Believe it or not, the big man from Brazil has a nice outside touch, at least in practice. Wonder if he'll shoot any tonight at the Save Mart Center in an exhibition game against Cal State-Los Angeles?

If Dominic McGuire can score anywhere on the court, Fresno State coach Steve Cleveland will let him. If McGuire can set up teammates and play solid defense, Cleveland will let him. If McGuire wants to drive the team bus, carry the Bulldogs' duffel bags, order lunch, Cleveland might say yes. But here's what will decide how successful this do-it-all player is:

Shawn Taylor has the ability to start at center for Fresno State, if he can stay out of foul trouble. But that's a pretty big if, nearly as tall as his 6-10 frame.

Okay, so Fresno State football is having an off season. Can this team put enough together to upset Boise State? Let's have some score predictions ...

And no, this has nothing to do with my car insurance.

I've thought about this since the incident flashed across Bulldog Stadium's press box television screen after last Saturday's home loss to Hawaii.

Nearly one week later, we still don't know who started the incident, and I'm not sure it matters. What we do know is the melee has been repeated hundreds of times on local and network stations. It's sure to become a sports trivia question: "Who swung the infamous UM helmet in the Orange Bowl Brawl?"

I'm curious to see the turnout tonight for the Clovis West-Clovis East football game, matching No. 1 vs. No. 2 and in ideal weather conditions.

I covered the record turnout for Lamonica Stadium, the 1985 Central Section Division I (then Yosemite Division) championship, when Clovis West culminated a 13-0 season by defeating Clovis 21-9. More than 10,000 fans attended. Some are convinced the number was closer to 12,000.

All I remember is it was shoulder-to-shoulder in the aisles, basically precluding the possibility of a quick trip to the snackbar or, more importantly, where you go when you have to go.

Your Central Section football champions and why:

Division I: Clovis West -- Can run it with Jelmini but, at the end of the day, defense will rule.

Division II: West of Bakersfield -- Have section's most dominant player in QB/RB Ryan Mathews.

Division III: Golden Valley of Bakersfield -- Garces can't hang with Bulldogs' offense.

Division IV: Shafter -- Got nipped by Taft in Round 1; will reverse in Round 2, in playoffs.

Division V: Bakersfield Christian -- Superior schedule than Liberty-MR will make difference in end.

Steve Sneddon of the Reno Gazette-Journal wrote that Nevada's Kyle Shiloh prides himself as a no-frills kind of player...

Randy Harrison of the Albuquerque Journal said New Mexico forward Tyrone Nelson is working to get through his recent legal woes...

The Honolulu Advertiser's Dayton Morinaga reported that the right knee of Hawaii's Ahmet Gueye is getting stronger...

"One more time" is a phrase used by this year's basketball team to remind players to make the extra pass. Conventional thinking is that the extra pass will reach an open player.

The first few minutes of practice is spent with players penetrating to the rim from one baseline, passing under the rim to the other wing, kicking it back to the top of the key and so on.

By Gary Estwick

I spent my off day (yeah, the nerve of me taking a day off) unpacking boxes and throwing away most of the crap I should have never packed when I moved from Ohio ... no need for a snow brush. Still searching for my IPod. Did find my Return of the Jedi metal lunchbox, circa 1983. ...

I'm still searching for a New Orleans Saints fans club in Fresno. I've heard that there might be such a group that watches games every Sunday at a downtown hotel. ...

It's 68-30 with 6 minutes to go. Here are some bright and dim spots for Fresno State:

Bright: Lonyae Miller, a true freshman tailback, is showing strong running insticts and power in garbage time.
Dim: Dwayne Wright never got going and fumbled on consecutive possessions while the game still was in reach.

Bright: Sean Norton appears to have the intangibles (pocket presence, ability to throw on the run, elusiveness) that Tom Brandstater lacks.
Dim: At 1-5, it's all about next season for the Bulldogs.

Seriously, Bulldogs football - is it the talent level, on field decisions, morale, coaching, bad karma - is it ... ?

By Gary Estwick

As of this week, approximately 9,100 season tickets have been sold, according to Paul Ladwig, Fresno State's associate athletic director in charge of broadcasting/external relations. That number does not include the 2,000 tickets set aside for students.

Internet sales of Fresno State men's basketball season tickets went on sale this weekend on the athletic department's Web site, www.gobulldogs.com.

Fresno State fans are leaving in droves after Hawaii scored again to take a 55-23 lead with 7:26 left in the THIRD QUARTER.

Guess the "See Sean Norton Play" pull has worn off.

Surely Warriors coach June Jones remembers Nov. 13, 2004, when Fresno State embarrassed Hawaii 70-14 on national television.

With 49 points on the board and 1.5 quarters to play, the Warriors are on their way to matching the Bulldogs' total from two seasons ago.

Fresno State defensive backs are having trouble covering the Hawaii receivers, who have a 5-yard cushion each time they catch a pass. Then, the Bulldogs are failing to tackle effectively. It all adds up to a track meet for Hawaii.

When Sean Norton, on the first play of the second half, connected with Marlon Moore on a 75-yard touchdown play, Tom Brandstater morphed into Jeff Grady, the last Fresno State quarterback to lose his job.

Grady was the starting QB entering the 2002 season after David Carr graduated. But an early-season injury opened the door for a guy named Paul Pinegar. Grady wasn't heard from again until becoming a student-assistant coach last season.

As the teams line up to kick off the second half, many fans have decided the cold beer in the car is more attractive than watching Fresno State try to recover from a 42-17 halftime deficit.

For the most part -- not counting the interception returned for a touchdown -- Sean Norton's debut was solid.

He injected life into a foundering offense with accurate passing whether in the pocket or rolling out.

The crowd also responded favorably, and coach Pat Hill will have a tough time taking him out any time soon.

That's the sound from Bulldog Stadium after Wonder Boy Sean Norton threw an interception on his second career drive. The ball was telegraphed for Joe Fernandez and Hawaii's Leonard Peters ran it back 57 yards for a touchdown.

Rumors that Tom Brandstater cracked a smile are unconfirmed.

Fan-favorite Sean Norton entered the game with 7:29 left in the first half and Fresno State trailing 28-7. His impact was immediate.

The Bulldogs came to the line of scrimmage without a huddle and the redshirt sophomore quarterback hit Chastin West on his first snap for 16 yards to the Hawaii 24-yard line.

On his next play, Norton scrambled right for 4 yards. Then, he hit tight end Bear Pascoe in the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown. Pandamonium.

As Tom Brandstater slogs off the field after another failed drive, Sean Norton starts warming up on the sideline. Expect to see one redshirt sophomore replace another on the Bulldogs' next possession.

Dwayne Wright fumbled on Fresno State's last two possessions. The normally steady tailback lost the first one because of a huge hit from Hawaii's Solomon Elimimian. The second one was poked out by Melila Purcell.

Bulldogs fans are getting restless. If the offensive woes continue, Hill might be forced to play the Sean Norton card.

The Hawaii offense can score so quickly, there might not be time for bathroom breaks today.

The Warriors' receivers are creating a lot of space for quarterback Colt Brennan to hit them and the Fresno State secondary members are missing tackles all over the field. If you've bet the over, order an extra pizza.

Hawaii is using four receivers, yet Fresno State remains in a 4-3 defense.

Not that they have a stable of nickel and dime defensive backs to bring in, but the Bulldog linebackers are going to have trouble keeping up with the Warriors' receivers.

Joe Fernandez's crushing downfield block sprang tight end Bear Pascoe for his 75-yard touchdown. The senior receiver blindsided a Hawaii defensive back, decleating him in the process.

A lot of armchair quarterbacks have been calling for more use of the tight end. Maybe new offensive coordinator Steve Hagen was listening.

Of course, the opening score means little. Fresno State has scored on its first possession in almost all of its games this season. Still, the Bulldogs are 1-4.

The Fresno State defense appears in a more aggressive mode today.

The defensive backs lined up closer to the line of scrimmage and got big hits from Vincent Mays and Marcus McCauley to force a punt after three Hawaii plays.

Fresno State senior receiver Paul Williams is listed as not available for today's game, although he is suited up.

As badly as Selma's players would like their 29-game football losing streak to end tonight at Exeter -- "I'd sleep on the field," defensive end Adan Perez says -- look for the number to grow to 31 before it's over. The Central Section record is 34 by Fresno High (1988-91).

Exeter (5-1) and Dinuba (5-1), which will visit Selma next Friday, will extend the streak. They're part of a deep Central Sequoia League that also counts Kingsburg (4-2) and Immanuel (4-2).

But, says here that the streak stopper will unfold Oct. 27, when Immanuel will play the Bears at Selma's Staley Stadium. The Eagles' ordinary 21-10 win over a weak Woodlake team two weeks ago suggests they're vulnerable -- especially to a family of hungry Bears.

Thursday night, I covered a Central volleyball team that was 20-5. Tonight, I'll see a Madera football team that's 6-0.

There's a message here: Tri-River Athletic Conference excellence is reaching far beyond the boundaries of the Clovis Unified School District and its four schools. And, like Clovis Unified, the explanation can be found at the top.

Athletics -- specifically, coaching hires -- have become a greater priority among administrators at Central and Madera.

This is wonderful, except for one problem: The TRAC is so far superior, across the board, than any league in the Central Section, it almost seems unfair to the teams within the league. I mean, Buchanan, for example, has an outstanding football team that could go 0-5 in the TRAC. That's tough business.

By Gary Estwick

Practice starts this evening on campus as coach Steve Cleveland takes his second shot at guiding Fresno State to the top of the Western Athletic Conference.

The Bulldogs will hold 16 practices before hosting Cal State-Los Angeles in an exhibition on Oct. 31 at the Save Mart Center.

One day after the Western Athletic Conference held its annual media day in Salit Lake City, I'm trying to figure out what separates the conference favorite Nevada from Fresno State and the rest of the pack (besides five returning starters, including two-time WAC Player of the Year Nick Fazekas).

Look at last season's standings and it's easy to figure out ...

By Gary Estwick

Thanks to Delta Airlines for delivering my luggage ONE DAY after I landed here in Salt Lake City. I knew I should have carried my luggage on the plane. Rookie mistake. Won't happen again. With my luck, something else will happen .

Anyway, when you hear several dozen coaches talk, they all start to sound the same.

Top Oscar nominees for Central Section football:

Player of the Year: Quarterback Ryan Mathews of West-Bakersfield. Began the season at running back before the switch. Has rushed for 1,468 yards and 20 TDs. And, remember, he torched No. 4 Clovis East in a loss.

Coach of the Year: Reedley's Justin Garza. Has 4-2 Pirates -- with key injuries -- contending for County/Metro Athletic Conference title one year after going 1-9.

Play of the Year: Clovis East converting a first down on Erin Banks' 12-yard run out of punt formation on fourth-and-3 from the Timberwolves' 15 in final 2 minutes agains Clovis. Clovis East, leading 23-19 at the time, would win 30-19.

Fresno State just suffered one of the most embarrassing losses ever - outplayed by Utah State. Sure, things happen. But seriously, can the Bulldogs win another game this season?

Week 6 in Central Section football gives us plenty to converse over our bowl of Cheerios on Saturday morning:

1. Clovis East plays with a coach Tim Murphy-sharpened edge like no other in Clovis Unified. How else to explain how the Timberwolves had the nerve to fake a punt on fourth-and-3 from their own 15, leading 23-19 with 1:30 remaining against a sound Clovis defense? Further, they not only convert, they bolt 73 yards on the next play to seal the deal in a 30-19 victory. I can't recall such a bold move -- given similar circumstances -- on the prep, college or pro level.

2. Think system doesn't matter? Edison coach Tim McDonald is 0-3 with excellent teams against Sanger following the Tigers' 28-24 loss in Apache land. Sanger starts seven sophomores. Edison's loaded. No matter. Apaches football is deep-rooted under 17-year coach Chuck Shidan. They arrive at the yard with a plan and tradition. McDonald has planted a well-intentioned seed, but, for all his NFL-driven wisdom, he hasn't been able to conquer Sanger lore.

By Gary Estwick

I met coach Steve Cleveland late last month at Bobby Salazar's in northeast Fresno.

Cleveland seems like a nice guy, the right guy to bring some respectability back to a program that lost oodles of it under Tark and Lopes.

One thing that I learned about him, as we snacked on chips and salsa before our entrees came out - he loves challenges. Why else would he leave his comfort zone at BYU? It's clear that Fresno State needed Cleveland more than he needed them.