Fresno State Bulldogs vs Cal Bears: 5 Things for Bulldogs Fans to Keep an Eye On

The talk is almost over. Tomorrow in San Francisco, the game between the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Cal Bears will kick off the 2011 college football season for both teams.

I said the talk is almost over. By now fans have looked at the matchups and know their respective teams rosters and don’t need a full-on preview.

Following is a list of things I think Bulldogs fans should keep an eye on while watching Saturday's game. 

Cal Quarterback Zach Maynard

The Bears will run out Zach Maynard on Saturday for the first time.

Although Maynard is making his Cal debut, unlike Derek Carr for the Bulldogs, Maynard has already set foot on Division I soil for an entire season. Maynard is a strong-armed lefty transfer from Buffalo.

Maynard left Buffalo after the 2009 season, during which he passed for 2,694 yards and 18 TDs.

If the game comes down to quarterback play, it will be interesting to see how things play out.

Fresno State Quarterback Derek Carr

Fans have been waiting for two-plus years for Derek Carr to don the red and white on game day.  Now it's time for Carr to step between the lines and leave all the anticipation in the rear-view mirror.

Like I said, Carr has never played in a D-1 game, but he is far from a wet-behind-the-ears rookie.  Besides his much talked about football pedigree, he has been in the system for two years watching and learning. But is this enough to hush all the naysayers who say it will take him time to adjust and that he may not be ready?

Will there be growing pains? Most likely, but Derek has the advantage of having his big brother David Carr as his wing man to guide him through this thing.

So, by saying that Carr is something to keep an eye on, I mean it, don’t blink because this kid could hit the ground running and not look back.

The Cal Defense

The one bright spot in Cal’s 2010 season was its defense. The Bears were first in the conference in total defense, allowing 319.1 yards per game.

This year could be another story. Six starters have departed, including two standouts in defensive end Cameron Jordan and linebacker Mike Mohamed, who left for the NFL.

Coaches are now hoping Fresno native Mychal Kendricks will anchor the defense. The Bears are also high on Viliami Moala, a 6’2" 350-pound nose tackle from Sacramento.

Fresno State Running Game

Robbie Rouse will be the lead dog for the team in 2011, but Milton Knox, a transfer from UCLA, will get plenty of touches as well.

Knox is similar to Rouse when it comes to size, giving opposing defenses two little guys to find and chase around. Knox may be used more out of the backfield in passing situations than Rouse though. The bulldogs averaged 150.6 yards per game in 2010, which ranked 65th in the nation.

Rouse was a nice surprise last year. After an inconsistent start, he got his legs underneath him and finished the season with 205 carries for 1,129 yards for a 5.5-yard average and eight TDs.

A.J. Ellis returns as well, so the team has a great chance to improve on that average per game stat.

Fresno State’s Defense

The team suffered a big blow when star safety Phillip Thomas went down with a possible season-ending injury.

Thomas broke his leg in practice on Wednesday afternoon. This is definitely something to keep an eye on. As Carr is the leader on offense, some would say that Thomas is the leader on defense.

The Bulldogs still have have Logan Harrell, who brings his 10.5 sacks from 2010, which ranked 11th in the nation. Fans should also keep an eye on linebacker Kyle Knox as well.

Now the talk is over. It's time for the Bulldogs to start their last season in the WAC and prove that they belong in the Mountain West Conference.