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Bulldogs show signs of a greater team

By Maggie Thach
The Collegian

Maybe this is what Bulldog football is.

After every home game, any question for head coach Pat Hill or any player is greeted with this phrase.
I’ve tried to pinpoint what this actually means but I think I got the answer Saturday night when the Bulldogs took on USC.

Fresno State showed composure, heart and a tenacity that proved to all doubters this would be no cake-walk for the Trojans. And this all started with their cool-as-a-cucumber quarterback Paul Pinegar.

In the first half, Pinegar was on-point, completing 17 of 22 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns. The four-year starter led his team to 3 of 6 third-down conversions and 2 of 2 fourth down conversions. He kept mistakes to a minimum, exactly what the Bulldogs needed to topple the top-ranked Trojans.

Even after tripping up in the second half, Pinegar kept his cool. At the beginning of the third quarter,he shook off two interceptions and delivered a 20-yard touchdown pass to Paul Williams to cut the lead 28-34.

But in the end, the Bulldogs came up short. At the press conference, Pinegar accepted accountability but he wasn’t beating himself up over it. His composure was as intact as it was before and during the game.

Pinegar’s class was a reflection of the team. The Bulldogs didn’t come away with a win but they have re-invented their national perception. They showed they weren’t going to accept a hard-fought battle as a moral victory. They were there to win and nothing else would suffice.

The mood of the team after the game was subdued but the way the team handled themselves showed this team is greater than any of Hill’s career.

The Bulldogs are a mature team. They accept they didn’t have enough, but now they know how they measure up to a team they aspire to be like.

Hill wished the Trojans luck. He stressed his original goal all along: winning a WAC championship. No one on this team would dwell on the missed opportunities.

Even though the Bulldogs lost, they gained something more important from Bulldog and Trojan fans, and possibly college football fans across the country: respect.


	November 21, 2005 California State University, Fresno