Dalton Runberg / The Collegian
During Monday’s weekly press conference, head football coach Tim DeRuyter declared that he wants to re-establish a winning tradition at Fresno State.
The way DeRuyter will go about doing this is to teach a new scheme that will sink in deeply with the players, both on offense and defense. With a history at Texas A&M as a defensive coach, DeRuyter will rely strongly on his mantra of “fast, physical, fanatical!”
“I think our coaches have done a nice job installing our systems on both sides of the ball,” DeRuyter said. “We still need a good week of practice to make sure we’re clicking on all cylinders, but I like where we are. I like the attitude of this team. I think we’ve got a little bit of a chip on our shoulders because of the way last year ended.”
Opening the season against Weber State this Saturday at Bulldog Stadium, the Bulldogs will be planning to limit the Wildcats’ offense.
“I think offensively, it’s a little bit easier to get a handle on,” DeRuyter said. “They’ve retained their offensive coordinator. They’re a multiple team. They will use some tempo. A little bit more multiple as far as personnel packages than some of the teams we’ll play.”
Last year, the Wildcats collected 2,000 yards both in the air and on the ground so their offense is versatile. They can challenge any team with any offensive scheme. The Wildcats will definitely pose a challenge as the ‘Dogs’ first matchup of the season.
“They do a great job of mixing things up. They threw for over 2,000 yards0 and ran for 2,000 a year ago,” DeRuyter said. “Weber State has 14 starters returning from that team, including there quarterback who had a heck of a year. So we know our guys have a tremendous challenge. We’re ready for it.”
Throughout last spring and the summer, the Bulldogs have repeatedly tested their offensive and defensive players in different positions. With a complete overhaul of the coaching staff (minus Joe Wade, the running backs coach), DeRuyter has molded the offense and defense into being efficient in any and all situations.
“What you do in training camp is try to put guys through as many situations and personnel groupings and know how you want to adjust in different situations,” DeRuyter said. “So you may not have practiced it this week in anticipation, but you’ve got that knowledge banked from maybe a couple of weeks ago in practice. The same thing offensively.”
The Bulldogs will debut their new spread offense and 3-4 defensive scheme on Saturday night when they take on the Wildcats. DeRuyter wants to get off to a strong start against Weber State.
“I’m sure I won’t be sleeping a whole lot on Friday night in anticipation of walking down that ramp and seeing our guys for the first time against an opponent,” DeRuyter said. “I really feel our team will feel that same enthusiasm and energy. Hopefully it’ll be something infectious that our fans will really appreciate as well.”
An essential element for the Bulldogs to reach a high level of success is turnover margin. Last season, the ‘Dogs had 27 fumbles with 13 of them lost to the opposing team. Also if quarterback Derek Carr keeps his passes on target, that will go a long way in helping the offense win games.
“We have to get 20-plus takeaways this year. I think we’ve got guys capable of doing it. We’ve done a pretty good job in camp,” DeRuyter said. “Derek hasn’t thrown as many picks, but some of our younger guys have done a pretty good job of getting interceptions.”
With the multitude of changes both on offense and defense made by DeRuyter, he believes that people are excited to see what the Bulldogs will do this season. A sense of anticipation and excitement abounds at Fresno State as not only the public but students are anxious to see how the ‘Dogs will contend in the Mountain West.
“I think people are anxious to see us do some different things. We’ve had a great legacy here a year ago. wObviously, we weren’t up to that. I think our players sense that,” DeRuyter said. “But everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve sensed our fans excited about this year, excited about our guys. Excited to see Phillip Thomas back, to see Derek, to see Robbie (Rouse). I see a great anticipation out there and we’re hoping to live up to that.”