2007 Fresno State Bulldogs football team

2007 Fresno State Bulldogs football
Humanitarian Bowl champion
Humanitarian Bowl vs. Georgia Tech, W 40-28
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
2007 record	9-4 (6-2 WAC)
Head coach	Pat Hill
Offensive coordinator	Jim McElwain
Offensive scheme	Pro-Style
Defensive coordinator	Dan Brown
Base defense	4-3
Seasons « 2006 2008 »

2007 WAC football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
#19 Hawaiʻi †		8	–	0					12	–	1
Boise State		7	–	1					10	–	3
Fresno State		6	–	2					9	–	4
Nevada		4	–	4					6	–	7
Louisiana Tech		4	–	4					5	–	7
San Jose State		4	–	4					5	–	7
Utah State		2	–	6					2	–	10
New Mexico State		1	–	7					4	–	9
Idaho		0	–	8					1	–	11
† – Conference champion and BCS representative as top 000non-AQ school to meet automatic qualification criteria Rankings from AP Poll

The 2007 Fresno State football team represent California State University, Fresno in the 2007 college football season. This season will be the Bulldogs' 27th in their current home of Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California, and their 11th with Pat Hill as head coach.

Contents 1 Pre-Season 2 Schedule 3 Game notes 3.1 Sacramento State Hornets 3.2 Texas A&M Aggies 3.3 Oregon Ducks 3.4 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 3.5 Nevada Wolf Pack 3.6 Idaho Vandals 3.7 San Jose State Spartans 3.8 Boise State Broncos 3.9 Utah State Aggies 3.10 Hawaiʻi Warriors 3.11 Kansas State Wildcats 3.12 New Mexico State Aggies 4 Players 4.1 Roster 4.2 Awards 5 Coaching staff 6 References 7 Notes

Pre-Season

At the end of the 2006 season, former offensive coordinator Steve Hagen resigned to accept the coaching position of offensive coordinator at North Carolina. He will be replaced by Oakland Raiders assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach Jim McElwain. Former Fresno State quarterback Jeff Grady, who had worked as an assistant coach at Fresno State in previous years, was promoted to tight end coach for 2007.

Fresno State RB Dwayne Wright decided to forgo his senior season and enter the 2007 NFL Draft at the end of the 2006 season. He was projected as either a late second or early third round draft pick, but was not chosen until the fourth round. RB Lonyae Miller is expected to start in his place.

The Bulldogs opened spring drills on March 7 and the annual spring game took place on April 28. To expand the fan base and express gratitude to fans who come from throughout the California Central Valley, Fresno State holds spring scrimmages throughout the region. Fans in cities such as Visalia, located just south of Fresno, are able to watch the team scrimmage. Having these spring scrimmages throughout the Valley is not only good for recruitment, but contributes to the success of its growing fan base in an area that is generally ignored by college and professional sports. Fresno State is the only Division I FBS football program in the Central Valley, and the only professional major-league team in the Central Valley is the Sacramento Kings of the NBA, which are in the Sacramento Valley, far removed from Fresno's location in the more southerly San Joaquin Valley.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
09/01/2007	7:00 pm	Sacramento State*		Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA		W 24-3	35,963
09/08/2007	2:30 pm	at #23 Texas A&M*		Kyle Field • College Station, TX	FSN	L 45-47 3OT	75,922
09/15/2007	3:30 pm	at #19 Oregon*		Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR		L 52-21	58,525
09/29/2007	7:00 pm	Louisiana Tech		Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA (Battle for the Bone)		W 17-6	38,104
10/06/2007	1:00 pm	at Nevada		Mackay Stadium • Reno, NV		W 49-41	18,503
10/13/2007	2:00pm	at Idaho		Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID		W 37-24	14,205
10/20/2007	2:00 pm	San Jose State		Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA (Rivalry)		W 30-0	35,494
10/26/2007	6:00 pm	Boise State		Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA (Battle for the Milk Can)	ESPN2	L 34-21	40,607
11/03/2007	2:00 pm	Utah State		Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA		W 38-27	32,904
11/10/2007	8:05 pm	at #12 Hawaiʻi		Aloha Stadium • Honolulu, HI		L 37-30	49,047
11/24/2007	12:30 pm	Kansas State*		Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA	ESPN	W 45-29	34,671
11/30/2007	5:00 pm	at New Mexico State		Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM	ESPN2	W 30-23	6,397
12/31/2007	11:00 am	vs. Georgia Tech*		Bronco Stadium • Boise,ID (Humanitarian Bowl)	ESPN2	W 40-28	27,062
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Pacific Time.

Game notes

Sacramento State Hornets

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	0	3	0	0	3
Bulldogs	7	7	7	3	24

Quarterback Tom Brandstater went 16 of 27 for 199 yards in the victory against in-state FCS rival Sacramento State, who was limited to 102 total yards. Lonyae Miller and Clifton Smith both found the end zone for touchdowns, while freshmen running back Ryan Matthews ran for 77 yards on the night. The game also featured Fresno State's retirement of David Carr's No. 8 jersey during the halftime ceremony.

Texas A&M Aggies

	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	3OT	Total
Bulldogs	0	0	14	15	3	7	6	45
Aggies	7	12	3	7	3	7	8	47

This was the first-ever meeting between the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Texas Aggies.^[1]

The Texas A&M Aggies defeated the Bulldogs 47-45 in triple overtime, despite being outgained 438-393. Tom Brandstater established himself in the loss, going 22-32 for 286 yards and 3 touchdowns. A&M's Jorvorskie Lane rushed for 122 yards on 23 carries, and while Fresno State put together a tremendous second half performance and took the Aggies into three overtimes they could not find the end zone for the final two-point conversion that cost them the game.

ESPN reported, "Texas A&M turned to its powerful running back to stave off Fresno State... Jorvorskie Lane rushed for two of his four touchdowns in the second and third overtimes as the 23rd-ranked Aggies beat the feisty Bulldogs 47-45 in the first three-OT game in A&M history. The 6-foot, 268-pound Lane barreled for his final touchdown from 3 yards out, then charged into the end zone again for the winning 2-point conversion on A&M's final possession."^[2]

Oregon Ducks

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	6	8	0	7	21
Ducks	21	21	0	10	52

In a game marked by an impressive performance by Duck's running back Jonathan Stewart, the Bulldogs were largely outplayed on both sides of the ball in a 21-52 loss. Fresno State put up 327 total yards of offense, compared to Oregon's 461. Oregon was able to control the run very effectively, as Fresno State was only able to run for 60 yards total in the game, compared to 307 by Oregon running backs. Fresno State was able to produce more passing yards than Oregon, with Tom Brandstater going 18 of 32 for 219, compared to Dixon's 14 of 20 for 139 yards. Jonathan Stewart's 17 touches produced 165 yards and two touchdowns, including an 88 yard run.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	0	10	7	17
Bulldogs	3	3	0	0	6

Fresno State trailed at halftime 6-0 before taking control in the 2nd half in a 17-6 victory in Bulldog Stadium. Running Backs Lonyae Miller, Ryan Mathews, and Clifton Smith combined to rush for 139 yards with Smith producing a fourth-quarter touchdown. Louisiana Tech's quarterback Zac Champion passed for more yards than Fresno State's Tom Brandstater in the loss, going 22 of 48 with 179 yards compared to Brandstater's 8 for 22 attempts for 92 yards. The game was attended by 38,104 fans.

Nevada Wolf Pack

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	14	14	14	7	49
Wolf Pack	3	10	7	21	41

Fresno State earned its second conference win and third overall by beating Nevada in Reno. Fresno State quarterback Tom Brandstater passed for 168 yards going 10 for 16 in the win, but the real star of the game was running back Ryan Mathews, who rushed for 171 yards on 14 carries with three touchdowns. Lonyae Miller ran for 95 yards on 12 carries as well. Remarkably, Nevada-Reno quarterback Colin Kaepernick, a redshirt freshman who came into the game to fill in for starter Nick Graziano, went 23 for 26 for 384 yards in the loss. The recorded attendance was 18,503.

Idaho Vandals

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	7	10	14	6	37
Vandals	0	7	7	10	24

Fresno State quarterback Tom Brandstater went 17 of 22 for 178 yards to secure the away win for the Bulldogs. Lonyae Miller had another 100 yard game, going 108 yards on 18 caries. Idaho's Deonte Jackson also had a big game, rushing for 111 yards on 11 caries. Fresno State only outgained Idaho 421 to 420 in total yardage, but the 4 Idaho turnovers were costly. 14,205 watched the Bulldogs extend their winning streak to 3 in the Kibbie Dome.

San Jose State Spartans

	1	2	3	4	Total
Spartans	0	0	0	0	0
Bulldogs	3	3	21	3	30

Fresno State shutout rival San Jose State in the seventy-second meeting between the two conference opponents, earning the homecoming win. Going into halftime with a 6-0 lead having benefited from two missed Spartan kicks, the Bulldogs blew the game open to start the second half, with a 61-yard kickoff return by A.J. Jefferson, and a 14 yard touchdown run by Ryan Mathews. The freshmen Mathews later had a 58-yard touchdown run in a 144 yard game. Fresno State quarterback Tom Branstater threw for 132 yards, while San Jose State quarterback Adam Trafalis passed for 354 yards, and ran for 97 more in the losing effort. The Fresno State defense was efficient in keeping the powerful San Jose State offense out of the end zone.

Boise State Broncos

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	14	3	7	10	34
Bulldogs	14	0	0	7	21

Utah State Aggies

	1	2	3	4	Total
Aggies	0	7	10	10	27
Bulldogs	14	17	7	0	38

Hawaiʻi Warriors

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	7	9	0	14	30
Warriors	24	10	0	3	37

Kansas State Wildcats

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	14	7	0	8	29
Bulldogs	10	21	14	0	45

New Mexico State Aggies

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	6	17	7	0	30
Aggies	7	6	3	7	23

Players

Defensive Starters FS Marvin Haynes Jake Jorde WLB MLB SLB Marcus Riley Trevor Shamblee Ahjah Lane Qaadir Brown Ryan Machado Ryan McKinley SS Mosses Harris AJ Jefferson CB Damon Jenkins Marvin Haynes DE DT DT DE Tyler Clutts Charles Tolbert Jon Monga Jason Roberts Michael Stuart Kenny Avon Ikenna Ike Marlon Brisco CB Jason Blackmon Damion Owens

Offensive Starters WR Chastin West Jason Crawley LT LG C RG RT James Paulk Cole Popovich Cameron Harris Ryan Wendell Adam McDowell Bobby Lepori Robin Kezirian Joe Bernardi Richard Pacheo Pierce Masse TE Bear Pascoe Jesus Tapia WR Seyi Ajirotutu Kevin Ciccone QB Tom Brandstater Ryan Colburn FB Roshon Vercher Nate Adams RB Lonyae Miller Anthony Harding

Roster

(as of 04/09/2007)
Wide Receivers 5 Marlon Moore - Sophomore 6 Chastin West† - Sophomore 13 Jason Crawley - Sophomore 19 Seyi Ajirotutu† - Sophomore 17 Jamel Hamler - Freshman 25 Shannon Dorsey - Senior* 86 Darren Newborne - Sophomore Offensive Line 52 Richard Pacheco - Sophomore 60 Kenny Wiggins - Freshman* 61 Charley Robbins - Freshman* 62 Cole Popovich† - OG 65 Pierce Masse - Junior 68 James Meeks - Sophomore 69 Andrew Jackson - Freshman* 71 Nick Wright - Freshman* 72 Bobby Lepori† - Junior 73 Kenny Avon - Junior 74 Joe Bernardi - Freshman* 75 Chris Piligian - Senior* 76 Adam McDowell† - Junior 77 Ryan Wendell† - Senior 79 Sean Yandall - Junior 97 Jason Shirley - Senior* Tight Ends 49 Cameron Harris - Junior 80 Drew Lubinsky - Junior 81 Norman Davis - Sophomore 85 Bear Pascoe† - Junior 88 Jesus Tapia - Senior*		Quarterbacks 7 Tom Brandstater† - QB Junior 16 Matt Christian - Freshman 15 Ryan Colburn - Freshman* Running Backs 1 Lonyae Miller† - RB Sophomore 2 Clifton Smith - Senior* 22 Anthony Harding - Sophomore 27 Rich Owens - Sophomore 44 Frank Padilla - Freshman* 34 Jamal Rashad - Sophomore Fullbacks 40 Nathan Adams - Senior* 45 Isaac Kinter† -Sophomore 48 Reynard Camp - Sophomore Defensive Ends 11 Tyler Clutts - Senior* 41 Ikenna Ike - Junior 7 Jason Roberts† - Junior 90 Taylor Smith - Freshman* 55 Michael Stuart† - Junior Defensive Tackles 42 Charles Tolbert† - Senior 50 Cornell Banks - Freshman* 95 Mark Roberts - Freshman* 94 Jon Monga† - Junior 96 Wilson Ramos - Sophomore		Linebackers 10 Nico Herron - Freshman* 27 Chris Lewis - Freshman* 31 Marcus Riley - Senior* 32 Quaadir Brown† - Sophomore 34 Trevor Shamblee - Senior* 35 Nick Bates - Sophomore 43 Ahijah Lane - Senior* 47 Ryan Machado† - Sophomore 48 Frank Manquero - Sophomore 49 Todd Chisom - Sophomore 54 Ben Jacobs - Freshman* 56 Robert Schenck - Freshman* 58 Ryan McKinley† - Junior Defensive backs 4 Damion Owens† - Sophomore 22 Damon Jenkins - Senior* 26 Jason Blackmon† - Sophomore 27 Jay Reddick - Sophomore 28 A.J. Jefferson - Sophomore 46 Will Harding - Senior Safeties 19 Marvin Haynes† - Sophomore 40 Brian Gridiron - Senior 23 Jake Jorde - Junior 20 Lorne Bell - Freshman* 3 Moses Harris† - Sophomore Punters 42 Robert Malone† - P Sophomore Kickers 39 Clint Stitser - Senior* 35 Kyle Zimmerman† - K Senior* Long Snapper 90 Ken Amendola - Senior*
† Projected starter at position     * Injured.

Awards

Coaching staff

• Pat Hill - Head Coach
• Jim McElwain - Offensive Coordinator
• Dan Brown - Defensive Coordinator
• Jeff Grady - Tight Ends
• John Baxter - Special Teams/Wide Receivers
• Tom Mason- Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers
• Kerry Locklin - Defensive Line
• Tim Skipper - Running Backs
• Randy Stewart – Secondary
• Derek Frazier – Offensive Line
• Andy Buh - Graduate Assistant

References

Notes

Fresno State Bulldogs football Venues Bulldog Stadium (1980–present) Bowls & rivalries Bowl games Battle for the Bone (Louisiana Tech) San Jose State Milk Can (Boise State) Culture & lore Timeout Bulldog Marching Band People Head coaches Seasons 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

2007 Western Athletic Conference football season Team seasons Boise State • Fresno State • Hawai'i • Idaho • Louisiana Tech • Nevada • New Mexico State • San Jose State • Utah State Bowl games New Mexico Bowl • Hawaiʻi Bowl • Humanitarian Bowl • Sugar Bowl