Defense shines in Visalia scrimmage

Staff Reports
The Collegian

Rain may have dampened the field for the Bulldog football squad Saturday – but it didn’t dampen the team’s spirits.

Head Coach Pat Hill put his squad through the paces, running nearly a hundred plays at Central Valley Christian High School in Visalia.

The scrimmage, the first of three planned for the spring, took place under a heavy downpour of rain from a storm moving through the Valley.

Despite the wet conditions, Hill said his squad performed well, with the Bulldog offense giving up just two turnovers and only two penalty flags being thrown during the game.

“This was a good scrimmage,” Hill said in a press release about the game. “This scrimmage was designed to work on our run game and the weather conditions helped that. We will have to play in some rain next year, so it was good for our guys.”

The three Bulldogs seeking to replace All-WAC quarterback Paul Pinegar each got a chance to try their hand at the position. Running back Dwayne Wright took the majority of carries, running hard throughout the scrimmage.

Wright, Fresno State’s most experienced running back, suffered an injury in the second game of the 2004 season and missed the entire 2005 season in rehabilitation.

In 2003, Wright earned All-WAC honors while rushing for more than 1,000 yards.

On the Bulldog defense, junior end Tyler Clutts led the team’s efforts, putting pressure on all three of the quarterbacks.

Clutts had seven quarterback sacks last season and is the top returning sack producer in the WAC.

“The defense played well today,” Hill said. “We had some guys flying to the football and hitting. That’s always a good sign.”

Nearly 3,000 fans attended the annual scrimmage, which marks the third consecutive time the team has played in Visalia in the pre-season.

The Bulldog football team will next play their Spring Game on Saturday, April 1 at Bulldog Stadium.

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