With 19 days to go until the Fresno State football team opens its season in Los Angeles, the Bulldogs hit the field on Monday for their third two-a-day fall camp practice and their 11th and 12th overall.
An important question for the ‘Dogs remains unanswered, as the battle for the starting quarterback position continues. Junior Brian Burrell and the incoming transfer from Duke, senior Brandon Connette, competed against each other in different situations.
Burrell sees the competition as friendly and an opportunity for both he and Connette to grow as passers.
“Me and Brandon have actually become really close friends. We hang out a lot and we’ve become close,” Burrell said. “It’s a competition but we also want to see each other do well.”
Connette’s view is no different. The fifth-year senior said the competition is beneficial to both signal callers because it has allowed both of them to compete at a high level and in the process elevate their game.
“I think we’ve embraced out friendship more than the competition,” Connette said. “Over summer we got to know each other really well. We’ve developed more of a friendship where we’re not as worried about who’s going to start but just trying to make each other better and try to win the Mountain West for a third year straight. I can honestly say from the time I first met Brian until now that I’ve improved so much as a quarterback because of him.”
The Bulldogs were in full gear for the morning session and practiced in helmets and shoulder pads in the afternoon.
“We worked some of our empty stuff such as blitz pickup,” Fresno State head coach Tim DeRuyter said. “We worked a drill where we were backed up and we had to get a first down. Our defense did a good job today forcing the offense to punt twice inside the 10 [yard line].
“It’s the way it is whether it’s spring or fall and you’re competing. It’s good for one side, not good on the other, but it gives the other group a reason to come back and work harder and understand that they have to win that drill.”
The ‘Dogs will be back on the practice field Tuesday morning in full pads for their 13th practice of fall camp.