Jim: With midterm exams upon most of us, it̢۪s time to buckle down, study and get the work done that we̢۪ve been putting off for two months.

Members of the Fresno State football team are going through the same things as well during their conference bye week.

Coach Pat Hill said the team will use the time to do some studying of their own — inside the playbook.

The Bulldogs are 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference at the midway point of the season. With several players suffering from injuries, the bye week couldn̢۪t come at a better time for Fresno State.

Logan: Absolutely. The Bulldogs are suffering from injuries at almost every position and Hill said the team has not even had a chance to catch their breath yet this season.

Fresno State has had a string of games this season as tough as any other team in the nation and travel more this season that any other school, except for Hawaii. I would imagine the ̢۪Dogs are a little tired.

Hill will play anybody, anywhere, anytime and it does take a toll on his team around this time of the year, so the bye will help.

Even though it has been tough thus far, the Bulldogs have had some bright spots on the field and some areas in which they could improve, to say the least.

Brandon Ocegueda / The Collegian

Jim: In the spirit of midterms, it̢۪s time to grade Fresno State football in every aspect of the game.
First, let̢۪s start with something positive.

The Bulldogs rank 29th nationally in scoring, averaging 33.2 points per game and 21st in total yards at 432.2 per game.

Much of that can be attributed to the success of Fresno State̢۪s rushing attack.

The trio of Ryan Mathews, Lonyae Miller and Anthony Harding has been the catalyst for the offense this season.

Fresno State averages 226 yards per game on the ground and has rushed for 13 touchdowns this season.

When it comes to running the football, the Bulldogs definitely pass the test.

Logan: Quarterback Tom Brandstater and the passing offense came into the season with very high expectations, but have failed to live up to all the hype.

The senior signal-caller has struggled at times, especially at the line of scrimmage. Brandstater has been sacked 11 times this season and has thrown five interceptions off of tips by the opposing defensive line.

The receiving corps has been hit with injuries and failed to stretch the field to open up the offense.
The season began with so much promise for Brandstater and crew, and while it̢۪s not over, there is still plenty of room to improve.

Jim: While running the ball is definitely a strength for Fresno State, defensively, the Bulldogs have definitely struggled stopping the ground game.

Fresno State allows 196.3 yards rushing per game and have yet to hold a running back under 80 yards in a game.

This may be due to the fact that veteran defensive tackle/run-stopper Jon Monga is out indefinitely with a knee injury.

With freshmen Logan Harrell and Chase McEntee getting a majority of the reps at the two tackle spots, teams may take advantage of Fresno State̢۪s inexperience up the middle.

But, the linebacker corps, which many thought would be a weakness this season, has provided solid run support for the Bulldogs.

Ben Jacobs, Nico Herron and Chris Carter have combined for 119 tackles this season.

Logan: The front seven, especially the young linebackers, has played well this season, but the secondary has been the strength of the defense.

Bryan Cole / The Collegian

Junior college transfer Sharrod Davis has established himself as the team̢۪s strongest cover corner by coming up with five pass breakups, and forced a fumble to kill a UCLA drive in the fourth quarter.

Leading the secondary has been junior safety Moses Harris. Harris has been stellar this season and is third on the team with 38 tackles.

The secondary is allowing over 200 yards per game and has only produced two interceptions, so there are still some things to work on.

Jim: What used to be a strength for the Bulldogs is now a glaring weakness.

The special teams unit has been lackluster at best this season due to poor kickoff coverage and a lack of clutch field goals.

The Bulldogs have allowed 874 kickoff return yards this season, including a record-setting performance by UCLA̢۪s Terrance Austin in September.

The following week, the Bulldogs allowed Hawaii̢۪s Ryan Mouton to return a kick for a touchdown.

As for kicker Kevin Goessling, there̢۪s something interesting to note, he has had six game-deciding field goals in six games this season.

His predecessor, Clint Stitser, had two in four years at Fresno State.

Goessling has a big leg and is only a freshman. According to Hill, he will be the best kicker at Fresno State when he̢۪s done.

Logan: The final category on the midterm exam is coaching. The responsibility for the season starts and ends with the guys who make money, the coaching staff.

The staff has done great job adjusting with injuries and has kept the team from losing back-to-back games.

I really feel like Hill is a great head coach, but there have been some issues this season.

First-year offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier has had some questionable play calls this season and the offense looks to be missing Jim McElwain calling the plays.

While Nussmeier has struggled, new linebacker coach Will Plemons has been doing a great job with the three sophomore linebackers.

Jim: The bottom line is this — Fresno State is 1-1 in conference play.

While the performances against Idaho and Hawaii didn̢۪t instill much confidence, those were just quizzes.
The Bulldogs can only hope they are still in contention for a final exam in Boise.

Logan: And maybe we will all find out that Boise State has been cheating on their tests for the last eight seasons.

The story so far…

Here are results from this season thus far:

Sept. 1, at Rutgers, Won 24-7
Sept. 13, Wisconsin, Lost 10-13
Sept. 20, at Toledo, Won 55-54
Sept. 27, at UCLA, Won 36-31
Oct. 4, Hawaii, Lost 29-32
Oct. 11, Idaho, Won 45-32

By JIMMY GRABEN LOGAN HOPKINS / The Collegian