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Fresno State vs. Hawaii Football PreviewFresno State Quarterbacks Sophomore Paul Pinegar will make his first start of the season after playing more than half of the Colorado State loss last week. Pinegar sparked the offense with a cross-field lateral to Bernard Berrian for a 51-yard touchdown. He threw two second-half interceptions, but finished with 111 yards on 11-of-19 passing. Jeff Grady, who started the first six games of the season, was 6 of 12 for 47 yards. Running Backs Dwayne Wright hasn’t budged from the top spot on the depth chart since making his first start against Portland State. The sophomore led the team with 79 rushing yards against Colorado State. Senior Rodney Davis, who set the school’s single-season rushing record in 2002, rushed for just eight yards on four carries. Sophomore Matt Rivera saw the most playing time he has all year, rushing for six yards and picking up 36 yards receiving. Receivers Rivera’s 36 yards was a team-high, but that should change with the return of a healthy Pinegar. Berrian had four catches for 28 yards, and also accounted for the game’s most explosive play on his 51-yard touchdown. The game’s best play was arguably when sophomore Adam Jennings stretched out for a one-handed, 20-yard catch. Offensive Line Another game, another lost lineman. The Bulldogs lost Matt Stevenson to a knee injury and are now left with just two reserves—Noa Pouono and Adam Messick—on the unit. Pouono has seen limited action since a concussion during the Louisiana Tech game. Redshirt freshman Chris Denman will start in Stevenson’s place. Defensive Line Brian Morris practiced with the team Thursday but a game-time decision will be made on whether he will start because of a knee injury last week. If Morris doesn’t start, sophomore Claude Sanders will. Morris leads the team with four sacks this season. Linebackers David Adamo is still feeling the effects of a concussion against Louisiana Tech. If he can’t start Saturday, the nod goes to redshirt freshman Ricky Miller. The highly-touted recruit made one tackle against Colorado State. Defensive Backs Fresno State is second in the country in team interceptions with 12. Two of those—one by James Sanders and one by Awan Diles—came against Colorado State. This unit will have its toughest time of the year against the run-N-shoot offense of Hawaii. They’ll get plenty of chances to defend passes. Special Teams The Bulldogs had some punt coverage problems against one of the nation’s top return men in Dexter Wynn. Brett Visintainer made his only field goal attempt of 27 yards. A big return by Berrian could go a long way in deciding Saturday’s game. Coaching This is a big Western Athletic Conference game and could have title implications. Pat Hill will need to keep the team focused and as free of the Hawaiian distractions as possible for the Bulldogs to win. Intangibles The Bulldogs have lost two straight games to Hawaii in what has turned into one of the teams’ biggest rivalries. Fresno State has not won on the islands since 1994.
Hawaii Quarterbacks Timmy Chang has been a nemesis to the Bulldogs. The junior threw for 462 yards last season against the Bulldogs. Chang attempted 61 passes in that game and the Bulldogs can bet he’ll throw plenty of times Saturday. Chang averages 327 yards per game this season and completes 60 percent of his passes. Reserve Jason Whieldon is 30 of 53 passing this season and has thrown for five touchdowns. Edge: Warriors Running Backs One thing is for sure—the Warriors aren’t much of a rushing team. Junior Mike Bass leads the team with 158 yards on 28 carries this season. Juniors Michael Brewster and West Keliikipi are listed atop the depth chart with Bass. Keliikipi has three touchdowns this season. Edge: Bulldogs Receivers The Warriors’ four-receiver set features senior Jeremiah Cockheran, who has four touchdowns this season and is averaging 107 yards per game. Junior Chad Owens is second on the unit with three touchdowns in three games played. Junior Britton Komine is the team’s third leading receiver with 253 yards. Fresno State’s depth will be exhausted against the four-wide sets run by Hawaii. Edge: Even Offensive Line The starters are young—two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior. The Warriors lost three starters from last season’s team to the NFL. Junior Uriah Moenoa (6-foot-2, 365 pounds) is a force and will need to lead the younger Warriors along against the multiple blitzing schemes run by Fresno State. Edge: Even Defensive Line Senior Isaac Sopoaga is listed as doubtful for Saturday’s game with a sprained knee. Sopoaga is on the preseason watch list for the Lombardi and Nagurski awards. Senior right end Travis LaBoy leads the Warriors with four sacks. End Houston Ala and tackle Lance Samuseva round out one of the WAC’s toughest defensive lines. Edge: Warriors Linebackers Senior Chad Kalilmoku might lack size at 5-foot-11, but he leads the team with 40 tackles. Sophomore Ikaika Curnan isn’t far behind with 39. The Bulldogs are likely to keep the Warriors guessing with a steady mixture of passing and running, meaning Hawaii’s linebackers will feel the pressure if the Bulldogs can finally get going on offense. Edge: Even Defensive Backs Junior Abraham Elimimian and senior Kelvin Millhouse are one of the WAC’s best one-two combos at cornerback. Each has one interception this season and the Warriors have just five as a team, compared to the Bulldogs’ 12. Edge: Even Special Teams Junior Justin Ayat is 7 of 9 on field goal attempts this season with a long of 48 yards. Freshman punter Kurt Milne averages 39.6 yards per attempt. Edge: Even Coaching June Jones is in his fifth season at Hawaii. The former NFL head coach won several national Coach of the Year awards in 1999. He has led the Warriors to four winning seasons since his arrival. Edge: Even Intangibles The Warriors are tough for anyone to beat in Honolulu. If the Bulldogs’ offense doesn’t come around, it will be a long day. Neither team is a big fan of the other, and both teams need the win—especially Hawaii after losing to lowly Tulsa last week. Edge: Warriors |