Fresno State has gone 10-1 during the last decade in homecoming games
and will look to build on that record this Saturday at Bulldog Stadium.
Dalton Runberg / The Collegian

Fresno State will try to rebound from last week’s loss this weekend against Utah State

After last week’s heart-wrenching 57-7 loss to Boise State, the Fresno State Bulldogs are working to turn things around for Saturday’s homecoming showdown against the Utah State Aggies.

Coach Pat Hill was remorseful during his Monday press conference for the lackluster performance his team fielded on Friday against the Broncos, but he told his fans that they would have something to cheer about Saturday.

“I thought our crowd was awesome for the Boise State game. I feel very, very bad that we were never able to give them anything to ignite them,” Hill said. “Hopefully we can give them something to really get excited about this weekend for homecoming.”

Hill and his ‘Dogs have homecoming on their side come Saturday evening.

Since the new millennium began, Fresno State is 11-1 on homecoming day at Bulldog Stadium with its only loss coming to Hawaii in 2006. The Warriors went on to an 11-3 record that year, including a big win over Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl.

As for Utah State, Hill and the Bulldogs lead the overall series against the Aggies with a 15-10-1 record. The last time the two teams met for Fresno State’s homecoming was in 2005, where the Bulldogs defeated the Aggies 53-21 behind then-starting quarterback Paul Pinegar. That was also the year the ‘Dogs beat Boise State, Hill’s only win against the Broncos.

But the Aggies won’t gift wrap a Bulldog victory on Saturday.

The ‘Dogs are going to have to dig deep to pull out the win against the Aggies, who sport a 2-3 record but have lost all three of their games by a combined total of eight points.

The Aggies, who were picked to finish fifth in the Western Athletic Conference in the preseason, currently lead the conference in rushing (309.6 yards per game), total offense (480.4 ypg) and scoring (42.6 points per game).

Much of that success can be accredited to junior running back Robert Turbin, who leads the WAC with 12 total touchdowns. Turbin has rushed for 599 yards on 93 attempts and 10 rushing touchdowns for the Aggies in their first five games.

Fortunately for the ‘Dogs, they have their own breakout running back in junior Robbie Rouse, who has rushed for 672 yards on 143 carries. Rouse, who finished with a season-low 72 yards on Friday against Boise State, is ready to look past the loss and focus on Utah State.

“The one great thing about football is that there are more and more games, especially after a game like last week’s,” Rouse said. “We just have to put it all together. I don’t know what happened on Friday, but that wasn’t our style of play.”

But Rouse is confident his team can give the fans something to cheer for on Saturday and play the Bulldog football he has practiced week in and week out.

When asked what his goal was for Saturday to get the fans on their feet, Rouse had a simple but powerful statement.

“Just win.”

Homecoming games during the past decade

Ӣ 2010: W, 33-10 New Mexico State
Ӣ 2009: W, 41-21 San Jose State
Ӣ 2008: W, 45-32 Idaho
Ӣ 2007: W, 30-0 San Jose State
Ӣ 2006: L, 68-37 Hawaii
Ӣ 2005: W, 53-21 Utah State
Ӣ 2004: W, 42-0 SMU
Ӣ 2003: W, 31-28 Rice
Ӣ 2002: W, 30-7 SMU
Ӣ 2001: W, 38-28 La Tech
Ӣ 2000: W, 58-21 Nevada