Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs Make Big Impression In Fresno
9/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept 3, 2001
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - All week long, David Carr couldn't get Fresno State to beat Oregon State on his PlayStation. The virtual Bulldogs simply didn't have the virtual talent to contend with one of the game's top teams.
Even video game makers don't respect us, Fresno State's senior quarterback thought.
When the real teams took the field on Sunday night, Carr and his teammates were a whole lot better than their electronic counterparts.
With Carr leading a quick-strike passing offense, the Bulldogs pounded then-No. 10 Oregon State 44-24, propelling themselves into the AP rankings - at No. 19 - for the first time since 1993.
"We still don't get the respect we should," Carr said. "We've been doing a lot of good things here for two years now, but we're in the WAC, and it's tough. If it was Florida that came out and did this to Oregon State, then you'd (hear) all about it."
With a passionate coach and a dynamic quarterback who's throwing himself into the Heisman Trophy race, Fresno State has posted two eye-opening victories and drawn national attention to the Bulldogs' resurgent program.
Fresno State, which opened the season with a 24-22 win at Colorado, has been building up to this fall since Pat Hill took over the program in 1997. His first recruits are now seniors, and the Bulldogs are everyone's preseason pick to win the Western Athletic Conference.
But that doesn't mean much on a national level, where the WAC doesn't garner any attention or regard. Hill, who promised to play "big-time football" at Bulldog Stadium, has kept his word by scheduling big-name opponents.
"We're always going to go out and challenge anybody," Hill said. "We may take our lumps at some point, but with the guys we've got in this program, I don't think we're scared of anybody."
Things get even more difficult for the Bulldogs, who face a short week of preparation for Saturday's game at Big Ten power - and 22nd-ranked - Wisconsin. But with Carr playing at the top of his game, no opponent seems unbeatable to Fresno State.
Carr was spectacular against Oregon State, picking apart the Beavers' well-respected defense with short and long throws. Oregon State coach Dennis Erickson said he doesn't expect his team to see a better quarterback this season than Carr, who threw for 340 yards and four TDs.
"We were trying to get him 400 (yards) to get him into the Heisman race," receiver Bernard Berrian said.
Actually, Carr is in it already. Most longtime Fresno State observers think Carr is further along in his development than Trent Dilfer was during his senior year with the Bulldogs, and NFL scouts love his size, arm strength and experienced decision-making.
Carr, his PlayStation fiasco behind him, was thinking only of the team.
"It's great for our program," Carr said. "We can feel the energy in the stadium. We've got 5 million people within 150 miles who can be Bulldog supporters."
Momentum has been building around the Bulldogs for some time. Fresno State went 7-5 and made the Silicon Valley Classic last season, losing to Air Force on a failed 2-point conversion at the end of a thrilling game.
After a sellout crowd partied into the night to celebrate Fresno State's victory over the Beavers, it's clear Hill's plan to make the Bulldogs a national name is gaining steam.
Hill, a former assistant under longtime Fresno State coach Jim Sweeney, spent several years as an NFL assistant before returning to rebuild the Bulldogs' program in the city he considers his home.
"The nation got to see Fresno and the San Joaquin Valley, and I think that's pretty darn important," Hill said. "Why not us? Why can't Fresno State play with the big guys? Why not? You tell me."
| Rk. | Team | Record | Pts | Pvs |
| 1. | Miami (37) | 1-0 | 1,737 | 2 |
| 2. | Florida (19) | 1-0 | 1,721 | 1 |
| 3. | Oklahoma (10) | 2-0 | 1,633 | 3 |
| 4. | Texas (4) | 1-0 | 1,482 | 5 |
| 5. | Nebraska (2) | 2-0 | 1,474 | 4 |
| 6. | Florida St. | 1-0 | 1,458 | 6 |
| 7. | Oregon | 1-0 | 1,357 | 7 |
| 8. | Tennessee | 1-0 | 1,355 | 8 |
| 9. | Virginia Tech | 1-0 | 1,200 | 9 |
| 10. | Georgia Tech | 2-0 | 988 | 11 |
| 11. | Michigan | 1-0 | 963 | 12 |
| 12. | Kansas St. | 0-0 | 943 | 13 |
| 13. | LSU | 1-0 | 861 | 14 |
| 14. | UCLA | 1-0 | 809 | 17 |
| 15. | Washington | 0-0 | 728 | 15 |
| 16. | Northwestern | 0-0 | 674 | 16 |
| 17. | Notre Dame | 0-0 | 604 | 18 |
| 18. | Mississippi St. | 0-0 | 571 | 20 |
| 19. | Fresno St. | 2-0 | 554 | - |
| 20. | Clemson | 1-0 | 524 | 19 |
| 21. | South Carolina | 1-0 | 422 | 21 |
| 22. | Oregon St. | 0-1 | 293 | 10 |
| 23. | Wisconsin | 1-1 | 208 | 22 |
| 24. | Ohio St. | 0-0 | 189 | 23 |
| 25. | Georgia | 1-0 | 129 | - |
| Others receiving votes: Louisville 91, Purdue 73, USC 71, Pittsburgh 59, BYU 37, Illinois 36, Michigan St. 25, Toledo 25, Alabama 20, Southern Miss. 14, East Carolina 11, Colorado St. 10, Stanford 9, Colorado 8, Texas A&M 8, Mississippi 6, Auburn 4, Boston College 4, Marshall 4, Arkansas 2, Iowa St. 2, W. Michigan 2, Arizona St. 1, Indiana 1. | ||||
