Fresno State Football: Coach Tim DeRuyter Expects Perfection from His Players

Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr threw for 536 yards and five touchdowns on Saturday night against San Diego State in a 52-40 win to open Mountain West play.

Bulldogs head coach Tim DeRuyter thought Carr's numbers were a bit higher than that.

"Derek threw for I think 700 yards and seven touchdown passes and he did some good things," said DeRuyter.

Don't worry, you didn't miss anything.  Neither did DeRuyter, though.  Along with Carr's monster numbers, the coach is including the touchdowns and yards gained on his quarterback's two interceptions.

"Yeah, they caught two touchdown passes and about 120 yards," said DeRuyter with a bit of a smirk.  "Derek knows that and he's got to clean that up," added the coach.

If we have learned only one thing from the first-year coach in this young season, it's that he is all about correcting mistakes and making the proper adjustments to prevent the same things from happening the next time his team takes the field.

Even with the big night from Carr on Saturday, DeRuyter proved he expects his players to strive for perfection and knows his players are on the same page.  How else would you describe a coach that isn't content with his quarterback having a record-setting night?

Carr tied former Bulldogs quarterback Dave Telford's single-game mark for passing yards against the Aztecs.  No. 4 also set school and Mountain West records by completing 42 passes and compiling 579 yards of total offense.

"He's a sharp kid and he wants to improve," said DeRuyter.  "That's why we really like him as a staff.  He's not happy throwing for whatever yards he threw for, he wants to play perfect."

Fresno State's all-time leading rusher, Robbie Rouse, wasn't safe from criticism after Saturdays win either.  Rouse is starting to come down with a case of fumble-itis, and DeRuyter wants it fixed.

"He's got rules, if he's at the point of attack he's got to get two hands on it and he didn't.  That is going to be something we emphasize this week," said DeRuyter.

The Bulldogs are 3-2 and 1-0 in Mountain West play.  If the Bulldogs are going to get that Mountain West Championship they covet, DeRuyter just might be on to something in the way he seems to keep his stars from believing their own press clippings.

Unless noted all quotes were taken first hand by Gean May at Tim DeRuyter's weekly press conference.