Fresno State Athletics
Dogs Look to Spoil Aggie Homecoming
10/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 21, 2008
Fresno State (4-2, 1-1 WAC) vs Utah State (1-6, 1-2 WAC)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008
Kickoff: Noon PT
Site: Romney Stadium (25,513); Logan, Utah
Radio: KMJ (AM 580); Dog Talk (10 a.m.) Countdown to Kickoff (11:30 a.m.)
Play-by-Play: Bill Woodward; Analyst: Jordan Christensen; Sideline: Steve Gonzales
ESPN Deportes (1600 AM) in Spanish
Play-by-Play: Jess Gonzalez; Analysts: Sam Sosa and Doug Kessler
Television: Bulldog Sports Network (Bulldog Blitz pregame begins at 11:30 a.m.)
KAIL-TV Digital 7.1 (MY 53)/Comcast Cable 13/KUVI in Bakersfield/Comcast SportsNet
Play-by-Play: Ralph Wood; Analyst: Randy Rosenbloom
FRESNO, Calif. -- After a week off, Fresno State prepares for consecutive road games. The first is Saturday at Utah State at Noon PT. After that, the Dogs head to Ruston, La., to play Louisiana Tech.
Complete Release in PDF Format 
About the Aggies
At 1-6 this season, the Aggies enter this week with a three-game losing streak. Utah State lost at Nevada 44-17 last weekend in Reno, a game that was relatively close at halftime withNevada leading 20-7. Utah State has played a tough non-conference schedule, facing three Top 25 teams (at Oregon, Utah and BYU). The Aggies beat Idaho 42-17 for their first WAC win of the season. Diondre Borel leads the Aggies in rushing (50 ypg) and passing (133.1 ypg). He's thrown eight touchdowns. Utah State averages 18.7 points per game and is allowing 39.4 per game.
Against the Aggies
The Bulldogs have never had much success in Logan, Utah. The Dogs have not won there since 1989 and are just 2-8 all-time. The Dogs have won 12 of the 23 games in the series dating back to 1952 and have won four of the last five, but all of those wins came at Bulldog Stadium. Fresno State lost 13-12 in 2006, the last trip to Utah State. That was the only win of the season for the Aggies.
Going on Offense
Through the midway point of the season, Fresno State's offensive production has been impressive. The Dogs rank 29th in the nation in scoring (33.2 ppg), 12th in rushing (226.0) and 23rd in total offense (432.2). The Dogs are second in the WAC in touchdowns, behind Nevada, and second in the WAC in field goals (9). Fresno State ranks second in the league in average yard per play, 6.6 yards, second to Nevada (6.8). The Dogs are fourth in the pass-happy WAC with 10 touchdowns and have the second-fewest interceptions (5). Fresno State is averaging 7.9 yards per pass play, third-best average in the WAC. The Dogs also lead the WAC in fourth down conversions, hitting all six attempts.
After the Bye
Under Pat Hill, the Bulldogs are 11-5 after bye weekends and 5-2 in WAC games after a bye. Hill's teams have just one loss after a bye week in which it won the game before the bye week.
WAC Heats Up
The WAC season is now in full swing and a look at the standings show that six of the nine WAC teams have at least a .500 record or better and each are at least .500 in WAC games. Two big match-ups are on the schedule this week as Boise State (2-0) travels to San Jose State (3-0) on Friday night on ESPN2. The other big game has Nevada (2-1) traveling to Hawaii (2-2), with both teams still fighting to become bowl eligible.
Run Game
After back-to-back 318 yard rushing games, Fresno State has moved up to No. 12 in the NCAA in rushing this week with a season average of 226.0 yards per game. Fresno State is the only school in the nation with three running backs ranked in the Top 80 in the NCAA in rushing yards yer game. Ryan Mathews continues to lead the WAC in rushing at 105.1 yards per ghame. Lonyae Miller and Anthony Harding rank fourth and seventh in the WAC, repsectively. They ranked second and third in yards per carry, each more than seven yards per rush. All three backs have produced at least one 150-yard rushing game this season. As a team, Fresno State is averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
Join the State - Fresno State! The `Dogs travel to Utah State to take on the Aggies on Saturday, October 25 at 12 p.m. The game will be broadcast by the Bulldog Sports Network and can be seen on KAIL-TV Digital 7.1 (MY 53) beginning at 11:30 a.m. with the Bulldog Blitz pre-game show. The `Dogs return home to Bulldog Stadium on Friday, November 7 as they host Nevada at 6 p.m in a game televised nationally on ESPN2. To purchase tickets, click on the tickets icon at the top of this page, call the Bulldog Ticket Office at (559) 278-DOGS, or stop by the Bulldog Ticket Office.
