Junior running back Robbie Rouse is eighth in the country in average
yards per game and will need another solid performance to help the
‘Dogs get the win against Louisiana Tech this weekend.
Dalton Runberg / The Collegian

With a sub par 3-5 overall record, and a 2-1 Western Athletic Conference record, Bulldog football has proven to be about as inconsistent as autumn weather in the Central Valley so far this season.

Head coach Pat Hill has been the face of the Fresno State football program for 15 years and has seen that inconsistency has hindered the 2011 version of the Bulldogs’ offense.

“We’ve been very inconsistent,” Hill said. “Inconsistency is what gets you beat. There are some good teams that have had lapses and we’ve had some lapses that have gotten us beat. We’ve got to just learn to be more consistent.”

Last week’s bye allowed Fresno State get its legs back and get back on the same page. It may have helped the offense, which will need to provide some consistency with the ‘Dogs having five games remaining on their regular-season schedule.

The Bulldogs had gone without a full two days of rest for 14 straight weeks this season, until last week when Hill gave his players and coaches three consecutive days off. Junior running back Robbie Rouse was grateful that he and his teammates were able to catch their breath and recover from the first half of the season.

“It felt good and it was good for a lot of our bodies,” Rouse, who is just 16 yards short from breaking the 1,000-yard mark on the season, said. “To get that bye was great. I think everybody is refreshed and ready to get back for this five-game stretch.”

Every player will need to be refreshed as they welcome Louisiana Tech (4-4, 3-1 WAC) to Bulldog Stadium for their 13th meeting on Saturday. Fresno State leads the all-time series 9-3.

Rouse has been a staple for the Bulldogs’ offense this season and has proved to be a workhorse for a young offense. This is his second year as a starter and is closing in on his second 1,000-yard season of his career.

He is currently the ninth-leading rusher in the nation with his 984 yards on 192 carries and seven touchdowns. Rouse is also averaging 123.0 yards per game, which is ranked eighth in the country.

Although Rouse has found success in the running game, he knows the ‘Dogs will need to improve their consistency in order to win.

“They’re still some things we have to learn on offense and got to execute,” said the 5-foot-7, 185-pound running back. “Sometimes when we have to score, we do, but there are other times we don’t. We need to learn to do that from start to finish.”

That inconsistency to produce offensively has plagued the ‘Dogs and could cost them a chance at a bowl game. Fresno State must win at least four of its next five games in order to become bowl eligible this season. Fortunately for the ‘Dogs, history is on their side as they have won at least four of their last five games of the regular season eight times during Hill’s tenure.

Hill has led the Bulldogs to 11 bowl games in a 14-year span and knows the offense, but stresses a more consistent approach down the stretch.

“Our offense has been playing pretty well but the consistency is what is hurting us,” Hill said at the team’s first practice since the bye week on Sunday. It’s all got to go together. You can have a great offense, but you have got to win the games. Every time we have the ball we need to put ourselves in scoring position.”

For the Bulldogs, getting the ball into scoring position has been anything but easy. They have only reached the red zone 24 times this season, while allowing their opponents within scoring position 29 times.

With Rouse on the ground and sophomore quarterback Derek Carr attacking through the air, the ‘Dogs will need to be consistent in order to get into scoring position and generate touchdown opportunities.

As for Hill, he just has one goal for the week:

“We just got to win Saturday,” Hill said. “That’s what we have to do.”