Fresno State Athletics
Dogs Stay No. 21 in Polls
9/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 7, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. - Despite not playing last week, the national pollsters have not forgotten about Pat Hill's football team. The Dogs remained ranked No. 21 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls this week.
After a dominating 51-14 win at home Saturday over Marshall, Wisconsin jumped into the Top 10 of both polls, ranked 10th in each.
The Bulldogs are hosting a ranked opponent for the first time since Sept. 9, 2006 when No. 20 Oregon came to Bulldog Stadium. The Ducks beat the Dogs 31-24. Prior to that, Fresno State previously hosted a ranked team Nov. 21, 2003, when No. 20 Boise State came to Fresno. The highest ranked team Fresno State has ever defeated was No. 10 Oregon State, 44-24, Sept. 2, 2001.
The Dogs are 10-1 in home openers under Pat Hill, winning each of the last nine years. Nevada was the last team to ruin a home opener at Bulldog Stadium, beating Fresno State 27-24 in 1998. Fresno State is 24-3 in home opening games since Bulldog Stadium opened.
The Fresno State vs. Wisconsin game is one of three this week in which both teams are nationally ranked. The others are: No. 1 vs. No. 5 Ohio State and No. 13 Kansas at No. 19 South Florida.
The Badgers are coming off dominating wins over Akron (38-17) and Marshall (51-14). Wisconsin has one of the nation's premier running backs, P.J. Hill, who ran for 210 yards and three touchdowns in the season opening game. Hill leads the Big Ten in rushing at 133.5 yards per game and has scored four touchdowns this season.
Head coach Bret Bielema is 23-5 in his third season as head coach at Wisconsin. The Badgers are one of five Big Ten teams averaging more than 40 points per game (44.5) and rank second in their league in rushing with 281 yards per game and 10 touchdowns. Badger quarterback Allen Evridge is completing 67 percent of his passes and has thrown two touchdowns in the first two games. The Wisconsin defense has allowed just 72.5 rushing yards per game thus far and just 2.8 yards per carry.
Fresno State will make its 56th national television appearance this decade when the Dogs host Wisconsin. ESPN/ESPN2 will televise six consecutive Fresno State games, the last four of the 2007 season and the first two games of the 2008 season. Fresno State is scheduled for six nationally televised games on 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!" - The first Big Ten team will travel to the Valley on September 13 as the No. 25 `Dogs take on Wisconsin in the home opener at 7:30 p.m. The game can be seen nationally on ESPN2. 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.
