Fresno State Football

 Pat Hill has been the head coach of Fresno State since 1997. He has been known for challenging schools the big schools from BCS conferences under any situation. Some of his accomplishments include a 11-9 record against BCS programs, appearing in bowl games eight of the last nine seasons, and tying Utah for the most players in the NFL of any team outside of the Big Six Conferences with 24. However, the program has been in decline since 2004 and vastly underachieved compared to expectations over the past six seasons. Pat Hill needs to be fired because Fresno State has failed to win beyond lower tier bowl appearances, the lack of fundamentals displayed during games, and the program has stagnated behind WAC competition despite advantages in talent and resources.

 The first issue with Pat Hill is his inability to maximize his talent and resources. Fresno State has recruited better than any team in the WAC with 24 bulldogs on current NFL rosters versus only thirteen from competitor Boise State. These players were not only busts like David Carr, but solid starting performers such as Logan Mankins, Bernard Berrian and Ryan Matthews. Fresno State also has the highest athletic budget of any school in the WAC other than Hawaii (which is probably due to travel) as well with top tier facilities that equal some BCS conference school. Despite these inherent advantages, Fresno fails to win big and break the barrier of low tier bowl appearances. Fresno State's has never won the WAC outright and only have one split title in 1999 (8-5 record). They also have fallen behind upstart WAC programs such Boise State, Nevada, and more recently (including Saturday's 49-27 loss) Hawaii (bulldogs have losing record versus Hawaii and Boise). Fresno State  has not lost then two conference games during Pat Hill's tenure. These losses include bad losses to low tier WAC teams such as Louisiana Tech and Utah State. 2004 was the only season where Fresno State has finished the ranked in the final polls, even though they have often started the season ranked. Programs of comparable resources and talent such as Utah and Boise State do not have the same problems of losing to the bottom tier of the conference and have made BCS bowl appearances.

 Why has Pat Hill underachieved so much? First it comes to lack of fundamentals training during practice. With the exception of the 2009, Fresno State has been one of the nation's leaders in penalties. Their special teams play have also fallen off in recent years. Second, Pat Hill tends to pump up the team for one big BCS road game and revolves the whole focus of the season around it. Whether they win (or more often) lose the game, the team often has a letdown loss and the team loses motivation going into conference play. The most notable example of this is 2005 where after a close loss to USC, the Bulldogs lost the next four games to finish the season. Even though he takes pride in it, Pat Hill puts too much priority and schedule too tough of a non-conference schedule. They need to focus on winning the WAC instead of jumping the gun for the chance at a title based on an improbable chance of winning all of their tough road games. Boise did not begin to schedule tough games until developing a reputation as perennial WAC champion.

 Overall, the this is the time for Pat Hill to leave. He has helped make the program more respectable, but with the transition to the Mountain West, Fresno will finish towards the bottom of the league if they continue the current trend of the program. By overly focusing on non-conference games and failing to instill discipline in his teams, Hill squanders his resources and opportunities to turn Fresno State in a WAC and a consistently top ranked team.

It was only a matter of time before articles starting showing up bashing Fresno State football, after Bryant Moniz and Hawaii handed the Bulldogs a lopsided 49-27 loss at Bulldog Stadium on Saturday.

I knew I would see them at some point, I just didn't realize they would be so anxious to get them filed—maybe so they could laugh a little bit longer at Fresno State and their fans.

What I didn't count on was so much being made out of Fresno State, not to mention Nevada, leaving the WAC and heading for greener pastures. Ferd Lewis of the Honolulu Star Advertiser is of the opinion that Hawaii's win over Fresno State was their way of saying "you're not in our league," and called the Bulldogs "renegade rabble."

It's funny to me that so many shots are being taken at Fresno State, as well as Nevada, for leaving early after signing a buyout clause, but there's not a whole lot of mention that Hawaii is also considering leaving the WAC to go independent.

It seems a tad hypocritical to bash one school for leaving when you're thinking of doing the same thing. Double standard much?

I'm not going to sit here and say that Fresno State is the better school because over the last decade, the games between the two schools have tended not to go the Bulldogs' way. Not to say Fresno State hasn't thrown down their share of beatdowns on Hawaii, but the favor has also been returned to them a few times.

But let's not get into a name-calling war over schools who aren't really willing to sit around while the conference crumbles around them. Let's not get upset that they want a little more stability than what the WAC can offer them.

Be mad if you want, get upset, that's your right. But don't blame two schools for not wanting to stick around in a conference that is only getting weaker, not stronger. It's the reason Boise State left, and it's exactly the reason Hawaii is considering going independent.

When Fresno State and Nevada announced their decision back in August, WAC commissioner Karl Benson called it "selfish," while the Star Advertiser called it "treason." What will Benson call Hawaii if they up and leave for independence?

Last month, Matt Hayes of the Sporting News received information that the University of Hawaii was “fleshing out the possibility” of going independent. They had great reasons for entertaining the thought, actually.

Hawaii would be an attractive option for ESPN, and a big television deal between the school and the network would bring a lot of money in to the school.

While the football team would be independent and be able to schedule who they wanted year in and year out, the rest of their sports would be sent to the West Coast Conference.

There's no question that the Warriors would be better off going in that direction than staying in a dying conference. They could save money on travel, depending on who they schedule, and the revenue from a television deal would not have to be shared with a conference.

So, after two months of calling Fresno State "betrayers" or what they did "treason" by leaving  the WAC, are we going to see a retraction if Hawaii ends up doing the exact same thing Fresno State and Nevada did?

Write or say what you want about the decision made by the Bulldogs and Wolfpack, but they did what they believed to be the best thing for their respective universities. I would expect no less from the University of Hawaii and athletic director Jim Donovan.

I'm not here to take shots at a writer for his own opinion, but the real truth is Hawaii, along with the other remaining schools in the WAC, wasn't mad that Nevada and Fresno State were leaving—they were mad that they didn't think of it first.

Had they done just that, the scathing words would have been scoffed at while waving a very sarcastic goodbye.

While Utah and BYU are headed out of the Mountain West, something that lessened the strength of the conference and all but killed their chance at an automatic BCS birth, having Boise State, Fresno State and Nevada on board puts at least a small Band-Aid on it for now.

What happens to the WAC from here is anyone's guess. Benson has looked at schools such as UC Davis, University of North Texas, Texas State and Cal Poly, just to name a few. Not exactly making up for the losses they're going to feel in a year or two.

There are still details to be worked out as far as when Fresno State and Nevada get to leave the WAC. Both schools have petitioned to be able to leave and be a part of the Mountain West for the 2011 football season, but Benson has been stubborn and refuses to let them leave prior to 2012.

Hate them for wanting to leave, be mad and throw a tantrum because you're being left behind, but it will be Fresno State who gets the last laugh.

Throw out all the stats you want about beating the Bulldogs this many times out of this many years, but none of that is going to matter once their bags are packed and headed out the door, never to darken it again.

While Hawaii gets to play Cal Poly as a conference game, Fresno State will be in Fort Worth to take on TCU or Colorado Springs to take on Air Force.

Enjoy your conference games and playing on the WAC Sports Network. We'll be over here enjoying better competition while that conference turns into a lesser version of the Sun Belt Conference.

The Bulldogs had a great chance to show that they were much different from the team they have been over the last several years.

They were back home at Bulldog Stadium and they were facing a high powered offense in the Hawaii Warriors and the nation's leading passer, Bryant Moniz who oddly enough transferred from Fresno City College.

Talk about missing out on local talent, right?

The Bulldog defense looked solid in the early going but it soon became clear that their offense wasn't going to help them out much.

The knock against Fresno State has always been that they can't win the big games. They can't beat teams that give them the best competition. Tonight was a great opportunity to show that this team had improved by leaps and bounds.

They came up well short of proving anything other than they were exactly the same team as they dropped a 49-27 decision to Hawaii in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the score seemed to indicate.

Fresno State quarterback Ryan Colburn was intercepted three times including a late interception that was returned for a touchdown that all but put the game way out of reach.

The Bulldogs also seemed to get away from their run game, giving the ball to sophomore Robbie Rouse just seven times for 39 yards.

For a team that's always been built on their run game, Pat Hill seems to be getting away from what's been their bread and butter over the years. It's not clear whether they don't trust their young core of running backs or they're trusting Ryan Colburn far too much.

Hawaii running back Alex Green ran for 97 yards and three scores while the aforementioned Moniz threw for 376 yards and two scores.

Hawaii fans that made the trip to Fresno seemed to enjoy themselves, much to the chagrin of the hometown Fresno State fans.

If they can't beat Hawaii, if they have this hard of a time handling the nation's leading passer, how are they going to handle guys like Nevada's Colin Kaepernick or Boise State's Kellen Moore?

This is no different from years gone by and one has to wonder just how much more Fresno State fans are going to put up with before they start calling for Pat Hill's job.

The rumors have flown before, but if the Bulldogs get blown out by Nevada and Boise State, the faint sounds of "fire Pat Hill" will start becoming louder and louder through the central valley.

It's a tough thing to watch if you're a fan of the team and especially one that's grown up as a fan. You want to see this team succeed and watching Boise State makes that hurt much more evident.

If the Broncos can do it, why hasn't Fresno State been able to do it?

That's a question that's going to be asked for a long time to come. Probably long into their days with the Mountain West, especially if they become a middle of the road team in that conference as well.

A tough night in Fresno, and a tough loss for a team that was supposed to be a lot better than they showed tonight.

Back to the old drawing board.

Growing up in Fresno, you know the pride that goes along with being a Fresno State Bulldog fan. You know the blood that runs through you and you know the excitement that goes along with going to Jim Sweeney Field at Bulldog Stadium on game day.

What you also get used to is the mediocrity that has encased the Bulldog football program over the years. They had their great years with guys like David Carr, Trent Dilfer, Lorenzo Neal, and others. The list goes on and on.

You can go back to the 2001 season when the Bulldogs were ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation.

They knocked off Colorado in Boulder, Wis. at Camp Randall Stadium, and topped that off with a win over Sports Illustrated preseason No. 1 Oregon State.

Those wins were quickly followed with victories over Tulsa, Louisiana Tech, and Colorado State. It's what brought Fresno State to the eighth spot in the rankings. The highest ever given to a mid-major program since BYU's national championship back in 1984.

Enter Boise State.

The game took place in Fresno and it would become the Broncos' coming out party. Boise State took down the then eighth rank Bulldogs, 35-30. Thus ending what looked to be a Cinderella season for Fresno State.

Since then, though the Bulldogs have picked up a win over Boise here or there, the Broncos have been the creme de la creme of the Western Athletic Conference. They've been the bully and the example of what mid-majors are capable of.

Since then, Fresno State has wondered when it was their turn. When will it be their time to be spoiled in the national spotlight. While Boise State is hated by most of the country, well, at least points east of Colorado, the Bulldogs could only dream of having that kind of national attention.

When Pat Hill entered the scene as the head coach at Fresno State, he brought with him a mantra of "Anyone. Anywhere. Anytime." It was a mantra that Hill wanted everyone to know. He was ready to take his Bulldog team to any spot in the country to take on any team in the country.

To date, he's done just that.

They've traveled to Norman, Knoxville, Baton Rouge, Madison, and Manhattan, Kansas among several other locations outside of their home in Fresno.

Hill hasn't been afraid of any team in any conference nor is he afraid of playing the best team in the nation. Doing so on at least two different occasions in Norman against Oklahoma and Los Angeles against USC.

Some might say that doing so has hindered the Bulldogs from becoming the top team in their own conference. Most say that Hill's teams will get up for the big teams than suffer a letdown against teams they should be be defeating.

But it leaves fans wondering if the mantra brought in by Hill is one that needs to continue. Is it hindering the program in the wins and losses column just to improve it on the recruiting and television revenue side?

Fresno State has been the understudy and the little brother that has been ignored by big brother over the last few years. Big brother is getting a lot of attention and it leaves little brother wondering when they'll have their day in the sun.

The move to the Mountain West Conference could be the thing that changes Fresno State and allows it to become the contender they used to be. It could be the thing to vault the football program to another level.

The Bulldog fans are tired of the MPC Computers and Liberty Bowls being good enough for the end of their season. They have their sights set on higher goals and they're ready to see their goals met.

Maybe this program is only a few years away from being just that or maybe that goal is right around the corner.

Whatever the case may be, Boise State is the the top dog and it only leaves Fresno State wishing they were on the same level.

Their day is coming. At least, that's what us Fresno State fans continue to say. Or maybe that's the broken record player I keep forgetting to fix.

In what started out as a single award for the National KSI Index Rating Quarterback of the Week, we added some additional classifications yet again this week.  Last week, we broke the single award into two awards to recognize the schematic differences between the prototypical Pro-Style Drop-Back Quarterback and the new hybrid Spread-Option Quarterback that is taking the nation by storm.

This week we are breaking those two classes down yet again, recognizing three separate awards for each classification, noting the difficulty and differences between the level of competition that each quarterback faces throughout the journey of the season.

We will give out a Gold Medal, Silver Medal, and Bronze Medal KSI Index Rating Award for the Pro-Style National QB of the Week.

The first award is the Gold Medal Award, which will go to a BCS Conference Quarterback who either faces A) another BCS Conference Quarterback, or B) A BCS Conference Quarterback who faces a Top-25 school that is a non-automatic qualifying school (Non-BCS School), or C) a Non-BCS Conference Quarterback who faces a BCS Conference opponent or another non-AQ school that is ranked in the Top-25.

Sound confusing enough?

Try handing out a national award and then witnessing your email account being blitzed by fans across America who claim the Non-AQ level of competition is not the same as facing a BCS Conference opponent, such as last week when we handed out the KSI Index National Multi-Purpose Running Back of the Week Award to Parris Cotton of Central Michigan after his 209 yards on 21 carries helped the Chippewas defeat Eastern Michigan, which has lost 16 games in a row.

Clemson fans pelted my email account claiming the KSI Index Rating Award rewards running backs, quarterbacks, or wide receivers who play inferior competition, since Cotton beat out LaMichael James of Oregon, Shane Vareen of California, and Andre Ellington of Clemson, all of which finished in a three way tie for third behind Bernard Pierce of Temple, who finished second.  Ellington of Clemson, of course, played the stiffest level of competition considering LaMichael James (Oregon) faced an over-matched Portland State FCS team and Shane Vareen (California) played an inspired Non-AQ Nevada squad that is now a member of the Top-25 after back-to-back triumphs over California and BYU.

Ellington (Clemson) faced a quality SEC defense in Auburn, and his team was literally one play away from winning an overtime contest as QB Kyle Parker missed a wide open receiver in the corner of the end zone on third down and subsequently missed a game-tying field goal after the initial field goal (which was good) was ruled illegal due to an improper snapping penalty.

After four weeks, I think we have this thing narrowed down pretty good in terms of giving credit where credit is due.  And I thank all those Tigers fans that voiced their displeasure because the point in question was 100% valid and duly noted.

Gold Medal Award

This weeks Gold Medal Award goes to Fresno State Quarterback Ryan Colburn, who out-dueled Landry Jones of Oklahoma and Russell Wilson of NC State, in a losing effort versus Ole Miss on the road in Oxford.  Colburn completed 32-of-42 for 390 yards passing with four touchdowns and, most importantly, no interceptions.  Although losing by 17 points caused Colburn to finish last in the victory margin category (in the end the bottom line for a quarterback’s performance in a given game), he did finish first in yards passing (390), touchdowns (four) and interceptions (zero), while finishing a close second in completions (32) and overall quarterback rating (185).

Landry Jones of Oklahoma (36-of-51, 370-yards passing, two TD, one INT, and a 140 QB-Rating) was locked in a pitch and catch duel with Zach Collaros of Cincinnati (23-of-38, 305-yards passing, three TD, one INT, and a 148 QB-Rating), who finished fifth in the Gold Medal category behind fourth place finisher Kellen Moore of Boise State (19-of-27, 288-yards passing, three TD, zero INT, and a 196 QB-Rating).

It should be noted that this is the third week in a row that Russell Wilson of NC State has finished within the top-three for the Gold Medal Award so all you Heisman voters out there, take note: this kid is for real and may be a better all around athlete than Terrelle Pryor of Ohio State, although he lacks the size of Pryor.

Silver Medal Award

The Silver Award is designated for a BCS Conference or Non-AQ Top-25 Quarterback who feasts on a cupcake non-AQ or FCS school that is not known as a traditional power.  Brandon Weeden of Oklahoma State and Ricky Stanzi of Iowa share this award for the week.  Weeden if you recall, did not play this week, but I overlooked his statistics last week as it was not listed among the front pages of CNNSI.com or ESPN.com, and you had to dig a little to find it.

I missed it, and I am not above admitting it, so I think it is only fair and prudent that we add his numbers in this week and if his performance merits it (which it does), to include him in this week’s tally. If you're wondering why I am adding his this week, I am attempting to ward off some angry Pokie fans, who may pelt my email account once again for overlooking such a phenomenal performance: one of the best performances of the year.

Weeden completed 23-of-32 attempts for 409-yards passing, and get this, six touchdowns in a 37 point romp over the Tulsa Hurricanes two weeks ago.  Ricky Stanzi of Iowa is the Silver Medal Co-Winner for this week, sharing the award with Weeden.  Stanzi completed 19-of-25 passes (76%) for 288-yards and three touchdowns in a 45-0 shutout victory over Ball State.  Just what the doctor ordered after losing a tough hard-fought contest in the desert with the Wildcats of Arizona.

Bronze Medal Award

The Bronze Medal Award goes to Nathan Enderle of Idaho and Pete Thomas of Colorado State, who were locked in battle against each other as the Rams overcame an early 13-0 second quarter deficit to win 36-34 on a 35-yard field goal as time expired.  The Rams scored the final nine points after trailing 34-27 with 9:46 to go in the fourth quarter.

Their stats are mirror images of each other as Enderle was 25-of-30 for 347-yards with three touchdowns (no interceptions), and Thomas was 29-of-37 for 386-yards and three touchdowns (one interception).  Both had unbelievable QB-Ratings (Pass Efficiency Rating).  Enderle had a 213 rating while Thomas settled in at 187.  I don’t think I could pull that off playing the game on my Play Station III or in a "7-on-7" competition competing against air or Austin Peay, whichever comes first (dig intended towards Wisconsin).

Tomorrow we will run the KSI Index Rating National Award for the Spread-Option QB of the Week. Stay tuned!