'Dogs left on an island

High-powered Warriors offense scores 68 points, the most allowed in Bulldog Stadium history

By Jeffrey Christian
The Collegian

There is a saying that revenge is a dish best served cold, however, there was nothing cold about the Hawaii offense as they avenged an embarrassing 70-14 loss at Fresno State in 2004 with a 68-37 thumping on Saturday afternoon.

The loss, which was the team’s fifth straight of the season, has left many fans baffled and according to Fresno State coach Pat Hill eliminates the team’s control of their own destiny.

“We’re really not in control of our destiny; the only thing we’re in control of is improving as a football team. We by no way are putting this season to bed. We’ve got six games to build a stronger bridge for the future and we’re going to keep working hard and building,” Hill said.

However, despite the disappointment, Hill believes there is hope for the future and that the season hasn’t unraveled.

“We just ran into an offensive buzz saw, but I don’t think our kids ever stopped playing. Those kids played hard but we were just outmatched,” Hill said.

Despite early turnovers, which cost the Bulldogs momentum and helped unleash the potent Hawaii offense, the offense was given a spark by the play of backup quarterback Sean Norton and had one of its best games of the season.

During the Bulldogs opening drive, quarterback Tom Brandstater hit tight end Bear Pascoe on a third down pass up the middle for a 75-yard touchdown. Pascoe broke through the middle of the secondary and wide receiver Joe Fernandez provided a devastating block to help clear a lane to the end zone.

“We caught them in the right coverage and I read it and Tommy read it and it worked out good. Joe Fernandez made a big block for me; he play’s with a big heart the way football should be played,” Pascoe said.

The pass play was not only the longest offensive play of the season, but it also energized the crowd and Bulldogs bench.

The Bulldogs followed their opening drive with a three and out punt and then back to back fumbles in their own territory by running back Dwayne Wright.

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the offense on the opposite sideline has been considered by some to be one of the best in the nation this season and best in school history. The Hawaii offense capitalized on both fumbles and with 13 minutes left in the first half, they had quickly built a 28-7 lead.

“The two turnovers really hurt us early in the game and any momentum that we might have been able to stir to keep it a game that we were in reach of we let it get away,” Hill said.

Hill put in backup quarterback Sean Norton during the second quarter after Brandstater injured his knee on the previous drive. According to Hill, Brandstater was physically cleared to return to the game in the second half, but Norton and the offense were moving the ball so he was left in.

“It’s not Tommy who put the ball on the ground, but I really felt that it would be good to put Sean in the game and see what kind of spark we could get,” Hill said.

Norton finished with 225 yards passing and three touchdowns, as he opened up the Bulldogs passing game and lead the Bulldogs offense to five scoring drives.

“I knew the chance to play was there and I prepared all week and it was exciting to get in a college game,” Norton said.

Norton’s success now leaves Coach Hill and the coaching staff with a starting quarterback decision to make this week.

“I’m going to prepare exactly how I do every week. I’ll watch a lot of film and get a lot of reps, but as far as Coach Hill making a decision, what he says goes,” Norton said.

Despite Norton’s success, the story of the day was Hawaii’s offense against an under matched Bulldogs defense.

Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan came into Saturday’s game with a reputation of being one of the best quarterbacks in the country with deadly accuracy and an almost inconceivable completion percentage of more than 70 percent.

Brennan bested that percentage with his performance on Saturday as he completed 32 of 39 passes for 409 yards and five touchdowns. He led the seemingly machinelike Hawaii offense to an unbelievable 570 yards from scrimmage as they scored touchdowns on nine of their 11 drives.

“We definitely didn’t underestimate their speed, skill or ability. We missed too many tackles and we didn’t make the big play on defense. They were making turnovers and we’re not,” senior free safety Josh Sherley said.

Regardless of the blowout score and mistakes to correct, there are also several positives for the Fresno State coaching staff and players to take with them as they go forward for the remainder of the season.

The Bulldogs were able to give many of their younger and inexperienced players valuable playing time and game experience. Running back Lonyae Miller, a true freshman, rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown. Miller is the legs of the future, but he could provide some much needed depth for Dwayne Wright down the stretch.

In addition, the Bulldogs top receivers for the game were two freshmen and a sophomore. Freshman receivers Chastin West and Marlon Moore had 74 and 100 yards respectively. West, who started in place of injured wide receiver Paul Williams, responded with his most consistent game of the season and was a constant target for Norton.

Moore displayed his breakout speed on the first play of the second half as he took a pass from Norton for a 75-yard touchdown.

Sophomore Bear Pascoe has primarily been a blocking force up front in the Bulldogs running game, but the 6-foot-5 inch tall tight end showed his versatility and ability to open up the middle for the passing game as he caught two passes for 95 yards, both of which were for touchdowns.

Looking ahead, it is up to the Fresno State seniors to lead the younger players to help salvage the season and ensure program success in the future.

“We’ve got to be examples. You can never quit because if you quit in some area of your life, you’re going to quit at some other time and that is unacceptable,” Sherley said.

The road doesn’t get any easier for Fresno State as they travel to Baton Rouge next weekend to play nationally ranked and perennial power house Louisiana State. The Bulldogs will get a week to recuperate from the hostile visit to Tiger Stadium and will then finish the season with five straight conference games, including WAC frontrunner Boise State.

“Right now we’re just looking forward to upsetting seasons. We’re going to go to LSU and try to upset them and we expect to,” Pascoe said. “We always expect to win. This loss hurt, but its over and we’re moving on.”

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