The Bulldogs are back Sept. 30: the show within the game guide

FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno State returns home after a too long 28-day absence, and when the 'Dogs open conference play against Nevada, much will surround the contest outside the field of play.

On Saturday evening, Fresno State will honor the Valley's heritage with its annual Ag Fest evening, as well as honor the communities' teachers and firefighters at the season's league opener. The coaching staff will also be wearing Coach to Cure MD insignias to raise awareness for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

AgFest – Celebrating the Pride of the Valley – "V" is for Valley
Fresno State prides itself on being the "Valley's team." This pride can be seen in the form of a large green V on the back of the Bulldog helmets, as a symbol to the agricultural community of the Central Valley of California. The San Joaquin Valley is the world's richest agricultural area in export dollars.

On Saturday, the athletics department will celebrate the agricultural community throughout the game:

• One professor or staffer from each of the seven colleges of the Fresno State Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, will be recognized.
• The first-ever Fresno State sweet corn eating contest will take place at halftime, provided by Fresno State's Gibson Market.
- The Gibson Farm Market is the only location that unifies and showcases the products of the different enterprise units of the Fresno State University Farm Laboratory. In the market, customers will find the many products of the crop, dairy, enology, floral, food processing, horticulture, meat, orchard, and viticulture departments … all products in-store have been either grown, packaged, and/or processed by Fresno State and its students.
• Approximately 20 Future Farmers of America groups will be in attendance, amounting to over 500 representatives.
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CFP Foundation's Extra Yard for Teachers
To support elementary and secondary school teachers across the Fresno area, Fresno State was approved for a grant nearing $10,000 to fund programs that will make a direct impact on teachers in and around their communities, and will also be used to conduct promotions to recognize and reward teachers.

The Extra Yard for Teachers national initiative is spurred by the charitable arm of the College Football Playoff Foundation, the foundation's primary philanthropic initiative.

The Fresno State football team will thank all of the special teachers in our community that make a difference in and out of the classroom by wearing Extra Yard helmet stickers on Saturday.

Of note:
• Fresno State will honor three teachers with representatives from their class during the game (there will be five kids from each class on the field). Each were voted on by the community via a Facebook contest on the Fresno State Athletics page.
• Those three teachers that won the contest, will be provided 110 tickets for their classes, parents of the students, and family and friends, and a charter bus to and from their respective school, to Bulldog Stadium on Saturday. Each winner was also awarded 50 dinner vouchers to enjoy during the game.
• The students of the elementary and secondary schools will hold a banner on the field while we honor our three teachers during a break in the game.
• Also each teacher nominated online got a Bulldog prize package, which included premiere Bulldog fan items and a $100 gift card to Office Depot to purchase classroom supplies.

Fresno Area Firefighters
Fresno State Athletics will honor the area's firefighters and their families during the game for the significant impacts that they have on the Valley communities. More than 500 tickets were donated to area fire departments.

Coach for Cure
Head Coach Jeff Tedford and all of the Fresno State coaching staff are joining coaches all over America on Saturday in wearing a patch on their left arms to raise awareness to help defeat a terrible genetic disorder. It's called Coach to Cure M-D.

The American Football Coaches Association is working to raise awareness and research funding to cure Duchenne (doo-SHEN) Muscular Dystrophy, the most prolific genetic killer diagnosed in childhood.

Go Online to CoachToCureMD.org for more information.
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And More:
• The game's five honorary alumni game captains are: Malcom Floyd (FB), Pat Miller (MBB), Mark Rodriques (Track), Kelly Rodriques (Track) and Brandon Taylor (Track).

• Game Sponsor: Table Mountain
In conjunction with their game sponsorship, there will be over 4,000 Table Mountain/Bulldog stadium cups distributed to the first patrons to come through the gates on game day.

"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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Fresno State Athletics

The Bulldogs are back Sept. 30: the show within the game guide

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