Ryan Tubongbanua / The Collegian

Fresno State̢۪s offense has had few questions to answer leading up to the 2008 season.

The only real unknown on the offense this season will not be a player or position, but rather the coach in charge of making the whole thing work.

The program lost former offensive coordinator Jim McElwain to the draw of the Alabama Crimson Tide, the fourth offensive coordinator to leave for a ‘Big Time’ college football program in as many years.

Solid foundations

The unit returns 10 starters from 2007 and will be able to rely on Tom Brandstater, a three-year starter at quarterback.

Sharing the spotlight with Brandstater will be a trio of tailbacks, all of whom are talented enough to start at most universities.

The offensive line, receivers and tight ends return almost all of their key parts and have not yet been bitten by the injury bug.

So the Bulldogs have an experienced quarterback, an arsenal of weapons to throw to and a strong offensive line to protect the ball.

During the offseason, Fresno State was forced to find a new coach capable of using that talent.

A tough position

McElwain̢۪s move to the college football power came in February, relatively late in the offseason and almost too late to find a quality replacement.

A promotion from within the program seemed to be the best way to keep continuity, an important element considering the success the offense had under McElwain in 2007.

But instead, the program went out searching for the next coach to direct the offense.

“There were a lot of candidates for that [offensive coordinator] job,â€Â Coach Pat Hill said. “A lot of people call here when we have openings.â€Â

A mysterious acquisition

The search ended not with a promotion, but rather the hiring of Doug Nussmeier, the former quarterback coach for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League.

Nussmeier, who has spent time in the NFL as a quarterback and coach, instantly became the major story of the offseason and has remained a popular guy at press conferences.

The questions regarding Nussmeier have been whether or not he has the ability to effectively use the weapons the offense boasts and keep Brandstater on track to prepare him for a stellar senior season.

No one will have the answers to those questions until September 1.

No matter how many hours anyone watches practice or how many ways reporters can reword questions searching for clues, no one will know how the offense will react with Nussmeier calling the signals.

And that is exactly where the intrigue lies.

A hasty indoctrination

Nussmeier has been forced to quickly adjust to the coaching rules and regulations in college sports that he did not deal with in the NFL.

Although he has coached in college football before, he has never been a coordinator.

Being a coordinator puts him in charge of roughly half the team and he must combat the academic issues of all those young men – players are not always known for making that fight easy on their coaches.

“We’ve got academics to deal with every day,â€Â Nussmeier said. “We’re constantly making sure we have players in the right position academically to graduate and graduate early. We take great pride here in the academic progress and academic success of our players.â€Â

Not only are his players required to be students before athletes, but, unlike the NFL, practice time is strictly regulated in college sports.

“That’s one of the most difficult things about this job,â€Â Nussmeier said. “With the way the rules are, we are not allowed to spend time with our guys [during the summer].â€Â

Great expectations

Even though Nussmeier has been trying to adjust to a new city and a new coaching job, he still appears ready to lead the offense the best way he knows how.

That̢۪s not with fancy X̢۪s and O̢۪s or the trickiest plays he can draw up, but rather with his personality.

“Being a good coordinator has to do with people skills and your ability to get your players to play at a high level,â€Â Hill said. “I think Doug has those intangibles.â€Â

And those intangibles are the only clues anyone can gather before that Labor Day matchup against Rutgers.

Since his first day at spring camp, Nussmeier has displayed those people skills while adjusting to his new job.

He seems to have the uncanny ability to make the people around him comfortable.

“He’s embraced all the quarterbacks and made us comfortable with what he is teaching,â€Â Brandstater said.

And at practice, he is nothing but energy and looks like if he could, he would throw on a helmet and start warming up his arm.

If Brandstater and crew can remain comfortable and borrow some of Nussmeier̢۪s energy, than everything else should take care of itself and the team will have the chance to live up to the lofty preseason expectations.

But those expectations, which include a top 25 ranking and hopes of a Bowl Championship Series game, do not effect Nussmeier̢۪s personal expectations.

No matter how many clues anyone examines, it may come down to just that.

If his offense does play Bulldog football, then Nussmeier will look like the perfect hire at the end of what could be an electric season.

But hopefully, the program won̢۪t be looking for its fifth offensive coordinator in five years.