Fresno State Athletics
No. 21 Dogs Host Hawaii
9/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Date: Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008
Kickoff: 7 p.m. PT
Site: Bulldog Stadium (41,031); Fresno, Calif.
Radio: KMJ (AM 580); Dog Talk (5 p.m.) Countdown to Kickoff (6:30 p.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 6:30 p.m.)
KAIL-TV Digital 7.1 (MY 53)/Comcast Cable 13/KUVI in Bakersfi eld/Comcast SportsNet Play-by-Play: Ralph Wood; Analyst: Randy Rosenbloom
Oct. 3, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. - After three road games in the first four of the season, the Dogs come home for consecutive home games. Fresno State will host defending WAC Champion Hawaii at Bulldog Stadium Saturday night. Fresno State is ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll and No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll this week. Approximately 2,000 tickets are available for the game.
Complete Release in PDF Format 
The Red Wave
With approximately 20,000 fans at the Rose Bowl last Saturday, Bulldog fans are expected to be in abundance on campus this weekend when Fresno State hosts Hawaii. The Fresno State athletics department has sold a record number of group tickets (just over 3,600) and all tailgating spaces have been rented. The Dogs, playing just their second home of the game of season, played in front of a capacity crowd in the season opener against Wisconsin, the 10th largest in Bulldogs history.
About the Warriors
Hawaii, a team that has beaten Fresno State in consecutive seasons, will come to Fresno this weekend with a 1-3 record, 0-1 in the WAC. The Warriors lost to San Jose State 20-17 at Aloha Stadium on Saturday night. Under defensive guru Greg McMackin, the Warriors were projected to have the WAC's best defense coming into the season. Hawaii ranks No. 105 in the nation in scoring defense allowing 34.5 points per game. One of the most prolific passing offenses in recent years, Hawaii enters the week averaging 216.2 passing yards per game and is last in the WAC, No. 103 in the nation, in total offense at 311.5 yards per game. Hawaii has been outscored 121-44 by its three FBS opponents this season.
Against the Warriors
One of the most bitter losses in recent Bulldog history happened in Hawaii's last visit to Bulldog Stadium, when the Warriors rolled up 68 points and 570 total yards in a 68-37 win in 2006. The Bulldogs own a slight edge in the all-time series, 20-19-1, but Hawaii has won two straight. The No. 12-ranked Warriers beat the Dogs 37-30 last season in Honolulu.
Mathews No. 10 in the NCAA
Fresno State's sensational sophomore running back Ryan Mathews ranked No. 10 in the NCAA in rushing yards per game, 117.5 yards. He is averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Against UCLA he showcased his explosiveness with a 49 yard touchdown run and a 25 yard touchdown reception in which he hurdled Bruin cornerback Courtney Vining.
About Those Losses
Of Fresno State's last eight losses dating back to the 2006 season, each opponent was either nationally ranked or went to a bowl game. Among the opponents who have beaten the Dogs' during that time are: No. 5 LSU, No. 10 Wisconsin, No. 11 Oregon, No. 12 Hawaii, No. 14 Boise State and No. 23 Texas A&M. All but one of those games (a 13-10 loss to Wisconsin) were on the road. Fresno State is 14-6 in the last 20 games.
BCS Wins
Fresno State's 14 wins against schools in BCS conferences since the 2000 season are the tied with Utah for most in the nation. Here are few nuggets about Fresno State vs. the BCS.
- Fresno State has won four of the last five games against teams from BCS conferences (Kansas State, Georgia Tech, Rutgers and UCLA). The lone loss was to No. 10 Wisconsin 13-10.
- After losing the first nine games against BCS schools under Hill, Fresno State is 14-14 in the last 28 games against BCS conference schools. Only five of the those games have been played at Bulldog Stadium.
- Fresno State is 4-1 against BCS conference teams in bowl games under Hill.
- Of the last 13 BCS Conference losses, 10 of those teams were ranked in the Top 25, three in the Top Five (1. USC, 1. Oklahoma, 5. LSU), one Top 10 (10. Wisconsin).
Dogs Are Setting Standards in California
Not only are the Bulldogs the second-highest poll ranked team in the state of California, the Fresno State football program is highly ranked in other areas. Since 1985, Fresno State is tied with USC for most wins by a school in the state. On the academic front, Fresno State's NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) score ranks second among California state public schools and fourth among all schools in the state. Only Cal has a higher APR for public schools. Stanford and USC are two private schools with higher APR rankings.the ESPN networks in 2008, including the UCLA game on Sept. 27 from the Rose Bowl, which will be on ABC.
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - Secure your seat now as Hawaii comes to Bulldog Stadium to take on the `Dogs on Saturday, October 4 at 7 p.m. Be there early to check out Bulldog Boulevard, the ultimate free pre-game fan experience which opens at 3 p.m. 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.
