Fresno State vs. Oregon
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The Collegian
'DOGS
Quarterbacks
In a blowout win over Weber State, Paul Pinegar completed 14-of-18 passes for 189 yards in limited time. Tom Brandstater came into the game with 4:31 left in the third quarter and recorded his first collegiate touchdown with a 5-yard pass to Jermaine Jamison.
Running Backs
In just one half of work, Wendell Mathis accumulated 77 rushing yards for three touchdowns. Bryson Sumlin took over the reigns in the second half and recorded 68 yards for a team total of 157 total yards.
Receivers
It didn’t matter that senior tight end Devyn McDonald came into last week’s game with limited game-time experience because McDonald had a break-out game with four catches and 67 yards. Also, Adam Jennings and Jermaine Jamison had a touchdown a piece in last week’s game.
Offensive Line
It’ll be important for the line to stop Haloti Ngata for the running game to be successful. Much of that responsiblity could fall on center Kyle Young, but Fresno State might have to double team him
Defensive Line
Garrett McIntyre suffered a high-ankle sprain in the season opener and will sit out against the Ducks, leaving Pat Hill and Co. with the tough decision of deciding who should replace their all-American candidate. Marlon Brisco, Ricki Miller or Adam McDowell will have to step up in McIntyre’s place.
Linebackers
Marcus Riley made quite a statement with five solo tackles and seven overall. Dwayne Andrews added three and Alan Goodwin finished with one.
Defensive Backs
This position did allow 261 passing yards from the Wildcats last week but Richard Marshall, Ray Washington and Marcus McCauley combined for 11 tackles. The Bulldogs started the season off on a good foot with Tyrone Culver intercepting an Ian Pizarro pass early in the first quarter.
Special Teams
Clifton Smith’s 92-yard touchdown punt return in the second quarter, then another one for 84 yards was the highlight of last week’s home opener. Clint Stitser was 7-of-8 on field goals in Saturday’s game.
Coaching
Typcially, Saturday’s game against the Ducks is the kind of game he Bulldogs like to open up with. Head coach Pat Hill has come up short the last three times to Oregon, losing those games with an average margin of 3.3 points. With a No. 23 ranking, this might be the year to finally overcome the Ducks.
Intangibles
Dating back to last season, the Bulldogs are riding a seven-game win streak and have won by a margin of at least 34.4 points.
DUCKS
Quarterbacks
Senior Kellen Clemens threw for 275 yards against Montana and for the season, has completed 54-of-87 for 623 total yards.
Edge: Bulldogs
Running Backs
Senior Terrence Whitehead had 1,144 rushing yards last year and is the Ducks’ 10th 1,000-yard rusher. Last week, Whitehead moved to sixth all-time on the Oregon career chart and now has 2,220 career rushing yards.
Edge: Bulldogs
Receivers
Senior Demetrius Williams leads this group with 226 total yards and two touchdowns. Lacking a running game against Montana, Williams more than made up for it by having five catches for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Edge: Ducks
Offensive Line
Junior center Enoka Lucas and senior guard Ian Reynoso are the only two returning starters. Depth could be a question in this area.
Edge: Bulldogs
Defensive Line
Arguably the best defensive player for the Ducks, junior tackle Haloti Ngata will likely face double teams against Fresno State. The 6-foot-5, 339-pound tackle has seven total tackles on the season.
Edge: Ducks
Linebackers
Senior Anthony Trucks is the only senior with significant playing time from the line of scrimmage for Oregon. Trucks was fourth on the team with 55 tackles in 2004 and has 20 total tackles so far this year.
Edge: Bulldogs
Defensive Backs
With his second interception in as many games, senior cornerback Aaron Gipson now has eight in his career. Gipson is three interceptions shy of breaking into Oregon’s all-time top-10 list.
Edge: Ducks
Special Teams
Junior Paul Martinez set a school and Autzen Stadium single-game record with six field goals and tied a Pac-10 record last week against Montana.
Edge: Ducks
Coaching
Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti is 3-0 all-time against Pat Hill, winning in overtime in two of those three games. The last meeting among the two schools was a 28-24 victory for the Ducks in 2002. But, this is the only time in the two coaches’ meeting that Fresno State is ranked.
Edge: Bulldogs
Intangibles
The Ducks look to extend their winning streak to three when it faces the 23rd-ranked Bulldogs. The last time Oregon lost to a WAC school was in 1994 to Hawaii.
The Bulldogs will likely face a capacity crowd, seeing as how Autzen Stadium had 58,168 fans when Montana came to town. But, this is the only time in the two coaches’ meeting that Fresno State is ranked.
Edge:Ducks
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