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Fresno St: Scrappy "David" Awaits Goliath This Saturday

Discussion in 'The Tiger's Den' started by TejasTiger, Nov 14, 2005.

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ARTiger Founding Member

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I couldn't resist and someone took the bait.

http://mb11.scout.com/ffresnostatefrm1.showMessage?topicID=14640.topic&index=1

ARTiger, Nov 14, 2005

#11
TejasTiger Founding Member

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More interesting stuff:

Perspective Piece
Fresno State vs. USC, Nov. 19

By Matthew Zemek

On one hand, it’s hard to think that the defending national champions will be knocked off their Trojan horse by a WAC school. The 32-game winning streak, the Heisman contenders, the Hollywood hoopla, the aura of invincibility, the drive for a third straight championship, all dashed and diminished by Fresno State? In the L.A. Coliseum? At night? In late November, the same time John McKay’s great teams would spank Notre Dame on the road to championship glory and a triumphant appearance in the Rose Bowl?

Matt Leinart conquering Notre Dame but then losing to a Bulldog team not from Georgia? Yes, it’s hard for the human mind to conceive of a Fresno State shocker.

But that’s precisely the danger involved in this game. Fresno State has never had any concern for how other people think, how daunting the odds are.

Pat Hill’s program is located in a very hard-hit and economically beaten-down California town that lives, breathes and dies based on the success of its university sports teams. Fresno State would embrace Jerry Tarkanian on the basketball court, and has loved gridiron leaders in Jim Sweeney and Hill, his successor, because they brought success and national recognition to the Fresno community. And while it is Hill who leads the Bulldogs into Troy to topple the Trojans this year, it is something Sweeney did in 1992 that makes this Saturday’s game rich with intrigue.

Yes, Fresno State has shocked and undressed USC before, and in front of a national television audience. In the 1992 Freedom Bowl, a Trojan team playing close to home and expecting to win decided to roll its helmets out on the field. Sweeney’s Bulldogs made Troy pay for its lack of focus, hammering USC 24-7 in what stands as one of the great moments in Fresno State football history. Thirteen long years later, Hill--a longtime assistant to Sweeney who has never flinched from a challenge--brings his 2005 WAC champions (it’s not official, but it’s all over but the shouting) into the Coliseum fresh off their conquest of league archrival Boise State. Fresno is confident, blessed with two extra days of game preparation time (their 27-7 win over Boise took place on November 10, whereas USC’s game against Cal came on Nov. 12), and strengthened by the knowledge that this Bulldog team has managed to go through a season without stubbing its toe to inferior opposition in October, a nasty habit Hill’s teams had developed in previous seasons.

If there was ever a Fresno State team consistent enough, balanced enough, and mentally tough enough to take the fight to USC, this team is it. The Trojans are unquestionably a much better team, but if USC does have the proverbial off night--and since this is not a conference game for Troy, two weeks before the big showdown with an in-city rival from Westwood, there is the potential for a Trojan letdown--Fresno is definitely good enough to take advantage.

USC is ever closer to the Rose Bowl and a date with Texas, but if a banged-up team doesn’t continue to focus, Fresno can pick them off. It might be a David and Goliath matchup this Saturday night in L.A., but if the Coliseum Colossus steps off the gas pedal, David has a pretty accurate slingshot and the courage to fire it often.
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TejasTiger, Nov 15, 2005

#12
TejasTiger Founding Member

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Per Coach Jim Donnan (ESPN.com)

The Trojans bring their 32-game winning streak into Saturday's nonconference game against Fresno State. USC is 26-1 against current WAC teams with its only loss coming against Fresno State in the 1992 Freedom Bowl.

Fresno State (8-1) might be the most unheralded top-20 team in the AP Poll, having won seven in a row since losing at Oregon. I was impressed with Fresno State's defense against Boise State and how physical the Bulldogs were.

The key to beating USC is finding a way to slow the Trojans offense down and this Fresno State defense might be able to force some negative plays or jar some balls loose because they are so physical. USC also will have to shoot itself in the foot with turnovers and bad plays and Matt Leinart and the Trojans offense just don't seem to be able do that.

Pete Carroll has done an amazing job of developing this core defense since the early part of the year, and right now they are playing at a high level. USC has two tough games to end the regular season (Fresno State and UCLA), but in my mind, Fresno State is the more complete team because of its defense.
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TejasTiger, Nov 17, 2005

#13
blindside517 Founding Member

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i am gonna keep my eye on this game as much as i can...it only starts 30 minutes before our game so i will miss most of it....but go dogs!

blindside517, Nov 17, 2005

#14
ramah Founding Member

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Gotta watch the game and hope ... why not!

Unless some hatchet man comes in and takes Leinart out with a cheap shot ... I'm hoping ... USC hangs about 50 on em and heads across town to whip UCLA next week.

Can FS score more than 35 on USC ... ain't gonna happen!

ramah, Nov 17, 2005

#15
TejasTiger Founding Member

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LOL...some nice smak action on this thread: "You Know You're a USC Fan When..."

http://mb11.scout.com/ffresnostatefrm1.showMessage?topicID=14753.topic

I like the first one: ...you used to be an Oklahoma fan.

TejasTiger, Nov 17, 2005

#16
TejasTiger Founding Member

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You can chalk this up to being a too-positive column written by a homer of a journalist, but damn if it isn't a great read:

http://www.cbs47.tv/sports/localsports/story.aspx?content_id=DE1981A6-67FE-4950-A116-357B729155AA

Paul Loeffler: Why the 'Dogs can do it
Posted: 11/16/2005 8:56:05 AM

by Paul Loeffler, CBS 47 Sports Director

The last time USC lost a football game, the Red Sox were still bemoaning the "Curse of the Bambino," we thought the game of "red state, blue state" had something to do with Ohio State and Michigan, we were yet to hear NASCAR's most eloquently-crafted "Race for the Chase," and the Save Mart Center was still under construction.

The Trojans' 32-game win streak is older than my daughter, and I'm not alone in thinking it's gotten old enough. Notre Dame has had three chances to stop the streak, as have most of the schools in the Pac-10, and proud programs like Oklahoma, Michigan, and Virginia Tech have all fallen futilely short. So who in his right mind would think a team from the weakened WAC could be the one to crack the armor of college football's most dominating dynasty in decades? Pat Hill, that's who, and I, for one, don't think he's crazy (at least not for that reason).

Football is a game of momentum, and that holds true for a series, a quarter, a game, a season, and in Hill's case, nine years of putting his stamp on a program. Bouncing back after a flag-filled heartbreaker in Eugene, the Bulldogs have been steadily crescendoing toward a thunderclap, and a win in the Coliseum would provide the ultimate lightning strike for Hill's big picture as well as the 2005 snapshot. Confidence-building wins against New Mexico State, Idaho, and Utah State set the stage for Hill's first win at Hawai'i, which in turn helped spur the monkey-chasing victory over Boise State. The next step seems fairly obvious, albeit easier said than done.

Receiver Adam Jennings likens the prospect of a Bulldog win to the "I shook up the world!" moment of young Cassius Clay dethroning Sonny Liston. The David and Goliath references will be more plentiful this week than SUVs in USC's student parking lot, and I'll be shocked if the "Rocky" theme isn't audible in the Fresno State section Saturday. But whether by sling, in the ring, or hearing Jim Sweeney sing, the one thing all the great underdogs in history have in common is a sincere, abiding belief that the seemingly impossible dream is not just possible, but destined to unfold.

It's not cockiness, and it's not a reflection of any disrespect for the Trojans and what they've accomplished. Coach Hill, his staff, and his players know they are in for the challenge of their careers, but they're convinced they're up to the challenge. Not only is this the most physically talented team of Hill's tenure, it is undoubtedly the most focused and mature. Having to grow up in a hurry is never fun, but in time, the dividends arrive, and Fresno State is starting to reap the benefits of hard knocks. Think about the names embroidered above the numbers that have produced the unforgettable plays for this team. Pinegar, Mathis, Williams, McIntyre: to a man they've had to persevere and believe in themselves when snowballing circumstances threatened to crush their dreams.

For defensive dynamo Garrett McIntyre, a winless senior season in high school and the absence of a single scholarship offer could have been enough for him to hang up his cleats. But he kept the dream alive, went from walk-on to WAC all-star and has had his determination tested again his senior season by injuries, only to turn in his best performances in the biggest games. Do you really think he'll disappoint on the biggest stage of his life? When asked if he had Heisman winner Matt Leinart's picture on his dartboard all summer, McIntyre told me, "No, but I did have Zabransky's picture on my dartboard until last week, now I can take it down." All that intensity and focus, and a quick wit to boot. No wonder he was named Academic All-District 8 this week.

The toughness of Wendell Mathis was forged on an otherwise uneventful evening in Visalia. The Merced native had already been through some bumps in the road, having left the Valley for UCLA, then transferred closer to home after the Bruins changed coaches. As the Bulldogs scrimmaged at Central Valley Christian that night, Mathis met the first real challenge to his manhood, and turned it into the tenacity we see now every week. Plenty satisfied with the carries he had gotten and the hits he'd taken, Mathis was ready to come out, but Coach Hill wouldn't let him leave the field, and the anger and indignation only turned to determination for a runner who at that point had no reason to think he'd garner many carries behind Dwayne Wright and Bryson Sumlin. You know the rest of the story - Wright's injury against Kansas State gave Mathis the opening he was waiting for, and we all know how fast he hits a hole. The football fire still burns fiercely in Mathis, and now it's been refined and put in proper perspective with the birth of his daughter earlier this season.

Paul Pinegar's a father too, now, but that's just the latest in a string of growing up in a hurry moments for the senior, who is now six years removed from his senior season at Woodland High. After a greyshirt year and a redshirt year, Pinegar was thrown into the fire as a freshman when Jeff Grady got hurt. Capping that season by piloting the 'Dogs to a bowl win over Georgia Tech, Pinegar was riding high until an offseason crash on the way back from a casino started a string of learning experiences that have contributed to the #13 we watch today. A pectoral injury was next in line, followed by calls for his benching during the dark days in the middle of the 2004 season. Now a husband, a father, and a survivor of 41 games of highs and lows, cheers and boos, there isn't much the Trojans can throw at him that could trump what he's already been through.

Pinegar, Mathis, and McIntyre have been toughened by time and focused by fire, and there are another dozen Bulldogs that could illustrate similar variations of that same persevering theme, but it's hard to find any player who has shouldered a bigger burden than junior receiver Paul Williams. In less than a year, he lost his mother, his father, and the brother he was closest to in age and in spirit, Curtis. Paul had grown up watching Curtis play at Coalinga High, then Bullard, then the University of Washington. On a rainy day at Stanford Stadium, a collision left Curtis paralyzed from the neck down, and relying on a ventilator for breathing. It was a gutwrenching and faith-testing time for the tight-knit Williams family, but a silver lining was that it brought Paul and Curtis closer together. Curtis moved back to Fresno, living with older brother David, a former Fresno State receiver. That was close enough to go watch Paul play for the Avenal Buccaneers, and developing Paul's talents became one of Curtis' consuming passions. In person and on the phone, they'd talk technique, training, and strategy. One of Paul's considerations in choosing Fresno State over Washington was the fact that Curtis would be able to come to all his home games. The family had dealt with the catastrophic injury and was making the best out of a situation no one had ever wanted or asked for, and just when they started to settle into their new reality, Curtis died. Paul had lost his brother, his hero, and his best friend, and he had to deal not only with that heartache, but with the growing expectations of stardom from a Bulldog fan base that had seen David's talents as a receiver, and then brother James (J.D.) become a first-round draft pick as a defensive back.

It hasn't been easy, and he hasn't done it alone, but faith, family, and that fire you can see deep in his eyes have carried him through those trials and accelerated his maturation. With his broad shoulders, long stride, increasingly honed focus, and strong hands, he has become the big play threat the Trojans will be focused on Saturday, and like his aforementioned teammates, Paul has been through too much to be intimidated by the guys in scarlet and gold.

The Bulldogs have the strength, the speed, the coaching acumen, and the team chemistry to compete on the field, but why are they specially suited for snapping Southern California's streak? Because from their blue-collar coach to their persevering players, they're not afraid of the Trojan juggernaut. They've had their worlds shaken and turned upside down, and they dare to believe, not just dream, that Saturday is their time, the Coliseum is their place, to shake up the world.
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Geaux Bulldogs! :thumb:

TejasTiger, Nov 17, 2005

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RedElephants Founding Member

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ramah said:

Unless some hatchet man comes in and takes Leinart out with a cheap shot ... I'm hoping ... USC hangs about 50 on em and heads across town to whip UCLA next week.
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Um. I know that you are the most knowledgeable football fan ever BUT...I dont think that USC will hang up 50. ND was the best D they have seen all year and they put up like what 34...Fresno St. actually has a decent D and some good DB's. I think that this is an upset in the making because FSU can score and USC's D isn't all that good at all...

I hope I am right...But back to you ramah--you have the floor oh great one! :thumb:

RedElephants, Nov 17, 2005

#18
tirk im the lyrical jessie james

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RedElephants said:

Um. I know that you are the most knowledgeable football fan ever BUT...I dont think that USC will hang up 50. ND was the best D they have seen all year and they put up like what 34...Fresno St. actually has a decent D and some good DB's. I think that this is an upset in the making because FSU can score and USC's D isn't all that good at all...

I hope I am right...But back to you ramah--you have the floor oh great one! :thumb:
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ive seen a lot of football and it was hard for me to come to grips with reality but USC's offense is likely the most prolific I've ever seen. while other offenses, ie Nebraska, have put up higher scores in the past, i've seen none which could move the ball via land or sea (edit: maybe i meant air) at the clips of USC. I'd guess they average over 7 yards per carry or rush or something close which is unheard of.

Not sure where you concluded Notre Dame had a good defense. they're below average at best. They're certainly not the best defense USC faced this year. Oregon and Cal are certainly better and they are just average. Ironically, Arkansas has the best defense of all of them and thats including the 70-17 romp at the hands of the bathouse gang.

USC's defense is rated above every team they played by a long shot and are pretty good. considering its easy to let up when a game is out of reach like many of theirs, i dont think they've played badly at all.

Fresno has been tested by stalwarts such as weber st, new mex st, toledo, idaho, hawaii, utah st and san jose state.

saturday will be a completely different animal.

while i expect Fresno's defense to play tough for a half I see no way they keep up with the leinart and the burning bush for 60 minutes. 41-17 comes to mind.

tirk, Nov 17, 2005

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jwb0581 Founding Member

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What do the numbers 28, 21, 24, and 21 mean?

They are the number of points USC has given up to the mediocre quintet of Arizona St., Arizona, Washington, and Stanford, respectively.

This includes a surrendering of 450 yards of offense to Arizona St., 378 yards to Washington, and 439 yards to Stanford.

Unfortunately, Fresno has not been tested hardly at all this year. The only ranked team they played was Oregon, a game they lost 37-34. It's worth noting, though, that Fresno was uncharacteristically penalized heavily in that game, to the tune of 16 times for 155 yards.

jwb0581, Nov 17, 2005

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