November 10 2014

THE COLLEGIAN MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2014

FRESNO STATE'S STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1922

FRESNOSTATE.EDU/COLLEGIAN

Talk spotlights colonization of Native Americans

By Antonio Henriques @TheCollegian

In observation of Native American Heritage Month, Dr. Michael Yellow Bird of North Dakota State University spoke on campus Friday, discussing the impact of colonization for Native American peoples.

Yellow Bird is a citizen of the North Dakota Three Affiliated Tribes – Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara – and director of indigenous tribal studies at North Dakota State University.

Speaking at the Alice Peters Auditorium with students and members of Native American tribes in attendance, Yellow Bird opened the event speaking in his native tongue.

“I try to speak my tribal language as much as I can. Early on I was taught it wasn’t of any value and that it’s not going to help us in any way in this culture,” he said.

“But it’s an important part of who

See YELLOW BIRD, Page 3

Darlene Wendels • The Collegian

Fresno State alumnus Ryan Stiner crosses the finish line of his 10-day, 206-mile run from San Francisco to Fresno to raise funds for Fresno State’s Autism Center.

RUN, RYAN, RUN

By Ricardo Cano @Ricardo_Cano1

Logan Downing • The Collegian

Dr. Michael Yellow Bird discusses the decolonization of Native Americans in the Alice Peters Auditorium on Friday.

Ryan Stiner had his first big challenge on the third day of his 10-day run from San Francisco to Fresno. He was slated to run a 24-mile leg through Patterson Pass, mountainous terrain on the northwest corner of the Central Valley vaunted for its hilly structure and narrow roads.

Stiner, a Fresno State alum

who trekked more than 200 miles as part of the Ryan Stiner Run For A Cause Project that raised money for the school’s autism center, said he planned to walk up steepest part of the pass.

Then he changed his mind and ran all the way through en route to completing the run that started at Fisherman’s Wharf on Oct. 30.

“It was just an epic battle the whole way,” Stiner said a day after he wrapped up the run,

Fresno State alum Ryan Stiner completes 10-day, 206-mile run to benefit Autism Center

which, as of Sunday, raised more than $10,000 in donations.

A crowd gathered at the Fresno State Amphitheatre on Saturday to welcome back Stiner, who also made an appearance with Fresno State President Joseph Castro and Mary Castro during the first quarter of Fresno State’s 38-24 Homecoming win against San Jose State.

“I wasn’t surprised by the welcome I got both at the amphitheater or at the stadium

because that’s indicative of how Fresno State students and alumni and faculty treat each other,” Stiner said.

“At the end of the day, we all do this together. It was very rewarding to see everyone there who took time out of their day to come support this cause and this crazy guy who’s running a bunch of miles to raise money.”

Stiner originally estimated

See STINER, Page 3

Still alive

Bulldogs conquer Spartans on Homecoming night

By Daniel Leon @DanLeon25

Darlene Wendels • The Collegian

Josh Harper hoists the Valley Trophy after the Bulldogs’ 38-24 Homecoming win against San Jose State on Saturday.

The Fresno State football team kept its Mountain West title hopes alive with a 3824 win over in-state rival San Jose State Saturday night at Bulldog Stadium.

The double-digit victory snaps a threegame losing streak for the Bulldogs (4-6. 3-3 MW) and elevates them to third place in the West Division, just behind Nevada and San Diego State.

“I’m just really proud of our team’s effort and resolve to bounce back from last week,” Fresno State head coach Tim DeRuyter said.

“It was a great venue tonight. It was Homecoming. We had the Red Wave back, and I really appreciate the crowd because they were into it. I really gave our guys a push to follow this thing through.

“Like last week, we started fast. We got

See BULLDOGS, Page 8

38 24

OPINION

GOT OPINIONS? We want to hear them.

COLLEGIAN-OPINION@CSUFRESNO.EDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2014

2

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

NO MORE GROUP PROJECTS

By Troy Pope @darktroy

College is full of challenges meant to test and prepare students for the real world.

Some tasks can be intense or overwhelming due to the sheer volume of content that’s due for a class. Other assignments are full of tedious research or repetitive memorization. However, no project is the bane of a student’s existence quite like the group project.

The group project is vile and is more suited for high school students. It’s sole educational purpose is to force students to be social with each other and develop team-building and oral presentation skills.

The furthest that group projects should have ever gone in college is general education classes where students are still deciding what to major in. This is sadly not the case; the group projects did not stop there.

Upper-division courses have succumbed to the awful, unending group-project machine.

When in upper division, it can be assumed that all students know what they’re doing and know what they want to be when they grow up.

The usefulness, if any, of group projects has gone out the window and only serves to haunt students who are desperately looking to graduate.

In almost every major, the real world doesn’t mean group work. So what does this tell us? It tells us that the intent of group projects was never to help students learn team-building skills, but rather it was

Mark Randall • South Florida Sun Sentinal/TNS

Tara Wengert, 21 of Tamarac, Florida, works on a class project at the S.E. Wimberly Library Oct. 15 in Boca Raton, Florida. Wengert is a senior at Florida Atlantic University.

an easy direction for instructors to take their classes so they can grade six projects instead of 30.

It makes sense, really. I can’t imagine it’s easy being a teacher, so it’s understandable that instructors do whatever they can to lessen the load on themselves.

Meanwhile, instructors are forcing students who don’t work well together and who aren’t oriented to each other to struggle for an extended period of time while learning little to nothing in the process.

Students learn much less in group projects than in any other project type. Most

groups of students divvy up work so that each student only learns one-sixth of the overall material in the project.

Some instructors might even have the audacity to say that the group assignment will be “fun,” but no one is fooled.

Instructors try to keep positive about the group project that’s the crux of their classes, but when they bring it up on the first day, it can mean the difference between a student staying in or dropping a class.

While instructors pretend students will learn every aspect in the large project, the lives of college students are already so hec-

tic that they can’t possibly take in every aspect of a project so large. So, it makes practical sense to split up the work and never learn anything about what your group partners are doing.

On top of the nightmare that is the group project, what often happens is that some members of groups fail to contribute in any meaningful way.

Even though instructors often grade on the individual effort, it still adds undue stress onto an already-stressed college student that he or she doesn’t need.

When a student flakes out, which always happens, the student who is forced to bend over backward to carry the group to a passing grade is usually the one who was going to be the most successful in the first place.

Now, those students have the burden of doing added work so they don’t have to risk other students falling through, jeopardizing their crucial grade.

It’s much easier for instructors to gauge how much a student contributed, but the group is still also graded on the final product.

So now students who already have a lot on their plate get to go home and enjoy throwing up over the stress. Thanks instructors!

The fact that instructors bother to grade students individually proves that they know how group projects really work, but don’t care.

Perhaps it’s because the terrible assignments were forced on them in college, and they’ve failed to break the cycle that prevents incredible amounts of stress and any meaningful learning.

Paul Vieira • The Collegian

THE COLLEGIAN The Collegian is a student-run publication that serves the Fresno State community on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Views expressed in The Collegian do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff or university.

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THE COLLEGIAN • NEWS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2014

Colonialism continues to ‘control and manipulate’

SAN FRANCISCO TO FRESNO: 206 MILES FOR AUTISM

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rancis San F

YELLOW BIRD from Page 1 I am and a way of thanking the people of the territory we are on.”

During the discussion, Yellow Bird elaborated on colonialism and how the colonizing of people leads to the control of their thinking – a term he coined, “neuro-colonization.”

“Colonization inhibits an idea, understanding of the mind and brain, which makes those subjected believe in an idea that is untrue or exacerbated. George Orwell stated that those who control the language also control the people,” Yellow Bird said.

The result of this is modern-day colonialism, so deeply ingrained in American culture, is that it’s often accepted and brushed off, he said. He used examples such as the childhood game “Cowboys and Indians” and the NFL team name The Washington Redskins.

The idea of colonialism reaches as far back as the Founding Fathers, he said.

Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson and George Washington all held detrimental policies against Native Americans, such as The Trail of Tears, the forced relocation of thousands of Native American tribes from their homeland, he said.

“Colonialism is like rust. It never sleeps,” Yellow Bird said. “It’s always breaking down so it can continue to control and manipulate.”

Yellow Bird discussed the importance of “decolonization” of the mind, or trying to change native peoples’ thoughts about themselves as colonized people so they are liberated from the thought that they are controlled.

“Resolving ideas through diversity, to fight the system and overcome oppressors and our own selfish ways of thinking,” Yellow Bird said. “We must come to understand not the decolonization process, but the beauty of understanding ways of life that are sustainable.”

“There seems to be this idea that we are living in a world of American exceptionalism, and that God will guide this country.

If that’s true, God doesn’t like Indians,” Yellow Bird added.

The event was organized by the First Nations Indigenous Student Organization of Fresno State, the President’s Commission on Human Relations and Equity and the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs. A second guest, Dr. Cornel Pewewardy of Portland State University, will speak on campus on Nov. 17.

PAGE 3

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Silicon Valley

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Photo illustration by Diana Williams • The Collegian

STINER from Page 1 it would take an average of 19 miles per day – a total of 190 miles – to reach Fresno by his 10-day goal. But after frontloading much of the mileage in the first few days, as well as course corrections and detours, the run totaled 206 miles.

On the last five miles of the run – a stretch from Woodward Park to Fresno State – Stiner was joined by a group of 20, including friends he hadn’t seen in years.

Stiner’s run was documented on Facebook. A two-minute video shot by a

IN BRIEF University awarded $2.87 million grant for online graduate programs The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Fresno State a $2.87 million grant to develop a blue-ribbon online graduate campus geared toward attracting Hispanic, low-income and first-gener-

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friend’s drone was posted on the project’s page and shows Stiner in a lime green sweatshirt running through the empty back roads of Dos Palos and Firebaugh.

The project came about spontaneously, Stiner said. He thought up the idea three weeks before the run and with the help of Mary Castro he launched the project in an interview on her KFSR radio show, “First Lady’s Focus.”

“I cannot say enough about her. She is an incredible woman and without her support, none of this would have happened,” he said.

Stiner, a Craig School of Business graduate, begins his new career at Morgan Stanley on Monday. After finishing the mega-marathon on Saturday, he had an eight-mile run penciled in for Sunday.

But after conquering 206 miles in 10 days, Stiner called an audible.

“No, I’m not going to run eight miles tomorrow [Sunday],” he said. “I’m going to take the day off. I’m sitting here with a friend, and I’ve got my feet up on the coffee table. I’m watching football and eating a bunch of fat things.”

ation students.

The project’s goal is to increase enrollment of Hispanic students in the university’s online graduate programs by 25 percent over five years and to increase the number of online master’s and doctoral degrees awarded by 10 percent.

“Advanced degrees are increasingly critical for both employment in and advancement of the region,” said Fresno State Provost Lynnette Zelenzy. “Creating more access to graduate education will be a real game-changer for professionals in the San Joaquin Valley.”

Fresno State currently offers more than 50 online graduate courses each semester and four master’s programs conducted completely online.

The grants were awarded to a total of 19 schools in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

First endowed in 1996, the library is named after Vincent E. Petrucci, founder of the viticulture and enology programs at Fresno State.

Renovated V. E. Petrucci Library houses rare books

Campus Safety Alert

The V. E. Petrucci Library now features rare books about the history of the grape and wine industries of California after being recently renovated.

The renovation of the library, located in the Viticulture and Enology Research Center, included updating facilities and resources available to students, researchers and professionals in the grape, wine and raisin industries. It is also open to the public.

“Information is a critical commodity in today’s world, and the mission of the V. E. Petrucci Library is to ensure that our patrons have all the tools they need to work toward the advancement of our discipline,” said Britt Foster, a Petrucci librarian.

Fresno State’s American English Institute to host 40 Mexican students In partnership with the Mexican government, the American English Institute at Fresno State is hosting 40 students from Mexico starting Nov. 9.

The students will spend four weeks working with the university to improve their English language skills as part of the “Proyecta 100,000” initiative.

The program has placed 7,500 Mexican students in universities throughout California.

The Fresno State Police Department has issued a Safety Alert for those on campus to take precautions as daylight hours decease and the holidays approach.

Under such circumstances, the alert said it is predictable for crimes to increase.

The alert advised people to take advantage of university resources and be active about their personal safety.

The police recommend you be aware of your surroundings, not walk alone, stay in well-lit areas and when required utilize the Fresno State Police Department’s Safety Escort program.

If any suspicious activity were to occur, people are urged to report to the police by calling 911 or by using the emergency blue light phone to contact Fresno State Police Department.

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THE COLLEGIAN • A&E

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2014

NEW FULTON MALL BURGER SHOP AIMS TO REVITALIZE Photos courtesy of Take 3 Burgers

Roshana Shirzad BA, Criminology Fresno State Class of 2010

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By Briana Montemayor @TheCollegian

T

ake 3 recently opened its doors in Downtown Fresno’s Fulton Mall, seeking to sell great-tasting food and revitalize the surrounding community.

The restaurant specializes in burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, fries and shakes for a competitive price.

Brian Washington and his daughter Desirae Washington-Reed, own the restaurant. Washington thought the Fulton Mall would be a great place to start a business and hopes to one day turn Take 3 into a chain of restaurants.

er from 1987 to 1994.

“I’ve always wanted to reopen and start again,” he said.

As of today, Take 3 is open only on weekdays, but Washington says that might change since he’s seen a much bigger crowd at the Fulton Mall on the weekends.

The next step for Take 3 is modifying its menu to the customers. Washington said

"We want to make burgers that you want.

We want to make the best burgers you’ve ever had."

—Derant Washington-Reed, Co-owner of Take 3 Washington-Reed is excited to go into business with her father.

“It’s fun to be in business with someone you know,” she said. “This is a totally different experience because of the bond. The trust level is like no other.”

The restaurant plans to provide “a great thriving business” and “to expand into the new opening of the new street to the mall,” said Washington.

“My hope is that we can market to everyone and to revitalize and bring activity to the mall,” he said.

Washington, who is not new to Fresno’s restaurant industry, owned Monster Burg-

that they are open to different options and are keeping an eye open for anything that might help the restaurant.

“We are quickly becoming a restaurant that is known for the burgers,” Washington-Reed said. “We want to make burgers that you want. We want to make the best burgers you’ve ever had.”

Its hours of operation are during lunchtime from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Those hours might change in the days ahead, depending on the demand, Washington said.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2014

THE COLLEGIAN • SPORTS

PAGE 7

‘Dogs slug it out with UC Santa Cruz

MEN’S BASKETBALL

By Daniel Leon @DanLeon25

Darlene Wendels • The Collegian

Fresno State guard Marvelle Harris (23) finishes a two-handed jam during the ‘Dogs’ 77-38 victory over UC Santa Cruz Sunday at the Save Mart Center.

Four Bulldogs scored in double figures, as the Fresno State men’s basketball team opened its season Sunday afternoon with a 77-38 exhibition win over UC Santa Cruz.

“Some of the things we were happy with tonight were the first-half defensive effort, and the fact that we were able to throw the ball inside and get the ball to our post players in the [game],” associate head coach Michael Schwartz said. “So we felt good that we executed that. I think that was big to get the experience for the freshmen, some of the transfers and obviously returning guys.”

Fourth-year head coach Rodney Terry’s squad got off to a quick start, leading 37-9 by the half and holding the Banana Slugs to 11.1 percent shooting in the first 20 minutes.

“The first half effort we were more pleased with,” Schwartz said. “They got comfortable in the second half and started making some shots, so we’ll continue to improve on that. But overall, we’re pleased with the defensive effort.”

In a game where the Bulldogs shot 51.9 percent from the field, four players managed to rack up double digits.

Sophomore forward Paul Watson led the team with a game-high 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting including 2-of-7 from three-point range. Others in double figures included junior Marvelle Harris (15), junior college transfer Darnell Taylor (11) and sophomore Karachi Edo with 12.

“I think that’s the strength of this team,” Schwartz said. “Having three or four guys that are capable of being threats on offense really helps the offense get rolling. As coaches, we want that, because we like to see our guys share the basketball.”

Harris feels like this was a good game for the Bulldogs in terms of seeing where the team’s chemistry stands.

“We just wanted to get a feel for playing in a live game together,” Harris said. “We had a scrimmage about a week or two ago, and we just wanted to get up and down the court for a full 40 minutes and see what it is like playing with each other in a real game.”

Junior forward James Townsend and freshman guard Adam Marlow each had 10 points for the Banana Slugs.

The 2014-2015 Bulldogs will look to build on last year’s 21-win season, in which they reached the finals of the College Basketball Invitational.

They plan on keeping the momentum going Friday when it travels to Southern California to take on Pepperdine University in a nonconference match.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Fresno State rings in new year with a W

Darlene Wendels • The Collegian

Fresno State junior guard Brittany Aikens (center) leaps as she takes the ball downcourt on a fast-break during the ‘Dogs 89-33 victory over Notre Dame De Namur Sunday at the Save Mart Center.

Christopher Livingston @senorlivingston

The quest for another Mountain West Championship began Sunday, when the Fresno State women’s basketball team beat the Notre Dame De Namur Argonauts 89-33 at the Save Mart Center.

The exhibition match was the first of a two-game doubleheader. The men’s basketball team’s contest took place afterward.

“I felt good about how our kids played,” said Fresno State head coach Jaime White.

“I thought we could have done a little bit better on the boards and finishing in transition. Overall, we did a good job. We were able to run a lot of our stuff and knock down some inside shots.”

Senior forward Alex Sheedy led the ‘Dogs with 13 points in 18 minutes played.

She scored the first five points for Fresno State to start off the game.

Junior guard Brittany Aikens came off the bench and went 5-7 shooting for 12

points, second in that category, in 13 minutes played.

“It felt amazing on the court,” Aikens said, “and just to focus. Every single practice, we’re just working on individual shooting and that helps my mental image of making sure the ball goes through the hoop.”

The Bulldogs spread the ball around during the game, as each player scored at least once. Four players were in double digits (Sheedy, Aikens, Raven Foxx and Toni Smith). Bego Faz Davalos, with seven

points and 10 rebounds, was three points shy of a double-double.

“I’m really glad that we got to see such a good effort,” Sheedy said. “Our team was very versatile, and I think we have a lot of people who could contribute. I’m just really happy we got the win and got all the jitters out.”

The Bulldogs will host the Cal Poly Mustangs Sunday at 2 p.m., then the Cal State Stanislaus Warriors on Nov. 19.

SPORTS FOOTBALL

8

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2014

COLUMN

‘Dogs bring Valley Trophy home after beating San Jose State 38-24

The lights are on at Bulldog Stadium

BULLDOGS from Page 1 punched in the mouth, and they came back. It’s a rivalry. Things like that happen, but I like how our guys responded. We’re finding ways in all three phases to get it done.”

A strong all-around performance paved the way for the Bulldogs all night long. However, the run game got things rolling with a 44-yard opening drive rushing touchdown up the middle from junior running back Marteze Waller to put the Bulldogs up 7-0.

However, the Spartans (3-6, 2-3 MW) would respond with a big 51-yard run of their own from running back Tyler Ervin to tie things up midway through the first quarter.

The Spartans would capture their first and only lead of the game later in the quarter with an 86-yard catch and run by wide receiver Jabari Carr. Two Bulldogs defensive backs would run into each other on the play while attempting to intercept the ball which left nothing but open field for Carr.

Moments later on a 15-yard run, Waller would go on to become the 21st Bulldog in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards. However, he would suffer a shoulder injury and sit out the rest of the game.

“Marteze is really playing well, and we’re run blocking pretty well,” DeRuyter said. “We want to take some pressure off the quarterback position, and it opens up your pass game so we just thought we had a good matchup there.”

Things remained competitive until late in the second quarter when the Bulldogs and Spartans would exchange interceptions.

Fresno State quarterback Brian Burrell would drive the Bulldogs down the field only to be picked off in the end zone by Spartans cornerback Jimmy Pruitt.

However, linebacker Kyrie Wilson would get the ball back for the Bulldogs after picking off SJSU quarterback Joe Gray on a screen pass on the Spartans’ ensuing drive.

The interception by Wilson helped set up a 2-yard touchdown from Burrell to freshman tight end Chad Olsen which tied things up at 14 apiece.

Later on with the crowd getting into it, the Bulldogs would generate 14 points in the final 1:50 of the first half from a Josh Harper 18-yard touchdown catch and a blocked punt by Da’Mari Scott that was picked up and returned 5 yards for the score by linebacker T.J. Thomas.

Coming out of the locker room, Burrell would drive the Bulldogs down the field and connect with Harper on a 19-yard pass to go up 35-14.

Harper would finish with a team-high 67 yards and two touchdowns.

The Spartans would go on to score 10 unanswered points but ultimately were not able to compete the comeback as turnovers and penalties would haunt them.

Waller finished the game with 22 carries for 146 yards and one touchdown. Josh Quezada took over after Waller got injured and carried the ball 24 times for 117 yards.

Moving forward, the Bulldogs will have a bye followed by a road trip to Reno on Nov. 22.

Darlene Wendels • The Collegian

Fans at Bulldog Stadium shine lights from their cell phones during the ‘Dogs’ 38-24 victory over rival San Jose State Saturday night.

It was the drink of water a thirsty Fresno State football team needed.

As the defense was on the field, trying to prevent its rival from pulling away, a swarm of fireflies and the sound of

By Christopher booming thunLivingston der entered @senorlivingston B u l l d o g Stadium and provided an assist the Bulldogs needed to keep their playoff chances alive.

One light from a cell phone popped on. Then another, and another. Soon, Bulldog Stadium had a new design: small lights dotted the stands, the goal of which was to distract quarterback Joe Gray and the San Jose State offense.

It was unheard of this far into the season. In the midst of a tumultuous time for Fresno State, is this a new tradition provided by the Red Wave? After all, it seemed to work. The Spartans wound up committing three false-start penalties in one drive.

There is still hope in Fresno.

Bringing back Burrell Practice didn’t seem as fun anymore, and the signal-caller woes that gave the Bulldogs notoriety in the Mountain West resurfaced.

At least on the surface. The ‘Dogs knew what the next step was -- even if it was something not many fans agreed with: bring back Brian Burrell.

Burrell said he had known since earlier this week that he was starting the San Jose State game. An originally unpopular decision, it was greeted rather nonchalantly at the Stadium. Clearly, the Red Wave was checked out.

But, as the season stats showed, it

was not a terrible decision. Remember, Burrell still led the team in every quarterback-related category: completions, passing yards, touchdowns and, yes, interceptions.

And after going 20-26 for 207 yards and three touchdowns, he has proven himself to be the starting quarterback moving forward.

Defensive game improves Last year, Fresno State gave up 62 points to a hungry San Jose State offense led by then-senior quarterback David Fales.

This round, coming into the game, that was a blemish that the Bulldogs still had. It was the one game that soiled a perfect season, and with the country’s No. 1 quarterback last year now in the NFL, there was wonder how much of a deficit the ‘Dogs would have against the Spartans.

The answer: zero. The ‘Dogs looked more prepared for what was coming to town and were able to take advantage of mistakes the Spartans had.

One came after the arrival of the Fresno State fireflies, when Spartan punter Michael Carrizosa’s attempt was blocked by Da’Mari Scott. T.J. Thomas caught the ball and jogged into the end zone to put the ‘Dogs up two scores going into the half.

Two more important turnovers came in the fourth quarter. The first happened with 8:49 left on the clock.

After a timeout, Gray attempted a pass to the right that was picked off

by Fresno State defensive end Charles Washington, a move that surprised Washington himself.

The second ended the game. After forcing Fresno State to punt, the Spartans received the ball at their own 17-yard line. On the first play of the drive, the snap was dropped, and Fresno State’s Justin Green recovered it.

An improved ground game and consistent offense

It looked like Wyoming running back Brian Hill’s ground presence last week was a learning moment for Fresno State.

The freshman amassed 387 all-purpose yards -- 281 on the ground -- in the Cowboys’ 45-17 assault to the Bulldogs.

This time, the ‘Dogs were going to be the ones using the field. Marteze Waller took the reigns of the Fresno State offense and rushed for 55 yards in the opening drive to give the ‘Dogs an early touchdown. He totaled 145 yards on the ground before a shoulder injury sidelined him shortly before the half.

Josh Quezada took over for the rest of the game and totaled 112 yards on 24 carries. The 232 total rushing yards for Fresno State were over two-and-a-half times the amount San Jose State had in that department.

Waller’s touchdown was the only one the ‘Dogs had on the ground. Their other three came from Burrell: two to wideout Josh Harper and one to tight end Chad Olsen.

In fact, Burrell’s numbers look pale compared with Gray’s 350 yards, two scores and 26 completions of 44 attempts. But with the balanced offensive approach, Fresno State is ready to move past the days of 500-plus passing yards.

Still a chance at the title A break awaits Fresno State, where it will have time to savor the victory and plan for more work ahead.

The ‘Dogs will head to Reno, Nevada, in a couple of weeks to face the Nevada Wolf Pack, which share a first-place lead with the San Diego State Aztecs.

But since the Bulldogs own the tiebreaker against San Diego State, it’s simple: win out, have San Diego State lose another game, and Fresno State is in the Mountain West Championship game.

It may have been a tough season for the Bulldogs, but hope is not all lost.

Instead, it is enlightened.

FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS CALENDAR NDAY

ESDAY TU

W

N ES D A ED

Y

MO

U TH

RSDA Y

Volleyball vs.

Boise State 7 p.m.

FRIDAY

MBasketball @ Pepperdine 7 p.m.

Cross Country vs. NCAA West Regional Championships

TURDAY A S

ND SU AY

Swimming Tri Meet noon Volleyball vs. Utah State 4 p.m.

WBasketball vs.

Cal Poly 2 p.m.