Fresno State Football: Bright Spots in a Dark Season, I'm Just Saying!

In a season filled with disappointment, there have been a few rays of sunlight that have burst through the rubble of the Fresno State Bulldogs’ 3-5 season with five games to play.

That ray of sunlight has been the Bulldogs' offense; no question about it.

Expectations were high at the start of  the 2011 season for Bulldogs fans.

A new quarterback and a fleet of young talented receivers, along with a nice stable of running backs, had fans anxious to start the season.

Defensive tackle Logan Harrell and safety Phillip Thomas were supposed to lead the defense and complement the offense.

The defense has been decimated by injuries and not performed well, giving up too many back-breaking big plays on what seams like a game-by-game basis.  The defense is allowing almost 36 points per game, which ranks them darn near dead last in that category at 113th.

Now, back to the offense.  Other than the Cal and Boise State games, the Bulldogs have not had a problem scoring points.  The Bulldogs are averaging 28.6 points per game, which is good enough to land them almost right in the middle at 59th.

The offensive side of the ball is chalked full of young talent.

Sea of Hands

There is no shortage of talent at the wideout position.  Wide receivers coach Keith Williams has done a tremendous job of developing this group of mostly young players.

Five guys in this group have caught 24 or more balls respectively.

Junior Rashad Evans leads the team in receptions at 32.

Sophomore Jalen Saunders has 26 catches, but he has a gaudy 23.1 per catch average with 600 total yards receiving and six touchdowns, which leads all receivers. 

Senior Devon Wylie and sophomore Isaiah Burse have 24 grabs each respectively.

Let’s not forget about the young pup of the group, Freshman Josh Harper has 28 catches for 361 yards and three touchdowns.

The Running Back

Yes, running back, not running backs.

Coach Pat Hill went to the stable, picked out a hoarse and has rode him all season long. 

Rouse has carried the ball 192 times for 984 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards every time Derek Carr puts the ball in his gut.

This Saturday against Louisiana Tech, Rouse should surpass the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight year.

Rouse doesn’t just carry the ball when asked. He is in on almost every play on offense, blocking, being a decoy or whatever it takes to help his team.

No. 4

Derek Carr has not disappointed and has lived up to his preseason billing.

The receivers that were mentioned earlier have their sophomore quarterback to thank for the bounty of balls that have found their way into each of their grateful hands.

Carr spreads the ball around nicely and does so with accuracy.  He can get you the ball by firing it out of his cannon for an arm, or he is more than capable of putting a nice touch on the ball when he needs to.

No. 4 has completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 1,980 yards and 15 touchdowns against five interceptions.

Keep an Eye Out

I know, nobody wants to here the wait until next year talk, trust me; I hate to do it.  I will put a different spin on it though.  Wait until the end of the season.  How does that sound?  Alright, let me explain.

 With all the young talent the Bulldogs have on offense (let's not forget that the offensive line has been plagued by injuries and is young as well), these guys could be clicking on all cylinders by season's end.  As good as these guys have been, there are five games left, and they will continue to improve.

All of the aforementioned offensive weapons with the exception of Wylie will most likely be back next year.

So, when the season comes to an end, fans will know what the future holds on offense, and I think all will be in agreement that it will be bright.

Let’s just hope the defense is able to catch up.

I’m just saying!