Fresno State Athletics
Homecoming 2009
10/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 13, 2009
Fresno State (2-3, 1-1 WAC) vs San Jose State (1-4, 0-1 WAC)
HOMECOMING
Date: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009
Kickoff: 7 p.m. PT
Site: Bulldog Stadium (41,031); Fresno, Calif.
Radio: KMJ (AM 580); Bulldog Live (5 p.m.) Countdown to Kickoff (6 p.m.)
Play-by-Play: Paul Loeffler; Analyst: Jordan Christensen; Sideline: Ralph Wood
ESPN Deportes (1600 AM) in Spanish
Play-by-Play: Erwin Higueros; Analysts: Raul Rios and Jesse Beltran
Television: None
Fresno State vs. San Jose State Footbal Release 
Dogs Host Rival Spartans for Homecoming
The Fresno State football team returns to Bulldog Stadium for the first time in a month as homecoming is celebrated on campus. The Dogs host rival San Jose State Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets are available by clicking the tickets icon at the top of this page.
Homecoming Activities
The Alumni Association holds its annual Top Dog Awards Ceremony Friday night at the Save Mart Center. Former Bulldog quarterback Trent Dilfer has been selected as the 2009 Top Dog Outstanding Alumnus. Dilfer had a storied NFL career that included leading the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl victory. He's currently an NFL analyst with ESPN. In addition, former Bulldog Cory Hall, who also had a long NFL career, will be recognized as the department of athletics Top Dog winner. The newly renovated Madden Library will honor the athletics department on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. There will be an athletics display. Notable alumni, coaches and staff will be on hand. The public is invited.
Dogs End Brutal Road Trip Stretch
Not many teams in the nation will undertake the travels of the Fresno State football team. The Dogs just completed a journey that saw them play in four different time zones and log close to 15,000 miles. The journey began on Sept. 12 at Wisconsin, followed by a Friday night clash with preseason WAC favorite Boise State in Fresno on Sept. 18. The Dogs them hit the Eastern Time Zone for a game at No. 10 Cincinnati before an even longer road trip to Hawaii last weekend. Fresno State has road trips remaining to Moscow, Idaho, Las Cruces, N.M, and Champaign, Ill. During the 2009 season, Fresno State will play in five of the six United State's time zones and travel over 23,000 miles.
About San Jose State
The Spartans enter the week with a 1-4 record and have played a tough non-conference schedule, facing No. 4 USC and No. 17 Utah out of the gate, plus a loss at Stanford. They are coming off a WAC loss to Idaho at home last weekend, 29-25, as the Vandals scored a touchdown with 70 seconds remaining to earn the win. SJSU averages 15.8 points per game and is coming off season-high 25 points and 302 passing yards against the Vandals.
Against the Spartans
The Bulldogs and Spartans will be playing for the 74th time. Thanks to wins in 14 of the last 15 games, the Dogs own the all-time series advantage 37-33-3. Fresno State owns a two-game winning streak in the series and won those games by a combined score of 74-10, including a 24-10 win last season in San Jose. The Dogs are 11-2 against the Spartans in Bulldog Stadium. Under Pat Hill, the Dogs are 6-0 at home against the Spartans, averaging 40.5 points with an average margin of victory of 28 points per game.
Mathews Regains NCAA Rushing Lead, Record Books Next
Super steady Ryan Mathews returned to the national lead in rushing this week after matching his season average of 149 yards against Hawaii. He was second in the NCAA in rushing the last two weeks. After his performance against Hawaii, he's on the cusp of entering Fresno State's top 10 career rushing list. He stands No. 11, just seven yards behind Kelly Skipper (2,237). Skipper is presently the running backs coach for the Oakland Raiders and the older brother of Bulldog assistant Tim Skipper, who was Mathews' position coach for his first two seasons before moving over to coach linebackers.
"We Are Your Team" - San Jose State will be at Bulldog Stadium on Saturday, October 17 for Homecoming. The Community Food Bank along with the Bulldog Pantry will be hosting a canned food drive so bring canned food to help feed the Central Valley's hungry. Tickets can be purchased at the Bulldog Ticket Office, by calling 278-DOGS or online at GoBulldogs.com.
