Fresno State Athletics
Headed to Hawaii
10/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 6, 2009
Fresno State (1-3, 0-1 WAC) vs Hawaii (2-2, 0-1 WAC)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009
Kickoff: 8 p.m. PT
Site: Aloha Stadium (50,000); Honolulu
Radio: KMJ (AM 580); Dog Talk (6 p.m.) Countdown to Kickoff (7 p.m.)
Play-by-Play: Paul Loeffler; Analyst: Jordan Christensen; Sideline: Steve Gonzalez
ESPN Deportes (1600 AM) in Spanish
Play-by-Play: Erwin Higueros; Analysts: Raul Rios and Jesse Beltran
Television: Bulldog Sports Network (Comcast 13); KAIL 7.1
Play-by-Play: Ralph Wood; Analyst: Randy Rosenbloom; Sideline: Guy Haberman
Fresno State Release in PDF Format 
Dogs Return to Action with WAC Road Game at Hawaii
After a much needed week off, the Bulldogs gear up for the most grueling road trip of the season at Hawaii on Saturday night. The Dogs enter the game with a 1-3 record on the season and are 0-1 in the WAC with a loss to No. 5 Boise State on Sept. 18.
Dogs in Midst of Brutal Road Trip Stretch
Not many teams in the nation will undertake the travels of the Fresno State football team. The Dogs are in in the midst of a journey that will see 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 this weekend. 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 Hawaii
The Warriors own one of the NCAA's post prolific passing offenses, as Hawaii has almost doubled its opponents in passing yards and touchdown passes. However, the Warriors will be without their starting quarterback Greg Alexander, lost for the season with a knee injury in last week's game at Louisiana Tech. Hawaii's offense averages over 15-yards per pass completion. The receiving corps is led by the NCAA's top receiver in Greg Salas, who averages 150 yards per game, averages better than 23 yards per reception and has scored four touchdowns this season. Rodney Bradley also has four touchdowns and averages 19 yards per reception. Linebacker Blaze Soares leads the UH defense at 9.2 tackles per game. Hawaii has a win over a Pac-10 opponent this season, beating Washington State in Seattle.
Against the Warriors
After 41 games in a historical series that dates back nearly 90 years, the Bulldog and Warriors enter Saturday's game with 20 wins each and one tie. The Bulldog have lost three straight to Hawaii, with the last win coming at Aloha Stadium in 2005. Fresno State is 7-15 all-time in games played at Hawaii but just 2-12 since 1965. In the Pat Hill era, the Dogs are 1-5 at Aloha Stadium, but the games have been fairly close, a 5.5 points per game score differential. The 1999 game was a double-overtime classic, which Hawaii won 31-24.
Hawaii Game Time Change
The game time for this weekend's game has been changed to 5 p.m. local time, 8 p.m. PT. Hawaii Athletics Director Jim Donovan agreed to the change after Fresno State officials asked for it. The game time change allows the Bulldogs to catch a red-eye flight back to the West Coast immediately after the game, which saves on hotel costs for Saturday night.
Mathews No. 2 in NCAA in Rushing
After a magnificent performance against No. 10 Boise State and a career-high 38 carries against No. 14 Cincinnati junior running back Ryan Mathews ranks second in the NCAA in rushing yards at 148.0 yards per game. Mathews rolled up 234 yards on the Broncos with three touchdown runs of 60-yards or better. BSU had allowed an average of 34 rushing yards per game. He's posted four straight 100-yard games this season and is averaging an amazing 6.8 yards per carry. He leads a Bulldog team that ranks No. 3 in the NCAA in rushing yards and No. 7 in total offense.
"We are Your Team!" - The Bulldogs travel to Hawaii to take on the WAC rival Warriors on Saturday, October 10 at 8 p.m. The game can be seen on the Bulldog Sports Network on KAIL (Comcast Cable, Channel 13). The Bulldogs return to Bulldog Stadium on Saturday, October 17 as they host San Jose State in the annual Homecoming game. 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.
