TLOS Preview - #25 Fresno State

By Powers Kane
Love of Sports Correspondent

(Starting August 1st, The Love of Sports will be featuring one college football program each day, breaking down their offense, defense and - most importantly - their food, beverage, cheerleaders, tailgating prowess and all-around campus life! That’s because those are the things we value here the most. College football is all about the atmosphere, and that’s exactly what we’ll give you all season long!)

Today’s Preview: Fresno State Bulldogs

TLOS Preseason Ranking: #25
TLOS Predicted Record: 9-3
2007 Record: 5-7
Returning Letterman: 51
Letterman Lost: 14

Offense

The high expectations surrounding this team start with it’s outstanding offensive line. Seniors Cole Popovich (OG) and Bobby Lepori (OT) have been entrusted to protect QB Tom Brandstater (one of the Nation’s Best) and open holes for fabulous sophomore RB Ryan Matthews (866 yards, 14 TD in limited time). Brandstater will throw to the conference’s best receiving corps led by TE Bear Pascoe (you can’t make that name up) and WR Marlon Moore. The offense is athletic, talented and explosive. They’ll put up big numbers - mark it down.

Defense

The difference between a successful season (read: BCS Bowl and/or WAC Title) will not be whether the Bulldogs can score - that’s a veritable certainty - but whether they can defend. The front seven will be average, if not small. There will be a lot of pressure on Senior DT Jon Monga to anchor the interior line and Senior DE Ikenna Ike to create havoc from the outside. The secondary is suspect and must play above their previous production for Fresno to have the type of season they think they are capable of having.

Season Outlook

“Anyone, anywhere, anytime” is the unofficial motto of the Fresno State football program. Fresno’s never been synonymous with big-time athletics, but in head coach Pat Hill’s (12th season, 85-55 overall) 12 years in the Valley, the Bulldogs have carried themselves like a major player regardless of the talent disparity. This is arguably the most complete team in the history of the program. The offense is solid and will score points with Brandstater under the helm and Matthews carrying the load at RB. If the defense can get better pressure from the ends and create more turnovers (a total of four interceptions all last season … four!), Fresno will have a chance to win every game they play. No joke. Despite winning just one WAC title in Hill’s tenure, the Bulldog program has reach levels under his leadership previously unseen in the Valley. Hill’s teams have played in a bowl eight of the last nine seasons, posted a 10-8 mark against BCS teams (most by any non-BCS conference team) and produced 65 academic All-WAC players. He also looks like a sheriff in the Wild West with his badass handlebar mustache.

The Stadium

It’s not terribly big (41,000), but it is LOUD and gives the home team a tremendous advantage. Bulldog Stadium was ranked the 23rd-best college facility in the country, ahead of stadiums at Ohio State and Florida State.

Schedule

By September 28th, Hill will know exactly what kind of season this will be. The season’s first month includes four non-conference games, three of which are on the road. The Bulldogs play at Rutgers (Sept. 1st), Wisconsin (Sept. 13th), at Toledo (Sept. 20th) and at UCLA (Sept. 27th). Go 3-1 and anything’s possible (read: BCS). Split those games and a Top 25 finish with a conference title is still a realistic option. Bulldogs face an advantageous conference schedule in October and November until the crucial November 28th showdown with Boise State.

Homecoming Game - October 11, 7 PM vs. Idaho Vandals

Biggest Game - @ Boise State. The Smurf Turf creatures have reached the heights that Fresno aspires to ascend to, and the envy isn’t helped by the fact they have one win in the last seven games against Boise. Everything could be on the line for Hill and his boys during this one - the WAC title, even a BCS berth.

The “V”

You might wonder why Fresno wears a green “V” on the back of their helmets? When Hill became head coach in 1997 he decided Fresno needed to reinvigorate fan support throughout the San Joaquin Valley, a 250-mile stretch of California farm land which is the world’s richest agricultural area in terms of export dollars. Hill’s dream of making Fresno State into the “Green Bay Packers of college football” is coming to fruition, as they continually sell out home games and average 30,000 in season ticket sales. Thanks to a simple gesture and strong community outreach, the Bulldogs are now known as the Valley’s team.

School Atmosphere

Place to Tailgate - Right on campus and immediately around the stadium. Anywhere there’s room for a cooler and for you to stand is fair game.

Delicacy of Choice - Beef. They’re flexible on the specifics as long as you stay within that one parameter.

Brewski on Tap - Bud Light purchased in massive quantities. Also, an “Awesome Fun Fact”: If you don’t like beer, you’re not alone. Fresno State’s the only school in the country to have a winery on campus ... Let me repeat that: THEY HAVE A WINERY ON CAMPUS!! Yeah, Go Bulldogs is right!!

Babes-to-Bros Ratio - Pretty much dead even.

Place to celebrate after the game - The Bulldog Grill is the hands down choice as the best place to hang before and after the game. It’s located on the corner of Shaw Avenue across from the Save Mart Center, Fresno’s basketball arena. Sloppy BBQ fare that’s less than $10 for a meal with multiple flat screens and dozen of beers on tap. Sounds like the place for us!

Famous Alumni

--Paul O’Neil, Former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
--Colonel Steven Nagel, NASA Astronaut
--Bono, lead singer U2**
--Lee P. Brown, former Mayor of Houston
--David Carr, N.Y. Giants Quarterback and former #1 overall draft pick

Shameless Cheerleader Pics …

**(OK, that’s a total lie.)

(Check in everyday for the newest team in The Love of Sports’ Top 25 Previews!)

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