Fresno State vs. No. 19 Boise State

GAME PREVIEW by Eddie Hughes

Bulldogs

Quarterbacks
Junior Paul Pinegar has been shaky in Fresno State’s last two games—both losses. In the two games combined, Pinegar completed 33 of 64 passes for 230 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. If Boise State can make the Bulldogs pass, the Broncos should win the game.

Running Backs
The Bulldogs know they are good at running the ball, with the 19th-ranked rushing attack in the country. But Boise State is good at stopping the run. Junior Bryson Sumlin rushed for a career-high 164 yards against UTEP and has 417 yards on the season. He’ll need a big game Saturday for the Bulldogs to win. Help could also come from Wendell Mathis, who has rushed for 323 yards on seven yards per carry.

Receivers
This part of the Bulldogs’ passing game hasn’t broken out yet either. Sophomore Joe Fernandez leads the team with 133 yards on 14 catches. He’s the only receiver to score a touchdown—and has two after his score in the loss to UTEP.

Offensive Line
For the Bulldogs to win on Saturday, they’ll need to play physical and use their size advantage to control the ground game on both sides. If Fresno State has a big game on the ground, Boise State’s undefeated season just might end. And this line has been dominant in the running game most of the season.

Defensive Line
The Bulldogs are used to facing tough running games and having to slow down good backs. But there is no one area to focus on against Boise State. The whole offense is tough to stop. But the four starters in this unit—Brian Morris, Claude Sanders, Donyell Booker and Garrett McIntyre—are among the WAC’s best defensive linemen. They’ll need to pressure the quarterback to keep Boise State from settling into a groove.

Linebackers
The Bulldogs need to remember what they did against Washington—another team that had a quarterback who could run in Isaiah Stanback. Boise State’s Jared Zabransky will run too if he has nowhere to throw the ball. Dwayne Andrews (23 tackles) and the rest of the backers have to contain Zabransky and come up big to stop the run.

Defensive Backs
Sophomore corner Richard Marshall leads the Bulldogs with 27 tackles and safety James Sanders is second with 25. Marshall has established himself as one of the top corners in the WAC. This year, more than ever, the Bulldogs’ secondary has the weapons to slow the strong passing of the Broncos.

Special Teams
Fresno State had a lot of trouble in the return game against UTEP and it hurt field position. Return-man Adam Jennings had trouble holding on to three kicks in the UTEP game. Kicker Brett Visintainer is 5 of 8 on field goals this year, and punter Mike Lingua averages 38.5 yards per attempt.

Coaching
The Bulldogs are reeling after two straight WAC losses. One more, and the team might miss a bowl game for the first time in six seasons. If Pat Hill can keep the team fired up, winning out is possible.

Intangibles
The Bulldogs have lost three straight games to Boise State, including a 67-21 drubbing in Boise in 2002. The all-time series is tied at 3-3, but the Bulldogs need to end the streak to stay alive in the WAC.


Broncos

Quarterbacks
Ryan Dinwiddie is gone, but the Broncos haven’t missed him too badly with the emergence of Jared Zabransky. The sophomore has thrown for 1,576 yards and 10 touchdowns while completing 64 percent of his passes. He has also rushed for 152 yards and six scores. Boise State’s passing offense, ranked eighth in the country, faces a Fresno State pass defense ranked second in the nation.
Edge: Broncos

Running Backs
The Broncos have several options in the backfield. Junior Lee Marks leads the team with 417 yards on 4.5 per carry with no touchdowns. Fellow junior Antwaun Carter has 198 yards on 4.3 per carry and also has six touchdowns. The Broncos are 18th in the nation in rushing.
Edge: Bulldogs

Receivers
The Broncos have plenty of guys who can make big plays downfield. They’re led by senior T.J. Acree, who has 452 yards and six touchdowns on 26 receptions. Sophomore Drisan James has 24 catches for 325 yards. Senior Lawrence Bady also has some nice numbers with 13 catches for 223 yards. This group will be the biggest test of the year so far for Fresno State’s secondary.
Edge: Broncos

Offensive Line
Don’t be fooled by the fact three freshmen are starting for this unit—the line is good. Senior Klayton Adams is short for a lineman at 5-foot-10 and 293 pounds, but he’s one of the WAC’s best centers. Junior left tackle Daryn Colledge (6-5, 291) is also among the best. Twins Jeff and Pete Cavender and Tad Miller round out the starting five.
Edge: Bulldogs

Defensive Line
Senior end Julius Roberts, who emerged as a standout in 2003, has just 10 tackles and two sacks. Junior tackle Alex Guerrero has 20 tackles, 5.5 for losses and 2.5 sacks. These two lead a line that faces its stiffest challenge of the year against the physical, strong offensive line of the Bulldogs.
Edge: Even

Linebackers
This group gets a lot of the credit for Boise State’s rushing defense, ranked third in the nation. Senior Andy Avalos leads the team with 44 tackles and was the preseason WAC defensive player of the year. Sophomore Korey Hall is second on the team with 42 tackles and leads the Broncos with three sacks and three interceptions.
Edge: Broncos

Defensive Backs
Senior corner Gabe Franklin and sophomore corner Gerald Alexander each have two interceptions. Senior safety Deshan Cabaong is third on the team with 28 tackles. These three will be waiting for a mistake in the Bulldogs’ passing game.
Edge: Bulldogs

Special Teams
Kicker Tyler Jones is 11 of 13 on field goals this season with a long of 47 yards. Punter Kyle Stringer averages 44.1 yards per punt.
Edge: Even

Coaching
Dan Hawkins has turned Boise State into one of the WAC’s big boys in no time. In his fourth season with the Broncos, Hawkins is 39-6 and has won two straight WAC titles.
Edge: Broncos

Intangibles
Boise State has a nation-best 17-game winning streak and has won 22 straight on its home blue turf. The Broncos ended Fresno State’s undefeated season in 2001 when the Bulldogs were 6-0. Now, the Broncos are 6-0 and Fresno State has a chance to reverse the roles.
Edge: Broncos