I don̢۪t know much about Hawaii̢۪s infrastructure, but I could have sworn I saw a train running through Aloha Stadium on Saturday.
Oh nevermind, that was Fresno State linebacker Marcus Riley absolutely crushing Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan. If you haven̢۪t seen the hit, it has received over 15,000 hits on YouTube so far.
Despite Riley̢۪s hit, and a near-comeback from the Bulldogs, Fresno State suffered another close defeat, losing by a score of 37-30 at Hawaii Saturday night.
It seems to be the same story over and over again: the Bulldogs mount a comeback and just fall short. But when you give up 24 points in the first quarter, you can̢۪t expect to beat a high-octane team like Hawaii.
The fact that the Bulldogs were without top running back Ryan Mathews and tight end Bear Pascoe (in the second half) says a lot about the heart and desire of this football team.
It was nice to see players like Marlon Moore and Seyi Ajirotutu step up. The two of them combined for 123 yards receiving, while Moore added two scores.
So now what? Well, lets lay out the rest of the season and go from there.
Fresno State has a bye this weekend, which they desperately need. Mathews, Pascoe and numerous other Bulldogs are riddled with injuries that need rest.
On Nov. 24 the Bulldogs will play host to Kansas State (5-5) from the Big 12 Conference. The Cougars upset Texas earlier this season in Austin, but since then have gone into a downward spiral, losing four of their last six games.
In the season finale, the Bulldogs will head to Las Cruces, N.M. to take on Western Athletic Conference (WAC) foe New Mexico State on a Friday night in front of a national audience on ESPN2.
Best case scenario, Fresno State will be 8-4 and bowl eligible by season̢۪s end. But it̢۪s hard to say where the Bulldogs will end up.
If Hawaii goes undefeated, the Warriors would most likely be selected for a BCS bowl game. This would mean the Bulldogs would be the prime candidate to receive a bid to the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, which gives a bid to the WAC̢۪s No. 2 seed.
However, if Hawaii does not go to the BCS, the Warriors would go to the Hawaii Bowl and Fresno State would be stuck playing in the New Mexico Bowl. Nothing too special, but hey, it̢۪s better than last season.
Long story short, Fresno State fans need to be rooting for Hawaii. If things go according to plan, the Bulldogs will receive a bid to the Hawaii Bowl. The university could benefit greatly from a Hawaii BCS bowl game bid, which pays out $17 million. Last season, Fresno State received $450,000 due to Boise State̢۪s success in the Fiesta Bowl.
It̢۪s a win-win situation for the Bulldogs.
So when you watch that vicious hit on Brennan from last weekend, have a short moment of triumph, then remember that Fresno State will benefit from him being healthy.
What better way to spend Christmas, then watch our beloved Bulldogs win a bowl game for the first time since 2004.
A holiday ham, egg nog, a pineapple and some Fresno State football? Sounds good.
Karen • Nov 19, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Let’s go DOGS! Let’s get to a BOWL game!
I’d really enjoy taking a trip home to Hawaii, but the $$ would be LOTS. Taking a trip to New Mexico would be closer and not as rough on the pocket book.
Either way let’s JUST DO IT!
Karen • Nov 20, 2007 at 2:39 am
Let’s go DOGS! Let’s get to a BOWL game!
I’d really enjoy taking a trip home to Hawaii, but the $$ would be LOTS. Taking a trip to New Mexico would be closer and not as rough on the pocket book.
Either way let’s JUST DO IT!
zack's right • Nov 15, 2007 at 10:20 am
Jason Shirley is BACK, baby. Mr. T. is gonna pound the K-State offense. I still don’t buy his one .40 oz. of beer argument. I can pound two .40’s of Mickey’s and still not drive into someone’s bathroom. That guy dropping the deuces must have got the shock of his life when a big dude like JS came crashing thru the wall at 1am.
zack's right • Nov 15, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Jason Shirley is BACK, baby. Mr. T. is gonna pound the K-State offense. I still don’t buy his one .40 oz. of beer argument. I can pound two .40’s of Mickey’s and still not drive into someone’s bathroom. That guy dropping the deuces must have got the shock of his life when a big dude like JS came crashing thru the wall at 1am.
Pac-Man Gomes • Nov 14, 2007 at 9:20 pm
True, we should be rooting for Hawaii the rest of the way. While they are clearly not as good as last year’s Bosie team or 2004’s Utah team—–they make the status quo teams feel a little worried—–which is good for all 5 non-BCS conferences. Wherever we end up, we better finish out winning at least one of the last 2 games (hell, lets go for both). A 6-6 season is nothing to be proud of. Also, consider that if Hawaii is ranked high enough the week after next and are toppled by Boise there is a slight chance that they can sneak into the top-12 and hence earn another BCS bid for the conference. Deserving? Hardly after losing to Washington, but still good for all.
Pac-Man Gomes • Nov 14, 2007 at 2:20 pm
True, we should be rooting for Hawaii the rest of the way. While they are clearly not as good as last year’s Bosie team or 2004’s Utah team—–they make the status quo teams feel a little worried—–which is good for all 5 non-BCS conferences. Wherever we end up, we better finish out winning at least one of the last 2 games (hell, lets go for both). A 6-6 season is nothing to be proud of. Also, consider that if Hawaii is ranked high enough the week after next and are toppled by Boise there is a slight chance that they can sneak into the top-12 and hence earn another BCS bid for the conference. Deserving? Hardly after losing to Washington, but still good for all.