One litter of Bulldogs must lose

Beat the Bulldogs.

This is not a phrase common to Fresno State, but when your first conference foe has the same mascot, you make exceptions.

Coming off of consecutive losses to BCS conference programs Texas A&M and Oregon, Fresno State looks to regain their footing next Saturday against Louisiana Tech.

“We’re gonna play faster and faster and faster,â€Â Coach Pat Hill lectured to his players at the end of Wednesday’s practice. “This game is a must win. The only game that matters right now is Louisiana Tech.â€Â

The Bulldogs ended last season with a 4-4 conference record and did not qualify for a bowl game for the first time in eight years. Fresno State was able to pull out a victory against Louisiana Tech last year in Ruston due to some late-game heroics from former running back Dwayne Wright.

“We gotta beat Louisiana Tech,â€Â Hill said. “That’s all that we need to focus on right now, beating Louisiana Tech. We’ll worry about other teams when we get there.â€Â

More recently the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) has started to garner respect in college football. With the recent success of Boise State, the sudden emergence of Hawaii and continued success of the Bulldogs, people are starting to recognize the WAC as a legitimate conference.

The success of mid-major programs in recent years has led to the outcry for a formal 16-team playoff system that would include teams from non-BCS conferences.

“The BCS has turned into an arms race,â€Â Hill said. “It’s just not an even playing field right now. I support a playoff system, it would definitely make a level playing field.â€Â

As of right now, a team that wins the WAC would not be considered for a BCS bowl bid unless it ended the season ranked in the top 12 of the BCS rankings or ahead of a BCS conference champion.

Going into conference play, the Bulldogs are battered and bruised with the loss of guard Cole Popovich and a season-ending leg injury to defensive lineman Jason Roberts.

This has led to the need of younger athletes to step into bigger roles. Hill stated that between 10 or 13 freshmen might see playing time against Louisiana Tech.

“The key with younger players is to not have to change your gameplan,â€Â Hill said. “We just need to keep working and pounding away to overcome all the adversity.â€Â

One man who needs little work on his game is tight end Bear Pascoe.

The junior has been the spark of the Bulldogs̢۪ offense this season. He is a Mackey Award nominee as one of the nation̢۪s top tight ends and has 228 yards receiving to go along with four touchdowns.

Pascoe could expect to see a lot of double coverage in conference play due to his productivity.

“If they double-team me that just means somebody else is open,â€Â Pascoe said. “I’ll just have to find ways to get open. As long as we win the game that’s all that matters to me.â€Â

Pascoe has also been selected to the preseason All-WAC team.

“All of the recognition is very nice,â€Â Pascoe said. “But like I said, it’s all about winning football games.â€Â

If the Bulldogs hope to stay competitive in the conference they will have to start playing high-quality football. The Bulldogs have committed eight turnovers this season and are rebounding from a game in which they were penalized 12 times, resulting in 105 yards total.

“We took a big step back against Oregon last week,â€Â Hill said. “Twenty-one out of the first 28 points we gave up were on mistakes. We have to cut down on the mental mistakes.â€Â

Louisiana Tech̢۪s record also stands at 1-2. Louisiana Tech opened its season with a win over Central Arkansas, but proceeded to drop their next two games to Hawaii and California. They did give Hawaii its closest game this season, pushing the Warriors to overtime.

The key for Fresno State will be to stop Louisiana Tech running back Brandon Jackson who has rushed for 286 yards and three touchdowns this season.

“We can’t make early game mistakes going into Louisiana Tech,â€Â Hill said. “We need to start playing smart, physical football.â€Â

The “Battle of the Boneâ€Â kicks off at 7 p.m. on Sept. 29 at Bulldog Stadium.

State of the Bulldogs

Here are some updates regarding the Fresno State Football team.

̢ۢ Cornerback Damon Jenkins will start next Saturday against Louisiana Tech despite a recent leg injury.

̢ۢ Ikenna Ike will start in place of defensive end Jason Roberts, who suffered a season-ending leg injury against Oregon.

̢ۢ Linebacker Quaadir Brown pleaded no contest to misdemenaor vandalism and trespassing charges Wednesday. He will serve one year of probation along with paying restitution and completing anger management courses.