A very dangerous Fresno State Bulldog team hosts the Fighting Illini in a Friday e
vening showdown. Three of Fresno State’s four losses this season have come to teams ranked in the AP Top 25 poll (# 9 Boise State, # 17 Nevada and # 25 Hawaii). The Bulldogs have 14 seniors, who will play in their final game at Bulldog Stadium against Illinois. The Bulldog’s offense is a balanced attack led by SR QB # 15 Ryan Colburn. Fresno State averages 31 points and 375 yards of total offense per game, the ground game falls to the versatile SO RB # 8 Robbie Rouse. Favorite targets in the Bulldog aerial attack are: Rouse out of the back field and a trio of WR’s #17 Jamel Hamler, #11 Robbie Evans, and #6 Jalen Saunders.
Illini fans beware! The Bulldog offense lost a tough home game to Nevada 35-34, the same Nevada team that knocked off #4 Boise State last week. The Fresno defense is suspect especially in the secondary where they are allowing 215 yards through the air each game and 140 yards on the ground. The Bulldogs have an excellent linebacking core led by SR #54 Ben Jacobs and JR #53 Kyle Knox, who are very proficient in stopping the run.
The Illini must continue to do what they have done for the last five games on offense. The Illinois offense has rejuvenated itself in the last five games, averaging 46.8 points and 442.0 total yards per game. Hand the ball off to #5 Mikel Leshoure, and let the work horse get it done. The Illinois defense needs to assert its will in stopping the running game of the Fresno State Bulldogs. The Illini front seven must pressure the QB from Fresno to contain Fresno’s aerial attack. Hopefully we will see the Illini defense dominate the line of scrimmage as they did early in the 2010 season.
What a difference a year makes! Last season was the first meeting between the Bulldogs and the Fighting Illini in Fresno State program history. We all remember that Fresno State won the game, 53-52 after offensive lineman junior #79 Devan Cunningham caught a deflected pass and ran it in to the end zone for a two point conversion with seconds left on the clock. OUCH! Fresno State has a record of 7-4 hoping for eight wins, while the Illini have a record of 6-5 needing win seven to improve their bowl prospects.
Timeout the Fresno State Bulldog mascot:
A live Bulldog was brought to Fresno State football games as the mascot until 1980, when the Bulldogs moved into Bulldog Stadium and became more successful. A costumed Bulldog named TO (Timeout) was introduced in 1981. While Timeout has become a costumed mascot, there are still live bulldogs brought to the game. The costumed mascot, like those of other universities, has become a recognizable figure of the Fresno State football experience and will occasionally mock fight with other mascots.
What the “V” stands for:
The form of a green “V” on the back of the Fresno State Bulldogs helmets represents the San Joaquin Valley. The green in the “V” is a symbol to the agricultural community of the Central Valley, which is the world’s richest agricultural area. Fresno State is the only Division I football program in the Valley, a 250-mile stretch in California’s midsection from Bakersfield to Modesto, Coach Hill wanted to make the Bulldogs the “Green Bay Packers of college football.”