How will the 'Dogs respond
Fresno State football took a big hit by losing again to Boise State. Staying focused is key. How will they respond to finish the season?
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« September 2007 | Main | November 2007 » October 29, 2007October 26, 2007Final: Boise State 34, Fresno State 21Boise State took advantage of a huge third-down conversion advantage to defeat the host Fresno State football team 34-21 Friday night. The victory improves Boise State to 4-0 in the WAC and 7-1 overall. Fresno State drops to 4-1, 5-3. The Bulldogs host Utah State at 2 p.m. Saturday. Broncos go up 34-21Kyle Brotzman's 47-yard field goal put Boise State up 34-21 with 3:11 left in the game. The drive ate up nearly 5 minutes. Moore's TD catch pulls 'Dogs to within 31-21Fresno State's Marlon Moore acrobatically caught a pass in the back of the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown from Tom Brandstater with 8:13 left in the game to make the score 31-21 Boise State. Amazing stat No. 2Fresno State gained only 123 yards in the second and third quarters combined. Broncos continue running onslaughtBoise State went up 31-14 with 11:35 left in the game when Jeremy Avery bounced outside on 3rd-and-4 from the 24 and outran the Fresno State defense to the end zone. Another third-down play for Boise State. Amazing stat No. 1Boise State has converted 7 of 14 third downs ... Fresno State is 0 for 9. Stitser misses another field goalFresno State kicker Clint Stitser missed a 39-yard field goal attempt with 1:45 left in the third quarter as Fresno State continues to bog down on offense. His second miss of the game was wide left and made irrelevant a 41-yard pass play from Tom Brandstater to Seyi Ajiritutu. Boise State goes up 24-14Boise State running back Jeremy Avery took a handoff and ran 10 yards for a touchdown with 4:41 left in the third quarter to give the Broncos a 24-14 lead. The TD drive started at Boise State's 15-yard line and lasted nearly 7 minutes. Halftime statsBoise State rushed for 205 yards in the first half. D.J. Harper leads with 122 and Jeremy Avery has 83. Clifton Smith has 60 yards on three runs, including a long of 36 yards. He has returned 3 punts for 89 yards, including a 65-yarder for a touchdown. Tom Brandstater is 7 for 18 for 66 yards and has been sacked twice. Marcus Riley leads with 7 tackles. Let's hear from you ...What halftime adjustments should Fresno State make? Halftime: Boise State 17, Fresno State 14Boise's special-teams gaffeWith Fresno State punting from deep in its own territory with less than a minute before the half, Boise State tried to block the punt but ran into Kyle Zimmerman. Instead of getting the ball near midfield, Boise hands the ball back to Fresno State after the penalty gave the Bulldogs an automatic first down. Boise State goes up 17-14Kyle Brotzman responded to Fresno State's blocked field goal with a 43-yarder to give Boise State a 17-14 lead with 10:40 left in the first half. Stitser's FG attempt is blockedFresno State's Clint Stitser's 47-yard field goal attempt was blocked with 12:18 left in the first half, keeping the score at 14-14. Jamal Hamler dropped a pass on 3rd-and-long that originally was called a first-down catch. After a review, it was ruled incomplete, setting up Stitser's failed attempt. Boise State returned the blocked field goal to its 48. Brandstater misses easy touchdownOn a play-action pass on 2nd-and-7 from the Boise State 44, Tom Brandstater had a wide-open Seyi Ajiritutu down the middle. Brandstater, however, hurried the throw and didn't put enough air under it and overthrew him. Zimmerman's perfect puntFresno State punter Kyle Zimmerman lofted a punt that teammate Darren Newborne caught at the Boise State 4-yard line. Boise State takes over with tough field position as the first quarter comes to an end. And that's how they tie it upBoise State's D.J. Harper ran left and broke several tackles to score on a 29-yard run and tie the score at 14-14 with 4:31 left in the first quarter. The Broncos have 137 rushing yards so far. Having trouble stopping the running gameBoise State running backs, particularly Jeremy Avery, are gashing the Fresno State defense for big gains. Most are coming around the right side. Smith's explodes on punt return for Fresno State leadClifton Smith took a punt at the Fresno State 35, ran up the right sideline and scored untouched to give the Bulldogs a 14-7 lead with 7:04. The Fresno State special teams are outplaying Boise State in every aspect. Maybe a selloutThe stands look nearly full. Oddly, most of the empty seats are on either side of the 50-yard line. Could be a slow-to-get-here crowd with the 6 p.m. Friday kickoff. Fresno State respondsA 5-yard touchdown run by Ryan Mathews was Fresno State's response to Boise State's quick score and it tied the game at 7-7 with 10:04 left in the first quarter. Clifton Smith's 36-yard run out of the quarterback position set up the touchdown by Mathews, who is starting in place of an injured Lonyae Miller. We're up ... and so is Boise StateAfter some techincal difficulties from the Bulldog Stadium pressbox, we're up and running. So is Boise State, which took a 7-0 lead on its second drive of the game, a 24-yard TD run by Jeromy Avery. D.J. Harper, on that drive, broke off a 49-yard run to set up Avery's score. Week 9 chatter** If the Central Section Division I title game were today, I'd like to see Clovis East and Edison. The only section team with a shot at beating the No. 1 Tigers is one who can run the ball -- and run it well. And no one does it better than Clovis East because of its double wing. ** Bullard star running back Clifton Rogers is in coach Donnie Arax's doghouse. Arax wishes he had the Hoover transfer for more than one year to instill better discipline. ** The word on Tulare-Kings counties streets is No. 7 El Diamante (7-1) of the West Yosemite League is superior to No. 4 Tulare (8-0) of the East Yosemite League. It's quite likely we won't know until they meet in the Nov. 30 D-II championship game. ** Spring (baseball) and fall (football) for Fowler boys' major sports? Try 41-2. The baseball team went 33-2 while finishing No. 1 in the state last spring. And the football team's rolling this fall at 8-0. The common denominator: Josh Poytress, The Bee's All-Star Player of the Year in baseball and the school's quarterback in football. He'll attend Fresno State on a baseball scholarship. October 22, 2007'Dogs and Broncos clashFresno State football has faced greater challenges, but this week's contest with Boise State is HUGE! What are the keys to a Bulldogs victory? October 20, 2007Bulldogs have easy time in 30-0 victoryThe Fresno State football team started slowly but used a big third quarter to roll past San Jose State 30-0 Saturday at Bulldog Stadium. After taking a 6-0 lead into halftime, the Bulldogs scored on each of their third-quarter possessions to pull away and win their fourth-straight game. Fresno State improves to 5-2 overall and 4-0 in the Western Athletic Conference. Bulldogs go up 30-0Clint Stitser's 44-yard field goal with 10:17 left in the game gave Fresno State a 30-0 lead over San Jose State. Mathews scores againFreshman Ryan Mathews sprinted 58 yards for his second touchdown of the third quarter to give Fresno State a 27-0 lead with 4:05 left in the quarter. Mathews ran left, made one cut and went untouched to the end zone. Fresno State has scored on each of its third-quarter possessions. Bulldogs pulling away in 3rd quarterLonyae Miller dove in from 2 yards out to give Fresno State a 20-0 lead with 9:24 left in the second half. The Bulldogs scored on both of their first two third-quarter drives. Both started in San Jose State territory, the first following a 61-yard kickoff return by A.J. Jefferson and the second following a failed fake punt by San Jose State. Mathews plows into end zoneRyan Mathews broke several tackles en route to a 14-yard touchdown run with 13:58 left in the third quarter. The score, on Fresno State's first drive of the second half, gave the Bulldogs a 13-0 lead. Stitser gives Bulldogs 6-0 lead at halftimeClint Stitser's 40-yard field goal with 3 seconds left in the half gave Fresno State a 6-0 lead heading into halftime. The scoring drive started at Fresno State's 33 with 1:06 left. Low-scoring battleNeither team has gotten within sniffing distance of the end zone. Two of the three field goal attempts have been missed. Fresno State leads 3-0 with 4 minutes left in the first half. Stitser puts Fresno State up 3-0Fresno State kicker Clint Stitser connected on a 35-yard field goal with 1:10 left in the first quarter to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead over San Jose State. Spartans miss opportunitySan Jose State kicker Will Johnson missed a 39-yard field goal attempt with 2:28 left in the first quarter. Johnson is 2 of 10 this season. The drive started at San Jose State's 20 and included a long pass in which Fresno State's A.J. Jefferson was beaten. Bulldogs' interception drought endsDamion Owens got Fresno State's first interception of the season on the first play of the game, picking off an Adam Tafralis pass at the Fresno State 35 and returning it 20 yards. Shirley suspended for rest of seasonFresno State football player Jason Shirley has been suspended for the rest of the season, ending his career with the Bulldogs. In a release today, Fresno State said Shirley, a senior defensive tackle, was suspended for multiple violations of the Department of Athletics Student-Athlete Code of Conduct. "It has been determined that Jason can no longer be associated with the Fresno State football program," Bulldogs athletic director Thomas Boeh said in the release. "Although this is certainly an unfortunate resolution, we feel it is critical to maintain the integrity of the Code of Conduct. "However, Jason will maintain his scholarship and receive all possible assitance with his efforts to address past issues and earn his undergraduate degree." Shirley has been suspended indefinitely Oct. 9 after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and hit-and-run. He also was suspended for the first two games of the season following a preseason incident. October 19, 20072nd quarter: Edison 28, Bullard 0Edison-Bullard pregameIt's electric here at Chukchansi Park for the No. 1 Bullard vs. No. 2 Edison showdown There were 9,000 presale tickets in what will be one of the best-attended football games involving Fresno Unified schools in 30 years. I wrote in today's column of the drawbacks playing at this Triple-A baseball facility, mainly because of the dirt infield that's part of the playing surface and the distance fans sit from the action. And I compared it to Sunnyside High, which Edison uses as its "home" field. It's a traditional football field, creating a much-more intimate environment. Interestingly, the 6,000-seat Sunnyside facility wouldn't have come close to accommodating tonight's crowd, which will exceed 10,000. Only 15,000-seat Ratcliff Stadium would have. October 18, 2007Week 8 previewSome thoughts heading into Week 8, which begins the regular-season stretch run: ** I like Edison's chances against Bullard for two reasons: 1, Tigers are on top of their game, playing so loose behind a superb senior, QB Jerry Davis; and 2, Clifton Rogers (bad ankle) has to be 100% for Bullard to have a chance, and I'm not sure he will be. ** Clovis West has a lot of problems, the immediate worst attempting to stop Clovis East's double wing. This is a priority game for the Golden Eagles, which no doubt led partly to their loss to Buchanan last week because they may have overlooked the Bears. I don't see CW beating the Timberwolves, but know this: There's plenty of time for the Eagles to find stride with a talented cast and win the Division I championship. ** No shock if Delano, at home, upsets unbeaten Tulare. Why? Two reasons: 1, Tigers are at home and with talent; and 2, We still don't have a true read of Tulare because of the Redskins' Tulare-Kings County exclusive schedule. And there's no question that region is down this season. Just look at Mt. Whitney as the worst of examples. ** How about Selma, which stopped a 34-game losing streak this season, actually going to Dinuba -- the Central Section's 15th-ranked team -- with realistic thoughts of winning? There's no greater insurance in football than a successful running game. And wing-T Selma has it with RB Adrian Pacheco. Then, again, this is a Dinuba outfit that rocked previously unbeaten Kingsburg 33-0 last week. Makes for an intruiging game, doesn't it? October 15, 2007'Dogs on WAC trackThe Bulldogs are in contention for the WAC and this could be the year to win it. Next up, San Jose State. Your comments ... October 14, 2007Week 7 review** A day after writing a column on Scott Seward -- the 5-7, 160-pound state-leading rusher in eight-man football for Clovis Christian -- I watched his clone, Clovis East quarterback Taylor Scott, chew up Central in the Timberwolves' 35-14 win. They're built alike and have similar speed. So who's to say Seward couldn't play with the big boys? ** Wow, how Clovis West fooled me. I just knew the Golden Eagles were ready to explode after nearly knocking off the state's second-ranked Centennial-Corona on the road three weeks ago. Then they barely beat Central before losing to unranked Buchanan Friday night. Gotta wonder at this point if they'll ever truly find their stride this season under first-year coach Martin Martin. ** Kingsburg, while unbeaten, had only played one team with a winning record (Caruthers). Then the 12th-ranked Vikings met reality in humbling 33-0 loss at DInuba. ** I ruffled some Bullard community feathers when writing two weeks ago that the unbeaten Knights could be 2-2 had not transfer running back Clifton Rogers arrived from Hoover. Wonder if those same people were paying attention in the second half Friday night, when Bullard was shut out by Reedley after Rogers was sidelined with an ankle injury. No Central Section player means more to a tean than Rogers. October 13, 2007'Dogs win 37-24 over IdahoThat's it, Fresno State improves to 4-2, 3-0 in the WAC with today's win over the Vandals of Idaho. Be sure to read The Fresno Bee and check FresnoBee.com tomorrow for all the stats and details from the game. Vandals make it closerIdaho cut into the lead when Brian Nooy found Peter Bjorvik in the end zone with a 9-yard pass. The extra point trims the lead to 37-24 with 1:15 to go in the game. Stitser hits from 44 yardsFresno State now leads Idaho 37-17 following a 44-yard field goal by Clint Stitser with 5:09 to go in regulation. Vandals add 3 pointsIdaho's Tino Amancio connected on a 42-yard field goal with 6:45 to go in the fourth quarter to make the score 34-17 Fresno State. Stitser adds 3 for the BulldogsFresno State's Clint Stitser added a 20-yard field goal for the Bulldogs increasing the lead to 34-14 with 12:59 left in the fourth quarter. Vandals score on loose ballIdaho cut the lead to 31-14 with 58 seconds to go in the third quarter on a fumble (... loose ball that popped into the air when the quarterback took off running and was hit ...) which was recovered by Deonte Jackson and taken 49 yards for the score. Miller gets his second TDFresno State's Lonyae Miller took a handoff 18 yards for his second touchdown run of the game and Clint Stitser nailed the extra point kick to extend the lead to 31-7. The Bulldogs break the game open with 2:07 to go in the third quarter. Bulldogs' Mathews scores againFresno State sustained a nice drive beginning at its own 42 yard line and Ryan Mathews scored his second touchdown of the game from four yards out with 9:37 to go in the third quarter. Clint Stitser's extra point increased the lead to 24-7. Mathews scores for Fresno StateThe Bulldogs increased the lead to 17-7 just before the half as Ryan Mathews ran it in from five yards out. Clint Stitser kicked the point after and 36 seconds remain before the half. The Vandals get on the boardIdaho capitalized on a fumble recovery and in one play scored on a 54-yard pass from Brian Nooy to Stanley Franks. The point after kick cuts the Bulldogs lead to 10-7 with 6:15 to go in the second quarter. 'Dogs add 3 pointsFresno State added a 44-yard field goal by Clint Stitser on the first play of the second quarter to make the score10-0 for the Bulldogs. Bulldogs strike firstFresno State, on its third possession, marched 80 yards and into the end zone on a 5-yard run by Lonyae Miller for the game's first score. Clint Stitser added the point after for a 7-0 lead with 4:20 to go in the first quarter. Fresno State misses field goal attemptFresno State and Idaho exchanged lost fumbles to begin the game, then on its second possession, the Bulldogs' Clint Stitser was wide left on a 51-yard field goal attempt. The game is scoreless as Idaho takes over with 10:26 to go in the first quarter. October 12, 2007City-County ticket sellersGotta love having quarterbacks Jerry Davis (Edison), Beau Sweeney (Clovis West) and Ebahn Feathers (Washington) in next summer's City-County All-Star Football Game. Last year's game was marred by fights. This one, conversely, should be an entertaining showcase and big draw at the gate. City-County exception: Sanger running back/safety Justin Webber deserves to play in the game despite not playing a down this year because of a knee injury. He and Bullard's Clifton Rogers would be an outstanding complement to the quarterbacks. Short slantsSome thoughts entering Week 7: ** Trap game for Clovis East tonight at Central for two reasons: Timberwolves play Clovis West next week and Central is determined to prove it can win the TRAC. ** Shocking numbers: Clovis, which hasn't had a losing season since 1973, is 0-6 while being outscored 229-52; and Mt. Whitney, coming off a 12-1 and D-II championship seasson, also 0-6 while being outscored 256-94. ** Fowler, in a great cycle of athletes that will extend for at least two more years, will beat Strathmore tonight on the road. Redcats QB Josh Poytre |