The Bulldogs, who are still reeling from their tough loss against Boise State, will continue to work on their offensive and defensive schemes this week in practice.

Switching focus from a team who has constantly had their number in the past, to another difficult conference opponent in Wyoming, the ’Dogs will have to shake off this recent loss.

“I think there’s still some disappointment,” coach Tim DeRuyter said. “We looked at the tape this morning and what they saw on the tape was that clearly there was some plays to be made that we didn’t make.”

“We got another league challenge this weekend with Wyoming coming in. I think their record is no way indicative of what kind of football team we’re getting ready to face,” DeRuyter added.

What is more discouraging is that this may be the last game that Fresno State will get to play against the Broncos, as Boise State will transfer to the Big East Conference next season.

But for now, the Bulldogs must sweep those bitter feelings aside and turn their focus toward their next matchup in Wyoming. But until Fresno State can clean up its play on the road, questions will remain.

“On the road, we’re going to hear this until we throw for 5 billion yards on the road,” quarterback Derek Carr said.

The injury to linebacker Patrick Su’a in Saturday’s game will most likely hinder Fresno State’s defense. But could prove an opportunity for bench players to make a definitive mark on the team. With the return of Jeremiah Toma from injury, he can now take Su’a’s place.

“I think when you lose a leader like Patrick, and he clearly is one of our defensive leaders, it can create a hole,” DeRuyter said. “Luckily we got a guy like Jeremiah Toma now who’s a great leader for us too. His role goes up. His reps go up.”

Now the roles have been reverse with Su’a out for what most likely will be the rest of the season.

“During the game we lost Patrick Su’a and it appears we’ll probably lose him for the season,” DeRuyter said.

“Nothing is going to change schematically. We’re the same with or without him in terms of what we can do schematically,” defensive coordinator Nick Toth added.

Toma will look to step up again and provide leadership and veteran experience to a Bulldogs defense that already ranks first in the nation in takeaways. Fresno State shouldn’t miss a step, as their defensive schemes look to remain unchanged.

“I do whatever the coaches need me to do. A shot on the quarterback, a shot on the running back, a shot on the ball,” inside linebacker Jeremiah Toma said. “I just tell Coach I’m ready.”

“He’s got a really high football IQ,” Toth added. “So he’s played a lot of snaps and is very experienced. He’s able to lead in chaos because he’s been there before.”

What helps the Bulldogs consistently get turnovers is the tenacity of defensive backs Phillip Thomas and Derron Smith.

Also, in the trench, the play of nose guard Andy Jennings has been a big spark to Fresno State’s defensive line. Jennings leads the Mountain West Conference with eight tackles for a loss and ranks fifth in the division with 4.5 sacks.

“You can sum it all up in effort,” Toma said. “He has so much heart. He talks about it all the time how is dad prepared him since he was a kid. He woke him up at 6 A.M. and made him run for miles.”

“He’s a great player. He gets in there and causes havoc. He’s always got his motor running and that’s what the coaches want from us,” safety Derron Smith added.

Although Fresno State scored only 10 points Saturday, the success of its offense has been a tremendous turnaround this season. Carr, running back Robbie Rouse and the wide receiving corps have been key elements in the team’s offensive turnaround. Rouse currently leads the Mountain West with 1,064 all-purpose yards and 10 total touchdowns.

“He’s such a good talent and he works hard. He’s a great leader, so it’s well deserved. The reason he has all those things is cause he works so hard,” Carr said. “In the run game, he’s hard to tackle. And when he runs routes, he’s hard to get your hands on him. He’s so quick and he continues to make plays.”

What has also helped the team greatly has been the role of the home crowd in games at Bulldog Stadium. Feeding off the energy of the crowd has boosted the energy of the team, offensively and defensively.

“It’s amazing. We love playing in front of our home crowd. And we love how loud they get. We feed off of them,” Carr said. “So when our defense makes a play and the crowd gets loud, I get juiced. And when we score and the crowd gets loud, the defense gets juiced.”

Success for the ’Dogs seems to come easy at home. Yet, on the road, it is an entirely different matter.

Fresno State was able to grab an easy win in Fort Collins only two weeks ago against Colorado State. However, the Bulldogs are 1-4 on the road with their lone victory coming from an easy opponent in the Rams.

But, for now, the ’Dogs will appear invincible in their stadium that is famously named after legendary Fresno State coach Jim Sweeney.

But the question of whether or not the Bulldogs can win on the road will remain. DeRuyter and his squad will either have to answer it with an emphatic win, or continue their concerning trend.

“At first it was we couldn’t win on the road, but then we did that. So they had to find something else to say,” Carr said. “We got to keep dealing with these questions. But we’re just going to keep working hard and keep grinding.”