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Bulldogs 2017

in this

issue...

Time for a turnaround

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Football revenue fuels Fresno State’s athletic department, but it has been slipping. Can new coach Jeff Tedford reverse this trend?

Checklist for success

Coming off 1-11, Fresno State isn’t going to win the MW, or likely go to a bowl. How should you judge success?

Get to know the Bulldogs With 102 players on the roster, there’s bound to be interesting stories. Here are five you should get to know.

There’s no place like home Assistant coaches J.D. Williams, Jamie Christian and Scott Thompson are eager to mentor the next generation.

MW players to watch Robert Kuwada highlights eight Mountain West players likely to make headlines in the conference this year.

.......................................... Custom Publications Assistant Editor Monica Stevens

about 4

President & Publisher Tom Cullinan

Production Coordinator Anna Ramseier Cover Design Juan Vega All content © The Fresno Bee

The Fresno Bee fresnobee.com

Vice President, Sales & Strategic Marketing John Coakley Managing Editor John Rich Assistant Content Editor/Sports Dave Cooper Sports Staff Robert Kuwada | 559-441-6400 Marek Warszawski | 559-441-6218 Anthony Galaviz | 559-441-6042 Contributing Photographers Craig Kohlruss, John Walker, Eric Paul Zamora Custom Publications Editor/Page Designer Carey Norton

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Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford and his Bulldogs will start the 2017 season considered a Mountain West doormat, picked to finish sixth and last in its division. “That’s fine with us,” he says, “because that’s where we deserve to be until we prove people wrong, so there’s a lot of motivation there.”

cover

PHOTOGRAPHY: Craig Kohlruss

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Fresno State Football

DDJeff Tedford watches as Fresno State began fall practice Aug. 1. The first-year coach doesn’t figure to get a long honeymoon, with the football program counted on not only to win to rebuild its own fan base, but to raise athletic department revenues needed to pay for the rest of the school’s sports teams.

Jeff Tedford was hired to win. Fresno State needs that to happen … now A“I realize it’s there,” Fresno State’s Jeff Tedford says of the pressure to turn around a Bulldogs program coming off a 1-11 season. “But feeling the pressure, I’m not going to do anything differently. I have a job to do and it’s educate kids, graduate kids and win championships.”

Robert Kuwada began covering Fresno State sports for The Bee in 2011. Previously, he covered UCLA football.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Eric Paul Zamora, John Walker, Associated Press

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ootball has to carry the day at the college level. It is the primary revenue driver for athletic departments across the country. At Fresno State, it is the one and only. Ticket sales. Donations. TV revenue. When the Bulldogs are winning, all three rise, spinning off that patch of green 100 yards long and 53 1/3 yards wide. Fresno State Athletic Director Jim Bartko said it when he was hired in November 2014 and has repeated it again and again: “It’s our only sport that has any chance to make money. There’s no other sport that has a chance, so we need to maximize that.” Welcome to the pressure cooker, Jeff Tedford, the ex-Bulldogs quarterback and assistant who has returned as the team’s coach in 2017. Those three- and five-year rebuilds that many new hires caution are needed? Not here. There’s room for some patience, but not a lot. The weight is on the new guy. “I realize it’s there,” Tedford says. “But feeling the pressure, I’m not going to do anything differently. I have a job to do and it’s educate kids, graduate kids

and win championships.” Fresno State hasn’t come close to winning, much less the championship part, in each of the past two years, going 1-11 a year ago and 3-9 in 2015. Ticket revenues have been falling, leaving it to athletic department administrators to further stretch the resources. Meanwhile, the department launched a Bulldog Stadium renovation project that could run $60 million. It restored a wrestling program disbanded in 2006 and added women’s water polo, bringing the number of teams to 21, more than many Power 5 Conference schools funded with budgets up to three times the size of the Bulldogs’ $37.8 million. It committed to providing all scholarship athletes with a cost-of-attendance stipend. It is eying another run at a training table or meal plan for the athletes after a pilot program fizzled in 2016. So Tedford’s challenge is clear in his first season back at his alma mater: win games, fill the stadium and drive revenue to fuel not only football but all of the teams at Fresno State. “It’s hard to put pressure on one sport so much, but

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a lot of schools are in that boat,” Bartko says. “I mean, UNLV had a $4 million deficit and San Diego State had one, San Jose State had one, New Mexico … you don’t want it to be that way, but when you have only one thing to lean on to get the money it makes it tough.” Without a course correction at Fresno State, Bartko said, there is only one result. Trouble.

Rough spot, right coach Tedford has been through this before. At Cal, his first head-coaching job, he inherited a program coming off a 1-10 season. But his first Golden Bears team went 7-5, including victories at No. 15 Michigan State and No. 12 Washington. They missed out on the postseason only because the program was hit with a one-year bowl ban and placed on NCAA probation for violations under former coach Tom Holmoe. The NCAA, at least, has no beef with the Bulldogs. But Fresno State does have challenges, beyond the recent losing seasons — a double whammy in fact. It has to win to reconnect with its fan base but at the

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same time needs revenue from guaranteed-payoff games against tough teams on the road to support the budget. During the past few seasons, those have not gone well for the Bulldogs or any Group of Five program. This season, Fresno State is receiving $1.4 million to play at Alabama and $1 million at Washington. There are two big-money guarantee games lined up in both the 2020 (Colorado and Texas A&M) and 2021 (UCLA and Oregon) seasons. The school also is asking fans to fill a home stadium that provides plenty of reasons to stay away, even if the Bulldogs do start winning. There is the poor egress, limited concessions and sketchy restrooms. None of that is news to Tedford, who insists he is focused on “process” not pressure. “I’ve seen the budget. I know where we’re at. I know what it does to other sports,” Tedford says. “I know the bind that it puts everyone in. It’s very evident where the shortcoming is — right there in that stadium, which affects everyone. But while I realize that, it’s not something that I think about ever. “The process is more what I think about. I don’t think, ‘What do we do to get the stadium full?’ I think more, ‘What do we do daily to be successful, to win?’ ”

“If I had to put my job on the line for rebuilding football, Jeff Tedford is the guy I want.” — Fresno State Athletic Director Jim Bartko

Rebuilding with local stars To that point, Tedford and his staff have sharpened focus on recruiting the Valley to keep local high school stars home. In a short period of time, position groups in need of repair have been bolstered. Please see next page

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Fresno State Football

Robert Kuwada began covering Fresno State sports for The Bee in 2011. Previously, he covered UCLA football.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Eric Paul Zamora, John Walker, Associated Press

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“If I had to put my job on the line for rebuilding football, Jeff Tedford is the guy I want.” — Fresno State Athletic Director Jim Bartko

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Coming out of the spring, the Bulldogs were down defensive linemen after switching to a 4-3 scheme from a 3-4. Cornerback, where Fresno State has lacked depth for years, was an issue. The safety spots and offensive line, too. In the spring, Tedford had his new staff looking not only for the best fits for the recruiting Class of 2018, but players who could provide an immediate boost. Fresno State added wideout Michiah Quick, a former Central High standout who started his college career at Oklahoma in the Big 12. It signed another Central product in cornerback Johnny Johnson, a graduate transfer from UCLA. Romello Harris, a running back from Tulare, transferred home after one season at Washington State. In fall camp, the infusion of talent and depth was obvious. The Bulldogs also are tighter. Tedford and staff worked on that, just as he did at Cal in 2002. At the top of the to-do list was rebuilding confidence. Bert Watts, a safety on those 2001-02 Cal teams and now the Bulldogs’ linebackers coach, reflects on what it was like then in Berkeley: “We had guys that literally did not want to come to the locker room anymore. It was unbelievable. If you would have polled that group — if you could somehow

poll confidence — we would have been hovering around 25 or 30 percent. “Coach Tedford and that staff, they made us believe that we could do it no matter what. There was no other option.” The Bulldogs have been soaking in that same message. “Coach Tedford, he’s a demanding guy,” says junior KeeSean Johnson, Fresno State’s leading receiver in 2016. “That’s one thing he’s going to do. He’s going to demand it out of you, you’re going to do it, and he’s going to give you confidence while demanding it. “It’s not going to be just him yelling at you, telling you this and that. He’s going to tell you good things and I can see certain things spark me. I feel like that helps. He has coached a lot of great people, quarterbacks and receivers, and he knows a great player when he sees one so he’s going to demand and get the best out of you.” Tedford says he likes where his team is headed and believes the influx of talent, at the very least, should pique the curiosity of the fan base. “Being around these guys and seeing the change in that attitude and their excitement and their enthusiasm to kick this off has been great. “Obviously, you probably all saw that we were picked to finish sixth (and last) in our division and that’s fine with us because that’s where we deserve to

be until we prove people wrong, so there’s a lot of motivation there.”

Making it work What if the new direction doesn’t pay off soon enough? Bartko steers clear of specifics. “We have to get better,” the athletic director says, “or we’ll have to get leaner.” The Bulldogs already were running lean even before restoring wrestling and adding women’s water polo. Those programs begin fielding teams in 2017-18. Even the other typically high-profile program, coach Rodney Terry’s men’s basketball team, has felt the crunch. Despite reaching the NCAA and National Invitation tournaments the past two seasons, Terry is working with a team budget that ranks seventh among his Mountain West peers. In 2017-18, the athletic department will receive roughly 40 percent, about $15.1 million, of its budget from university support. In 2010-11, it was $5.1 million. Can a packed Bulldog Stadium make an impact? In 2013, when quarterback Derek Carr led Fresno State to the second of back-to-back Mountain West championships, athletics raked in an additional $1 million from single-game ticket sales. Tedford saw it at Cal, as well. In his first game there, 27,185 turned out at 73,000-plus seat Memorial Stadium.

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— Fresno State linebackers coach Bert Watts, who played for Tedford at Cal in 2002

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“The first year it was funny because people would come, and it’s empty, people are laying out sunbathing in the stadium,” he recalls. “Then we started to fill up the stadium and I’d get mail, ‘I don’t like it. We don’t have enough space any more to lay out.’ ” Two seasons later, when Cal was on its way to a 10-2 season and No. 9 ranking in both major polls, the average attendance was 64,019. “When we started having success, it just blew up,” Tedford says. “Here, I think if we have success, there have been a lot of full stadiums here, so I can only attribute it not being full to a lack of success on the field. “I tell people, I understand my obligation to put a product on the field to get you back in the stadium. I understand what our obligation is — to play exciting football and be disciplined, to play hard. It doesn’t necessarily equate to wins, but what I’ve got from fans it’s not just the wins it’s kind of how the losses were happening. That’s just what I’ve heard. But hopefully we can change that.” Winning can make all the difference — for fans and to the bottom line. Bartko says he has the right coach for the job. “Easiest hire I’ll ever make. In three years I could have a sign out, ‘Will work for food or something.’ But if I had to put my job on the line for rebuilding football, Jeff Tedford is the guy I want.”

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When that group of coaches came in led by Coach Tedford it was about, ‘Hey, we believe in you guys, we know you can do it, we know you’re better than what you were last year.’ That changed us. That was the trigger.

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be until we prove people wrong, so there’s a lot of motivation there.”

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— Fresno State linebackers coach Bert Watts, who played for Tedford at Cal in 2002

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Commentary

DFresno State’s quarterback carousel can’t keep turning, columnist Marek Warszawski writes. Chason Virgil, or someone else, must get a firm grasp on the job going forward.

How do we judge success in Year 1 under Jeff Tedford? Here’s my checklist I Marek Warszawski is The Bee’s columnist, writing opinions about sports, news, public lands and anything else that strikes his fancy. His introduction to Bulldogs football came in 2000 as beat writer during the height of the Pat Hill era. PHOTOGRAPHY: Craig Kohlruss, Eric Paul Zamora

FGraduate Johnny Johnson (17) was penciled in as a starter for UCLA before the Central High product elected to finish his college eligibility closer to home.

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n the 95 seasons of Fresno State football, the Bulldogs have captured 27 conference titles. Here’s the straight truth: 2017 will not be added to the list. Since 1937, when the Bulldogs edged Arkansas State 27-26 in the Little All-American Bowl at the LA Coliseum, Fresno State has played in 26 bowls. Considering 6-6 teams go to bowl games nowadays (and sometimes 5-7), let’s not rule out these Bulldogs before they’ve suited up. But it’s fairly unlikely. That’s the problem when you’re coming off a 1-11 season, one that ushered in a new era on Bulldog Lane. Now it’s Jeff Tedford’s responsibility to restore the pride and tradition illustrated by those 27 titles and 26 bowls. If one accepts the premise that Tedford will succeed in that task (and if you don’t, well, there goes five years and $7.9 million), the next step is affixing a timeline. Starting with: How long is this overhaul going to take? Before moving on to: What can be reasonably expected in Year 1? Remember, I’ve already told you Fresno State isn’t going to win the Mountain West and is unlikely to rack up enough wins to be bowl eligible. Which tosses the usual benchmarks of success straight out the window. Then it becomes a matter of locating their replacements. If conference titles and bowl appearances can’t be used to gauge a successful first season under Tedford, what can be? Glad you (OK, me) asked.

Win at least four games Yes, this is a pretty low bar. But have you taken a good look at the schedule? Start with three guaranteed nonconference losses to Alabama, Washington and BYU. Can the Bulldogs win road games at San Diego

State and Wyoming (in mid-November)? Nope and nope. Boise State at home is another toughie, as is an improving New Mexico team that since 2014 has climbed from 4-8 to 7-6 to 9-4. By my math, that leaves five games where the Bulldogs have a more-or-less equal chance: Incarnate Word (a gimmee), Nevada and UNLV at home and San Jose State and Hawaii on the road. Winning four of them would represent tangible, discernible progress.

Find your future quarterback The carousel has to stop. Since You Know Who used up his eligibility, the Bulldogs have gone through quarterbacks like Q-Tips. At this point it doesn’t matter if Chason Virgil finally becomes The Guy, or whether it’s Marcus McMaryion, Jorge Reyna, or one of the freshman walk-ons. As long as someone does. If Fresno State goes through another season without a clear picture of who will be under center in 2018 —

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or if it becomes evident that guy isn’t on this year’s roster — it’ll put a crimp into any rebuild.

Reseed the program’s physical roots Those Derek Carr-fueled MW titles in 2012 and ’13 notwithstanding, the Bulldogs did not take well to being a spread team. Over the last three seasons, the program became soft. Tedford has pledged to restore Fresno State’s physical, let’s-pound-somebody personality by installing a pro-style offense that relies more on power running and edge blocking. The hope is that by practicing against it every day, the defense toughens up as well. “Bring back the old attitude that used to be here, that nonstop energy,” said nose tackle Malik Forrester, a second-year player who can’t personally attest.

Please see next page

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Commentary

DFresno State’s quarterback carousel can’t keep turning, columnist Marek Warszawski writes. Chason Virgil, or someone else, must get a firm grasp on the job going forward.

FGraduate Johnny Johnson (17) was penciled in as a starter for UCLA before the Central High product elected to finish his college eligibility closer to home.

10 | Bulldog Football 2017

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or if it becomes evident that guy isn’t on this year’s roster — it’ll put a crimp into any rebuild.

Please see next page

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Hit on a few newcomers and overlooked gems On the first day of fall camp, Fresno State’s roster listed 65 players who were brought in by the old coaching staff and 37 by the new one. (Not all 102 are eligible this season and the 37 new players includes walk-ons.) It’ll be interesting to see how many Tedford recruits make an impact this season. Cornerback Johnny Johnson seems like a good bet. The Central High product was penciled in as a starter at UCLA before electing to join the Bulldogs as a graduate transfer. Another is Derrion Grim, an all-everything receiver from Stockton who began his college career at Nebraska. A few returning players, because they either didn’t fit the old schemes or fell out of favor with the previous coaches, will also get new leases on life. Names that belong in this group include defensive ends Stephen Van Hook and Justin Green, plus cornerback Tank Kelly.

Make Bulldog Stadium hostile again

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Remember when Bulldog Stadium used to be real home-field advantage? Sure hasn’t been that way the last two years as evidenced by Fresno State’s 3-9 combined home record and dwindling attendance. Even Tedford, who watched the final two home games of 2016 from the stands following his Nov. 10 hiring, was taken aback by the rows upon rows of empty seats. “It wasn’t how I remembered Bulldog Stadium,” he said. A big crowd is guaranteed for the Sept. 2 season opener — Carr’s jersey retirement ceremony assures that. The key will be how both the team and fans turn out for the Sept. 30 MW opener against Nevada following a bye and the back-to-back death marches to Alabama and Washington. How do we judge success in the first year of this reclamation project? I posed that question to Lorenzo Neal, the former Fresno State great and current Bay Area radio talk-show host. “Here’s what Tedford is going to do in Year 1: Bring back that attitude and intensity,” Neal said. “I have total faith and belief in the man, but fans have to be patient and understand the cupboard’s dry. This year, bear with them. They’re going to be competitive. But next year they’re going to win six or seven games and become bowl eligible. “That’s how quick this thing turns around.”

A wall of Fresno State’s Josephine Theater, where the Bulldog football players meet, is devoted to a motivational poster listing all of the program’s bowl games.

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2017 Season

What’s new for Fresno State fans? Beer sales and all-Saturday games, for starters BY: Marek Warszawski/marekw@fresnobee.com | PHOTOGRAPHY: John Walker, Fresno State Athletics, Associated Press

new coaching staff, a bunch of new players and (perhaps) new results. That’s what Fresno State fans can expect to see as they head out to Bulldog Stadium or tune in to watch the Bulldogs play one of three televised road games. But you already knew that. So what else, especially from a fan-experience standpoint, does the 2017 season have in store?

Beer is back Unless you happened to sit in a luxury suite, beer has been a no-no at Fresno State home games since 2006. That all changed June 30 when California State University Chancellor Timothy White issued an executive order rescinding previous policy that banned alcohol sales at all university owned and operated facilities. Instead, each CSU campus will be given the discretion to craft its own alcohol procedures. Which is exactly what Fresno State is doing. “We’re going to take baby steps and then reassess at the end of the season,” Associate Athletic Director Paul Ladwig said. ABlack uniforms, such as those displayed by Derron Smith and his Fresno State teammates during the 2013 Mountain West championship game, will not be worn by the 2017 Bulldogs.

“We’re going to take baby steps and then reassess at the end of the season.” — Fresno State Associate Athletic Director Paul Ladwig, on beer sales

Black is out From a color coordination standpoint, rooting for the Bulldogs just got a lot simpler. No more black uniforms and helmets. No more silver helmets. No more Blackouts, Whiteouts, Nights in Navy or any more of those promotions that required fans to wear something besides red. The Bulldogs themselves have also simplified their color scheme. On the road it’s all white: helmets, pants and jerseys. At home, players will wear red helmets and can choose between red or navy jerseys and red or navy pants. Or they can blend the two colors.

All-Saturday schedule For the first time since 1998, Fresno State doesn’t have to play

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FBeer vendors like Joe Diaz will once again be a welcome sight at Bulldog Stadium following a policy shift by California State University Chancellor Timothy White.

a football game on any day other than a Saturday. No more rush-hour traffic to the stadium. No more conflicts with high schools. Let us all rejoice. Here’s more good news: Kickoff times for the four September and October home games (Incarnate Word, Nevada, New Mexico, UNLV) have been set for 7 p.m. The Boise State game on Nov. 25, as is tradition for late-season home contests, is an afternoon start at 12:30 p.m. That leaves Brigham Young on Nov. 4 as the lone TBA.

Stadium … err, parking lot renovations According to Athletic Director Jim Bartko’s original timeline, this was supposed to be the first year we’d see tangible, phased progress toward stadium renovation. Not anymore. While Bartko still talks about 2019 as the target year for completion, a condensed construction schedule would allow the work to get done much quicker than originally planned. However, nothing’s been finalized. And Bulldogs fans who noticed the new fences and re-branding efforts around the stadium a year ago will have to be content with a resurfaced parking lot on the stadium’s south side.

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AA rendering done in 2015 by global architecture and engineering firm AECOM shows what a renovated west side of Bulldog Stadium, complete with luxury boxes and club suites, is expected to look like – someday.

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2017 Season

What’s new for Fresno State fans? Beer sales and all-Saturday games, for starters BY: Marek Warszawski/marekw@fresnobee.com | PHOTOGRAPHY: John Walker, Fresno State Athletics, Associated Press

“We’re going to take baby steps and then reassess at the end of the season.” — Fresno State Associate Athletic Director Paul Ladwig, on beer sales

All-Saturday schedule For the first time since 1998, Fresno State doesn’t have to play

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FBeer vendors like Joe Diaz will once again be a welcome sight at Bulldog Stadium following a policy shift by California State University Chancellor Timothy White.

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BulldogsToKnow

Take 5

Getting to know some of the key Bulldogs of 2017

BY: Robert Kuwada | PHOTOGRAPHY: Craig Kohlruss, Silvia Flores, Keith and Deborah Kountz

MALIK FORRESTER

ATight end Kyle Riddering, center, enjoys community involvement. “Big Heroes-Little Heroes has been the thing that is most directly rewarding,” he said. “You get to be with a kid in the community who looks up to you, who says he wants to be just like you.”

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Position: Defensive tackle Year/hometown: Senior/ Annapolis, Md. You started out playing Division II ball at Fairmont State, but the story goes you felt like you could play at a higher level so you moved across the country to a JC in California and now here you are. I just felt like I was better than Division II, so I just took my shot. It was more, ‘nobody from my high school ever went Division I or even Division II, but why not take the big shot?’ You also put in a lot of work over the summer on your body — weight is down about 20 pounds, body fat is down close to 6 percent. You were pretty quick last season, but you have to be even quicker this season, right? I hope so. Working with the DBs and the offensive players, they were working with me to get me better so I feel like I’ll get better from my guys working with me, sticking by me through that whole process of losing weight. With the weight down and the new defensive

system going in with (defensive coordinator Orlondo Steinauer), getting away from those double teams at nose guard, this could be a big year for you. What’s the best thing about this new defense? I think it’s the fact that the whole D-line can just get after the quarterback, get some pressure, knock people back and make plays. You have one of the best nicknames on the team — Butterscotch. How did that come about? That’s just something … me and (Nate Madsen) always make jokes and things and he made one joke and all of a sudden he stuck with it. Nobody else called me it. But he finally got laughs from one of his jokes so he decided to ride with it. Something many people might not know about you is you’re also a dad. You have a baby girl back home. Maiona Brielle Forrester. It’s pretty tough, but her mother, she does a great job with her when I’m out here.

JASAD HAYNES Position: Defensive tackle Year/hometown: Thirdyear sophomore/Fresno You were a walk-on when you got here, but earned a scholarship over the summer. What’s it like to be a Division I scholarship athlete?

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I’ve been waiting to hear, ‘You’re on scholarship’ since my freshman year in high school and to get that opportunity from coach Tedford was a huge blessing. To make that type of commitment to walk on to a football team, to practice every day, to do the lifting and conditioning and all of it … it’s something. I know you grew up here, went to Clovis North. Was being a Bulldog just something you had to have? I’m from Fresno. I’ve grown up in the whole Bulldog era. Pat Hill. David Carr. Everybody that was here. The Red Wave was big when they were here, so that drew my attention. As for a particular game, it was 2005 when they played against USC. I was a huge Reggie Bush fan and then I saw them, the underdog, Fresno State, the WAC against the Pac-12, and they put up a real good game, a real fight, and that drew my attention even more. You also have one of the more interesting majors on this team, too. Tell me about criminology-forensic behavioral science. Take me through that. My mother. She’ s a forensic psychologist at Corcoran Prison. When she was working on her doctorate and she was doing internships at another prison, she was telling me all the experiences that she was having while working there and it got me really interested.

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A lot of the defensive linemen were trying to cut weight and their body fat percentages this offseason. You’re down to 275 from 310 or so. So, being from Fresno, what was the one food, the one go-to meal here in town, that you had to do without in cutting all that weight? I’ll tell you, the one food that was hard to turn down. There were two things, In-N-Out and Chipotle. Those are two of my favorite things. What difference do you think that will make for the D-line this season? Looking at it, you, Malik Forrester, Patrick Belony, Kevin Atkins all are in much better condition. After the San Jose State game, we all made a pact that it was going to be different. We can’t go 1-11. Not again. That’s the main purpose, benefit the team, win a championship and win a bowl game because we want to change the atmosphere, bring it back. If you could change the outcome of one game in your career, could be Pop Warner, high school, here at Fresno State, which would it be? I’ll give you three. The first one is obviously the Tulsa game last year. We were up 31-0 with 10 minutes to go in the second quarter and we let the game slip Please see next page

AFresno State’s Malik Forrester, here trying to put a stop on Tulsa’s D’Angelo Brewer in a September 2016 game, got his nickname Butterscotch from teammate Nate Madsen. “Nobody else called me it. But he finally got laughs from one of his jokes so he decided to ride with it.”

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BulldogsToKnow

Take 5

Getting to know some of the key Bulldogs of 2017

BY: Robert Kuwada | PHOTOGRAPHY: Craig Kohlruss, Silvia Flores, Keith and Deborah Kountz

MALIK FORRESTER

18 | Bulldog Football 2017

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AJasad Haynes grew up following Fresno State and always planned to be a Bulldog, remembering in particular the near-upset of USC in 2005. “I was a huge Reggie Bush fan and then I saw them, the underdog, Fresno State, the WAC against the Pac-12, and they put up a real good game, a real fight, and that drew my attention even more.”

continued ... by. Also, in high school, my junior year, it was Clovis North and Bakersfield in the Valley Championship and we got blown out. Then, my senior year, against Edison, that’s when they had A.J. Greeley, Tyler Horton, everybody, it was a battle of the teams in Clovis and Fresno and we came up short 20-21.

MICAH ST. ANDREW Position: Right guard Year/hometown: Fourth-year junior/ San Bernardino It was a couple of years ago now that you walked on here you’ve really worked your way into a prominent place on this team, kind of a self-made guy on this team, and you’ve started 15 games in row. How did that happen? It’s a lot of hard work. I know it’s kind of cliche — every walk-on says it, you have to keep earning it, but it’s true. It’s a lot of hard work, a lot of determination, a lot of not listening to the negative. Also, it’s important to have a really good support system. You want to be backed by a lot of good people, a lot of good friends. You’re a big guy, 343 pounds entering fall

camp, but there’s an athlete in there. You played tackle in high school. There’s a play on your high school tape where you’re driving a guy 15 or 20 yards down the field and he finally just fell down to get off the block. What’s it like to be able to do that to someone on a football field? I don’t want to say it feels good. Honestly, during the game I feel good about it. I’m in the moment, there’s a lot of adrenaline flowing through my veins. But afterward I would feel really bad for some of these poor kids. What’s the difference in the offensive line group this season? What makes you better? I would say that we’re tighter, a little more close knit. Last year we were really close and just playing, but having that poor year just brought us closer together. It’s also being confident in what we do. Thinking about those battles there in the trenches, O-line and D-line, what’s the weirdest thing someone has said or done to you or vice versa? When we’re on the field we try to talk to the D-line, we try to get them laughing, try to catch them off guard and get them off their game a little bit. I usually just say, ‘Man, I’m tired.’ I just yell that out and see what they say and see what happens, see if they come and communicate more. Then, I hit them. Please see next page

continued ... Your redshirt freshman year here, you were driving around in a Smart car. Those things are about the size of an offensive lineman, maybe two offensive linemen. But I saw you driving around in that thing with Justin Northern or Claudell Louis; 300-pound guys. It was a sight. Whatever happened to that ride? My grandmother took it to Samoa — she loves it out there. I bought the Smart car because it was really easy. I’m from San Bernardino so driving to and from San Bernardino, for $20 I could get there and back. But then going through the Grapevine I’m like being blown around by the wind and I was so scared so I had to get an upgrade.

KEESEAN JOHNSON Position: Wide receiver Year/hometown: Fourth-year junior/Palo Alto You went to the same high school as Davante Adams, who had a fantastic career here. I know you guys talk, but what advice does he give you? How does he help? I talked to him the first day of camp. It was a good first day, but I can improve myself. I went in and watched the film, went over it, and I sent him the

film later and he’ll give me feedback. He sends me his film of him practicing, his releases. That’s something I wanted to work on in the offseason. He sent me his releases and I can just try it and see how it works out in practice. Favorite thing to do off the field? When I’m not working out I like listening to music and dancing a little bit and playing basketball. I still like to be active in sports in my outside time. This might not have happened yet, but do you have a favorite play here at Fresno State? Not yet. I can’t tell you I have a favorite play, but we have some good plays in there that I feel can work. I’ll get back to you on that one. If you could pick one athlete in any sport to be a teammate, who would you pick? I like Odell (Beckham) and I like Jarvis Landry. They play with passion when they play the game. I know you put a lot of work in this summer, working on getting stronger, more physical. You spent a lot of time in the weight room. There obviously also was a lot of work done technically with your routes. Take me through what those days were like. I got my body stronger working with (strength and conditioning coach Andy Ward) on the field and with the things we do, and (receivers coach Kirby Moore) has shown me more just technique and detail, working on cones and getting in and out of breaks, working on and knowing the coverages. That’s making me better as a player, knowing the coverage

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and being able to run my routes better, knowing how to run my routes against a certain coverage.

KYLE RIDDERING Position: Tight end Year/hometown: Fourth-year junior/Fresno You’re very active with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which does a lot of work in the community. Do you have a favorite project there, something that has really resonated with you? We do a couple of events that we do every year. We do a canned food drive. We have Big Heroes-Little Heroes, which is a big thing that we’ve been doing the past couple of years. Probably for me, Big Heroes-Little Heroes has been the thing that is most directly rewarding. You get to be with a kid in the community who looks up to you, who says he wants to be just like you. It’s so much fun to just hang out with them. A lot of your teammates — the linemen in particular — were trying to drop weight and body fat this summer. You didn’t have that to deal with, and were probably trying to go in the other direction and gain a few pounds the right way. So what’s the go-to meal for you in town here to get that done? For me it has just always been about gaining lean muscle

mass, especially at my position. It’s not just about putting on weight, it’s making sure you’re doing it in a healthy manner, that you’re not just putting on bad weight. I usually try to make all my own meals. But if I get in a bind and I don’t have time or something like that I usually go to Teriyaki Don and get the chicken, brown rice and they have vegetables with it, too. The new offense, what’s the best thing about it for a tight end? I love it. It’s dynamic. There’s a lot of new parts to it, a lot of different things that we’re asked to do. With your teammates, not a lot of crazy nicknames. What’s your favorite one? I don’t know. We have Jorge (Reyna). It’s not really a nickname, but we go, ‘Hip Hip Jorge!’ There aren’t any really big ones. We just have a certain ways of saying a guy’s name. DeShawn Potts, we go, ‘Pooooooooootts.’ George Helmuth, he’s another one. Anytime he gets his name called for something we go, ‘Muuuuuuth.’ Outside of football, what do you do with your free time? What free time are you talking about? I spend a lot of time with my family. Every once in a while I’ll try to get up and go fishing a little bit. I try to go golfing — picked up golf with some of the other guys on the team. I’ve been doing that a little bit — not very good, but I’m trying to get it going. That has to lead to a bonus question … got a secret spot where they’re always biting? I can’t tell you that, it’s a big secret.

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Coaches

No place like ‘home’ for three ex-Fresno State Bulldogs turned assistant coaches BY: Marek Warszawski | PHOTOGRAPHY: Craig Kohlruss, Fresno Bee File

FFresno State tight ends coach Scott Thompson hollers instruction during the Bulldogs’ fall camp. 26 | Bulldog Football 2017

.D. Williams and Jamie Christian could’ve stayed at UNLV, a program making slow but incremental progress under third-year coach Tony Sanchez. Scott Thompson could’ve remained at USC, where he was the Trojans’ longest-tenured staff member and finally getting a crack at on-field coaching. Yet when their alma mater was on the line, in the form of Fresno State head coach Jeff Tedford, all three answered the call without much hesitation. “It was a no-brainer,” Williams says. “This place is home. You’ve got to come back.” “It’s the opportunity to bring this program back to where it should be,” Christian says. “Fresno State has always been a place with great players and great tradition, and there’s no reason why it can’t be like that again.” Reconnecting with the past has been one of the constant themes since Tedford, himself a former Bulldog, took the reins coming off a 1-11 season. Fresno State now has four former players on its coaching staff, more than Alabama, Ohio State and USC (to pick three traditional powers at random) have combined. So why is having ex-Bulldogs coach current ones significant, or even necessary? “It’s important to understand the traditions here and what it takes to win here,” Tedford says. “All those guys were here when we were winning, you know? They understand Fresno and the toughness and the type of kids we need to have.” Certainly, Williams, Christian and Thompson didn’t get hired solely because they played at Fresno State. Each has an established track record and fertile recruiting connections, especially throughout California. Still, is it easier to sell the Bulldogs when you’ve been one yourself? They sure seem to think so. “There’s definitely something to that — there’s a little more pride,” says Thompson, who played tight end from 1995-98 under Jim Sweeney and Pat Hill. “When you have Bulldog blood running through you, it’s easier to sell because you’ve lived it. You understand what it’s about, what Coach Sweeney built and what Pat carried on.” To Williams, a cornerback from 1986-89 who played in four Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills, it all comes back to Sweeney’s famous “Bulldog born, Bulldog bred” mantra. “I remember the first time I heard that and (Sweeney) explaining to us what it meant,” Williams says. “You’re born into this thing. When you recruit a kid, it’s like a puppy. And over time you’re going to grow. Eventually you become a

full-grown dog, and when you breed, your children come here. The whole statement is really powerful.” This is Williams’ second go-round as a Bulldogs assistant. In 2000 and ’01 the Coalinga native was the secondary coach under Hill before leaving for the same position at Cal under Tedford. Williams coached four years at Cal, three at Washington and one at Utah and had two stints at UNLV sandwiched around two seasons (2013-14) at Georgia State under former Bulldogs assistant Trent Miles. At UNLV, Williams recruited Fresno talents to the desert. The list includes Charles Williams, a former Bullard High star who rushed for 153 yards last season against the Bulldogs as a true freshman, plus Edison products Leevel Tatum and David Tate. (Tatum has since transferred to Fresno State.) “It’s great to be back,” Williams says. “The hardest thing for me has been relearning this building. It’s totally different.” Of the three, Christian has been away the longest. But Lorenzo Neal’s former backup in 1991 and ’92 isn’t exactly a stranger, having recruited all over California during coaching stops at Sacramento State, Idaho, Arizona State, Houston and UNLV. At Houston, Christian was instrumental in the Cougars netting Deontay Greenberry, a four-star receiver from Washington High who had committed to Notre Dame. “Fresno (State) is to California kind of like Houston is to Texas – that’s how I see it,” said Christian, who coaches running backs and coordinates special teams. “Houston’s the small dog in Texas, and when I was there, we had to grind and get players the big guys didn’t want or overlooked. “We had to find guys, evaluate them and really go everywhere where some (schools) won’t go. I like that part.” Thompson also boasts an impressive recruiting background, having served as USC’s director of player personnel from 2010-14 and director of scouting in 2015 under five (!) head coaches. Before last season, the native of June Lakes on the east side of the Sierra was elevated to special teams and tight ends assistant under John Baxter, whom Thompson played for at Fresno State. Even though USC and Fresno State rarely recruit the same players, Thompson is certain his connections will pay off. “There’s plenty of guys out there — we just have to find them. But the relationships we built over those seven years will be extremely valuable in getting leads and finding guys who are built for us.” Now it’s up to former Bulldogs to find future ones. f r esnobee.com

AFresno State running backs coach/special teams coordinator Jamie Christian

AFresno State tight ends coach Scott Thompson

AFresno State defensive backs coach J.D. Williams

“When you have Bulldog blood running through you, it’s easier to sell because you’ve lived it.” — Fresno State tight ends coach Scott Thompson

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Bulldog Football 2017 | 27

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Coaches

No place like ‘home’ for three ex-Fresno State Bulldogs turned assistant coaches BY: Marek Warszawski | PHOTOGRAPHY: Craig Kohlruss, Fresno Bee File

FFresno State tight ends coach Scott Thompson hollers instruction during the Bulldogs’ fall camp. 26 | Bulldog Football 2017

AFresno State running backs coach/special teams coordinator Jamie Christian

AFresno State tight ends coach Scott Thompson

AFresno State defensive backs coach J.D. Williams

“When you have Bulldog blood running through you, it’s easier to sell because you’ve lived it.” — Fresno State tight ends coach Scott Thompson

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Bulldog Football 2017 | 27

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MountainWest

Mountain West players to watch in 2017 BY: Robert Kuwada | PHOTOGRAPHY: John Walker, Eric Paul Zamora, Associated Press

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AWyoming quarterback Josh Allen looks to throw in the 2016 Poinsettia Bowl.

1. JOSH ALLEN, Wyoming quarterback The Cowboys have some questions this season that could impact Allen, a Firebaugh native. Wyoming will be breaking in some new assets at the skill positions with leading rusher Brian Hill gone, as well as its top two receivers and its top tight end from a year ago. The depth of their recruiting certainly will be tested — it was just two seasons ago that this was a 2-10 football program. The Cowboys do have three returning starters on the offensive line and a fourth who is switching positions up front, and that group should give Allen a chance to continue building a résumé for the NFL. As a sophomore, he hit on only 56 percent of his passes, but did lead the Mountain West with 28 TD throws.

DSan Jose State’s Andre Chachere breaks up a pass in the 2016 game at Fresno State.

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Bulldog Football 2017 | 29

DHawaii linebacker Jahlani Tavai, left, tackles Air Force quarterback Nate Romine in 2016.

SQuarterback David Cornwell rolls out under pressure during Alabama’s 2016 spring game.

7 3

6 8 4

ASan Diego State running back Rashaad Penny turns the corner in the 2016 Las Vegas Bowl.

2. ANDRE CHACHERE, San Jose State cornerback

ABoise State quarterback Brett Rypien barks signals during the 2016 Cactus Bowl.

Chachere, a Clovis West High grad, has developed into one of the top defensive backs in the nation and last season led the Mountain West and ranked fourth in the nation in passes defended with 18, four interceptions and 14 pass breakups. The conference had some solid receivers a year ago, too. A lot goes into the equation, but Boise State wideout Thomas Sperbeck, who led the MW in receiving last season, was held to a season-low two receptions by the Spartans; KeeSean Johnson, Fresno State’s leading receiver, had only one catch against San Jose State; and Wyatt Demps, the leading receiver at Nevada, matched a season-low with two receptions against the Spartans. Chachere and the Spartans’ secondary did not benefit from a ton of pressure up front, either. San Jose State was only eighth in the MW in sacks.

3. RASHAAD PENNY, San Diego State running back Penny averaged 7.4 yards per carry and gained 1,018 yards last season when carrying the football only 9.7 times per game behind Donnel Pumphrey and it will be interesting to see what he can do with a larger workload. Pumphrey, who last season rushed for 2,133 yards and finished his career with a Football Bowl Subdivision-record 6,405, averaged 24.9 carries per game a year ago, tied for most in the Mountain West and second in the nation with Wyoming’s Brian Hill and behind only D’Onta Foreman from Texas. Penny will have to work behind a rebuilt offensive line that is down four starters, but the Aztecs should be set by the time they hit a conference where run defense

30 | Bulldog Football 2017

AUNLV’s Devonte Boyd, left, goes up for a catch covered by Fresno State’s Tyquwan Glass in 2015.

FColorado State quarterback Nick Stevens passes against Fresno State in 2015.

has been lacking.

4. BRETT RYPIEN, Boise State quarterback Rypien was a first-team all-conference selection as a freshman and sophomore and last season in Mountain West play had a passing efficiency rating of 174.50, which was the fifth-best mark in the nation and second in the conference behind Colorado State’s Nick Stevens, who played in one fewer conference game. Rypien averaged 10.2 yards per attempt in the MW and had 16 touchdown passes to one interception. The Broncos have only five returning starters on offense, tied with San Diego State, Utah State and Nevada for fewest in the conference. But wideout Cedrick Wilson (56 receptions, 1,129 yards, 11 TDs) is back after offseason ankle surgery.

5. DEVONTE BOYD, UNLV wideout The Rebels were not good when trying to throw the football a year ago — they had three quarterbacks attempt between 88 and 107 passes and that group completed just 46.9 percent of its throws. Boyd, who is on the watch list for the national Biletnikoff Award, still caught 45 passes for 746 yards (16.6 yards per reception) with four touchdowns before missing the final two games with a broken arm. The 45 receptions were more than the combined total of the other six receivers

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in the position group (41). This season, with a more legitimate threat at the quarterback position in redshirt freshman Armani Rogers, Boyd will be a tough challenge in a Mountain West that a year ago had five teams ranked 105th or lower in opponent’s passer rating and seven ranked 102nd or lower in yards per pass attempt.

6. NICK STEVENS, Colorado State quarterback Stevens had, lost and then regained the starting job last season due to an injury to freshman Collin Hill, but the Rams will be in a good situation if Stevens can carry the final seven games of 2016 into his senior season. Stevens ripped up the Mountain West, completing 70.1 percent of his passes for 1,451 yards with 14 touchdowns and only one interception, and Colorado State averaged 43.3 points in the six MW games Stevens attempted at least 10 passes. The 10.1 yards per attempt were second in the conference to Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien at 10.2, and they are the only two to average at least 10.0 yards per attempt in MW play going back through 2008.

7. JAHLANI TAVAI, Hawaii linebacker The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Mike linebacker earned first-team All-Mountain West last season as a redshirt

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sophomore when leading the conference with 19.5 tackles for loss — one off the MW single-season record of 20.5 set by Demarcus Lawrence (Boise State) and Shaquil Barrett (Wyoming) in 2013 and matched by Zack Vigil (Utah State) in 2014. Tavai also forced two fumbles, recovered two fumbles and had one interception while becoming the first Hawaii player with 100 or more tackles in a season since 2011. He was in on 129 total tackles and credited with 86 solo stops, which was the most in the MW by 11 — Wyoming safety Andrew Wingard had 75.

8. DAVID CORNWELL, Nevada quarterback The Alabama transfer figures to be flinging the football all over the place in the Air Raid offense installed by first-year coach Jay Norvell, and could rack up some substantial numbers in trying to turn around an offense that generated only 25.4 points a game last season. The 6-foot-5 junior played only the first two quarters in the Wolf Pack’s spring game and still completed 22 of 33 passes for 303 yards and two TDs working with the first-team offense. Cornwell, a 4-star recruit rated by one recruiting service as the No. 3 pro-style quarterback coming out of high school, played in two games at Alabama in 2016, but did not attempt a pass as a backup to freshman Jalen Hurts.

Bulldog Football 2017 | 31

DHawaii linebacker Jahlani Tavai, left, tackles Air Force quarterback Nate Romine in 2016.

SQuarterback David Cornwell rolls out under pressure during Alabama’s 2016 spring game.

7 3

6 8 4

ASan Diego State running back Rashaad Penny turns the corner in the 2016 Las Vegas Bowl.

2. ANDRE CHACHERE, San Jose State cornerback

ABoise State quarterback Brett Rypien barks signals during the 2016 Cactus Bowl.

30 | Bulldog Football 2017

AUNLV’s Devonte Boyd, left, goes up for a catch covered by Fresno State’s Tyquwan Glass in 2015.

FColorado State quarterback Nick Stevens passes against Fresno State in 2015.

has been lacking.

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7. JAHLANI TAVAI, Hawaii linebacker The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Mike linebacker earned first-team All-Mountain West last season as a redshirt

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Bulldog Football 2017 | 31

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2017 Season

Fresno State’s 2017 football schedule and predicted scores Fresno State’s 12-game regular-season football schedule for 2017, the first under coach Jeff Tedford, includes games against Alabama of the SEC and Pac-12 Washington BY: Robert Kuwada | PHOTOGRAPHY: Associated Press

INCARNATE WORD t Sept. 2: 7 p.m., Bulldog Stadium t 2016: 3-8, 3-6 Southland Conference t Coach: Larry Kennan (19-36 in sixth season, 32-53-3 overall) t Key players: WR Kody Edwards (39 rec., 712 yards, 8 TDs, preseason all-conference), RB Desmond Hite (317 rushing yards, 7.5 per play, 2 TDs), OLB Blake Klumpp (30 tackles, 4.0 TFLs, 1.5 sacks). t Outlook: Incarnate Word is in its fifth season at the Football Championship Subdivision level, moving up from Division II in 2013. It has played two games against Bowl Subdivision opponents in that time, losing at Texas-El Paso 27-17 in 2015 and at Texas State 48-17 in 2016. … The largest crowd the

32 | Bulldog Football 2017

AAlabama head coach Nick Saban walks midfield at Bryant-Denny Stadium before a 2014 game. The Crimson Tide’s field seats 101,821, making it the seventh-largest college stadium in the U.S.

Cardinals have played in front of is 22,845 at Texas State. … Fresno State has not always looked sharp in these matchups, but is 27-1 against FCS teams since 1982 and last season beat Sacramento State 31-3. …Incarnate Word, ninth of 11 in the Southland last season in total offense and seventh in total defense, was picked to finish last in the conference this year. Check this out: The first play run by coach Jeff Tedford at Cal in 2002 was a trick play, a halfback option pass that went for a 71-yard touchdown in a 70-22 victory over Baylor. This could be fun to watch, right from the start. Prediction: Fresno State 49, Incarnate Word 17

ALABAMA t Sept. 9: 12:30 p.m., Tuscaloosa Bryant-Denny Stadium (ESPN2)

t 2016: 14-1, 8-0 Southeastern Conference t Coach: Nick Saban (119-19 in 11th season, 210-61-1 overall) t Key players: QB Jalen Hurts (2,780 yards and 23 TDs passing, 954 yards and 13 TDs rushing), WR Calvin Ridley (72 receptions, 769 yards, team-high 21 receptions of 15 or more yards), DB Minkah Fitzpatrick (6 interceptions, two for TDs). t Outlook: Fresno State will receive $1.4 million to play this game. The upper-echelon Power Five programs are just not within the Bulldogs’ reach. Alabama reportedly spent $48.3 million on its football program last season; the entire Fresno State athletic budget in 2017 is about $37.8 million. … While the Bulldogs will be in deep against one of the top programs in the nation, they can get a lot out of a game in front of 100,000 if they can keep themselves together, get lined up correctly, take care of the football, execute. … What to watch

t Key players: QB Jake Browning (62.1 completion percentage, 3,430 passing yards, 43 TDs, 167.52 rating), WR Dante Pettis (822 receiving yards, 15 TDs), DT Vita Vea (6-foot-5, 344 pounds, 39 tackles, 6.5 TFLs) t Outlook: This is another big payday for the Bulldogs’ athletic department – $1 million – and another brutal matchup against a team that was in the college football playoff last season and has the players to make a return trip this season. For Fresno State, the mission will be the same as it was the previous week at Alabama. … One matchup to watch: whoever takes on the 344-pound Vea. The Bulldogs won’t see anything like him in conference play. t Check this out: Washington last season led the nation with 33 forced turnovers and turned them into 119 points (13 TDs and seven field goals), or 8.5 points per game. The Huskies turned it over 15 times,

for — competitiveness and maturity. That was lacking quite often over the past few years in matchups against the likes of Ole Miss, Nebraska and Utah. The Bulldogs have lost their past seven games against Power Five teams by an average of 34 points. t Check this out: Alabama will be coming off a game against Florida State in the Kickoff Classic, then has Colorado State after playing the Bulldogs. t Prediction: Alabama 48, Fresno State 10

leading to just 31 points for their opponents. t Prediction: Washington 49, Fresno State 13

NEVADA t Sept. 30: 7 p.m., Bulldog Stadium t 2016: 5-7, 3-5 Mountain West t Coach: Jay Norvell (first season) t Key players: QB David Cornwell (transfer from Alabama), DL Malik Reed (second-team allconference, 59 tackles, team-high 9.5 for loss), OT Austin Corbett (second-team all-conference, 36 consecutive starts at left tackle)

t Outlook: Fascinating matchup against Nevada and its new Air Raid offense, and the outcome could not be of more importance to the Bulldogs in capturing a fan base that apparently has found other things to do on Saturdays. … If it is going right for Nevada, Cornwell will have the ball in the air before the Pack’s lack of experience up front matters much. Fresno State ranked second in the conference in pass defense last season, but opponents only averaged 22.5 attempts per game. Expect the Wolf Pack to double that number and put a lot of pressure on the Bulldogs’ corners, a group that lost two senior starters and is relatively young and inexperienced. t Check this out: The Wolf Pack last season allowed 319 rushing yards per game in conference play. Fresno State had the worst running game, averaging 3.2 yards per play and 116.2 per game) and it rolled up 255 against Nevada.

t Prediction: Fresno State 34, Nevada 31

SAN JOSE STATE t Oct. 7: 4:30 p.m., San Jose Spartan Stadium (ESPN3) t 2016: 4-8, 3-5 Mountain West t Coach: Brent Brennan (first season) t Key players: CB Andre Chachere (Clovis West High; fourth in nation with 18 passes defended, four interceptions, 14 breakups), RB Malik Roberson (508 yards, 5.1 yards per carry), WR Tre Hartley (33 receptions, 17.3 yards per catch, four TDs). t Outlook: Quarterback play is big, and in the Mountain West there

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WASHINGTON t Sept. 16: 6:30 p.m., Seattle Husky Stadium (Pac-12 Network) t 2016: 12-2, 8-1 Pac-12 t Coach: Chris Petersen (27-14 in fourth season; 119-26 overall)

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Bulldog Football 2017 | 33

.................

2017 Season

32 | Bulldog Football 2017

AAlabama head coach Nick Saban walks midfield at Bryant-Denny Stadium before a 2014 game. The Crimson Tide’s field seats 101,821, making it the seventh-largest college stadium in the U.S.

ALABAMA t Sept. 9: 12:30 p.m., Tuscaloosa Bryant-Denny Stadium (ESPN2)

leading to just 31 points for their opponents. t Prediction: Washington 49, Fresno State 13

t Prediction: Fresno State 34, Nevada 31

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WASHINGTON t Sept. 16: 6:30 p.m., Seattle Husky Stadium (Pac-12 Network) t 2016: 12-2, 8-1 Pac-12 t Coach: Chris Petersen (27-14 in fourth season; 119-26 overall)

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Bulldog Football 2017 | 33

are 10 teams with returning starters. The Spartans are one of the two have-nots. Brennan in his first season went into fall camp with six on the roster, hopeful that a starter emerges and plays well enough to hold the position against a schedule that includes back-to-back road dates at Texas and Utah. Between the six quarterbacks, there are a total of 60 passes at the FBS level, all from sophomore Josh Love, who hit 51.7 percent of his attempts for 392 yards with five interceptions and two TDs. … The Spartans lost leading receiver Tim Crawley and Billy Freeman, one of the best tight ends in the conference. t Check this out: The most engaging thing about the Spartans’ offense this season might be running backs coach Alonzo Carter, a backup dancer for hip hop artist MC Hammer in the late 1980s and ’90s. t Prediction: Fresno State 31, San Jose State 20

NEW MEXICO t Oct. 14: 7 p.m., Bulldog Stadium t 2016: 9-4, 6-2 Mountain West t Coach: Bob Davie (27-36 in sixth season, 62-61 overall) t Key players: QB Lamar Jordan (681 yards and six TDs passing, 739 yards and three TDs rushing), RB Tyrone Owens (1,097 yards, 8 yards per play, 7 TDs), DE Garrett Hughes (28 tackles, 7.5 for loss, 6.5 sacks). t Outlook: Fresno State could be 2-0 in the conference when this game rolls around and getting the Lobos at Bulldog Stadium could be of value against a tricky option offense. New Mexico was far more proficient at home last season, averaging 445.5 yards per game

compared to 268.1 on the road and 44.5 points compared to 30. Their road games were at New Mexico State (118th against the run), Rutgers (126th), Hawaii (113th), Utah State (91st) and Colorado State (98th). Take a bite out of that option, and the Bulldogs could take advantage of a defense that returns three starters. t Check this out: New Mexico led the MW in scoring offense last season? It did, averaging 36.7 points per game. From 2009 to ’11, the three seasons before Davie arrived in Albuquerque, the Lobos averaged 16.3, 15.8 and 12.0 points per game. t Prediction: Fresno State 42, New Mexico 38

SAN DIEGO STATE t Oct. 21: 7:30 p.m., San Diego

Qualcomm Stadium (CBS Sports Network) t 2016: 11-3, 6-2 Mountain West t Coach: Rocky Long (54-26 in seventh season, 119-95 overall) t Key players: RB Rashaad Penny (1,018 rushing yards with 11 TDs, 3 TDs receiving, 2 TDs on kickoff returns), CB Kameron Kelly, (5 interceptions), LB Ronley Lakalaka (73 total tackles, second on team, 3for loss). t Outlook: The Aztecs have won 11 games in each of the past seasons and though they are down some key pieces they are the prohibitive favorite in the West Division. … The past two seasons the Bulldogs have held up fairly well physically in low-scoring, close games, losing 17-3 last season and 21-7 in 2015. The key here will be making some plays against the Aztecs’ 3-3-5 – Fresno State could have an advantage in that this will be the second time they will have

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seen that look. Nevada also is running it under defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel. … The Bulldogs’ quarterback play, pre- and post-snap, has been a significant issue in the past two losses in the series. t Check this out: The last time the Bulldogs played at San Diego State they generated only 89 yards of total offense in a 21-7 loss – 12 rushing yards and 77 passing. The Aztecs’ Chase Price and Donnel Pumphrey rushed for 151 and 124 yards. t Prediction: San Diego State 23, Fresno State 17

program that has not had much success. t Check this out: UNLV has two starters back on defense – only two programs in the nation have fewer – and a year ago the Rebels ranked last in the Mountain West in scoring defense in conference play. They allowed an average of 38.6 points per game, and 38 or more in five of their last six. t Prediction: Fresno State 38, UNLV 35

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UNLV t Oct. 28: 7 p.m., Bulldog Stadium t 2016: 4-8, 3-5 Mountain West t Coach: Tony Sanchez (7-17 in third season, 7-17 overall) t Key players: WR Devonte Boyd (45 receptions, 746 yards, 16.6 yards per catch, 4 TDs), RB Charles Williams (Bullard High; 763 yards, 3 TDs), DT Mike Hughes (37 tackles, 3.5 for loss). t Outlook: The Bulldogs’ effort in Las Vegas last season was poor, to put it put politely. But this has the makings of a pretty good game that comes down to which team has the ball last. … The Rebels have struggled on defense since forever – they have allowed more points than they have scored every year since 2001 – and that should give the Bulldogs a chance to keep pace with an offense that has some dynamic playmakers starting with Boyd and redshirt freshman quarterback Armani Rogers. Rogers, 6-5 and 225 pounds, is much more of a legitimate threat than UNLV has had at the position over the past few seasons and could elevate a

son, ranking 14th in the nation, and only once since 2008 has it yielded more than 23 points a game over a season. The Cougars return seven starters on defense this season. t Prediction: BYU 42, Fresno State 23

t Nov. 4: TBA, Bulldog Stadium (ESPN Networks) t 2016: 9-4, independent t Coach: Kalani Sitake (9-4 in second season, 9-4 overall) t Key players: QB Tanner Mangum (3,377 passing yards with 23 TDs and 10 interceptions as a freshman in 2015), OLB Fred Warner (86 tackles, 10.5 for loss), WR Jonah Trinnaman (28 receptions, top returning receiver). t Outlook: The Cougars lost their top two rushers and top three receivers, but Mangum is back after sitting behind Taysom Hill last season and BYU has four returning starters along the offensive line. There’s a good chance they will find answers at the skill positions. … The larger issue for the Bulldogs will be matching the physicality against an older team – the Cougars figure to be a distant third there to Alabama and Washington, but ahead of the majority of tests in the Mountain West. BYU has 13 returning starters not counting Mangum, who started 12 games as a freshman, and in 2016 had oh-so-tantalizing losses to Utah (20-19), UCLA (17-14), West Virginia (35-32) and Boise State (28-27). t Check this out: BYU allowed just 19.5 points per game last sea-

t Nov. 11: 8 p.m., Honolulu Aloha Stadium t 2016: 7-7, 4-4 in Mountain West Conference t Coach: Nick Rolovich (7-7 in second year, 7-7 overall) t Key players: QB Dru Brown (2,488 yards, 62.4 completion percentage, 19 TDs), LB Jahlani Tavai (129 tackles, 19.5 for loss, 7 sacks),

RB Diocemy Saint Juste (1,006 yards, 6.1 per play, 3 TDs). t Outlook: After going 3-10, 4-9, 1-11 and 3-9, Rolovich in his first season righted the program and with eight returning offensive starters could take another forward step. One big plus is that they found a quarterback in Brown, who made his first start in Week 5 in a 38-17 victory over Nevada. Brown hit 15 of 18 passes for 222 yards and two TDs, and in 10 starts connected on 63.3 percent of his passes and threw for 19 TDs. In 2014-15, Hawaii quarterbacks didn’t complete even 50 percent. … The Bulldogs have a rough trip to the islands coming off a tough game against BYU, but have won their past four at Hawaii. t Check this out: Legi Suiaunoa is the Rainbow Warriors’ defensive coordinator – their fifth in five seasons following Kevin Lempa,, Tom Mason, Kevin Clune, and Thom Kaumeyer. t Prediction: Hawaii 34, Fresno State 27

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Bulldog Football 2017 | 35

WYOMING

t Prediction: Wyoming 42, Fresno State 31

BOISE STATE t Nov. 25: 12:30 p.m., Bulldog Stadium (CBS Sports Network) t 2016: 10-3, 6-2 Mountain West t Coach: Bryan Harsin (31-9 in fourth season, 38-14 overall) t Key players: QB Brett Rypien (3,646 yards, 280.5 yards per game, 28 TDs), WR Cedric Wilson (56 receptions for 1,129 yards, 20.2 per catch), NT David Moa (10.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 4 breakups). t Outlook: Is Boise State vulnerable? The Broncos are the comfortable pick in the Mountain Divi-

sion, but have only four starters returning on offense and on defense and it is worth noting that they have played in the conference championship game only once in four years and in that time basically just beaten up on bad teams. They are 16-13 against teams with winning records, 21-1 against those with losing records. … Boise State does have one of if not the best quarterback in the Mountain West in Rypien, but much of the supporting cast is a question mark. … The Mountain will not be easy to get through, and the Broncos have road games at San Diego State, Washington State and BYU. t Check this out: Fresno State receivers coach Kirby Moore played at Boise State and in 2013 was the intended receiver on a fourth-down pass broken up by Jonathan Norton with 56 seconds remaining, preserving the Bulldogs’ 41-40 victory. t Prediction: Boise State 35, Fresno State 31

0003199788-01

t Nov. 18: 11 or 11:30 a.m., Laramie War Memorial Stadium t 2016: 8-6, 6-2 Mountain West t Coach: Craig Bohl (14-24 in fourth season, 118-56 overall) t Key players: QB Josh Allen (Firebaugh High/Reedley JC; 3,203 yards, 28 TDs, 15 interceptions, Mountain West Preseason Offensive Player of Year), DB Andrew Wingard (131 tackles, Preseason Defensive Player of Year), LB Logan Wilson (94 tackles, 3.5 for loss, 3 interceptions).

t Outlook: Think Allen has been looking forward to this game? The Firebaugh native didn’t get much of a look from Fresno State – or anywhere else, really – but has developed into an intriguing next-level prospect. To hit that high ceiling Allen will have to cut down on the interceptions and improve his completion percentage, but Fresno State will offer that opportunity unless by this point it has found the personnel and ways to apply pressure on quarterbacks. Last season the Bulldogs had only 14 sacks, down from 28 in 2015, 30 in 2014 and 40 in 2013. Allen, with time (and he has four returning starters on the offensive line), is a dangerous proposition. t Check this out: This would seem a tough back-to-back on the road, but Mountain West teams have navigated the trek well since Hawaii joined the conference in 2012, going 5-2 in the second of those B2Bs.

36 | Bulldog Football 2017

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2016 OVERALL STATS

Avg. per game 3rd-Down Conver.

TEAM STATS FS SCORING Points per game Total FIRST DOWNS Rushing Passing Penalty Total RUSHING Yards gained Yards lost Attempts Avg. per attempt Avg. per game Touchdowns Total PASSING Comp-Att-Int Avg. per attempt Avg. per game Touchdowns Totals TOTAL OFFENSE Total plays Avg. per play Avg. per game Total yards Touchdowns RETURNS Kickoff-Avg. Kickoff-Total Punt-Avg. Int-Avg. Int-Total KICKING Punt-Avg. yds/game Punt-Net avg. Punt-Total yds FG good-attempts Onside kicks PENALTIES Avg. Yds/game Total-Yards TIME OF POSSESSION

OPP.

17.67 212

30.92 371

83 102 21 206

167 80 14 261

1,728 334 440 3.2 116.2 11 1,394

3,165 193 601 4.9 247.7 25 2,972

210-405-13 159-270-5 6.31 7.44 213.08 167.42 13 21 2,557 2,009 845 4.7 329.3 3,951 24

871 5.7 415.1 4,981 48

21.39 41-877 6.63 0.00 5-0

17.74 34-603 5.20 12.62 13-164

37.38 36.23 80-2,990 15-17 0-0

37.85 34.93 68-2,574 12-16 0-0

55.75 76-669

52.00 69-624

4th Down Conver. Total MISC. Fumbles-lost Sacks-yards lost Season attendance

28:49 76-200 38% 8-23 34.78% 5:45.44

31:11 68-165 41.21% 9-13 69.23% 6:14.16

Jared Rice Zach Kline Trent Soechting

13-5 14-94

14-4 31-186 340,828

Stratton Brown Jeff Camilli James Bailey DeShawn Potts Tyquwan Glass Robert Stanley Jamal Ellis Tobenna Okeke Nela Otukolo Malik Forrester Trent Soechting Mike Bell Nick Kristofors Nathan Madsen Brandon Hughes Jeffrey Allison Juju Hughes Patrick Belony Austin Vaimili Alan Wright Kyle Hendrickson Justin Green Dalen Jones Tank Kelly Josh Hokit George Helmuth Jaron Bryant Jalen Smith Elijah Piper Ryan Alvarez Wyatt McBee Michael Martens KeeSean Johnson Darrell Fuery Van Valkenburg Jamire Jordan Chason Virgil Aaron Peck Treyvon Green Aaron Mitchell Jasad Haynes Anthoula Kelly Team

2016 OFFENSIVE STATS RUSHING Att. Net Avg. TD 208 697 3.4 5 48 134 2.8 1 27 130 4.8 0 77 122 1.6 2 24 108 4.5 0 17 83 4.9 1 16 57 3.6 1 9 39 4.3 0 3 13 4.3 0 8 8 1.0 0 1 3 3.0 0 1 1 1.0 1 1 1 1.0 0

Dontel James Zach Kline Josh Hokit Chason Virgil Trevyon Green Jamire Jordan Dejonte O’Neal Bryson Oglesby KeeSean Johnson Justin Rice Trent Soechting Christian Cronk Justin Allen

PASSING Chason Virgil Zach Kline Treyvon Green Blake Cusick

Comp. Att. Int. Yds. TD 166 322 10 2,021 13 42 79 2 523 0 2 2 0 13 0 0 2 1 0 0

RECEIVING KeeSean Johnson Jamire Jordan Aaron Peck Delvon Hardaway Chard Olsen Michael Martens Justin Allen Kyle Riddering Treyvon Green Dejonte O’Neal Justin Rice Chason Virgil Dontel James

No. Yds. Avg. TD 66 773 11.71 6 45 713 15.84 2 46 630 13.70 3 10 122 12.20 0 6 85 14.17 0 6 81 13.50 0 4 36 9.00 0 7 33 4.71 0 2 23 11.50 0 7 18 2.57 0 1 11 11.00 0 1 9 9.00 0 3 9 3.00 0

4 1 1

6 4 4

1.50 4.00 4.00

2016 STANDINGS

2 0 0

2016 DEFENSIVE STATS Solo Tackles Asst. Total Sacks 57 58 115 1.0 53 55 108 4.0 32 27 59 0.5 29 30 59 0 40 17 57 0 29 25 54 0 34 19 53 0 22 30 52 2.5 27 21 48 1.5 21 17 38 1.0 17 19 36 0 17 18 35 0 19 9 28 1.0 11 11 22 1.5 10 11 21 0 8 13 21 0 8 10 18 0 6 8 14 0 7 5 12 0 4 7 11 0 2 8 10 0 6 2 8 1.0 4 3 7 0 5 2 7 0 5 2 7 0 3 4 7 0 2 4 6 0 2 2 4 0 3 1 4 0 0 3 3 0 1 2 3 0 2 1 3 0 2 0 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0

W-L MOUNTAIN Boise State New Mexico Wyoming Air Force Colorado State Utah State WEST San Diego State Hawaii Nevada San Jose State UNLV Fresno State

Conf. Overall PCT W-L PCT

6-2 6-2 6-2 5-3 5-3 1-7

.750 .750 .750 .625 .625 .125

10-3 9-4 8-6 10-3 7-6 3-9

.769 .692 .571 .769 .538 .250

6-2 4-4 3-5 3-5 3-5 0-8

.750 .500 .375 .375 .375 .000

11-3 7-7 5-7 4-8 4-8 1-11

.786 .500 .417 .333 .333 .083

MOUNTAIN WEST SCHEDULE WEEK 1 Saturday, Aug. 26 Oregon State at Colorado State.................11:30 a.m. Hawaii at Massachusetts ...................................3 p.m. South Florida at San Jose State ...................4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1 Colorado State vs. Colorado..............................5 p.m. at Sports Authority Field, Denver Utah State at Wisconsin ....................................6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2 Incarnate Word at Fresno State ........................7 p.m. Wyoming at Iowa................................................9 a.m. Nevada at Northwestern.............................12:30 p.m. Troy at Boise State ......................................12:45 p.m. Cal Poly at San Jose State ............................4:30 p.m. UC Davis at San Diego State ........................5:30 p.m. Howard at UNLV .................................................6 p.m. Western Carolina at Hawaii...............................9 p.m. Abilene Christian at New Mexico .........................TBD

WEEK 2 Thursday, Sept. 7 Idaho State at Utah State ..................................5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Fresno State at Alabama.............................12:30 p.m. San Jose State at Texas...............................12:30 p.m. Gardner-Webb at Wyoming ...............................1 p.m.

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Bulldog Football 2017 | 37

At Your Service

continued ... Hawaii at UCLA....................................................2 p.m. Toledo at Nevada.................................................4 p.m. UNLV at Idaho ......................................................6 p.m. Boise State at Washington State ..................7:30 p.m. San Diego State at Arizona State.......................8 p.m. Abilene Christian at Colorado State......................TBD New Mexico State at New Mexico ........................TBD

WEEK 3

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Thursday, Sept. 14 New Mexico at Boise State.................................5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 Fresno State at Washington ..........................6:30 p.m. Air Force at Michigan ..........................................9 a.m. Utah State at Wake Forest ....................................noon Idaho State at Nevada ........................................4 p.m. Colorado State at Alabama ................................4 p.m. Oregon at Wyoming ............................................4 p.m. San Jose State at Utah........................................7 p.m. Stanford at San Diego State..........................7:30 p.m.

WEEK 4 Friday, Sept. 22 Virginia at Boise State ........................................5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 San Diego State at Air Force ..............................4 p.m. Utah State at San Jose State.........................4:30 p.m. Hawaii at Wyoming.................................................TBD Nevada at Washington State .................................TBD UNLV at Ohio State .................................................TBD New Mexico at Tulsa...............................................TBD

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WEEK 5 Friday, Sept. 29 BYU at Utah State ...............................................5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 Nevada at Fresno State.......................................7 p.m. Texas State at Wyoming .....................................1 p.m. Air Force at New Mexico.....................................4 p.m. Northern Illinois at San Diego State .............7:30 p.m. Colorado State at Hawaii .......................................TBD San Jose State at UNLV ..........................................TBD

WEEK 6 Friday, Oct. 6 Boise State at BYU .........................................7:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 Fresno State at San Jose State......................4:30 p.m. Air Force at Navy ..........................................12:30 p.m. Hawaii at Nevada ...........................................7:30 p.m. Colorado State at Utah State.................................TBD San Diego State at UNLV........................................TBD

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WEEK 9 Saturday, Oct. 28 UNLV at Fresno State ..........................................7 p.m. Air Force at Colorado State ..................................noon Boise State at Utah State ...................................7 p.m. New Mexico at Wyoming .......................................TBD San Diego State at Hawaii .....................................TBD San Jose State at BYU ............................................TBD

WEEK 10 Saturday, Nov. 4 BYU at Fresno State................................................TBD Army at Air Force .........................................12:30 p.m. Colorado State at Wyoming ...............................4 p.m. Utah State at New Mexico .....................................TBD Hawaii at UNLV .......................................................TBD San Diego State at San Jose State ........................TBD Nevada at Boise State ............................................TBD

WEEK 11 Friday, Nov. 10 BYU at UNLV ...................................................7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11 Fresno State at Hawaii........................................8 p.m. Boise State at Colorado State .......................7:30 p.m. Wyoming at Air Force .............................................TBD San Jose State at Nevada.......................................TBD New Mexico at Texas A&M ....................................TBD

WEEK 12 Friday, Nov. 17 UNLV at New Mexico......................................6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18 Fresno State at Wyoming ...................11 or 11:30 a.m. San Jose State at Colorado State................12:30 p.m. Nevada at San Diego State............................7:30 p.m. Hawaii at Utah State...............................................TBD Air Force at Boise State..........................................TBD

WEEK 13 Friday, Nov. 24 New Mexico at San Diego State..................12:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25 Boise State at Fresno State .........................12:30 p.m. UNLV at Nevada...................................................1 p.m. BYU at Hawaii ......................................................7 p.m. Wyoming at San Jose State ...................................TBD Utah State at Air Force...........................................TBD

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Saturday, Oct. 14 New Mexico at Fresno State...............................7 p.m. Wyoming at Utah State..................................1:30 p.m. Boise State at San Diego State .....................7:30 p.m. San Jose State at Hawaii ....................................9 p.m.

WEEK 8 Friday, Oct. 20 Air Force at Nevada........................................6:30 p.m. Colorado State at New Mexico .....................7:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 Fresno State at San Diego State ...................7:30 p.m. Utah State at UNLV.................................................TBD Wyoming at Boise State.........................................TBD

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28TH

“Go Dogs” Win the Mountain West