Fresno State Athletics
'Dogs/Huskers Set for Saturday's Game
9/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 5, 2011
Game 2
Coach Hill Press Conference Quotes | Fresno State Game Notes | Nebraska Game Notes
Fresno State (0-1, 0-0 WAC) at No. 10 Nebraska (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Sept. 10, 2011 • Memorial Stadium (81,091) • Lincoln, Neb. • 4 p.m. PT
Game Day Quick Facts
TELEVISION: Big Ten Network - Play-by-Play: Eric Collins; Analyst: Chris Martin; Sideline: Dionne Miller
RADIO: KMJ (AM 580); Bulldog Live (2:30 p.m.) Countdown to Kickoff (3:30 p.m.).- Play-by-Play: Paul Loeffler; Analyst: Jordan Christensen; Sideline: Ralph Wood
ESPN Deportes (1600 AM) in Spanish - Play-by-Play: Erwin Higueros; Analysts: Raul Rios and Jesse Beltran
INTERNET AUDIO & LIVE STATS: gobulldogs.com
Fresno State heads to Lincoln, Neb. to face the 10th-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers for the first time in school history on Saturday, Sept. 10 ... The game that is scheduled to kick off at 4:00 p.m. PT is being televised on The Big Ten Network ... Bulldog fans can listen to the game on KMJ-AM 580 or on ESPN Deportes 1600 AM .... Fresno State is in line to face another mobile quarterback this weekend in Taylor Martinez, who ran for 135 yards and three touchdowns in the Huskers season-opening, 40-7, win over Tennessee-Chattannoga ... Fresno State's defense rebounded well last week after a rough start against Cal and only allowed 103 yards in the second half, including 17 in the fourth quarter ... The `Dogs had seven tackles for a loss against the Bears and two were by preseason Lombardi and Outland Trophy candidate Logan Harrell ... Sophomore quarterback Derek Carr threw for 150 yards on 21-of-33 passing with one TD and one interception in his starting debut last week ... Junior running back Robbie Rouse averaged 5.1 yards per carry against Cal, a team that led the Pac-10 in total defense a year ago. Rouse tallied 86 yards with one touchdown.
Bulldog Headlines
• Fresno State looks for win No. 8 in its last 12 games against BCS schools.
• The Bulldogs are looking to become the first WAC-member school since 1975 to beat Nebraska and just the second ever.
• After blocking two PATs last weekend against Cal, Fresno State increased its nation-leading blocked punt and kick total since 2002 to 59.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Huskers are in their fourth season under head coach Bo Pelini, who is now 31-12 at Nebraska after its 40-7 win over Chattanooga in the season opener. Playing in front of a NCAA-record 312th consecutive sellout of 84,833 at Memorial Stadium, sophomore quarterback Taylor Martinez produced his sixth-career 100-yard rushing game in a contest where Nebraska was never challenged. Martinez ran for 135 yards with three TDs and he threw for 116 more yards, as Nebraska outgained UTC, 364-230. The Husker defense had three sacks and 11 tackles for a loss in the game and limited the Mocs to just 6-of-18 on third down attempts. Chattanooga was able to get into the Husker backfield, as the Mocs had 12 tackles for a loss. However, that didn't stop Nebraska from averaging 5.3 yards per rushing attempt and 5.4 yards per play. Nebraska fumbled the ball four times in the game, losing two of them. The Huskers are in their first season in the Big Ten Conference and they have gone 135-19 at home since 1989, while owning a .776 winning percentage in their 662 home games in 121 years of football. Nebraska has won five national championships (1970, `71, `94, `95, `97) and has had three players (Johnny Rodgers - 1972; Mike Rozier - 1983; and Eric Crouch - 2001) win the Heisman Trophy.
Fresno State vs. Nebraska - The Series
Fresno State and Nebraska are meeting for the first time in the history of both programs. The Huskers are the first of two-straight opponents that the Bulldogs have never faced, as Fresno State's home game against North Dakota the following week will be the first contest ever between those two schools. Nebraska has had its way against schools from the Western Athletic Conference, winning 19-of-20 games against a school from the WAC. The only WAC team to ever beat the Cornhuskers was Arizona State in 1975. The Sun Devils were able to pull off a 17-14 victory over the sixth-ranked Huskers in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 26.
Fresno State History in Road Openers
Fresno State's first road game of a season over the last 14 years under head coach Pat Hill have come against some of the best programs in the nation. The 'Dogs have played these teams tough and have some big wins in that time. Fresno State is 2-3 in their first road game over the last five seasons and the three losses were to Ole Miss (2010), Wisconsin in overtime (2009) and Texas A&M in triple overtime (2007).
Fresno State's First Road Game of the Season Under Pat Hill
2010 - at Utah State - W, 41-24
2009 at Wisconsin - L, 34-31 2OT
2008 at Rutgers - W, 24-7
2007 at Texas A&M - L, 47-45 3OT
2006 at Washington - L, 21-20
2006 at Oregon - L, 37-34
2004 at Washington - W, 35-16
2003 at Tennessee - L, 24-6
2002 at Wisconsin - L, 23-21
2001 at Colorado - W, 24-22
2000 at Ohio State - L, 43-10
1998 at Colorado - L, 29-21
1997 at Oklahoma St. - L, 35-0
Fresno State vs. BCS Conference Schools
When head coach Pat Hill took over the program in 1997, he lost his first nine games against BCS schools. Since then, Fresno State has gone 17-16 and has won seven of the last 11 games against teams from BCS conferences. Only seven of the last 33 games have been played at Bulldog Stadium, as the `Dogs are not afraid to take their game on the road to some of the nation's most hostile environments like Texas A&M, LSU, Oregon, USC, Wisconsin and now Nebraska. Over the last 11 games against BCS schools, Fresno State has defeated the likes of Kansas State, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, UCLA, Cincinnati and Illinois (twice). The four losses in the last 11 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 and against Cal last weekend.
Rouse Gets off to a Solid Start
Robbie Rouse rushed 17 times for 86 yards and scored one touchdown for the Bulldogs against Cal last weekend. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry and had a long run of 22 yards in the second quarter. Rouse's touchdown run was from nine yards out, just two minutes and 44 seconds into the game. Rouse also caught one pass for eight yards against the Bears. It was a good start to the season for the junior who ran for 1,129 yards and eight touchdowns in 11 games last year. Rouse averaged 102.6 yards per game in 2010 and 5.5 yards per carry. He is approaching 2,000 rushing yards in his career, as he's racked up 1,694 yards in his three seasons (304 carries, 13 TDs, 5.6 yards per carry).
Cornerback L.J. Jones Grabs First Career Interception
L.J. Jones had a career-high seven tackles in addition to one tackle for a loss and one interception in Fresno State's 36-21 loss to Cal at Candlestick Park. The interception was the first of his career and it came just 19 seconds into the game. His pick set Fresno State up at the Cal 16-yard line and the `Dogs went on to score three plays later. His tackle for a loss was one of seven for the Bulldogs on the day and it went for a loss of five yards. Jones led the Fresno State defense that only gave up 103 yards in the second half and just 17 in the fourth quarter. He also had one pass breakup on the day.
Fresno State Nation's Best at Blocking Kicks
Fresno State is the nation's leader in blocking kicks. Since 2002, the Bulldogs have blocked 59 kicks and they did so twice in the season opener against Cal. Offensive lineman Cody Wichmann blocked two extra points last weekend against the Golden Bears. The `Dogs lead Texas by seven blocked kicks for the most in the nation since 2002.
