Fresno State Athletics
It's A Must Win For No. 22 Football
11/21/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 21, 2001
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State still has hopes for a WAC title and a postseason bowl appearance. Neither will be possible if they lose to rival San Jose State on Friday.
The 23rd-ranked Bulldogs (9-2, 5-2) kept their WAC title hopes alive with a 61-14 rout of Nevada last Saturday, as David Carr passed for 368 yards and four touchdowns.
Fresno State will need help to gain a share of the WAC title. The Bulldogs must win their final two games and hope Louisiana Tech loses its finale to Tulsa on Saturday.
Finishing the season with wins over San Jose State and Utah State is also imperative if the Bulldogs have any hope of securing a spot in the postseason Bowl Championship Series.
"It's our ninth win of the season. We're going to play two more games and hopefully get into a bowl," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said.
It is obvious from the last three games that Fresno State' offense is peaking at the end of the season. In those games, the Bulldogs have scored 151 points, while Carr has passed for 994 yards and 13 TDs.
Carr could be poised to post huge numbers in the season's final two games - both at home against inferior opponents. He set the school record last Saturday with 34 touchdowns, and is 251 yards shy of passing Trent Dilfer's 1993 record for single-season yardage.
The Bulldogs have dominated San Jose State of late, winning seven straight meetings by an average score of 36-12.
"I think you'll see a very heated football game, a very physical football game between two teams that have had a rivalry for many, many years," Hill said. "It's the longest standing rivalry at Fresno State. In the two communities, it's the biggest game of the year. I know it is in Fresno. It's a game that we look forward to."
The Spartans (3-7, 3-4) will try to rebound following their worst performance of the season - a 56-6 loss to Boise State last Saturday.
"We did not play to 50 percent of our potential," San Jose State coach Fitz Hill said. "We went backwards in all phases of the game. I think a lot of external forces distracted us from our focus."
One week after setting a conference record with 849 yards in a 64-45 victory over Nevada, San Jose State managed just 183 yards Saturday for its lowest offensive output in more than two years.
It has been a season of extremes for the Spartans. They are averaging 55.6 points in their three wins, but just 14.7 in seven losses.
