|
DE
Tyler Clutts |
|
|
2006
Statistics |
Coach:
Pat Hill
76-51,
10 years |
2006
Record: 4-8 |
|
NEVADA |
WON
28-19 |
OREGON |
LOST
24-31 |
at
Washington |
LOST
20-21 |
COLORADO
STATE |
LOST
23-35 |
at
Utah State |
LOST
12-13 |
HAWAI'I |
LOST
37-68 |
at
Louisiana State |
LOST
6-38 |
at
Boise State |
LOST
21-45 |
NEW
MEXICO STATE |
WON
23-18 |
IDAHO |
WON
34-0 |
at
Louisiana Tech |
WON
34-27 |
at
San Jose State |
LOST
14-24 |
|
2006
Final Rankings
AP-UR, Coaches-UR, BCS-UR
|
2007
Outlook |
What
was one of the winningest teams in
the past 20 years (171 victories since
1985 ranks them 16th in I-A over that
span) took a huge step back in 2006.
Finishing 4-8 earned 11-year veteran
Pat Hill his worst result here and
only his second losing season as a
head coach. There was a lot of blame
to go around on both sides of the
ball. Only scoring 12 points off of
(arguably) the worst defense/team
in all of Division I-A ball last year
– that of Utah State –
marked the beginning of a low point
for the offense, one that took four
games to fix. A huge part of the offensive
struggles came care of having a new
starting QB. But a year older and
(hopefully) a year wiser, Tom Brandstater
carries the hopes of the Bulldogs
to return to the same levels seen
just a few years ago. The playbook
will open up slowly, and deeper passes
that stretch the field will do wonders
for making more room underneath. The
running game was fine and will continue
to produce, regardless. The defense
is symmetrical, with the secondary
needing the most help and the run
stoppers adequate and likely to improve.
The entire D is well stocked on the
first-team, but depth problems across
the board could quickly/easily threaten
the efforts to rebound. Playing in
the WAC, the Bulldogs used to exhibit
a level of play well above most others
in the league. But games that used
to be gimme’s now seem challenging,
hence, trips to Honolulu, Reno (Nevada)
and Las Cruces (New Mexico State)
have to be as concerning as trips
to College Station (Texas A&M)
and Eugene (Oregon). Boise and Kansas
State, though both home games, make
it seven strong foes who can quickly
make this another sub-.500 finish.
Progress through spring was promising,
but this team will have to again establish
itself as a dominant power in the
west for foes to fear them…nothing
comes easy for a mid-major that was
on the verge of prominence but then
fell, even if just for one season.
Regardless, Hill is a classically
great coach, helping his boys become
men with valuable life lessons through
football as well as through a staunch
approach to their academics. His Bulldogs
have raised their GPAs from 2.21 to
2.87 over the past decade, and the
93 academic All-WAC selections during
that span eclipses second-place Hawai’i’s
total of 46 (FS had only nine prior
to Hill’s arrival). Kudos to
Hill and his staff for assuring his
guys all of the educational benefits
they should receive as student-athletes
(most of whom will go onto do something
besides football). That makes Fresno’s
football program a winner, exclusive
of what happens on gameday, and Hill
an even bigger winner for putting
humanity above sport, something not
often seen in today’s money-oriented
approach.
Projected
2007 record: 6-6
|
|
FRESNO
STATE
*POWER RATINGS |
Offense |
Defense |
QB
- 3 |
DL
- 3 |
RB
- 3 |
LB
- 3 |
WR
- 3 |
DB
- 2 |
OL
- 4 |
.. |
|
RETURNING
LEADERS |
Passing:
Tom Brandstater, 146-268-14, 1490
yds., 13 TD
Rushing: Lonyae Miller, 54
att., 287 yds., 2 TD
Receiving: Chastin West, 33
rec., 365 yds., 3 TD
Scoring: Clint Stitser, 11-16
FG, 31-33 PAT, 64 pts.
Punting: Kyle Zimmerman, 42
punts, 36.8 avg.
Kicking: Clint Stitser, 11-16
FG, 31-33 PAT, 64 pts.
Tackles: Ahijah Lane, 64 tot.,
35 solo
Sacks: Tyler Clutts, 5 sacks
Interceptions: Damon Jenkins,
3 for 70 yds., 1 TD
Kickoff returns: Chastin West,
24 ret., 22.0 avg., 1 TD
Punt returns: Clifton Smith,
19 ret., 7.3 avg., 0 TD
|
|
|
K
Clint Stitser |
|
|
|
OFFENSE
- 7 |
----RETURNING
STARTERS---- |
DEFENSE
- 4 |
|
KEY
LOSSES |
OFFENSE:
Roshon Vercher-FB, Joe Fernandez-WR,
Paul Williams-WR, Kyle Young-C, Chris
Denman-OT, Dwayne Wright-RB (NFL) |
DEFENSE:
Marlon
Brisco-DE, Louis Leonard-DT, Dwayne
Andrews-MLB, Alan Goodwin-OLB, Elgin
Simmons-CB, Marcus McCauley-CB, Josh
Sherley-SS, Vincent Mays-FS |
|
|
2007
OFFENSE |
It
was one and done for old coordinator Steve
Hagen. Finishing ranked 101st in passing
didn’t sit well with Pat Hill, so
he got Jim McElwain to step in. Accordingly,
McElwain is a passing game specialist whose
stops have all resulted in sizable increases
in aerial production. And his best hope
is for top gun Tom Brandstater to have learned
from the oft-seen mistakes from his first
season as a starter. Brandstater is 6’5
and can run with success, so he is the physical
package needed. But his 14 INTs offset his
13 TD passes, and the offense was unable
to open up the entire playbook when he was
under center. Sean Norton transferred (N.
Arizona), which means RS frosh Ryan Colburn
has become, by default, second string. Colburn
is a bit shorter but just as physically
imposing, and his success as a dual-threat
QB in prep has many tabbing him “the
FS quarterback of the future.” First,
though, he will have to wait for Brandstater
to give him an opening, and since the junior
only had two games where he barely went
over 200 passing yards, Colburn’s
chance could come sooner than later. One
thing Fresno did well was running the ball
(Hill’s specialty), and the new workhorse
is Lonyae Miller. Perfectly sized to plow
through a small gap or skirt quickly around
the corner, the underrated soph only lost
one yard on his 54 carries in his initial
campaign. Classmate Anthony Harding is a
bit bigger and just as fast; the youth movement
also includes H-backs/fullbacks Stuart and
Kitner, with Kitner’s great receiving
skills the production highlight of that
unit. Losing Wright shouldn’t affect
the quality of the rushing attack, especially
with nearly the entire front line returning
in full. Ex-DE Richard Pacheco is the new
cog at right guard, and he will be brought
along quickly due to those teaching by example
around him. That mostly references Ryan
Wendell, the Rimington watch-list center
who best represents the athletic, quick-footed
Bulldogs who push and protect on the line.
On Pacheco’s right, Adam McDowell
can give him firsthand accounts since he
started at RG last year. But it is juniors
Bobby Lepori and Kenny Avon who again will
protect the QB’s blindside, and repeating
last year’s total of 12 sacks allowed
(third-best in the nation in ’06;
lowest sack total – 26 – over
last two seasons) evidently isn’t
too much to ask (though, that number will
rise with more passing in ’07). TE
Bear Pascoe helps in many ways, none less
than with his 22 catches – Pascoe’s
total was good for fourth-best on the team
and he had Fresno’s second-highest
average per catch (14.0); his 75 yard grab
against Hawai’i tied him for the longest
Bulldog reception of the year. He will help
to open up the deep middle, which is where
Marlon Moore will hopefully be found. State
has to establish the long pass again, an
element that was missing last time and one
that invited DBs into the box once they
realized Brandstater’s lack of (successful)
throws over their heads. Chastain West uses
his big body to secure underneath routes
that lead to YAC, but he could be the field-stretching
guy if given that task. The sophomore backups
are experienced and make the Bulldogs formidable
when in three-, four- and five-receiver
sets. Whether Brandstater is a year better
will dictate whether FS has a chance to
return to those eight- and nine-win types
of campaigns, or whether they will again
struggle just to break even.
|
|
C
Ryan Wendell
|
|
|
FRESNO
STATE 2007 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
OFFENSE |
QB |
Tom
Brandstater-Jr (6-5, 220) |
Ryan
Colburn-Fr (6-3, 220) |
FB |
Michael
Stuart-Jr (6-4, 245) |
Isaac
Kinter-So (6-1, 240) |
RB |
Lonyae
Miller-So (5-11, 205) |
Anthony
Harding-So (6-0, 215)
Clifton Smith-Sr (5-8, 190) |
WR |
Marlon
Moore-So (6-0, 180) |
Seyi
Ajirotutu-So (6-3, 200) |
WR |
Chastin
West-So (6-1, 215) |
Jason
Crawley-So (6-2, 185) |
TE |
Bear
Pascoe-Jr (6-5, 260) |
Drew
Lubinsky-Jr (6-6, 250) |
OT |
Bobby
Lepori-Jr (6-5, 285) |
Kenny
Avon-Jr (6-3, 285) |
OG |
Cole
Popovich-Sr (6-6, 265) |
Pierce
Masse-Jr (6-4, 285) |
C |
Ryan
Wendell-Sr (6-2, 260) |
Joe
Bernardi-Fr (6-2, 280) |
OG |
Richard
Pacheco-Jr (6-2, 285) |
Andrew
Jackson-Fr (6-5, 260) |
OT |
Adam
McDowell-Jr (6-4, 285) |
James
Meeks-So (6-5, 310) |
K |
Clint
Stitser-Sr (6-1, 200) |
Kyle
Zimmerman-Sr (6-1, 200) |
|
|
2007
DEFENSE |
Last
year’s undoing is a direct result
of the poor showing on defense – all
five times an opponent scored over 30 points,
Fresno lost. As a matter of fact, during
Hill’s 10 year tenure, the Bulldogs
are 1-31 when their opponent goes over the
30-point barrier. That means Hill and coordinator
Dan Brown are 75-20 when they hold foes
to 30 or less, so the bar is set. The run
stopping was adequate, and end Tyler Clutts
returning for his senior year will help
the line’s rebuilding process. The
team leader in sacks has enough athleticism
to cover a tight end, a major reason Clutts
earned all-WAC last year. Experienced juniors
Roberts and Ike are the same speedy guys
who know how to contain. Depth drops off
from there, though, Miami/Wazzu-transfer
and local-product (Clovis West) Chris Lewis
seems to be on the two-deep with his strong
spring. Inside, big Jason Shirley uses his
6’5 frame well (three blocked kicks)
and demands double-teams. Jon Monga is ready
for the start after proving himself as an
oft-seen reserve, and the fact that he seems
to have passed former starter Charles Tolbert
bodes well for stopping ability. But there
is even bigger drop off with the tackle
reserves once past these three, so health
concerns exist all along the front. The
linebackers rebuild around Ahijah Lane,
a senior who didn’t quite perform
at the high level expected as a starter
on the outside. Now commanding things from
the middle, Lane’s level of play has
to be seen as a barometer for the entire
D and he could really excel after lessons
learned are applied. That is especially
true with the likes of seniors Trevor Shamblee
(strongside) and Marcus Riley (weakside)
complimenting him. Riley seems back at full
strength after a knee injury lingered and
affected last year’s effort, and Shamblee
is hopefully going to be ready after Quaadir
Brown filled in all spring. These guys know
the ropes here and the trio is good enough
to bring this defense back to a top 40 unit.
It’s the same old story here, too,
with regards to the reserves being green,
but recent recruits (Jacobs, Machado) buoy
the hopes of refurbishing the ranks. Another
way to see how the defense is doing is to
examine the progress of the secondary after
it posted a ranking of 107th for pass efficiency.
Senior Damon Jenkins is the leader at corner,
and he will send plenty of business to the
other side for Damion Owens and JUCO-transfer
Sharrod Davis to battle over. More talent
behind them, added to the surge of three-star
DB prospects, equals much promise for the
outsides. Sophomore Marvin Haynes started
the last four games at free safety, and
he was one of the reasons, as just a RS
frosh, his team won three of them. Classmate
Moses Harris has very little experience
as he steps up at strong safety; he has
the raw talent to become great, but how
much time that takes is unclear. There is
the same lack of development past the starters
at safety. Moreover, the DBs only earned
three INTs last year (all were by Jenkins),
and with the modest number of tackles-for-loss
to accompany opponent’s strong 46%
third-down conversion rate, it doesn’t
take an expert to realize what this team
needs to accomplish to improve the win total.
|
|
DT
Jason Shirley
|
|
|
FRESNO
STATE 2007 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
DEFENSE |
DE |
Tyler
Clutts-Sr (6-2, 245) |
Ikenna
Ike-Jr (6-1, 255) |
NT |
Jon
Monga-Jr (6-2, 280) |
Charles
Tolbert-Sr (5-11, 265) |
DT |
Jason
Shirley-Sr (6-5, 330) |
Cornell
Banks-Fr (6-3, 265) |
DE |
Jason
Roberts-Jr (6-5, 250) |
Chris
Lewis-Fr (6-3, 245) |
SLB |
Trevor
Shamblee-Sr (6-1, 220) |
Ben
Jacobs-Fr (6-3, 225) |
MLB |
Ahijah
Lane-Sr (6-1, 225) |
Ryan
McKinley-Jr (6-2, 220) |
WLB |
Marcus
Riley-Sr (6-0, 220) |
Quaadir
Brown-So (6-0, 210) |
CB |
Damon
Jenkins-Sr (5-11, 180) |
Damion
Owens-So (5-11, 185) |
CB |
Sharrod
Davis-Jr (5-11, 190) |
AJ
Jefferson-So (6-0, 180) |
SS |
Moses
Harris-So (6-1, 200) |
Lorne
Bell-Fr (5-10, 195) |
FS |
Marvin
Haynes-So (6-1, 195) |
Jake
Jorde-Jr (6-1, 195) |
P |
Kyle
Zimmerman-Sr (6-1, 200) |
Robert
Malone-So (6-2, 215) |
|
|
|
2007
SPECIAL TEAMS |
Kicker
Clint Stitser provides an automatic three points
from kicks less than 40 yards, but struggles from
beyond there. He puts over one-third of his kickoffs
in the endzone and offers a serious presence on
the coverage team (bench 350+, squats 500lbs).
Punter Kyle Zimmerman controls his efforts rather
than overpowering each try, but Fresno took a
hue step back in net results - foes got 335 return
yards, an aberration from the results over the
prior few years. West and Smith do an adequate
job as the kick and punt returners, respectively,
but have yet to ‘wow’ anyone with
their efforts. Pat Hill’s special teams
units have blocked 70 kicks during his time here
– 35 punts and 35 FGAs or PATs, including
seven last season.
|
|
|
|
|