Fresno State Athletics
'Dogs to Host Ole Miss on ESPN2
9/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 26, 2011
Game No. 5 • Non-Conference Game No. 4
Fresno State Game Notes | Mississippi Game Notes | Coach Hill Press Conference Quotes
Mississippi (1-3, 0-2 SEC) at Fresno State (2-2, 1-0 WAC)
Oct. 1, 2011 • Bulldog Stadium (41,031) • Fresno, Calif. • 6:15 p.m. PT
Game Day Quick Facts
TELEVISION:
ESPN2 | Play-by-Play: Carter Blackburn; Analyst: Brock Huard
RADIO:
KMJ (AM 580); Bulldog Live (4:30 p.m.) Countdown to Kickoff (5:45 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: Jesse Beltran; Sideline: Jose Salas
INTERNET AUDIO & LIVE STATS: gobulldogs.com
Fresno State hosts Mississippi on Saturday evening, as Ole Miss becomes the first team from the SEC to play at Bulldog Stadium ... The game, which kicks off at 6:15 p.m., is being televised on ESPN2 with the call from Carter Blackburn and Brock Huard ... Fans can listen to the action on KMJ-AM 580 or on ESPN Deportes at 1600-AM ... Tickets are still available through the Fresno State Ticket Office. Single-game tickets for Saturday are available for as low as $30, as this very well could be the Valley's only chance to see a team from the SEC play at Bulldog Stadium ... Fresno State has a 63-18 record under head coach Pat Hill in home games ... Sophomore quarterback Derek Carr is coming off a 371-yard passing game with five touchdowns at Idaho last week ... Junior running back Robbie Rouse is 13th in the nation in rushing , averaging 119.2 yards per game and will be going up against the Rebel defense that ranks No. 102 in the nation by giving up 200.5 yards per game on the ground ... Sophomore wide receiver Jalen Saunders ranks second in the country by averaging 30.45 yards on his 11 receptions this season and he is one of seven players in the nation that has had two games with over 140 yards receiving ... Senior defensive tackle Logan Harrell ranks No. 3 in the nation with 8.5 tackles for a loss and he is second in the WAC with 3.5 sacks ... After starting the year with three of its first four games on the road, Fresno State now plays three-straight home games.
Bulldog Headlines
• Fresno State linebacker Travis Brown was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday and senior kicker Kevin Goessling was named the WAC Special Teams Player of the Week.
For Starters
Sophomore quarterback Derek Carr put on a show last weekend at Idaho. Carr threw for 371 yards and five touchdowns, completing 24-of-37 passes with two interceptions. Carr averaged 15.5 yards per completion in the game and had six passes that were 20 yards or longer. His five touchdown passes are the most since Paul Pinegar threw for five TDs in the 2004 MPC Computer's Bowl overtime victory over No. 18 Virginia. This was the first 300-yard passing game in Carr's career and is the most passing yards since Ryan Colburn threw for 390 yards at Ole Miss last season. The first year starter is completing 59.4 percent of his passes this year and has nine touchdowns against three interceptions. He has thrown for 1,010 yards in four games and four of his nine touchdown passes have been 33 yards or longer, including an 86-yard TD to Jalen Saunders on the first play of the North Dakota game two weeks ago. Carr and Saunders hooked up for a 51-yard TD last weekend at Idaho.
The Mississippi Rebels
Ole Miss enters Saturday's game with a 1-3 record and is coming off back-to-back losses at Vanderbilt and vs. Georgia. The Rebels are averaging 18.8 points per game and allow 23.8. Mississippi has been susceptible to the run this year, as opponents are averaging 200.5 yards per game on the ground. Last weekend in the 27-13 loss to Georgia, Ole Miss gave up 475 yards of total offense and on average it allows 399.5 yards per game. Offensively, the Rebels average 236.5 yards of offense, convert just 27 percent of their third downs and have turned the ball over 10 times (seven interceptions, three fumbles lost). Ole Miss' punt coverage team nets 43.2 yards per punt and opposing teams have only averaged 5.1 yards per punt return, so the Bulldogs will be challenged to maintain their productivity, as Devon Wylie ranks 11th in the nation by averaging 16.1 yards on 16 punt returns this year for Fresno State.
Fresno State vs. Mississippi - The Series
Fresno State and Ole Miss have met on the gridiron just once before, with the Rebels winning, 55-38, on Sept. 25, 2010. Mississippi built a 41-10 lead early in the third quarter before Fresno State climbed back towards the end. Ole Miss had 578 yards of total offense, including 425 on the ground against the Bulldog team that entered the game only giving up 272 yards of total offense. Bulldog quarterback Ryan Colburn was 32-for-42 passing for 390 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Fresno State squad that had 420 yards of total offense. The Bulldogs were hampered by five sacks, a lost fumble and a blocked field goal attempt in the loss.
Fresno State vs. the SEC
Fresno State is 0-4 all-time against teams from the Southeastern Conference. The Bulldogs have played at Auburn (1996 - L, 62-0), at No. 12 Tennessee (2003 - L, 24-6), at No. 14 LSU (2006 - L, 38-6) and last year against the Rebels in Oxford. Ole Miss will be the first SEC team to visit Bulldog Stadium, but Fresno State is no stranger to hosting teams from BCS conferences.
Since the formation of the BCS system in 1998, Saturday's game marks the ninth time a team from an automatic-qualifying BCS conference has played at Bulldog Stadium. During that time, Fresno State has faced 36 AQ opponents on the road or at neutral sites. Fresno State has hosted the likes of California (2000), Oregon State (2001 & `03), Oregon (2006), Kansas State (2007), Wisconsin (2008), Cincinnati (2010) and Illinois (2010). In addition, Colorado out of the Pac-12 is due to visit Bulldog Stadium on Sept. 15, 2012.
Ole Miss Game Kicks Off Challenging Four-Game Stretch for Fresno State
Fresno State will have its hands full over the next four weeks. The Bulldogs host Ole Miss this Saturday on ESPN2, then turns around to play No. 4 Boise State at home the following Friday (Oct. 7 on ESPN), then hosts Utah State (Oct. 15) and ends the stretch at Nevada (Oct. 22). That Oct. 29 bye week comes at a good time, because this is one challenging four-game slate. Boise State will be the highest ranked opponent to ever play at Bulldog Stadium and just the fifth known top 10 team to visit Fresno State.
Since Bulldog Stadium was built in 1980, there have been 19 occasions where Fresno State played three consecutive home games along with one four-game home stand in 1986. The Bulldogs have gone 3-0 in seven of the 19 times where they played three-straight at home and Fresno State won all four home games during that 1986 season, where it also had a separate undefeated three-game home stand (Fresno State was 9-2 in 1986).
Saunders is Second in the Country in Yards Per Catch
Sophomore wide receiver Jalen Saunders has caught 11 passes this season for 335 yards and four touchdowns - two apiece in each of his last two games. He's had over 100 yards receiving in each of his last two games, where he has caught eight passes for 296 yards. On the year, Saunders is averaging 30.45 yards per catch, which trails only Georgia Tech's Stephan Hill (33.0 yards per catch) for the national lead. Saunders has three touchdown catches of over 50 yards this year (86 and 52 vs. North Dakota & a 51-yard TD at Idaho) and in all five of his 11 catches have gone for 20 or more yards. With two TDs in each of his last two games, he became the first Bulldog receiver since Seyi Ajirotutu in 2008 have back-to-back two-TD games. Saunders also became the first Fresno State receiver since Marlon Moore in 2007 with two-straight 100-yard receiving games. Moore had 134 yards on nine catches with two TDs vs. Kansas State on Nov. 24 and the next week had four catches for 106 yards at New Mexico State. Saunders, Moore and Paul Williams in 2005 are the only three Bulldog receivers in the last 10 years with back-to-back 100-yard receiving games. Bernard Berrian in 2001 was the last Bulldog receiver with three-straight 100-yard receiving games, as he did so in the final three games of the regular season. In that three-game stretch, Berrian, who is now in his eighth NFL season, caught 19 passes for 434 yards and six touchdowns in addition to one punt return for a touchdown.
Rouse Goes Over 2,000 Yards Rushing for his Career
Junior running back Robbie Rouse became the 15th tailback in school history to go over 2,000 career rushing yards. Rouse went over the 2,000 yard plateau last weekend when he had 112 yards rushing on 25 carries at Idaho. Rouse now has three-straight 100-yard rushing games, as he has 88 carries for 391 yards and two touchdowns in that stretch. On Sept. 10 at No. 10 Nebraska, Rouse had 36 carries for 169 yards. That was the 14th-most rushing yards that a Nebraska defense has ever given up and his 36 carries against the Huskers tied for the fourth-most ever against Nebraska. On the year, Rouse has run for 477 yards on 105 attempts with three touchdowns. His 119.2 yards pre game ranks No. 13 in the nation and his 105 carries are second only to South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore. Only five of his 105 rushing attempts this year have gone for negative yardage.
Fresno State Looks To For Another Wins vs. BCS School
Fresno State is seeking another victory over a school from a BCS conference, which would mark the fifth-straight season that the Bulldogs have won a game over a BCS school. Since 2003, Fresno State has won 12 games over BCS schools and that is the third-most in the nation from a non-BCS team. Only Navy (18) and TCU (15) have more victories in that time. When head coach Pat Hill took over the program in 1997, he lost his first nine games against BCS schools. Since then, Hill has won 17 games, including seven of the last 12 games against teams from BCS conferences. Over the last 12 games against BCS schools, Fresno State has defeated the likes of Kansas State, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, UCLA, Cincinnati and Illinois (twice). The five losses in the last 12 games against BCS schools were to No. 10 Wisconsin, 13-10 in 2008, a three-point double overtime loss to the Badgers in 2009, at Ole Miss in 2010, against Cal in the 2011 season opener and at No. 10 Nebraska on Sept. 10.
Bulldog Defense Buckles Down in Second Half
Idaho had 228 yards of offense in the first half against the Bulldogs last weekend and Fresno State held a 24-17 lead heading into the locker room. After the half, the Bulldog defense shut down the Vandals and only gave up 55 yards in the second half and just seven points. In the pivotal third quarter, the Bulldogs forced Idaho to punt on each of its first four possessions coming out of the locker room. Then on its fifth possession that came following a Bulldog interception, the defense got the turnover back in a big way. Idaho quarterback Brian Reader fumbled the ball when he was reaching back to pass and Fresno State defensive end Nat Harrison picked up the ball and ran 40 yards for a touchdown. It was the second defensive touchdown that the Bulldogs have scored this season. The first came against Cal in the season opener when Cristin Wilson recovered a fumble in the end zone. Fresno State is third in the WAC in total defense, allowing 365.2 yards per game. The `Dogs allow 207.8 yards through the air and 157.5 on the ground.
Receiving Corps Posting Big Numbers
The Bulldog receivers have been very productive this season. Fresno State has had 11 different players catch a pass this year. Junior Rashad Evans leads the team with 21 receptions for 184 yards and he is coming off a game where he set career-highs with seven catches for 81 yards and one touchdown at Idaho last weekend. He is one of five Bulldog receivers with 10 or more catches, as Devon Wylie (12), Jalen Saunders (11), Josh Harper (10) and Isaiah Burse (10) have also been heavily targeted by quarterback Derek Carr. Harper, a redshirt freshman, has caught three touchdown passes in the first four games of his career. Harper needs just one more touchdown reception in the remaining nine games to tie with Jermaine Jamison (four TDs in 2002) for the most touchdown catches by a freshmen in the last 10 seasons.
This-N-That
• Robbie Rouse's top three rushing games (286 yards at La Tech in 2010, 217 yards vs. Nevada in 2010 and 169 yards at No. 10 Nebraska this year) add up to 672 yards. That is the highest three-game rushing total from any running back in school history. Ryan Matthews is second, as his top three rushing games add up to 652 yards. Rouse and Matthews are two of five Bulldog tailbacks that have a pair of 200-yard rushing games in their career, but no Bulldog has ever produced three 200-yard games.
• Derek Carr's 86-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Saunders vs. North Dakota is the fourth-longest passing play in the nation this year and Robbie Rouse's 36 carries at No. 10 Nebraska on Sept. 10 are the second-most carries by a running back in the FBS this season.
• Robbie Rouse has a chance to run for 100-yards in four-straight games for the second time in his career this weekend. In 2010, Rouse had four-straight 100-yard games from Oct. 16-Nov. 13 and he enters the Ole Miss game with three-straight 100-yard efforts. Mississippi is allowing 200.5 rushing yards per game this season.
• Defensive tackle Logan Harrell ranks third in the nation with 8.5 tackles for a loss this year.
• True freshman Donovan Lewis made his first start last weekend at defensive end. He had two tackles and one tackle for a loss in the game. On the year, Lewis has five tackles, 2.5 for a loss and 1.5 sacks.
• Travis Brown and Terrance Dennis both set career-highs last week with 11 and 10 tackles, respectively. It marked the first time since the 2009 New Mexico Bowl that two Bulldogs had 10 or more tackles in the same game. In that 2009 bowl game against Wyoming, Ben Jacobs had 14 tackles and Kyle Knox had 10. Brown leads the team this year with 30 tackles and Dennis is third with 24, despite playing in just three of the four games this year.
• Senior wide receiver Devon Wylie ranks 11th in the nation in punt returns, averaging 16.1 yards on 16 returns. He has had a punt return of over 40 yards in each of the last three games, including a 67-yard return for a touchdown on Sept. 10 at No. 10 Nebraska.
Who's Watching
Every single Fresno State game this season has been televised. The Bulldogs opened the season against Cal in San Francisco on Comcast SportsNet California, then played at No. 10 Nebraska on the Big Ten Network, then hosted North Dakota on ESPN3 and last week played Idaho on the WAC Sports Network. Its next two games are both being televised by ESPN - the first against Ole Miss this weekend on ESPN2 and next Friday, Oct. 7, against No. 4 Boise State on ESPN. Last year the Bulldogs played in five nationally televised games. Since 2000, Fresno State has made 75 national television appearances. The Bulldogs have become a favorite of ESPN, landing on one of the networks' channels (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 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.
Tough Non-Conference Schedule
The six teams that Fresno State plays this year out of conference have combined to post a 16-7 record through three weeks of the season. Cal and San Diego State are both is 3-1. Nebraska, who is now ranked No. 8 in the country, is 4-0. Boise State is ranked No. 4 in the nation and sits at 3-0 this year. The Broncos come to Fresno on Oct. 7, one week after Fresno State hosts Ole Miss, which is 1-3 this year. North Dakota, the only FCS school on the schedule, is 2-2 this season.
Goessling Eclipses 300-Point Plateau
Senior kicker Kevin Goessling became the fourth Bulldog in program history to score 300 points in a career. Goessling's first-quarter PAT after Devon Wylie's punt return for a touchdown at Nebraska three weeks ago was the 300th point of his career. Goessling now stands in third place in program history with 325 career points. The Placentia, Calif. native needs just 40 points over the remaining nine games to become the all-time leading scorer in Fresno State history. If he can make 15 more field goals, he will also break that school record of 70 that is held by Barry Belli (1984-87).
"We Are Your Team" - Get your tickets for Fresno State's showdown with Ole Miss next Saturday, Oct. 1 at Bulldog Stadium. This will be the first time ever a SEC school plays at Bulldog Stadium. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Fresno State Ticket Office, over the phone at (559) 278-DOGS or on the web at gobulldogs.com
