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Fresno State vs. Portland State PreviewFresno State Bulldogs Quarterbacks Through four games, against tough competition, Jeff Grady averages 172 yards a game. Grady has three touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 53 percent of his passes. The senior will start again Saturday in place of injured starter Paul Pinegar. Coach Pat Hill said he hopes to have Pinegar back Oct. 4 at Colorado State or Oct. 11 at Hawaii. Running Backs Sophomore Dwayne Wright, a transfer from West Hills College, is the likely starter against Portland State. Wright rushed for 179 yards on 25 carries against Louisiana Tech. He’ll likely replace senior Rodney Davis, Fresno State single-season rushing yardage record-holder, in the lineup. Davis rushed 15 times for 52 yards last week. Receivers The Bulldogs’ passing game has not yet hit its stride. The team has several weapons at receiver, but because of the low output through the air this season, the leading receiver is Marque Davis with 193 yards. Hill said redshirt freshman Joe Fernandez and sophomore Adam Jennings will see an increase in playing time. Offensive Line Both Dartangon Shack and Noa Pouono are questionable for the Portland State game, according to Hill. Both starters sat out Wednesday’s practice and Pouono hasn’t practiced since last week’s concussion. Shack missed Wednesday’s practice after aggravating a sprained ankle. Defensive Line Ends Brian Morris and Claude Sanders gave Louisiana Tech fits last week by breaking into the Tech backfield consistently. Tech relies on its passing game, but couldn’t protect the quarterback long enough to have success. The two ends are the only Bulldogs with a sack this season—Morris has four and Sanders has two. Linebackers Senior Marc Dailey is expected to return from an MCL sprain Saturday, Hill said. Redshirt freshman Dwayne Andrews pleased the coach and remains listed atop the depth chart. Senior Bryce McGill had five tackles and a fumble recovery against Louisiana Tech. Defensive Backs Fresno State’s secondary looks more athletic than it has the past two years. Starters Awan Diles and Raymond Washington showed a knack for closing in on receivers in the first four games. Redshirt freshman Richard Marshall isn’t in the starting lineup yet, but his two interceptions speak for his contributions. Special Teams Kicker Brett Visintainer made all three of his field goal attempts Saturday, each of which was more than 30 yards. He’s 6 for 8 on attempts this season with a long of 47 yards. Punter Mike Lingua averages 37.5 yards per punt and has pinned 11 of 32 punts inside the 20-yard line. Coaching In his seventh season as Bulldogs coach, Hill has led the team to a 31-5 home record. The team is 2-0 at Bulldog Stadium this season with wins over Oregon State and Louisiana Tech. But Fresno State has been shut out in the first half of three games this season. Intangibles The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 4-0, with the last three games being in Fresno. Fresno State hasn’t lost a home game to a non-Division I-A team since 1984 when Montana State beat the Bulldogs 35-31. Portland State Quarterbacks Junior Joe Wiser (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) averages 268 passing yards per game, but has not yet faced a Division I-A team. Wiser completes 61 percent of his passes and has thrown for 805 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions this season. His biggest game was a 392-yard outburst against Nicholls State. Edge: Bulldogs Running Backs Junior Ryan Fuqua is third all-time at Portland State in rushing yards and 100-yard games. His 27 career touchdowns rank fourth all-time at the school. So far this season, Fuqua averages only 54 yards a game and 3.5 yards per carry. Edge: Bulldogs Receivers The Vikings have a few options at receiver in seniors Jay Williams and Amad Robinson and junior Ryan Brown. Robinson had a 72-yard reception against Nicholls State to set up the game-tying touchdown and has 216 yards on the season. Sophomore Adam Whitehead had 113 yards receiving in the season opener against Texas A&M-Kingsville. Edge: Bulldogs Offensive Line Portland State’s offensive line has been consistent if nothing else. All five starters have started every game. Four of the starters are more than 300 pounds, with right tackle Isaac Aronson (6-6, 310) the largest of the bunch. Edge: Bulldogs Defensive Line This unit is a sack-happy one so far in 2003. Tackle Chris Berg leads the team with three sacks, end Josh Ratliff has two and end Kevin Keanaaina has one. If Portland State can keep as much pressure on Grady as Tennessee or Oregon State did—which is doubtful—the Vikings might have a shot at the big upset. Edge: Bulldogs Linebackers Joey King leads the team with 35 tackles and 3.5 tackles for losses. He’s tied for second on the squad with two sacks. Fellow linebacker Tolo Tuitele is third on the team with 26 tackles. These two might have too much on their plates the way Fresno State’s Dwayne Wright ran last week. Edge: Bulldogs Defensive Backs Cornerback Reynard Carrie is the only Portland State defensive back who has an interception this season. Grady throws an average of 1.5 interceptions a game so far in 2003. Edge: Bulldogs Special Teams Junior kicker/punter Matt Langford is 1 for 2 on field goals this season, his longest being a 22-yarder. If it comes down to a late field goal, Portland State might be in trouble. Edge: Bulldogs Coaching Tim Walsh is in his 11th season coaching Portland State. Walsh, who attended UC-Riverside (the same school as Pat Hill), has a record of 68-49 with the Vikings. Edge: Bulldogs Intangibles The Vikings are 1-14 all-time against Division I-A opponents. Their only win came in 2000 when they beat Hawaii 45-20. But Portland State will surely be more pumped up mentally about this game than the Bulldogs will be. Edge: Vikings |