Fresno State Football Facing Last Chance To Prove Themselves

Pat Hill has his work cut out for him in 2010.

With everything that's gone on so far during the off-season, it stands to reason the Fresno State head coach is looking forward to this coming season. Not only is he excited about his roster, but it will be the final time lock up with conference rival Boise State.

The Broncos made a move that one would consider a step up in the world when they accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference in 2011.

Unfortunately for Fresno State, among a few other schools, Boise State was the one and only team that was invited to join. But, with the impending departure of Utah to the Pac-10 next year, it would make sense that the MWC would want to replace the Utes, even though the conference commissioner says they're just fine where they are.

The Bulldogs will enter the 2010 season wanting to prove themselves to all of their critics one more time. They know they have the talent, they know they have the ability, but that doesn't always lead to the best of results.

It seems that, prior to each season, this team has the ability to win 10-12 games—yet they fall well short of that. They underachieve, they disappoint.

However, they have the incentive to surprise the college football world before Boise State's departure turns the WAC into something just about as mediocre and irrelevant as the Sun Belt Conference. No matter how you want to spin it, with Boise State out of the conference, there's really nothing left to hold your hat on.

The Bulldogs want to beat Boise State. Little brother wants to throw an out-of-nowhere left cross that leaves big brother with a slightly noticeable black eye on the way out the door. There's only one problem with that theory, and it's the fact that the game will be played in Boise, a place Fresno State has had little to no success.

This is a Boise State team that, at the end of the tunnel, has a long awaited shot at a national championship if they could go undefeated and do so in convincing fashion. So why wouldn't Fresno State want to be the one to shut the door on history? That is, if Virginia Tech doesn't do it right out of the gate.

The Bulldogs will rely on players like quarterback Ryan Colburn, running back Robbie Rouse, wide receivers Devon Wylie and Jamel Hamler, tight end Vince Pascoe, and defensive end Chris Carter to make this team better than it's been in the past.

To do that, Hill took his staff out to Provo, Utah this past February to meet with the coaching staff at BYU. While that may seem strange to have two different coaching staffs meet, the two teams won't face each other unless they happen to be matched up in a bowl game.

Both offensive staffs met and the Bulldogs learned how to be more efficient on the offensive side of the ball, especially through the air. Though the Bulldogs were 14th in the nation in scoring, 17th in total offense, and eighth in rushing, they wanted to be even better this season.

Jeff Grady, Fresno State's quarterback coach, told the school's official site , "When I watched BYU on film closely, we have similar offensive personnel. In some areas I think we had better personnel and in some areas they may have been a little better, but not a huge difference. What they have been able to do over the years is impressive.

"We do some things really well and they do some things really well. They are so efficient in their passing game and we learned how they accomplish that. Hopefully we can make some adjustments in how we do things to get better and be more efficient."

The Bulldogs are going to need all the help they can get, except the majority of their problems aren't on the offensive side but on the defensive side. Fresno State gave up almost 30 points per game (27.8) and over 400 yards per game (411.7), not to mention they were one of the worst defenses against the run, giving up 212.4 yards per game.

While I applaud Hill for wanting to get better offensively, that wasn't really their problem last season, averaging 34.3 points per game and 435.9 total yards per game, including 231.6 rushing yards per game.

So, again, while I'm glad the Fresno State coaching staff got something out of their meeting with BYU, it doesn't help their secondary from getting burned on deep balls or their defensive line from getting run over by every running back and running quarterback.

This is Fresno State's last chance to prove they are what they've always said they were: the little team that could.

Losing to Boise State won't really sting all that much, seeing as they've gotten pretty good at that over the years. What will sting, however, is losing conference games to the likes of Utah State, Nevada, and Louisiana Tech. Lose games against those teams and you may as well be irrelevant to the rest of college football.

Hill has worked hard to get this team on the college football map. Only problem is, his football team has worked hard and wiping themselves off of it.

They look great at times and far less than mediocre at others. If there's a middle ground somewhere in there, it would be better than what Bulldog fans have watched in the all too recent past.

The Bulldogs and the Boise State Broncos will meet one last time, and it will be on the smurf turf in Boise on a Friday night in November. What's even more fitting is the fact that it will be the 10th game for the Bulldogs. So the excuse of, "The game was too early in the season," won't be in play for this one.

They have a chance to change the course of history for not only Boise State but for themselves, one last chance to show fans why they should still come to Bulldog Stadium and keep the Red Wave roaring like it has for so many years.