Joe Jaszewski / McClatchy Tribune
Heading into their next conference showdown this Saturday against Idaho, Pat Hill and the Bulldogs will be turning to security this week — ball security.
“It was very hard for us to overcome the six turnovers,â€Â Hill said about the team’s performance against Hawaii. “That is not very characteristic of our team; we work on ball security everyday.â€Â
The Bulldogs lost three fumbles and quarterback Tom Brandstater was picked off three times in the overtime loss to the Hawaii Warriors last Saturday in their Western Athletic Conference (WAC) opener.
“Obviously, last week was a letdown for us,â€Â Brandstater said. “We preach ball security every day since day one. Those six turnovers, you can’t do that again.â€Â
Along with Hill, offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier is the other Bulldog coach stressing not turning the ball over.
“Ball security is the number one most important thing,â€Â Nussmeier said. “We got to get back to playing no turnover football. If you win the turnover margin, you’ll win a good majority of your games.â€Â
Hawaii fumbles “inexcusable”
Fresno State̢۪s WAC opener at Bulldog Stadium saw a large crowd for the second time this season, but the ̢۪Dogs dropped to 0-2 at home after Saturday night.
“We had a great atmosphere for Hawaii, but we were in a race to catch up,â€Â Hill said. “Our players played hard. Give Hawaii credit for knocking the ball out.â€Â
One of the fumbles Hawaii jumped on was a quarterback and center mishap early in the game, which disappointed Hill.
“The fumble from the center and quarterback exchange is just inexcusable, so our center and quarterback exchange has to be perfect,â€Â Hill said.
Center Joe Bernardi also realized how important ball control on offense is this week.
“Six turnovers lost the ballgame,â€Â Bernardi said. “We got to work on getting ourselves better.â€Â
Bernardi and the rest of the offensive line did pave the way for the Bulldog offense to amass a season-high 522 total yards against Hawaii̢۪s defense, which included a 157-yard performance from Anthony Harding.
Harding is another Bulldog who knows that turning the ball over is a topic of discussion at practice, with the subject being brought up this week.
“We’re preaching ball security every week,â€Â Harding said. “Everything coach Hill and coach Nussmeier talk about is ball security.â€Â
Win against Idaho important for supporters
Fresno State heads into Bulldog Stadium with a 3-2 record, and 0-1 in conference play.
The Bulldogs will face off against an Idaho squad that is 1-5 on the year and 0-2 versus WAC opponents. Fresno State is 3-0 against the Vandals in the Pat Hill era, which includes last season̢۪s 37-24 victory in Moscow, Idaho.
Hill believes that despite past success against the Vandals, the Bulldogs will be tested again.
“Idaho plays very hard,â€Â Hill said. “Hawaii came in with a mindset to win, so will Idaho. When we play, they’re going to be highly competitive.â€Â
One Bulldog very familiar with Idaho is offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, who was once a starting quarterback for the Vandals.
“Its going to be an exciting time,â€Â Nussmeier said. “It was a great experience when I was there. I have a lot of respect for that program, a lot of the people who were there helped mold me as a person and player.â€Â
Hill still believes in his team despite two home losses, losing their WAC opener and losing a shot at making a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) game in January.
“Winning the conference title is still in our hands,â€Â Hill said. “We’ve played hard for five straight weeks. We haven’t had a letdown game. Whoever is out there is playing at a high level for us.â€Â
Brandstater feels that the ̢۪Dogs winning at home this weekend will be a way to win back support from the Red Wave crowd.
“Obviously, the Fresno fans around here are hard to please sometimes,â€Â Brandstater said. “We might be out there with 5,000 people, but that doesn’t matter. We want to get out there and get a win.â€Â
Getting to know the Idaho Vandals…
2007 Record: 1-11 (0-8 in WAC play)
The story so far: The Vandals have had another slow start to their season. Idaho is 1-5 with losses to Arizona, Western Michigan, San Diego State and Nevada and its lone win came over Football Championship Subdivision team Idaho State. Idaho had a program overhaul two years ago with the hiring of head coach Rob Akey and is still in the middle of the rebuilding process.
Impact Players: Offense – Tailback Deonte Jackson – The senior has been one of the bright spots for the struggling Vandal offense. Jackson has rushed for 353 yards and two touchdowns this season, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Last season against Fresno State, Jackson ran for 108 yards.
Defense – Free safety Virdell Larkins – The junior college transfer has been able to make an immediate impact in his fist year in the program. Larkins has 46 tackles and an interception on the season.
The Buzz: The Bulldogs are 0-2 at home this season and cannot afford to disappoint the home crowd again, especially on homecoming weekend. The Vandals are 33.5-point underdogs this week, but should be able to keep it closer than that. The Bowl Championship Series dreams are gone for Fresno State, but the Bulldogs still have a conference title to play for.
dogfan • Oct 8, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Hey, if we go 7-0 the rest of the season, we will have a good season. We are looking at it like we are in the dumps and now we are stuck there and can’t get out. We’ve got to deal with what we have now and put our noses to the grindstone again and go after it again. You can’t sit in the past and complain. You have to think that the next week will be better and we can’t get a good win which will boost our momentum for the next coming weeks. Let’s rally behind the Dogs and fill the stadium again…Be loud and proud…i’m sure it’ll shock Idaho when they see a sea of red when they usually play in a dome that seats as much as the Save Mart Center does. Go Dogs!!
dogfan • Oct 9, 2008 at 3:15 am
Hey, if we go 7-0 the rest of the season, we will have a good season. We are looking at it like we are in the dumps and now we are stuck there and can’t get out. We’ve got to deal with what we have now and put our noses to the grindstone again and go after it again. You can’t sit in the past and complain. You have to think that the next week will be better and we can’t get a good win which will boost our momentum for the next coming weeks. Let’s rally behind the Dogs and fill the stadium again…Be loud and proud…i’m sure it’ll shock Idaho when they see a sea of red when they usually play in a dome that seats as much as the Save Mart Center does. Go Dogs!!
dogfan • Oct 9, 2008 at 3:15 am
Hey, if we go 7-0 the rest of the season, we will have a good season. We are looking at it like we are in the dumps and now we are stuck there and can’t get out. We’ve got to deal with what we have now and put our noses to the grindstone again and go after it again. You can’t sit in the past and complain. You have to think that the next week will be better and we can’t get a good win which will boost our momentum for the next coming weeks. Let’s rally behind the Dogs and fill the stadium again…Be loud and proud…i’m sure it’ll shock Idaho when they see a sea of red when they usually play in a dome that seats as much as the Save Mart Center does. Go Dogs!!
alumni • Oct 8, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Granted the turnovers were the killing factor in this game, but let’s not let Mr. Conservative Pat Hill off the ropes here. If your any kind of football fan you knew Hill was playing for a fieldgoal the last drive in regulation and why? We’ll never get the respect from the voters which we need if we ever want to really contend for the BCS Bid, playing for simply a “W”. Pat Hill needs to learn, in which he hasn’t in the 14-15 years he’s been here, that it’s college football you need to win and win by a good margin to move up in the polls. So as long as Pat Hill plays defense on his offense will never be that team!! Let go of the ropes hill and stop having any influence on the play calling.
alumni • Oct 9, 2008 at 12:44 am
Granted the turnovers were the killing factor in this game, but let’s not let Mr. Conservative Pat Hill off the ropes here. If your any kind of football fan you knew Hill was playing for a fieldgoal the last drive in regulation and why? We’ll never get the respect from the voters which we need if we ever want to really contend for the BCS Bid, playing for simply a “W”. Pat Hill needs to learn, in which he hasn’t in the 14-15 years he’s been here, that it’s college football you need to win and win by a good margin to move up in the polls. So as long as Pat Hill plays defense on his offense will never be that team!! Let go of the ropes hill and stop having any influence on the play calling.
alumni • Oct 9, 2008 at 12:44 am
Granted the turnovers were the killing factor in this game, but let’s not let Mr. Conservative Pat Hill off the ropes here. If your any kind of football fan you knew Hill was playing for a fieldgoal the last drive in regulation and why? We’ll never get the respect from the voters which we need if we ever want to really contend for the BCS Bid, playing for simply a “W”. Pat Hill needs to learn, in which he hasn’t in the 14-15 years he’s been here, that it’s college football you need to win and win by a good margin to move up in the polls. So as long as Pat Hill plays defense on his offense will never be that team!! Let go of the ropes hill and stop having any influence on the play calling.
jackowacko • Oct 8, 2008 at 1:57 pm
there sure is a lot of people whining and moaning after the loss. It was a hard loss lets get over it and move on.
GO DOGS!!!!!
jackowacko • Oct 8, 2008 at 8:57 pm
there sure is a lot of people whining and moaning after the loss. It was a hard loss lets get over it and move on.
GO DOGS!!!!!
jackowacko • Oct 8, 2008 at 8:57 pm
there sure is a lot of people whining and moaning after the loss. It was a hard loss lets get over it and move on.
GO DOGS!!!!!
No kidding • Oct 8, 2008 at 12:12 pm
I can’t belive TB would say that, especailly after his team lost to 22-point underdog Hawaii and he stunk the place up.
No kidding • Oct 8, 2008 at 7:12 pm
I can’t belive TB would say that, especailly after his team lost to 22-point underdog Hawaii and he stunk the place up.
No kidding • Oct 8, 2008 at 7:12 pm
I can’t belive TB would say that, especailly after his team lost to 22-point underdog Hawaii and he stunk the place up.
Anonymous • Oct 8, 2008 at 9:34 am
Brandstater says the fans are obviously hard to please. The 40,000+ fans at the stadium were rooting for the team the entire game vs. Hawaii. But when one guy is personally responsible for 3 1/2 turnovers, expect to have your fans upset with you. Brandstater and Goessling will have to pull off an incredible season to earn the fans’ respect again.
Anonymous • Oct 8, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Brandstater says the fans are obviously hard to please. The 40,000+ fans at the stadium were rooting for the team the entire game vs. Hawaii. But when one guy is personally responsible for 3 1/2 turnovers, expect to have your fans upset with you. Brandstater and Goessling will have to pull off an incredible season to earn the fans’ respect again.
Anonymous • Oct 8, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Brandstater says the fans are obviously hard to please. The 40,000+ fans at the stadium were rooting for the team the entire game vs. Hawaii. But when one guy is personally responsible for 3 1/2 turnovers, expect to have your fans upset with you. Brandstater and Goessling will have to pull off an incredible season to earn the fans’ respect again.