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Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009
Fresno State football ridin' after latest win
FRESNO -- Confidence is high at Fresno State.
Perhaps higher than it has been in recent years, with the Bulldogs (3-3 overall, 2-1 Western Athletic Conference) securing their third blowout victory and still playing at a high level.
The latest was a 41-21 drubbing of San Jose State on Saturday.
Fresno State took control from the second quarter with 34 straight points.
"They've got a lot of confidence in themselves right now," Bulldogs coach Pat Hill said. "I'm really happy the way they've played. ... We've played in some very, very tough football games. These guys are very resilient.
"This is a very charismatic team with great chemistry."
Fresno State is playing
its best on offense.
Fresno State ranks third in the nation in rushing yards with an average of 279.7 per game, ninth in total offense at 461.2 yards per game and 10th in scoring at 36.5 points per game.
"We're executing at a high level, and it's because a lot of these guys know what they're doing: their assignments, their roles, the expectations," quarterback Ryan Colburn said. "It's great knowing that we're all on the same page. I don't think that's always been the case before.
"When you have trust and faith in your teammates, the overall team confidence just rises."
Granted, Fresno State's wins have come against San Jose State, Hawaii and UC Davis, which combined have a 6-12 record. But to the Bulldogs' credit, they have punished these opponents by a combined score of 134-38.
And with the outcomes secured by the third quarter, the Bulldogs have been able to insert reserves and give them experience.
"If you play well, everyone gets a chance to go in," Hill said. "That's really important. I think that keeps teams up, keeps them going."
Strength of schedule
The first Bowl Championship Series standings were released Sunday and appears to validate the difficulty of Fresno State's early-season stretch.
Boise State (6-0) came in at No. 4, followed by Cincinnati (6-0) at No. 5, and Wisconsin (5-2) at No. 21. Wisconsin's losses are to nationally ranked Iowa and Ohio State.
Fresno State went 0-3 against the trio but was in position to win each game in the fourth quarter.
Close against good competition, however, has not been enough for the Bulldogs (3-3) to receive any votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25 or USA Today coaches' poll.
WAC member Idaho (6-1), which plays Fresno State in three weeks, did receive four votes in the AP poll and eight in the coaches poll.
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