Fresno State Athletics
Primetime Football Coming to Fresno
9/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 28, 2011
FRESNO, Calif. - If you're a football fan in Fresno, you should be licking your chops at the chance to head out to Bulldog Stadium to catch Fresno State's next two home games.
Fresno State is known for playing "Anybody, Anytime, Anywhere," but more often than not that means head coach Pat Hill his taking his troops on the road to play the nation's best.
Well over the next two weeks, the city of Fresno and Hill's Bulldogs get to display their San Joaquin Valley pride on a national stage.
"This will be a great platform to showcase not only our program, but the entire University and our community," Hill said. "We've always wanted to bring the big teams to Fresno, we just have to respond fan-wise. These opportunities don't come along every day for the non-BCS schools and we got to take advantage of those times."
Fresno State hosts Mississippi this Saturday on ESPN2 and then No. 4 Boise State comes to town the following weekend for a Friday night game on ESPN. The Broncos will be the highest ranked opponent to ever play at Bulldog Stadium and the Rebels are the first team from the SEC to play here.
"We'd really like to see all of our fans come out to support us," said sophomore quarterback Derek Carr, who threw for 371 yards and five touchdowns in a win at Idaho last weekend. "I love Bulldog Stadium and it's not an easy place to play for visiting opponents, especially when this place is bouncing and loud."
Granted, there have been home games in the past that had the same hype as there presently is for Fresno State's next two games.
Since the formation of the BCS system in 1998, eight BCS teams have played at Bulldog Stadium and Fresno State won six of those games. The two losses were to No. 10 Wisconsin in 2008, a three-point defeat, and a seven-point loss to No. 20 Oregon in 2006.
Arguably the biggest home game under Hill was the 2001 meeting against Oregon State. The Beavers were ranked No. 1 in the preseason polls and came into Bulldog Stadium ranked No. 10 at the time of the showdown with the Bulldogs.
Fresno State was coming off a 24-22 win at Colorado the previous week and was led by quarterback David Carr. Carr threw for 340 yards and four touchdowns as Fresno State repeatedly struck with its big-play offense to upset No. 10 Oregon State - the highest-ranked team ever to visit Bulldog Stadium.
The Badgers had that same No. 10 ranking in 2008, as did Boise State in 2009. But when the Broncos come to town on Oct. 7, it presents Fresno State with the opportunity to put itself back on the national map like they did in 2001 and on numerous other occasions.
"There have been a lot of new teams coming to our stadium and I said it when I got here, I wanted to bring big-time football to the Valley," Hill said. "This is a chance for our fans to come out and watch not only a big-time football game, but one on the national stage, on national TV, on primetime Saturday night. Those are great opportunities and hopefully we can seize the opportunity and have a great night."
Because of Fresno State's success and following, the Bulldogs have gained national exposure and have become a favorite of ESPN.
Since 2001, Fresno State has made 41 appearances on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC, and in every season since then the Bulldogs have played at least two nationally televised games on one of the three major ESPN platforms. Boise State has only made 39 appearances on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC in that time.
"I love our fans and I'm looking forward to seeing a full house this weekend and next," Derek Carr said. "Hopefully we'll get a big crowd and that will definitely be big for us."
"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
