Fresno State Athletics
'Dogs move into final preparations for Hawai'i Bowl
12/23/2017 12:52:00 AM | Football
Fresno State held its final practice of bowl week on Friday before ending the evening at the Hawai'i Bowl kick-off banquet.
HONOLULU – The Fresno State football team wrapped up its third and final practice on the campus of the University of Hawai'i on Friday afternoon and capped the day with the kick-off banquet, an evening event that brought both teams together along with representatives from the Hawai'i Bowl. And despite the leisure events throughout the week that breaks up the work day, it's been business as usual for the Bulldogs when it's time to prepare for game day on Christmas Eve.
"Coach Tedford keeps everyone on the straight and narrow and keeps the right mindset and this week has been no different," offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer said. "Players are just locked in on that practice, on that play, not thinking ahead, and paying attention to the details and what needs to get done."
Ready when they've hit the practice field all week, senior captain Aaron Mitchell knows that the team has entered "the critical 48" – the final 48 hours leading up to kickoff.
"Now that we're into the critical 48, it's time to start locking in," Mitchell said. "We've been locked in during the week, but we've had the leisure and business. I think this team's done well with both, when it's time to have some fun, and when it's time to lock in and have a good practice."
After some time off in the afternoon, Fresno State players and staff put their hula shirts back on and posed for a team picture in the garden at the Royal Hawaiian. The 'Dogs moved on to the kick-off banquet at the Sheraton Waikiki, an event where coaches, student-athletes and staff from both teams came together and joined the Hawai'i Bowl committee, staff, sponsors, community leaders and fans for dinner and introductions.
As teams were introduced, the Fresno State marching band and spirit squads made an appearance to play the Bulldog fight song for their team. Chris Cotter, who will do play-by-play for the Hawai'i Bowl, was on hand to do a Q&A with head coaches Jeff Tedford and Major Applewhite.
"The players have done a phenomenal job this year, and we have a great deal of respect for the University of Houston and Coach Applewhite for earning their way here," Tedford said during the Q&A.
Tedford elaborated about the days leading up to the Christmas Eve pairing and how his group has been able to stay focused.
"It's been a different year because of the early signing date so there were some challenges with that going on, but with that, the players have stayed focused, and finished up finals strong last week," he said. "It's been balancing a lot of things, but our players have stayed focused and have had a really good few weeks of preparation and practices."
The Bulldogs will go through final preparations Saturday morning with a one-hour walk-through at Aloha Stadium before spending time during the afternoon at Dave and Buster's while select-student athletes and cheer team members will visit the Ronald McDonald House in Honolulu.
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160
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"Coach Tedford keeps everyone on the straight and narrow and keeps the right mindset and this week has been no different," offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer said. "Players are just locked in on that practice, on that play, not thinking ahead, and paying attention to the details and what needs to get done."
Ready when they've hit the practice field all week, senior captain Aaron Mitchell knows that the team has entered "the critical 48" – the final 48 hours leading up to kickoff.
"Now that we're into the critical 48, it's time to start locking in," Mitchell said. "We've been locked in during the week, but we've had the leisure and business. I think this team's done well with both, when it's time to have some fun, and when it's time to lock in and have a good practice."
After some time off in the afternoon, Fresno State players and staff put their hula shirts back on and posed for a team picture in the garden at the Royal Hawaiian. The 'Dogs moved on to the kick-off banquet at the Sheraton Waikiki, an event where coaches, student-athletes and staff from both teams came together and joined the Hawai'i Bowl committee, staff, sponsors, community leaders and fans for dinner and introductions.
As teams were introduced, the Fresno State marching band and spirit squads made an appearance to play the Bulldog fight song for their team. Chris Cotter, who will do play-by-play for the Hawai'i Bowl, was on hand to do a Q&A with head coaches Jeff Tedford and Major Applewhite.
"The players have done a phenomenal job this year, and we have a great deal of respect for the University of Houston and Coach Applewhite for earning their way here," Tedford said during the Q&A.
Tedford elaborated about the days leading up to the Christmas Eve pairing and how his group has been able to stay focused.
"It's been a different year because of the early signing date so there were some challenges with that going on, but with that, the players have stayed focused, and finished up finals strong last week," he said. "It's been balancing a lot of things, but our players have stayed focused and have had a really good few weeks of preparation and practices."
The Bulldogs will go through final preparations Saturday morning with a one-hour walk-through at Aloha Stadium before spending time during the afternoon at Dave and Buster's while select-student athletes and cheer team members will visit the Ronald McDonald House in Honolulu.
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160
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