Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs Prepare For Homecoming Against Hawai'i Saturday
10/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 9, 2006
Fresno, Calif. -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Fresno State (1-4, 1-1) vs. Hawai'i (3-2, 1-1)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 14
Kickoff: 2 p.m. PT
Site: Bulldog Stadium (41,031); Fresno, Calif.
Radio: KMJ (AM 580); Dog Talk at Noon; Countdown to Kickoff (1:30 p.m.)
Play-by-Play: Bill Woodward; Analyst: Mark Barsotti; Sideline: Guy Haberman
KGST ESPN Deportes (1600 AM) in Spanish
Play-by-Play: Jess Gonzales; Analysts: Sam Sosa, Doug Kessler
Television: Bulldog Sports Network (KFRE CW 59)
Play-by-Play: Ralph Wood; Analyst: Randy Rosenbloom
Homecoming Against Hawai'i
Fresno State will return home to Bulldog Stadium on Oct. 14 for the annual Homecoming game. This year, the Dogs will host WAC rival Hawai'i. It's also the only home game in the month of October for the Bulldogs. Tickets for the Hawaii game are available on line at www.gobulldogs.com, at the Bulldog Ticket Office or via phone at (559) 278-DOGS.
Afternoon Football at Bulldog Stadium
The final three games of the 2006 Fresno State season will begin at 2 p.m. Gates to the parking lots will open at 10 a.m., Bulldog Boulevard begins at 11 a.m., and Bulldog Stadium opens at noon. Lou Graham, lead singer of Foreigner, will perform at Bulldog Boulevard this week.
WAC Watch
With four games this weekend, the WAC standings will see a shake-up. The winner of the Fresno State vs. Hawai'i game, one of the premier games this weekend, will get a leg up on the competition and at the same time virtually eliminate its rival from contention for the WAC championship. Boise State, tied with Idaho for the league lead, will make its first WAC road trip playing at New Mexico State. The Vandals are also on the road, playing at Louisiana Tech, where the Bulldogs need a win to stay alive in the WAC race. San Jose State, the only team that hasn't played a WAC game, hosts Utah State.
Last Meeting with the Warriors
Wendell Mathis rushed for a career-high 229 yards and three touchdowns and a stingy Fresno State defense held the high-powered Warrior passing attack to on touchdown in a 27-13 win at Aloha Stadium. The Bulldog defense stopped UH from scoring on five of eight opportunities inside the redzone and held on all three fourth-down attempts. Garrett McIntyre led the Dogs with three quarterback sacks on blocked a field goal attempt.
Last Time at Bulldog Stadium
In one of the greatest offensive performances in Fresno State history, the Bulldogs rolled to 70-14 win over the Warriors in front of an ESPN audience on Nov. 13, 2004. Fresno State set a school record of 503 rushing yards, as Bryson Sumlin (220 yards) and Wendell Mathis (176 yards) accounted for 396 yards and six touchdowns. Fresno State had 679 total yards of offense in the game. The Bulldog defense held Hawai'i to just 273 total yards. Timmy Chang, the NCAA career passing yardage record holder, could manage just 167 passing yards in his final game against the Bulldogs.
Hawai'i Hoopla
Hawai'i, coming off a 41-34 win over defending WAC champion Nevada Saturday night in Honolulu, improved to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the WAC. Hawai'i operates the one of the most high-powered offenses in the nation, ranking No. 2 in the NCAA in passing offense at 411 yards per game and No. 10 in scoring (35.6 ppg). Colt Brennan, No. 2 in the NCAA in total offense, is averaging 384.3 yards per game and throwing for 18 touchdowns. The Hawai'i defense is vastly improved over 2005, allowing over 10 ppg less this season.
Attendance Up
Despite the team's slow start, the Red Wave continues to show up Bulldog Stadium. The last two games were over 42,000 fans, over the stadiums' capacity of 41,031. It marks the first time since the 2001 season that Fresno State had back-to-back games over 42,000. This season the Dogs are averaging 41,187 fans per game at home, which is 100.3 % of the stadium's capacity. Fresno State's two sellouts this season were the 15th and 16th of this decade. As of Oct. 9, FS had nearly 5,000 tickets remaining for the Hawai'i game.
Ready for the Road
After a stretch of the season in which Fresno State has played three of four games at home, the Dogs are in the midst of a stretch that will see them at Bulldog Stadium just once in a 42-day span. That includes three road games that will take them from Logan, Utah, to Baton Rouge to Boise. This week's game vs. WAC rival Hawai'i is Fresno State's only home game in the month of October.
