Fresno State Football

It's been yet another productive season for Davante Adams out of Fresno State, and with a huge game against the San Jose State Spartans, NFL scouts may start taking a longer look at him as the season winds down.

Although the Fresno State Bulldogs lost 62-52, it didn't keep Adams and Derek Carr from having huge games.  Carr found Adams 13 times for 264 yards and three touchdowns in what was the second straight huge game from Adams.

In 2012, Adams had 102 receptions for 1,312 yards and 14 touchdowns.  Through 11 games this season, Adams has somehow eclipsed those numbers, recording 113 receptions, 1,477 yards and 22 scores.

As an NFL prospect, Adams has nice size at 6'2'' and 212 pounds.  He's an incredibly athletic player with very nice leaping ability and explosiveness on the outside, making him a strong threat in the red zone.  He has big hands and does a great job using them to catch the ball rather than catching the ball with his body.

However, you have to downplay his production at the college level.  He has a good quarterback throwing him the ball against weaker competition in the Mountain West Conference, and that will certainly hurt his stock.  He's a good vertical threat and player in the red zone, but he still needs to work on running routes and creating separation because that will be very important against more talented defensive backs at the next level.

Still, Adams is just 20 years old and is continuing to develop as a receiver.  Overall, I still expect him to be selected somewhere on the third day of the NFL draft, and due to his upside, he has the potential to be a productive players at the next level.

Since the Fresno State Bulldogs were unable to cap off an undefeated 2013 season in Friday's 62-52 loss to Mountain West adversary San Jose State, Derek Carr's Heisman Trophy hopes are dashed.

To be fair, it had absolutely nothing to do with how Carr played, because he lit it up against a hapless Spartans defense. Carr completed 38 of 50 passes for 519 yards, six touchdowns and only one interception.

All of those scoring tosses came in the first half, which matched the total his counterpart David Fales put up:

It was an extraordinary QB duel between two of the less appreciated, but supremely talented, signal-callers in the country.

Unfortunately, Carr was the one to blink first, throwing an interception to San Jose's Keith Smith in the fourth quarter. The pick halted a peerless streak Carr had going, per CBSSports.com's Bruce Feldman:

That led to a clinching Spartans touchdown run by Fales from one yard out, extinguishing Carr's Heisman prospects in the process.

Fales was 37-of-45 passing for 547 yards on top of his seven total touchdowns and also ran for one more yard (33-32) than Carr.

San Jose State was fighting for bowl eligibility in improving to 6-6 and the BCS No. 16 Bulldogs had a perfect record entering Friday's showdown in Spartan Stadium. Thus, there is no chance for Carr to capture college football's most coveted individual award.

Carr was on pace to shatter his career high of touchdown passes in a single game—a mark he set last week with seven TDs in a win over New Mexico—but time of possession was also a critical factor.

The Spartans held the ball for 11:08 in the fourth quarter and 37:49 of the game's 60 total minutes. Between that and a sieve of a Fresno defense, Carr had no margin for error.

This was still an excellent showcase for Carr's arm talent and fortified the notion he's a viable 2014 NFL draft prospect, boosting his season totals to 45 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

But due to the lack of premier competition and the consequent major hit the Bulldogs' stock as a team will take after this loss, any outside shot Carr had at the Heisman went out the window on Friday.

The Fresno State Bulldogs football team (8-0 overall, 5-0 MWC) can’t help but know the score by now.

Eight down; four to go.

On Saturday night, the No. 17 Bulldogs cruised to a 41-23 victory over the Nevada Wolf Pack (3-6 overall, 2-4 MWC), inching one step closer to finishing the regular season unbeaten and earning a trip to a BCS bowl game.

It was also a night for the record books.

Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr, younger brother of David Carr and one of the main reasons the Bulldogs’ BCS campaign has been picking up steam since the early part of the season, passed Kevin Sweeney for first on the school’s all-time passing yards list in the game.

Carr, who broke the record on his final pass of the game, currently has thrown for 10,821 yards in his career.

Of course, it appeared to be just another day at the office for Fresno State’s offense. The Bulldogs, which are currently the No. 6 team in the nation in total offensive yards per game averaging just fewer than 540 per contest, racked up 647 yards against the Wolf Pack. A whopping 487 of those yards came through the air.

The Bulldogs were able to get out to an early lead, heading into the locker room with a 24-10 advantage. But a difficult third quarter in which Nevada was able to hold Fresno State scoreless brought the tally to 24-16 heading into the final quarter.

A 17-point outburst by the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter assured that the Wolf Pack wouldn’t have a chance to spoil the perfect season as San Diego State nearly did last week. All facets of the offense contributed to the final push, with Carr, running back Marteze Waller and kicker Colin McGuire putting points on the board for Fresno State.

However, it was the defense that really stepped up and played a complete game for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs, which have one of the worst pass defenses in the country, managed to hold Wolf Pack quarterback Cody Fajardo to just 206 yards passing on the night. Fajardo, who is considered one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks in the West, did manage to run for 98 yards but only accounted for two touchdowns.

Perhaps more importantly, the defense exhibited bend-but-don’t-break tendencies that will be good enough as long as the offense keeps humming.

Nevada was held to single-digit scoring in all four quarters, including a scoreless second quarter. As is customary with teams trying to preserve a perfect record, things will continue to get more difficult for the Bulldogs from here on out.

It’s really not a cliche for Fresno State, though.

Of the three remaining games on the schedule, two of them are on the road for the Bulldogs (next Saturday at Wyoming and November 29 at San Jose State). The game against San Jose State will be particularly tough; not only would the Spartans love to spoil Fresno State’s quest for perfection, but Ron Caragher’s team could make the Mountain West Conference title game with a victory over the Bulldogs.

San Jose currently sits at 4-1 in the conference, one game behind Fresno State.

For now, Fresno State needn’t look forward too far. Every game will require complete focus, and anything less could compromise reaching the final goal.

Eight down; four to go. The Bulldogs can only deal with one at a time.

If the Fresno State Bulldogs football team is going to go down this year, it is going to go down swinging.

For the fourth time this season, the Bulldogs emerged victorious from a battle that was decided by seven points or less. On Saturday night, Fresno State bested the San Diego State Aztecs in overtime, 35-28.

The win over the Aztecs was the second time this season that the Bulldogs have pulled of an overtime thriller. The first came in the season-opener against Rutgers.

In Saturday night’s game, Fresno State was able to establish a 28-14 lead with just less than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter—but the Aztecs weren't ready to quit.

First, it was a 60-yard pass from quarterback Quinn Kaehler to Tim Vizzi that set the Aztecs up with a 1st-and-goal on the 1-yard line. One play later, Aaron Boesch punched it into the end zone.

The drive took San Diego State all of 57 seconds to complete.

Then, a prayer was answered when the Aztecs attempted—and succeed—at recovering an onside kick at Fresno State’s 49-yard line.

San Diego State calmly drove the ball down the field and completed the comeback thanks to a 27-yard touchdown run by senior fullback Chad Young.

In a matter of 3:36, the Aztecs had managed to tie the game at 28 points apiece.

It wasn’t over yet, though.

After a punt by Fresno State with just over four and a half minutes to play, the Aztecs had the chance to put the pressure on Fresno State by taking the lead for the first time all game. It almost happened, too.

After a lengthy drive, San Diego State found itself on Fresno State’s 20-yard line with three seconds remaining in the game. The only thing that stood between the Aztecs and the feeling of ruining the Bulldogs’ perfect season was a 37-yard field goal.

Well, that and senior tight end Marcel Jensen.

The 6’6”, 270-pound Jensen became an instant star in the San Joaquin Valley by blocking Seamus McMorrow’s kick and sending the game into overtime.

From there, the Bulldogs offense took charge.

After a 15-yard personal foul penalty pushed Fresno State back to the San Diego State 40-yard line, Derek Carr led his team down to the 1-yard line, where sophomore running back Marteze Waller ran it in on 1st-and-goal.

Fresno State’s defense was able to stop the Aztecs on fourth down, and the game was over. The Bulldogs had survived.

It hadn’t even been one week since the first BCS rankings of the season had been released, and the Bulldogs almost blew their chance at receiving a BCS bid.

But Fresno State knows these kinds of games will be the norm going forward. Everyone in the Mountain West Conference will give the Bulldogs their best.

It may not have be pretty, but a win is a win.

Most importantly, the BCS dream is still alive for Fresno State.

The goal is simple for the Fresno State Bulldogs football team: Keep on winning, and you’re more than likely to crash the BCS party one final time.

The Bulldogs, who are 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the Mountain West Conference, debuted at No. 17 in the first BCS rankings, which were released on Sunday night.

The ranking puts Fresno State one spot above the other potential BCS crasher, Northern Illinois from the Mid-American Conference.

Just based on that fact alone, it is clear that the margin for error is slim for the Bulldogs.

No one can be sure whether the computers will favor the Bulldogs over the Huskies as the season wears on, but one thing is for sure: A loss will eliminate any non-AQ school from BCS bowl consideration.

The Bulldogs have been a textbook version of the stereotypical BCS buster. Led by senior quarterback Derek Carr (the younger brother of former Bulldog great David), Fresno State is the No. 4 team in the nation in total offensive yards per game. This is thanks in large part to Carr, who averages nearly 380 yards passing per contest.

While the Bulldogs are making their case as the best non-AQ school in the country with some convincing offensive statistics, they are by no means out of the water with regards to competition. In fact, head coach Tim DeRuyter’s team has already had some close calls.

One-point victories at home against Rutgers in the season opener and against Boise State can definitely be categorized as nail-biters. In both of those games, the Bulldogs allowed over 540 yards of offense to the opponent.

Unfortunately for Fresno State, there are several more trap games left on the schedule.

All three remaining road games (San Diego State, Wyoming and San Jose State) come against teams that love to sling the ball around. San Jose State and Wyoming have the second and third best passing attacks in the MWC, while San Diego State is also capable of wreaking havoc through the air.

Fresno State is No. 9 in the conference in pass defense.

However, if the Bulldogs do manage to make it through the regular-season slate unbeaten, they will have a chance to solidify their BCS case with a victory in the inaugural Mountain West Conference Championship Game.

Fresno State, which is a member of the conference’s West Division, will take on the first-place finisher in the Mountain Division. Currently, Boise State is the leader of the Mountain Division by way of a tiebreaker over Utah State.

A rematch with the Broncos could be particularly challenging for Coach DeRuyter’s squad. Boise State recently lost starting quarterback Joe Southwick to an ankle injury and will use backup quarterback Grant Hedrick for the foreseeable future.

Hedrick proved he is a true threat on the ground by rushing for 115 yards in Saturday’s 34-17 victory over Nevada.

Obviously, the Fresno State Bulldogs have a lot of work left to do if the team wants to spend the holidays preparing for a BCS bowl game. However, everything appears to be in front of them based on the first BCS rankings.

If prior years are any indication, ranked teams above the Bulldogs will continue to fall in late October and throughout November. Per BCS rules, if a non-AQ team finishes the regular season in the Top 12 or in the Top 16 and ahead of at least one AQ conference champion, it is guaranteed a BCS bowl berth.

As long as Fresno State keeps winning, they’ll remain relevant to the BCS bowl conversation.

Four weeks into the 2013 season, it's obvious that the flurry of conference realignment moves over the past two seasons have clearly created a chasm between college football's haves and have-nots.

Beginning with Nebraska's defection to the Big Ten in 2011, the big five conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC) will have seen seven members switch allegiances and added five new schools by next season. The former Big East has disintegrated and will become a rump conference of mostly former Conference USA teams by 2014 while the Western Athletic Conference has vaporized altogether.

As a result, the non-Automatic Qualifying conferences have never been more marginalized, with most of their best schools having been plucked by the big boys. In this week's simulated BCS standings, there's an all-time low in teams appearing in the standings anywhere since the BCS Guru began the compilation in the 2007 season. A total of just three non-AQ teams—No. 25 Fresno State, No. 30 Northern Illinois and No. 39 Navy—are listed among the 44 teams qualifying for the standings.

Without a doubt, a non-AQ team's inclusion to this year's BCS bowl games is very much in peril.

Since the BCS modified its format in 2006 to allow non-AQ members better access to BCS bowls, there have been seven entrants over the following seven seasons, including two—TCU and Boise State—in 2009, when they faced off in the Fiesta Bowl. The 2011 season was the only time when non-AQ teams were shut out of the 10-team field, as the Broncos, despite finishing No. 7 in the final BCS standings, were conveniently excluded because they failed to win the Mountain West title.

Though it's still only September, we're very close to writing off almost all of the non-AQ teams this season. The reconstituted Conference USA and Sun Belt are already done, with every member having at least one loss and lacking any high-profile opportunities to make a case. Neither conference has a team among the 44 listed in the latest simulated BCS standings.

That leaves us with just half a dozen non-AQ teams to consider—Fresno State, Wyoming and Boise State from the Mountain West, Northern Illinois and Ohio from the MAC, and independent Navy. But with Notre Dame, Duke, Pittsburgh still remaining on the schedule, let's just quickly dispense with the Midshipmen as they have no realistic chance to qualify for a BCS bid.

As for the other five: 

- Northern Illinois, which got into the Orange Bowl last year by finishing No. 15 in the final BCS standings, is off to a 3-0 start, having already won at Iowa. If they can beat Purdue on Saturday and run the table to win the MAC again, the Huskies will have an excellent chance of becoming just the second non-AQ team to appear in back-to-back BCS bowls after TCU did it in 2009 and '10.

- Ohio was blown out by Louisville, but it might not hurt that much as long as the Cardinals keep winning. If the Bobcats can win their remaining games and upset an unbeaten NIU in the MAC championship game, they might have an outside shot of sneaking into a BCS bowl—but it's a very longshot.

- Wyoming's rally fell short at Nebraska in the season opener, but its offense is off to a flying start, scoring at least 34 points in each of its four games. If the Cowboys can go undefeated the rest of the way—winning a very competitive MWC Mountain Division—and then beat Fresno State again in the MWC championship game, they'll earn the non-AQ bid over the MAC champion no matter what.

- Boise State's BCS quest isn't dead—as we analyzed last week after a one-point loss to Fresno State—but it's very much on life support. The Broncos' faint hopes hinge on not just running the table, but also the Bulldogs staying unbeaten until they meet in the MWC title game. It's possible, but not likely.

- Fresno State is the only non-AQ team that controls its own BCS destiny. The Bulldogs are already in the top 25 in both polls as well as the simulated BCS standings. If they can get through the weaker MWC West Division unscathed and then beat either Boise State or Wyoming again for the conference title, they'll have a BCS bowl bid waiting for them.

Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr threw for 536 yards and five touchdowns on Saturday night against San Diego State in a 52-40 win to open Mountain West play.

Bulldogs head coach Tim DeRuyter thought Carr's numbers were a bit higher than that.

"Derek threw for I think 700 yards and seven touchdown passes and he did some good things," said DeRuyter.

Don't worry, you didn't miss anything.  Neither did DeRuyter, though.  Along with Carr's monster numbers, the coach is including the touchdowns and yards gained on his quarterback's two interceptions.

"Yeah, they caught two touchdown passes and about 120 yards," said DeRuyter with a bit of a smirk.  "Derek knows that and he's got to clean that up," added the coach.

If we have learned only one thing from the first-year coach in this young season, it's that he is all about correcting mistakes and making the proper adjustments to prevent the same things from happening the next time his team takes the field.

Even with the big night from Carr on Saturday, DeRuyter proved he expects his players to strive for perfection and knows his players are on the same page.  How else would you describe a coach that isn't content with his quarterback having a record-setting night?

Carr tied former Bulldogs quarterback Dave Telford's single-game mark for passing yards against the Aztecs.  No. 4 also set school and Mountain West records by completing 42 passes and compiling 579 yards of total offense.

"He's a sharp kid and he wants to improve," said DeRuyter.  "That's why we really like him as a staff.  He's not happy throwing for whatever yards he threw for, he wants to play perfect."

Fresno State's all-time leading rusher, Robbie Rouse, wasn't safe from criticism after Saturdays win either.  Rouse is starting to come down with a case of fumble-itis, and DeRuyter wants it fixed.

"He's got rules, if he's at the point of attack he's got to get two hands on it and he didn't.  That is going to be something we emphasize this week," said DeRuyter.

The Bulldogs are 3-2 and 1-0 in Mountain West play.  If the Bulldogs are going to get that Mountain West Championship they covet, DeRuyter just might be on to something in the way he seems to keep his stars from believing their own press clippings.

Unless noted all quotes were taken first hand by Gean May at Tim DeRuyter's weekly press conference.

The Tim DeRuyter era is officially underway as the Fresno State Bulldogs hosted the Weber State Wildcats Saturday evening.

Bulldogs fans were in the house, but there were only 27,663 of them.  The game had a weird feel as the stadium was somewhat quiet.  The fans did get loud when the play on the field was deserving.  However, there was not the constant game-long excitement that we've seen in past home openers.

Fans were treated to some solid play on both sides of the ball—but especially from the Bulldogs who rolled to a 37-10 win.  Fresno State outgained Weber State 515 yards to 274.

The Bulldogs new-look offense wasted no time, as they scored touchdowns on each of their first three possessions.

Fresno's first touchdown came via a dart across the middle from quarterback Derek Carr to red-shirt freshman Davonte Adams putting the Bulldogs up 7-0.  The 27-yard touchdown capped an eight-play 97-yard opening drive

Fresno State was shorthanded tonight, especially at the wide receiver position as Rashad Evans, Victor Dean and A.J. Johnson, along with three other players, did not play for reasons undisclosed as of kickoff. 

After the game the reasons came to light.  Dean, along with Davon Dunn and Ibe Nduke, were suspended for the Weber State game for violating athletic department policy.  Evans was also suspended for just the Weber State game.  Terrance Dennis will miss four games and A.J. Johnson will miss the entire season.

The latter three players were suspended for NCAA violations.

The only wide receiver on the field tonight to catch a pass in 2011 was Isaiah Burse.  Burse had a solid night with six catches for 86 yards. Adams had no problem picking up the slack left by Evans and company.  He had a seven-catch night for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

Starting QB Derek Carr ended the night with impressive numbers.  No. 4 was 20-for-25 with 298 yards and two touchdowns, while backup quarterback, Greg Watson, actually saw some time at wideout due to the lack of depth at the position.  Watson had one catch for 32 yards.

The Bulldogs second touchdown came courtesy a two-yard run by running back Robbie Rouse.  The big play of the drive was a 37-yard pass from Carr to Burse, putting the offense in business at the Wildcats 27-yard line.

Rouse also punched in the third Bulldogs' touchdown of the night from one yard out making it 21-0.  The man they refer to as "Mighty Mouse" finished the night with 123 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns.

The Wildcats got on the board with just over seven minutes to play in the first half on a 40-yard field goal by Shaun McClain, which followed a 15-yard personal foul penalty by Fresno State cornerback L.J. Jones on third down that moved the Wildcats into field-goal range.

Fresno State received the ball to start the second half and went three and out.  On the ensuing possession, Weber State scored on 36-yard touchdown pass to make it 24-10.

Fresno State looked sluggish to start the second half, but 14 points would be as close as the visitors would get.  The Bulldogs added fourth-quarter touchdowns from Adams and running back Milton Knox to cap the scoring.

Pat Hill had his chance to address the media on Monday, after hearing on Sunday that he will not return as the head coach of the Fresno State football team in 2012.

The crowd applauded on Monday as Hill took center stage at the Josephine Theater at Fresno State to say his goodbyes to fans and media.

"Today, I bring closure to 15 years," said Hill.

The Bulldogs were 112-80 under Pat Hill's leadership and 4-7 in bowl games. "Not counting this year, since 2000, only 23 schools in this country have more wins than your Bulldogs. So, you ought to congratulate those kids," said Hill, while talking about people saying there had been a downward trend in victories.

"When I accepted this job, I came in with great energy and enthusiasm," said Hill. "Just like I'm leaving today. I made three promises when I took this job, go check the manuscripts."

One of Hill's promises was about how he wanted to change the academic culture of the program.  "I can say we've done that," said Hill. "I can say now and it's documented that graduation rates, the last two that have been counted in Pat Hill's era are 85 and 89 percent, that's up from 22."

Throughout Hill's time at Fresno State, graduating his players was very important to the coach.  "I want to say to the academic people on this campus, I remember when I made that statement.  I think that a lot of them were laughing, but the proof is in the pudding, we said what we meant and we meant what we said, academic progress has been great here," said Hill in regards to his promise.

Hill made a second promise to paint the valley red. "I thought it was very important for Fresno State to be the light of the valley," Hill said. "Hopefully that will continue, I still think there is a long way to go in that. I think there is a lot more meat left on that bone."

The signature "V" for San Joaquin Valley has been a trademark on the helmets of Bulldogs for a long time, and it was Pat Hill's idea. "I hope the V stays on the helmet," said Hill.

Bringing big-time football to Fresno State was Hill's final promise he made way back in 1996.  Hill's motto of "Anybody ,Anytime, Anywhere" allowed the Bulldogs to play some of the best teams in the nation. Although, a lot of fans grew tired of it and thought the motto had become overplayed, and some wished he would just play a schedule equal to most mid-major schools.

Yes, Hill did play the big-time schools, but the pounding the Bulldogs would take, win or lose, against teams like Ohio State, Tennessee and Wisconsin usually proved to be too much for the team, and it would have a negative effect on the rest of the season.

"We obviously haven't won every game we've played, but we have played in some of the greatest venues in the country, against some of the best teams in the country," Hill added. "We have competed at a very high level. I feel for some schools that don't play that kind of schedule and they lose one game and get sent to the Las Vegas Bowl or something like that."

Maybe Hill is on to something there; that's the big question, would you prefer a 11-1 season and meaningless bowl game or a 8-4 season and a chance to travel to Nebraska or Ohio and take on a top-10 team and give the program a shot at something special?

I have said before that Pat Hill lives and dies by the big game, and he certainly did, and you have to respect that. If you don't, that's fine, too. But make no mistake, coach Hill left everything he had at that table on Monday morning and had no regrets as he walked out of the room.

The quotes in this article were taken firsthand by Gean May at Pat Hill's final press conference on 12-5-2011.