Calif.) and Jason Stewart (Bakersfield, Calif.) are four talented freshmen who will make their presence felt this fall, giving the Bulldogs high hopes for the future.
Secondary
While two key players from last year?s defensive secondary were picked up by NFL teams, the Bulldogs still have a solid nucleus of guys as the last line of defense. Three of the players listed at the top of the depth chart made starts last year, including senior Payton Williams (Moreno Valley, Calif.) who started 10 games last year at cornerback. Junior Dante Marsh (Oakland, Calif.) made three starts at the other cornerback spot while sophomore Vernon Fox (Las Vegas, Nev.) made a start at free safety.
Williams and Marsh will compliment each other at the cornerback positions, having played together for two years now, and can provide excellent coverage as well as coming up to stop the run. Williams made 48 tackles during the 1998 campaign and proved that he is great in coverage by picking off three passes: one of his interceptions resulted in a 61-yard return. Williams will also have an opportunity to showcase his speed and intelligence once again this year as a punt returner for the Bulldogs? special teams unit. On 24 returns, he racked up 343 yards and broke free for a 66-yard return against UTEP.
Marsh was right ahead of Williams with 54 tackles, placing him fifth on the team. While in coverage Marsh broke up four passes and made two interceptions. With one start under his belt at free safety, Fox will move over to strong safety and fill the void left by third-round draft pick and second team all-WAC selection Cory Hall. In 11 games last season, Fox recorded 37 tackles. Besides picking off a pass and returning it for 47 yards, Fox also broke up two passes, caused two fumbles and recovered another.
Coming in to take on the free safety position will be junior Anthony Limbrick (Oakland, Calif.). Last season he saw action in nine games and recorded 14 tackles before spending his spring in the outfield for the Bulldog baseball team. Limbrick?s speed and excellent coverage anywhere on the field were evident as he broke up three passes last year.
Much like the linebackers, the secondary is filled with talented players ? all the way down the depth chart. Sophomore Devon Banks (Oakland, Calif.) will be Williams? understudy at one cornerback spot, while sophomores Carlos Mack (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Tierre Sams (Fresno, Calif.) will battle for time behind Marsh. Sophomore Curtis Edwards (Riverside, Calif.) and freshman Cameron Worrell (Chowchilla, Calif.) will compete for time at the strong safety spot, while two juniors ? Terence Brown (East Palo Alto, Calif.) and Lawrence Deck (Calgary, Alberta) ? will be in the hunt for action at free safety. Also look for freshmen Dee Meza (Santa Ana, Calif.) and Danny Jones (Fresno, Calif.) at corner and Bryce McGill (Bakersfield, Calif.) at safety to show their skills early in their careers.
Kicking
While some people may underestimate the importance of the kicking game, Coach Hill is well aware of how much kicking plays a part in the grand scheme of things. Part of his concern this year stems from the loss of punter Jeff Roberts, a first team All-WAC selection last year. Last season Roberts was fifth in the conference with a 42-yard average and a booming 69-yard punt against Nevada. Stepping in this year will be senior Joel Comfort (Hughson, Calif.) who has a strong leg and will be called upon to pin opponents deep into their own territory. ?This is an area of major concern in ?99 and we believe Joel Comfort can and must come through for the ?Dogs,? says Hill.
Handling the kicking duties once again will be Jeff Hanna (Alta Loma, Calif.) who returns for his senior season. Last season Hanna was second on the team with 65 points, including 12 field goals and 26 extra points. Hanna had five field goals last year over 40 yards and he hit his season long, a 47-yard field goal, at Texas Tech.
