WAC countdown: Fresno State
With football camp just a few days away, it’s time to take a look at the Western Athletic Conference. Check back daily for a look at each team, starting at the bottom of the WAC preseason coaches poll.
Next up, the No. 3 Fresno State Bulldogs (we skipped No. 4 Utah State because, frankly, we’ll be spending lots of blog entries on the Aggies over the next few weeks).
Fresno State
2009 Record 8-5 (6-2 WAC)
Returning starters: 17 (8 offense, 8 defense, kicker)
Coach: Pat Hill, 14th year
WAC Preseason Polls: 3rd coaches, 3rd media
Fresno State has 17 starters returning but has one massive hole in the two-deep to fill.
Ryan Mathews, the nation’s leading rusher, is off to the NFL after being drafted by the San Diego Chargers to take over for LaDanien Tomlinson. And while Robbie Rouse and Austin Raphael have talent, there is a strong chance the Bulldogs will return to a pass-first offense with senior Ryan Colburn leading the way. A year ago, Colburn threw for 2,459 yards and 19 touchdowns and those numbers might go up this year.
Receivers Jamel Hamler, Devon Wylie and Davon Dunn will be the primary targets.
A year ago, Fresno State’s offense ranked 14th in scoring (33.9 ppg), eighth in rushing (228.9 ypg) and 17th in total offense (430.7 ypg). The rushing numbers might go down, but the Dogs will still have plenty of bite.
Coach Pat Hill will also have a solid defense — if they can tighten things up a little bit. Linebacker Ben Jacobs returns and is as good at the position as there is in the WAC. He is one of two linebackers returning as starters.
The returning starters aren’t loaded up in one area, though. In fact, there are starters coming back in each position that will be able to spread the depth around while the new starters get up to speed.
Overall, Fresno State gave up an average of 413.7 yards per game and 28.4 points per game. Still, the Bulldogs had a 8-4 regular season after stringing together seven wins in eight games before falling to Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl.
If the passing game comes along and the defense closes the gaps, Fresno State has a very legitimate chance to finish the season in second place behind Boise State — especially considering the favorite to finish second, Nevada, plays at Bulldog Stadium this year.
The Bulldogs, as usual, have a challenging non-conference schedule a home date against Cincinnati and a trip to Ole Miss. Throw in a breather against Cal Poly and a season-ending game against Illinois and Fresno State has what might be the toughest schedule in the WAC.
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