Fresno State vs. Hawaii

GAME PREVIEW by EDDIE HUGHES

Fresno State

Quarterbacks
Paul Pinegar has played about as well as can be asked in the past two games. The junior hasn’t thrown an interception in either of those two games, bringing his season totals to 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Pinegar’s solid play also led to a few opportunities for sophomore Jordan Christensen, who saw time in both games.

Running Backs
It’s hard to believe Fresno State hasn’t had a back go for 100 yards in three straight games, but it’s true. Wendell Mathis led the team with six carries for 31 yards and a touchdown against Rice. Bryson Sumlin leads the Bulldogs with 509 yards and six touchdowns, while Mathis is just behind him with 455 yards and five scores. The running game should be a big area of production against a hurting Hawaii defense.

Receivers
Sophomore Joe Fernandez has come on strong in recent weeks. He leads the team with 371 yards and four touchdowns. His numbers before the past three games? 138 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Adam Jennings had three catches for 48 yards and two touchdowns against Rice—his first two receiving scores of the season. Senior tight end Duncan Reid became the fourth player to surpass the 100-yard mark on the season with his nine-yard reception last week.

Offensive Line
With seven pancake blocks against Rice, left tackle Logan Mankins raised his season total to 45 and still has not allowed a sack this year. This group gave Pinegar time in the pocket against Rice and it should be able to control the trenches against Hawaii—leading to big numbers in the rushing game.

Defensive Line
One big reason the Bulldogs stalled Rice’s option attack was the play of senior end Claude Sanders. He disrupted Rice’s plays before they could be executed, tallying three tackles for losses in the game. Junior Garrett McIntyre helped out with his team-leading sixth sack of the season and senior end Brian Morris had five tackles. Sophomore Marlon Brisco got his first career sack.

Linebackers
Sophomore Dwayne Andrews leads the team with 46 tackles this season. The Bulldogs linebackers have to make the tough adjustment of going from defending the option last week to defending the run-and-shoot tonight. It would be difficult to find two teams with more differing styles than Rice and Hawaii. Sophomore Alan Goodwin and Andrews led the team with eight tackles apiece last week.

Defensive Backs
The long interception returns are the norm for this secondary. Sophomore Richard Marshall was named WAC defensive player of the week after his 100-yard interception return for a touchdown. Sophomore Marcus McCauley returned a pick 63 yards to the Rice 1-yard line. And junior Tyrone Culver added a 37-yard interception return.

Special Teams
It was bound to happen eventually—a touchdown return by Clifton Smith. The redshirt freshman cornerback had a 67-yard punt return against Rice. Sophomore Josh Sherley came up with a blocked punt, giving the Bulldogs four blocks this year.

Coaching
Pat Hill has the Bulldogs back in position to possibly earn a sixth straight bowl berth. The win over Rice was Hill’s 60th victory with Fresno State. A victory tonight clinches a winning regular season record.

Intangibles
Fresno State is 11-4-1 all-time at Bulldog Stadium against the Warriors. But one of those Hawaii wins came in 2002. The Bulldogs have lost three straight in the rivalry series.


Warriors

Quarterbacks
Timmy Chang is no stranger to the Bulldogs. The senior set a new NCAA record for career passing yards of 15,303 in last week’s win over Louisiana Tech. Chang has thrown 98 career touchdowns in his 2,211 attempts. Chang lit up the Bulldogs for 353 yards and five touchdowns last season on 40-of-60 passing. The Bulldogs can’t let that happen again.
Edge: Warriors

Running Backs
Handing off isn’t something the Warriors do a lot of. Senior Michael Brewster (5-foot-5) leads the team with 56 rushing yards per game. He has 448 for the season with five touchdowns. The Warriors can sometimes catch the defense off-guard on running plays. Senior West Keliikipi led the Warriors with seven runs for 67 yards against the Bulldogs in 2003.
Edge: Bulldogs

Receivers
As can be expected with this offense, there are plenty of guys who can catch the ball and make plays. It starts with 5-9 senior Chad Owens, who has 2,386 career receiving yards—fourth all-time at Hawaii. Owens leads the team with 63 catches for 645 yards and seven touchdowns this year. Senior Britton Komine is more of a deep threat with 35 catches for 556 yards. Then there is sophomore Jason Rivers with 490 yards and senior Gerald Welch with 276 yards.
Edge: Warriors

Offensive Line
This unit leads the WAC with the fewest sacks allowed (6.5) this season. Most of those—3.5—came against Rice. And the Warriors haven’t given up a sack in three games behind 6-2, 336-pound senior center Uriah Moenoa; 6-2, 278-pound sophomore Samson Satele and their linemates. That stat might not hold up against a relentless Bulldogs defensive front.
Edge:Bulldogs

Defensive Line
Junior Melila Purcell leads the Warriors with five sacks and 13 tackles for losses. He’s second on the squad with 45 tackles. But this unit is likely to have a tough time against an oft-dominating Bulldogs offensive line.
Edge: Bulldogs

Linebacker
Junior Tanuvasa Moe, third on the team with 44 tackles, is listed as doubtful for tonight’s game with a hamstring injury. Chad Kapanui and Lincoln Manutai, the likely replacement for Moe, each have one sack on the season.
Edge: Even

Defensive Backs
Strong safety Leonard Peters is way ahead of all his teammates in tackles with 77. The junior is second on the team with three interceptions. Senior cornerback Abraham Elimimian is tops with five picks. These two might make it difficult for the Bulldogs to pass, especially if Elimimian, who’s nursing a hamstring injury, is blanketing Joe Fernandez.
Edge: Bulldogs

Special Teams
Senior kicker Justin Ayat is one of the WAC’s best. He is 9 of 12 on field goals this season, with a long of 56 yards, tying the Hawaii record previously set by Jason Elam. Owens is very dangerous in the return game with three punts brought back for touchdowns this year.
Edge: Even

Coaching
June Jones is 44-29 in his sixth season at Hawaii. He previously served as head coach of the San Diego Chargers and Atlanta Falcons. Jones is 4-1 against Fresno State in his tenure.
Edge: Even

Intangibles
Hawaii is a vastly different team on the road than it is at home. The Warriors are 4-1 at home, 0-3 on the road. They average 40 points per game in Honolulu and just 17.3 as visitors, giving up 25.6 points to the opposition at home and 53.7 on the road. All good news for the Bulldogs.
Edge: Bulldogs