Brianna Campbell / The Collegian

Week 6 preview

Fresno State Bulldogs (2-3, 1-1 WAC) vs. San Jose State Spartans (1-4, 0-1 WAC)

Breakdown: Bulldogs
It doesn’t matter if it’s homecoming. It doesn’t matter if Fresno State is playing its oldest rival for the 74th time since 1921. It doesn’t matter if the ’Dogs beat Hawaii 42-17 last week on Oahu.

Coach Pat Hill wants fans to pack Bulldog Stadium for one reason – to witness greatness.

According to Hill, tailback Ryan Mathews is one of the best in Fresno State’s history and is worth the price of admission.

“I hope you know that you’re watching a very, very special player,” Hill said. “People know who he is.”

It would be hard for Red Wavers to not know who Mathews is at this point. The junior is leading the entire nation in rushing yards per game, averaging 148.2 yards after five games.

It appears that Mathews will have little trouble meeting his weekly average yet again, especially against the Spartans’ rushing defense, which is allowing 251.4 yards per game (second worst in Football Bowl Subdivision [FBS]).

Last week against Hawaii, Bulldog quarterback Ryan Colburn finished a game without a turnover for the first time in 2009. It will be difficult for the junior to be error-free again. The Spartans are plus-five in the turnover margin, which ranks first in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

On the defensive side, defensive end Chris Carter looks to continue a monstrous 2009 campaign, already totaling four sacks (first in the WAC). It appears that the junior should be able to add to his total, as the Spartans rank last in the WAC, giving up three sacks a game.

The Spartans haven’t won at Bulldog Stadium since 1987. That year, only 17 players on the current roster were even born.

For the remaining players on the Fresno State roster, it looks as if it won’t happen in their lifetime.

Breakdown: Spartans
The San Jose State Spartans have had a treacherous early 2009 schedule, losing games against USC, Utah and Stanford. The unforgiving start has left the Men of Sparta battered and bruised, with a 1-4 record to show.

But aside from just wins and losses, a football team is measured by its ability to run the football and to stop the opposition’s rushing attack. It almost always tells the true story.

San Jose State hasn’t done either well in 2009. The Spartans rank dead last in both rushing offense and rushing defense in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and 118th of 119 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) squads.

The Spartans only manage to gain 68.4 rushing yards per game, averaging only 2.6 yards per carry. On defense, they allow 241.4 rushing yards per game. Junior-college transfer Lamon Muldrow leads San Jose State with 47 rushing yards per game, averaging 5.7 yards per carry.

Aside from Muldrow, the Spartans only real weapon on the offensive side of the ball is receiver Kevin Jurovich. A converted defensive back, Jurovich leads the WAC with 7.2 receptions per game, and is third in the conference with 92.6 yards per game.

On the defensive side, the Spartans two leading tacklers are their starting safeties – Tanner Burns and Duke Ihenacho. Together, the two players considered to be the last line of defense, get 16.4 tackles a game, a terrible sign for a defense.

Trying to hold things together is coach Dick Tomey, a former mentor to Pat Hill. “[Tomey],” Hill said, “does a real good job of keeping his team focused when things aren’t going well.”

Tomey’s Spartans will need a great deal of focus just to keep this game from getting out of hand early.