Fresno State Athletics
Dogs Host Aggies for Centennial Weekend
10/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 11, 2010
Fresno State (3-2, 1-1 WAC) vs New Mexico State (1-4, 0-1 WAC)
"Centennial Day/Homecoming"
Date: Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. PT
Site: Bulldog Stadium (41,031); Fresno, Calif.
Radio: KMJ (AM 580); Bulldog Live (5 p.m.) Countdown to Kickoff (7 p.m.)
Play-by-Play: Paul Loeffler; Analyst: Ralph Wood; Sideline: Steve Gonzalez
ESPN Deportes (1600 AM) in Spanish
Play-by-Play: Erwin Higueros; Analysts: Raul Rios and Jesse Beltran
Television: ESPNU Play-by-Play: Mark Neely; Analyst: David Diaz Infante
Fresno State Celebrates Centennial, Hosts New Mexico State
Founded in 1911, Fresno State will celebrate its 100th anniversary during the 2010-11 academic year. The campus community will hold several special events during the year and the Fresno State Athletics Department will host a Centennial event for each of its 19 sports. The Bulldog football Centennial celebration will be this weekend with the New Mexico State contest and will feature a parade through the Fresno State campus and reunion celebration for all former players. This weekend has also been designated as homecoming on Fresno State's campus. The gametime has been moved to 7:30 p.m. PT.
About the Aggies
Coming off their first win of the season over In-state rival New Mexico, the Aggies come to Bulldog Stadium with a 1-4 overall record and an 0-1 WAC mark. Led by coach DeWayne Walker, New Mexico State's defense has struggled at times this season, allowing a league-worst 39.6 points per game. However, New Mexico State is coming off its best defensive effort of the season holding the Lobos to 14 points and 274 total yards. A couple former Bulldogs, quarterback Matt Christian and linebacker Frank Padilla, are playing key roles for the Aggies. Christian is the team's top passer with 633 yards and has thrown three touchdowns while Padilla is seventh on the team in tackles with 21. They are leading the WAC and rank No. 16 in the NCAA in kick return average 25.8 ypr. Tavean Rogers is averaging nearly 28 yards per kickoff return.
Against the Aggies
The Bulldogs and Aggies have played 16 times in the series that began in 1972 and the Bulldogs have never lost. Fresno State is 7-0 at home in the series, lasting winning 24-17 in 2008 at Bulldog Stadium. The last two games at Bulldog Stadium have been decided by a total of 12 points. The Dogs outscored the Aggies 34-3 last season in Las Cruces. Fresno State's winning streak of 16 games is the longest over an opponent in school history. The Dogs defeated San Jose State 12 straight times (1991-2005).
Who's Watching?
The New Mexico State game has been added to the ESPNU national television schedule. During this decade, the Bulldogs have made 69 national television appearances, and with each game averaging over three hours, that equates to approximately 200 hours of live nation-wide exposure for the school and the Valley. Fresno State has become a favorite of ESPN, landing on one of the networks' channels (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU) more than 50 times. Fresno has grown to the fifth-largest city in California and is the 45th largest television market in the United States. Hill and Bulldog student-athletes have become nationally recognizable figures because of such success and exposure. Magazines, web sites and major media outlets all over America are covering Fresno State on a more regular basis than ever before.
"We Are Your Team!" Fresno State will celebrates is 100th year with Centennial Weekend on campus Oct. 16 when the Dogs host New Mexico State at 7:30 p.m. Festivities on campus that day include a parade through the Fresno State campus and massive pregame tailgating activities. Because of the parade, tailgate lots will open at 3 p.m. next Saturday for fans to enjoy the Tailgate of the Century activities on campus. For tickets to the game, click the tickets icon at the top of this page.
