Fresno State Athletics
Fall Camp News and Notes
8/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 12, 2010
FRESNO, Calif. - The boys of fall are taking care of business on the practice field on college campuses all over the country this week. For the Fresno State football team, that's included a lot of sweat and hard work under the warm California sunshine.
The Bulldogs held their second "two-a-day" session on Thursday. The morning session included several live, full-padded segments. It was a competitive practice, lots of chatter and big plays from the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
"It was a very competitive practice," said head coach Pat Hill. "It was what we need as a team to get better. Both the offense and defense were competing at a high level. We have seen some good things so far. Our seniors and leaders are doing a good job of bringing the young guys along. We have a lot of talent in the young classes and some of those guys are going to break through and see some time on the field this fall. We are making good progress."
Scrimmage Set for Saturday
The Bulldogs will hold their first scrimmage of the fall camp on Saturday night at 7 p.m. It is open to the public and will be the last practice session of fall that will be open to media and the public. Coach Hill has asked that fans not put video clips from practice sessions on the internet where it may be used by as scouting material by Fresno State's opponents.
Hill Out for the Season
Head coach Pat Hill announced Thursday that junior safety Zak Hill, his son, will miss the 2010 season with a knee injury. Hill was injured during practice on Monday and further tests conducted Wednesday night showed further damage to the knee that will require surgery. Hill, a two-year letterwinner, was battling for a starting spot at safety and had a performed well in spring drills and fall camp before the injury.
Ticket Sales Update
With the Fresno State season just over three weeks from kicking off, season tickets for the 2010 season continue to sell at a steady pace. According to Russell Hayden, Fresno State's Director of Ticket Operations, the season ticket sales figures are ahead of last year's pace. Hayden also said that student season tickets are available. There are still season ticket and mini-plan packages available at a variety of prices. Contact the Bulldog Ticket Office at (559) 278-DOGS or click the tickets icon at the top of this page for more information.
Transfers Shine
Three members of the Bulldog team were in training camps at other schools this time last year and all three have opened eyes. Senior Tracy Slocum has climbed the depth chart and is expected to make an immediate contribution to the team this fall. Slocum, a former Clovis East prep star, previously played at Cal where he signed out of high school.
Fellow running back Milton Knox has also made a great first impression. A former UCLA player, Knox was a high school All-American and named the Los Angeles Player of the Year after setting City Section records for career rushing yards (6,695) and touchdowns (103). During practice sessions Knox has shown great strength, vision and speed.
Sophomore defensive tackle Quentin Toailoa transferred to Fresno State from Nebraska, where he played the last two seasons as an offensive lineman. He has great size and strength. He was one of the top defensive linemen in the nation as a high school senior with 90 tackles and three sacks his senior season. Both Knox and Toailoa will sit out this season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules and will be ready to play in the 2011 season.
Slocum and Knox aren't the only backs to transfer from Pac 10 schools and make an impact. Former recent Bulldog Dwayne Wright (Washington State) and Wendell Mathis (UCLA) finished their careers at Fresno State, earned All-WAC honors and moved on to the NFL.
"We Are Your Team!" The Dogs open their season in less than a month on September 4 against defending Big East Champion Cincinnati. Don't miss any of the Bulldog football action. Ticket packages, includes season tickets for all seven home games are available now by clicking the tickets icon at the top of the page.
