Fresno State Athletics
Countdown to Kickoff: 27 Days
8/5/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 5, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. - Fifteen days.
That's all Pat Hill and the Bulldog coaches have been able to work with their team since the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl win over Georgia Tech. That's the maximum number of practice days during spring drills for college football teams.
That ended today when Hill welcomed over 100 players to campus for the first organized practice of fall camp. With less than 30 days before the season opening game at Rutgers, the coaches and student-athletes will have to be very efficient with the time they have to prepare for a season filled with high expectations.
"We still have a lot of work to do but it was a great start to fall camp," Hill said.
Fresno State opens the 2008 season ranked No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and is picked to win the Western Athletic Conference.
As usual, Hill split his team into two groups, Red and Black, for practice purposes.
The red unit, mostly the newcomers and younger players, began the day on the field at 9 a.m. That gave coaches plenty of quality teaching time with those players for about 90 minutes before the veterans, or Black unit, joined the practice session.
Both groups worked together for about 30 minutes before the Red unit was dismissed and the coaches began a more intensive practice session with the veteran players (Black unit). The practice sessions lasted until just after 1 p.m.
"We don't get a lot of time to get ready for Rutgers and we only had 15 days since the bowl game to work with the players," said Hill. "So this is an exciting time for the players and coaches. We love to coach and teach. The field is our classroom."
Hill said the most important thing will come out of the early part of camp will be the team chemistry and to determine the level of the team's fitness.
"We have great leaders on this team and I'm not too worried about the team chemistry, he added. "Once we get into camp for a couple weeks and it's hot and hard and guys are tired, you find out what kind of team you have. When those teams really push through that part of camp, you know you will have a tough football team."
The Bulldogs spent Monday going through orientation, NCAA compliance rules seminars, and getting fitted for their equipment.
Hill and the coaches addressed the team Monday night with the annual "state of the program" address, outlining the expectations and demands, plus a history lesson for the younger players about Bulldog football.
Getting that part of the process completed, the coaches and student-athletes will now devote between 10-16 hours each day over the next three weeks to get ready for the season.
All Bulldog football families, fans and future season ticket holder are invited to a Football Kickoff Night as the pre-season Top 25 Dogs complete their first week of practice.
A full contact scrimmage will begin Sunday night, August 10, at 7 p.m. in Bulldog Stadium.
Because of scheduling conflicts as the Bulldogs prepare for Rutgers, Wisconsin, UCLA and the WAC, no appropriate date could be found for the annual Football Kickoff Dinner, so the team and coaches are hoping the Red Wave will take advantage of this Football Kickoff Night this Sunday night, August 10, at 7 p.m. in Bulldog Stadium.
Admission is free through the south gate of Bulldog Stadium for Fresno State football fans of all ages.
Fans are invited to practice for this first week of fall camp, including Sunday's scrimmage. After that, practices will be closed to the public for the remainder of fall camp.
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The first Big Ten team will travel to the Valley as the `Dogs take on Wisconsin in the home opener on Saturday, September 13 at 7:30 p.m. The game can be seen nationally on ESPN2. Be sure to reserve your seat for the Wisconsin game by purchasing a season ticket, family plan or 3-game mini plan for just $99. In the month of August, get your official Wisconsin game day t-shirt at the Bulldog Shop for only $10 with any purchase. 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.
