Fresno State Athletics
Football Heads to Hawai'i Saturday
11/14/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 14, 2011
Game No. 11 - WAC Game No. 6
Fresno State Game Notes | Press Conference Quotes | Hawai'i Game Notes 
Photo by Rick Dodd
Fresno State (3-7, 2-3 WAC) at Hawai'i (5-5, 3-3 WAC)
Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 • Aloha Stadium (50,000) • Honolulu, Hawai'i • 8 p.m. PT
Game Day Quick Facts
TELEVISION:
WAC Sports Network | Play-by-Play: Barry Tompkins; Analyst: Joe Glenn
RADIO:
KMJ (AM 580); Bulldog Live (6 p.m.), Countdown to Kickoff (7:30 p.m.) | Play-by-Play: Paul Loeffler; Analyst: Jordan Christensen; Sideline: Ralph Wood
ESPN Deportes (1600 AM) in Spanish | Play-by-Play: Erwin Higueros; Analyst: Jesse Beltran; Sideline: Jose Salas
INTERNET AUDIO & LIVE STATS: gobulldogs.com
Fresno State takes its longest road trip of the season, as the Bulldogs travel 2,560 miles to Honolulu, Hawai'i to face the Hawai'i Warriors on Saturday ... Kickoff from Aloha Stadium is set for 8 p.m. PT and the game is being televised on the WAC Sports Network with the call from Barry Tompkins (play-by-play) and Joe Glenn (analyst). It can be seen on KAIL 7 in Fresno, KUVI 45 in Bakersfield and on CHN (Channel 104 on Comcast SportsNet California) in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose ... Additionally, The Bulldog Sports Network is broadcasting the game on the radio at KMJ 580-AM with the call from Paul Loeffler (play-by-play), Jordan Christensen (analyst) and Ralph Wood (sideline) and the pregame show begins at 6 p.m. ... The last time the Bulldogs visited Aloha Stadium they came away with a 42-17 victory and Fresno State has won two of its last three games at Hawai'i ... In fact, the road team has won the last three games in the series that began in 1938, with the last two being decided by 20 or more points ... Fresno State sports a potent offense, with a three-headed attack from quarterback Derek Carr, running back Robbie Rouse and wide receiver Jalen Saunders. Carr has thrown for 996 yards in his last three games, Rouse ranks No. 10 nationally in rushing and Saunders ranks No. 3 nationally by averaging 20.6 yards per catch and he has caught a TD in pass in four-straight games.
Bulldog Headlines
• Despite its down year, Fresno State remains the winningest program in the WAC over the last 15 years.
• Kevin Goessling needs to score eight more points to become the programs all-time leading scorer.
For Starters
Wide receiver Jalen Saunders scored three touchdowns, two receiving and one rushing, in Fresno State's game at New Mexico State. Saunders hauled in seven passes for a career-high 174 yards and his two touchdown receptions were from 59 and 64 yards out, which are his fourth and fifth TD catches of over 50 yards this year. Those two TDs all came in the third quarter, as did his 15-yard rushing touchdown, which was his second of the season. Saunders averaged 24.9 yards on his seven receptions and it was his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season. That is the most by a Bulldog receiver since Bernard Berrian and Rodney Wright both had six 100-yard receiving games in 2001. Saunders has now caught a touchdown pass in four-straight games and has nine TD receptions on the year. He ranks No. 3 in the nation by averaging 20.6 yards off his team-leading 41 receptions this year and he is tied for 12th nationally with nine touchdown receptions. On Sunday, the College Football Performance Awards named Saunders as an honorable mention pick for its National Wide Receiver of the Week Award. Saunders is also on the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, which honors the nation's most outstanding receiver.
With 843 yards receiving this year, Saunders has a shot at becoming the seventh Bulldog to have 1,000 yards receiving in a season. The last Bulldogs to do so were both Wright (1,630) and Berrian (1,364) in 2001. If Saunders can also grab one more touchdown, he will become the sixth Fresno State receiver to have 10 or more touchdown catches in a year. Berrian, Wright and Henry Ellard in 1982 are the only Bulldogs in program history with 10 or more touchdown catches and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season.
The Hawai'i Warriors
Hawai'i stands at 5-5 overall this season and 3-3 in the WAC after a 42-28 defeat at league-leading Nevada last weekend. The Warriors, who have lost two-straight, own a 3-1 record at home this year. Its one loss came on Nov. 5 when Utah State came back from a 28-7 halftime deficit to win, 35-31. Hawai'i leads the WAC in passing at 313.0 yards per game, but is expected to be without quarterback Bryant Moniz, who injured his ankle in the loss at Nevada. Shane Austin replaced Moniz and finished the game throwing for 232 yards and a touchdown, but he was picked off three times and only completed 17-of-38 passes. UH's leading receiver, Royce Pollard, missed the Nevada game with an injury. The Warriors have averaged 33.3 points and 416.7 yards of total offense, which ranks No. 2 in the WAC. Defensively, Hawai'i allows 29 points and 373.1 yards of offense, 245 of that coming through the air. UH leads the WAC with 31 sacks, which is nine more than any other team has, but the Warriors have also given up the most sacks in the conference with 33. Hawai'i is minus-1 in the turnover department this year, losing 10 fumbles with 12 interceptions and recovering 15 fumbles with eight passes intercepted on defense.
Fresno State vs. Hawai'i - The Series
Hawai'i leads the overall series with Fresno State, 22-21-1, and has won four of the last five meetings between the two schools. The Bulldogs are 8-14 all-time when playing the Warriors in Honolulu and head coach Pat Hill, who is 5-9 against Hawai'i, sports a 2-5 record on the Island. Fresno State's one win in the last five games came in its last visit to Aloha Stadium in 2009. Ryan Mathews led the Bulldogs to the 42-17 victory with 149 yards rushing and one touchdown. It was actually Fresno State's second win in its last three games at Hawai'i, which account for two of the programs three wins at Hawai'i since 1965 (3-12 record at Hawai'i since `65).
| Team | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Bowl Games |
| Fresno State | 111 | 78 | .587 | 11 |
| Hawai'i | 107 | 85 | .557 | 8 |
| Nevada | 92 | 87 | .514 | 6 |
| La Tech | 86 | 89 | .491 | 2 |
| San Jose St. | 62 | 114 | .352 | 1 |
| Idaho | 60 | 115 | .343 | 2 |
| Utah St. | 53 | 117 | .312 | 1 |
| NM State | 54 | 121 | .309 | 0 |
Bulldogs Ensured of Losing Season, Still Winningest Program in WAC
Fresno State, standing at 3-7 with three games to play, will suffer just its third losing season in the last 15 years. It has been eliminated from bowl contention, but before this season, Fresno State has been to a bowl game in 11 out of the past 12 years. Despite the down year, the Bulldogs have the most successful program of all the teams currently in the WAC, owing a 111-78 record since 1997, the year head coach Pat Hill took over.
Tim Skipper to Take Over As Defensive Coordinator
Randy Stewart, Fresno State's defensive coordinator since 2009 and an assistant coach overseeing the defensive backs for the last 10 seasons, resigned on Sunday. Stewart relinquished his on-field coaching duties, but will remain on staff to help in recruiting and film breakdown until his contract ends on March 15. Head coach Pat Hill said that linebackers coach Tim Skipper will serve as interim defensive coordinator for the remaining three games of the season. Skipper is in his sixth season with Fresno State, coaching the linebackers for the past three seasons and the running backs before that. Skipper has previous experience serving as defensive coordinator. He was the DC at Sacramento State for two seasons prior to joining the Fresno State coaching staff and in 2002 he directed the defense at Western New Mexico. Under his direction, Sacramento State produced the Big Sky Conference's leading tackler (Jimmy Ellingson), sack producer (Jacob Houston) and interception leader (Ramon Payne).
Skipper was a four-year starter at middle linebacker for Fresno State from 1997-2000. He was a two-year defensive captain who earned Freshman All-America honors and was a three-time All-WAC performer. Skipper still stands as Fresno State's second-leading tackler of all-time with 418 tackles. Skipper's brother, Kelly, was a record-setting running back at Fresno State, who later served as the Bulldogs running back coach and currently the assistant coach for the Oakland Raiders. His father, Jim, is a 23-year veteran coach in the NFL and currently the running backs coach for the Tennessee Titans.
Rouse on Verge of Best Back-to-Back Rushing Seasons in Program History
Junior running back Robbie Rouse has become one of just four Bulldog tailbacks to rush for over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons and one of five with two 1,000-yard rushing seasons in a career. Rouse rushed for 1,129 yards as a sophomore and through 10 games this year he has run for 1,166 yards with nine touchdowns. He needs just 180 yards to break Ron Rivers' record for most rushing yards in consecutive seasons. Rivers had 2,474 yards from 1992-93 and Rouse currently stands at 2,295 yards over last year and this year. Rouse continues to lead the WAC in rushing at 116.6 yards per game, which is also good for 10th in the nation, and his 239 carries are the fourth-most in the FBS. Last weekend at New Mexico State, Rouse recorded the seventh game in his career where he rushed for two touchdowns. He also caught a 20-yard touchdown pass for his first receiving touchdown on the year. It was the second three-TD game of his career, as he also rushed for two scores and caught one touchdown against No. 21 Nevada in 2010. For his career, Rouse has rushed for 2,774 yards on 526 attempts with 21 touchdowns. He needs 226 more yards to become the fourth Bulldog tailback with 3,000 yards rushing in a career and is 699 yards away from tying the school's all-time rushing record, which is held by Rivers who ran for 3,473 yards from 1991-93.
Carr Firing On All Cylinders
Over the past three games, sophomore quarterback Derek Carr is averaging 332 yards passing and is completing 67.5 percent of his passes with nine TDs against two interceptions. Last weekend at New Mexico State, Carr threw for a career-high 391 yards on 22-of-34 passing, an average of 17.7 yards per completions. He threw three TDs in the game, which was his third-straight with three touchdowns. On the year, Carr has completed 62.7 percent of his passes and averages 266.1 yards per game, good for third in the WAC. He has thrown 21 touchdowns against just seven interceptions and his 141.5 pass efficiency rating is second in the conference to Nevada's Cody Fajardo, who has thrown 212 fewer passes than Carr has. The Bakersfield native has 2,661 total yards passing this season and has a good shot registering just the sixth 3,000-yard passing season in program history. The last Bulldog quarterback to do so was Paul Pinegar in 2005.
Another School Record About to Fall
Senior kicker Kevin Goessling needs to score eight more points to pass Derek Mahoney as the all-time leading scorer in Fresno State history. Goessling has hit 180-of-183 PAT attempts in his career, including 40-straight, and he has made 59 field goals in his four-year tenure as the Bulldogs' kicker. His 59 field goals are tied for the third-most in WAC history with Hawai'i's Justin Ayat, who kicked for the Warriors from 2001-04. Goessling currently ranks No. 7 in WAC history in scoring and he can move up to as high as fourth with just 13 more points. Ayat currently ranks No. 4 in WAC history with 370 points. This season, Goessling is second in the WAC in scoring by kickers with 61 points. He is 37-for-37 on PAT attempts and is 8-for-12 on field goals with a long of 48.
Brown Goes for 10 Again
Junior outside linebacker Travis Brown recorded his third double-digit tackle game of the season last weekend at New Mexico State. Brown had seven unassisted tackles and three assisted stops to lead the Bulldogs against the Aggies. It was the second time this year he has led the team in tackles, and for the season, Brown has a team-high 71 stops. The junior, who was a second-team All-WAC pick in 2010 when he had 79 tackles, already has 175 tackles in his career and 16.5 tackles for a loss.
Jones Grabs Third Interception of the Season
Sophomore cornerback L.J. Jones intercepted his third pass of the season last weekend at New Mexico State. It was Fresno State's first interception since the second week of the season at No. 10 Nebraska, when Jones and safety Derron Smith both picked off passes. Jones had INT's in both the season opener against Cal and then the next weekend against the Huskers, as he became the first Bulldog since James Sanders in 2004 to pick of a pass in back-to-back games. His interception last weekend ended a long drought for the Bulldogs, who rank No. 112 nationally in passes intercepted and are second to last in the nation in total turnovers gained with just seven in 10 games. Jones' interception was Fresno State's first turnover since the Oct. 15 game against Utah State. Jones, who accounts for three of Fresno State's four interceptions on the year, is tied for second in the WAC in interceptions. He is also tied for second in the conference with 1.2 passes defended per game, which ranks No. 21 nationally. Jones has nine pass breakups credited to him and his 12 passes defended are the second most in the WAC behind Nevada's Isaiah Frey.
The Nation's Premiere Team in Blocking Kicks
Since Pat Hill took over the Fresno State program in 1997, Fresno State's special teams have been the best in the nation. Under Hill, Fresno State has blocked 101 kicks - 45 punts and 56 kicks. Looking at the numbers since 2002, Fresno State has a clear lead on the number of blocks with 66. That is 13 more than any other team in the nation, as Texas and Rutgers are tied for second with 53. This season, the Bulldogs are back at it, blocking one punt, two field goal attempts and six PATs. Marcel Jensen and Cody Wichmann are tied for the team lead with three blocked kicks apiece while Matt Akers and Tristan Okpalaugo both have one blocked kick. Milton Knox recorded Fresno State's only blocked punt of the season, which came Sept. 24 at Idaho.
This-N-That
• Of Jalen Saunders team-leading 41 receptions this year, 29 of them have gone for first downs.
• Fresno State has scored on each of its last 14 trips inside the red zone. The Bulldogs rank second in the WAC in red zone offense, scoring on 87.1 percent of their chances (27-of-31) and they have 23 TDs with four field goals when driving down inside the opponents 20-yard line.
• Fresno State has six players with 20 or more receptions, which ranks second in the nation for the most players on a team with 20 or more catches. Arizona leads the nation with seven receivers with 20 or more receptions.
• Over the past three games Fresno State has converted 52.6 percent of its third-down tries, raising its conversion percentage from 32 percent to 38 percent. The Bulldogs rank sixth in the WAC in third-down conversion percentage.
• In the third quarter against New Mexico State, Fresno State gained 192 yards of total offense on just 10 plays. The Bulldogs scored 21 points, which is the most they have scored in a quarter this year. Jalen Saunders accounted for all three TDs (one rushing, two receiving), as he had 138 of Fresno State's 192 yards in the period (one rush for 15 yards and two catches for 123 yards).
• Defensive tackle Logan Harrell is tied for 17th in the nation with 1.4 tackles for a loss per game. He has 14 total tackles for a loss of 84 yards on the year.
