Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs Prepare for Homecoming Football Game
10/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 13, 2005
FRESNO, Calif. - Here are some excerpts from Pat Hill's weekly press conference about the team and this week's game against Utah State. The Homecoming game will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs (3-1) are coming off two dominating wins over Toledo and New Mexico State. Fresno State is averaging 42.5 points per game, which ranks seventh in the NCAA. The Aggies enter this week with a 2-2 record after defeating San Jose State 24-17 last weekend.
The game is nearing a sellout, but tickets currently remain for the Utah State game. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.. Tickets for Saturday's game are available at the Bulldog Ticket Office, via phone at (559) 278-DOGS or online at www.gobulldogs.com.
Comments from Fresno State Head Football Coach Pat Hill
Hill on Special Teams
"Out kicking game has been really outstanding. The kicking game has dictated the opponents drive start all season long. We have been putting teams on a long field and subsequently, when they punt we are getting the ball in great position and working with a short field. We don't have a lot of offensive stats because our drives have been short, but that's because of our special teams. We have got to keep that pressure on."
Special Teams Notes: Fresno State has allowed just three total punt return yards this season ... the opponents average drive start after kickoffs is the 19 yard line ... The longest kickoff return Fresno State has allowed in 2005 is 21 yards ... Fresno State ranks first on the NCAA in punt return defense, allowing an average of 1 yard per return ... The Dogs ranks second in the NCAA in punt returns (27.9 avg.) and are 10th in the NCAA in kickoff returns (27.4 avg.) ... Adam Jennings ranks No. 5 in the NCAA in kick return average (34.9) and is 17th in punt return average (14.0).
Hill on Utah State
"They have a very athletic quarterback (Leon Jackson). Kevin Robinson from Hoover High is a big weapon for them. He's guy we wanted to take out of Hoover High School. He played with Ahijah Lane there. I believe his brother coaches at Utah State so he was pretty committed to going there. They have big-play capability with Kevin. The quarterback is very mobile and can throw. They are well coached in the offensive line and they can hit you at any time. Whenever you have a quarterback who can move and spread the offense out, you have to be very disciplined and keep a guy on him. With New Mexico State, the quarterback was not as big a (running) threat, so we were able to do some other things. We will have to do some thing differently against Utah State because of the mobility of the quarterback. They are very fundamentally sound on defense. Brent Guy was a defensive coordinator at Arizona State and they play very hard. I watched their game with Utah. I was impressed with their team speed. That game was very close for a long time. It was 7-0 for quite a while. The final score was not indicative of the type of game it was. Of the last three teams we've played, Utah State is the best defensive team of the three. I'm impressed by the way their linebackers and secondary can run. There will be more speed on the field this week. They are very well coached and are coming off a big win over San Jose State, so they will have a great mindset. It will be a good game for us."
Notes about the Utah State Series: The Bulldogs own a slim 10-9-1 all-time lead in the series, which began in 1952. However, the teams have not played on a regular basis in recent years, only once this decade and just three games since 1990 ... Fresno State has held an edge in the recent history of the series, winning seven of the last 10 meetings ... Utah State's last win came in 1991, 20-19 at Logan, Utah ... The only tie in the series happened in Fresno in 1990 (24-24) ... The Dogs are 8-2-1 at home against the Aggies, who have never won a game in Bulldog Stadium ... The last meeting was Dec. 1, 2001 in a game that was rescheduled for the end of the season due to the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Fresno State won that game 70-21 as David Carr completed 21-of-27 passes for 432 yards and six touchdown passes, three of them to Bernard Berrian, as Fresno State built a 56-14 halftime lead. The Bulldogs had 713 yards of total offense in the game, including 438 by halftime. The Dogs scored touchdowns on eight of their first 10 possessions.
Hill on Playing at Bulldog Stadium
"There's great electricity and anytime you have that type of atmosphere and electricity it transfers to the players. Sometimes when you go into a venue, there's not that electric environment. Like last week at New Mexico State, but the players did a good job and took it upon themselves to get ramped up for the game. We were ready to play. We've experienced tough games in tough environments and we've experienced a hangover game. This team is very mature. Bulldog Stadium is a great place to play. We've got great fans. It can get rocking and rolling at times and I'd like to see it go from start to finish. I'd like to see that. There are parts of the stadium that just rock and roll. Our students are unbelievable. The south end of stadium is full from start to finish. I think the noise level has really grown in that stadium. The fans are starting to understand the `Third Down Thunder' and `Another Fresno State First Down' and they are getting into that. All the little things we do at the games are starting to become a ritual. We have great fans. We have passionate fans. I think they appreciate the players and we are getting more people to come from the small towns in the Valley where our players are from. We have a local product. It's basically an all-star team of local Valley players. That all adds up to our kids looking forward to playing in front of their friends and family and they love playing at home.
Bulldog Stadium Notes: Fresno State is 40-7 all-time at Bulldog Stadium under Pat Hill ... the Dogs are 24-4 in Bulldog Stadium this decade ... in 2003, The Sporting News ranked Bulldogs Stadium No. 23 in the nation for gameday atmosphere and experience.
Hill on Paul Pinegar
"Paul is obviously having a very good year. What people don't always see is that when we are facing an eight-man front, which happens a lot, he is checking almost all of those runs at the line of scrimmage and getting the right runs against those teams. He did a great job of calling those plays at the line of scrimmage. The other thing is that he has been very sharp at the beginning of every game. He faces a very good defense everyday in practice, so he is very prepared. We haven't needed him to throw the ball in the second half of our last two games, but he has been very sharp. He was right on it against New Mexico State. The third down conversions were good for touchdowns. He hit some nice routes with a water-logged ball. That was like throwing a shot put. He made some nice throws on the fades in the end zone but the defense made good plays on the ball. I think he's really sharp right now."
Paul Pinegar Notes: Senior quarterback Paul Pinegar is off to an excellent start of the season. Through four games, he leads the WAC in passing efficiency and is second in touchdowns. He ranks seventh in the NCAA in pass efficiency (166.6) ... Pinegar set a University of Oregon Autzen Stadium record by completing 33 passes and established a career high of 418 passing yards in the Dogs 37-34 loss to the Ducks. It was the first 400-yard passing game for Fresno State since the 2001 season ... He had 458 yards of total offense against Oregon, the sixth-best total in Fresno State history, and the ninth-best game in the nation this season ... In his last 10 games, Pinegar has thrown 26 touchdowns and just four interceptions ... As the starting quarterback, he's won 75% of Fresno State's games, second in Bulldog history to Mark Barotti ... With seven more touchdowns, he will break David Carr's career record for most TD passes in a career. Pinegar currently has 63 touchdown passes.
