2010 NCAA football preview: Fresno State
The Bulldogs of Fresno State burst on to the national scene in 2001 with a series of surprising wins over top ranked teams. Led by future NFL quarterback David Carr, the Bulldogs went on to win 11 games that season and were ranked as high as eighth in the nation before losing to Boise State during the regular season and Michigan State in the post-season.
Since then the Bulldogs have continued an impressive record of success, posting winning records in every season except one, when they went 4-8 in 2006. In 13 seasons, Pat Hill has done a tremendous job of fostering a program that knows how to win. Prior to Hill taking over for the retiring Jim Sweeney following the 1996 season, the Bulldogs had won three of the last six conference titles.
It has been over a decade now since the last time the Bulldogs won a conference title which is something that the Bulldog faithful would undoubtedly love to see change. That task will be tough to accomplish in the 2010 season with the Boise State Broncos looking to contend for a national title and the Wolf Pack of Nevada ready to run over anyone that gets in their way.
Offense
The Bulldogs lost some key members of the offense from last season including running back Ryan Mathews and three of the team’s best wide receivers. However, the team appears to be in pretty good shape going into 2010 anyway.
Quarterback Ryan Colburn returns for his senior season and will have a veteran line looking to protect him. Most of his interceptions came in the first four games of the season proving that he was getting better as the season progressed. With a whole season as a starter under his belt it would not be surprising to see him improve off his 60 percent completion rate and 2459 yards. If Colburn has trouble then Derek Carr, brother of Fresno State’s most famous alum David Carr, stands in the wings ready to prove he is every bit as talented as his brother.
The team will likely lean a little more on the pass this year, at least in the beginning, with Ryan Mathews gone. Last season he was a major part of the team having the eighth best running team. Robbie Rouse or Lonyae Miller will look to earn time in the backfield in 2010. Both had four touchdowns last season; Rouse ran for 479 yards while Miller ran for 354.
Whoever runs the ball will have the benefit of a veteran line to work behind. Guard Andrew Jackson is one of the best in the game at his position and he will be leading a group that returns intact from the 2009 season.
Defense
Like many of their WAC counterparts, the Bulldog defense leaves something to be desired. Overall the unit was 98th in the nation. The poor overall ranking was largely due to the horrible rushing defense which was 111th in the nation.
The group does have two top notch playmakers in their front seven coming back. Senior linebacker Ben Jacobs led the way with 130 tackles and three sacks last season. End Chris Carter used his speed to make five sacks last season although he did go from making 87 tackles in 2008 to just 47 in 2009. If the team is going to have any chance of beating teams like Nevada then the interior of the line is going to have to toughen up. Even with some good sized players inside the Bulldogs were not very good at stopping the run.
Even with their short comings the Bulldogs were a decent team in 2009. The team showed a lot of composure by rebounding to win seven of eight games after losing three of their first four. They will have a much tougher time without the nation’s leading rusher, but with the talented offensive line returning and the emergence of Colburn there could be hope for them after all.
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