2008 Fresno State Bulldogs football team
American college football season
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The 2008 Fresno State football team (variously "Fresno State" or "the 'Dogs") represented California State University, Fresno in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by 12th-year head coach Pat Hill, who had a contract lasting through the 2010 season.[1] This season was the Bulldogs' 28th in their current home of Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California.
- Pat Hill (12th season)
| 2008 Fresno State Bulldogs football | |
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New Mexico Bowl, L 35–40 vs. Colorado State | |
| Conference | Western Athletic Conference |
| Record | 7–6 (4–4 WAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Doug Nussmeier (1st season) |
| Offensive scheme | Pro-style |
| Defensive coordinator | Dan Brown (8th season) |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| Home stadium | Bulldog Stadium (Capacity: 41,031) |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 11 Boise State $ | 8 | – | 0 | 12 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana Tech | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nevada | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hawaii | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fresno State | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Jose State | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah State | 3 | – | 5 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico State | 1 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason
The Bulldogs has enjoyed success as one of the most highly regarded BCS non-AQ conference schools in the country in the previous decade. The 2007 team finished with 9 wins, 4 losses, including a victory in the 2007 Humanitarian Bowl. The annual spring game for the 2008 season took place on April 18, and the Bulldogs concluded spring drills on April 21.
Going into the summer, the Bulldogs already began to draw attention to their team in the post-spring preseason polls released by sports pundits, drawn to the large number of returning starters, along with the impressive finish, beating the Georgia Tech in the 2007 Humanitarian Bowl to finish the season with a record of 9-4. Athlon has released their preseason 25 poll with the Bulldogs listed ranked #25;[2] Dennis Dodd of CBS Sportsline has ranked the team at #24;[3] and Mark Schlabach of ESPN placed the Bulldogs in the #21 spot.[4]
At the end of the 2007 season, former offensive coordinator Jim McElwain resigned to accept the coaching position of offensive coordinator at Alabama, replacing former Texas Longhorn Major Applewhite. On February 28, 2008, Fresno State announced the hire of Doug Nussmeier as the Offensive Coordinator at Fresno State.[5]
Personnel
Coaching staff
| Name | Position | Seasons at Fresno State | Alma mater |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Hill | Head coach | 12th as HC; 18th overall | UC Riverside (1973) |
| Doug Nussmeier | Offensive coordinator | 1st | Idaho (1994) |
| Dan Brown | Defensive coordinator | 11th | |
| Jeff Grady | Tight Ends | 2nd | |
| John Baxter | Special Teams/Wide Receivers/Assistant Head Coach | 12th | Loras College |
| Will Plemons | Linebackers | 1st | |
| Kerry Locklin | Defensive line | 9th | New Mexico State (1982) |
| Tim Skipper | Running backs | 3rd | Fresno State (2001) |
| Randy Stewart | Secondary | 2nd | |
| Derek Frazier | Offensive line | 2nd | |
| Mike Kelly | Graduate Assistant | 1st | |
| Mike Schepers | Graduate Assistant | 1st | |
Roster
Depth chart
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Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | 1:30 pm | at Rutgers* | ESPN | W 24–7 | 42,508 | ||
| September 13 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 10 Wisconsin* | No. 21 | ESPN2 | L 10–13 | 42,387 | |
| September 20 | 5:15 pm | at Toledo* | No. 25 | ESPNU | W 55–54 2OT | 20,096 | |
| September 27 | 12:30 pm | at UCLA* | No. 22 | ABC | W 36–31 | 73,963 | |
| October 4 | 7:00 pm | Hawaii | No. 22 |
| L 29–32 OT | 40,572 | |
| October 11 | 7:00 pm | Idaho |
| W 45–32 | 37,015 | ||
| October 25 | 12:00 pm | at Utah State | W 30–28 | 14,071 | |||
| November 1 | 11:30 am | at Louisiana Tech | L 35–38 | 20,300 | |||
| November 7 | 6:00 pm | Nevada |
| ESPN2 | L 28–41 | 33,207 | |
| November 15 | 2:00 pm | New Mexico State |
| W 24–17 | 36,137 | ||
| November 21 | 6:30 pm | at San Jose State | ESPN2 | W 24–10 | 24,384 | ||
| November 28 | 3:00 pm | at No. 9 Boise State | ESPN2 | L 10–61 | 32,412 | ||
| December 20 | 11:30 am | vs. Colorado State | ESPN | L 35–40 | 24,735 | ||
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Game summaries
At Rutgers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 25 Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 24 |
| Scarlet Knights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
No. 10 Wisconsin
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 10 Badgers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| No. 21 Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
At Toledo
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 14 | 3 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 55 |
| Rockets | 7 | 14 | 3 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 54 |
At UCLA
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 24 Bulldogs | 7 | 13 | 16 | 0 | 36 |
| Bruins | 7 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 31 |
1-6 all time. Last meeting in 2003. (17-9 in San Jose in the Silicon Valley Bowl) A Derrick Coleman fumble in the redzone in the fourth quarter took away the Bruins' hope of keeping the Bulldogs from winning a game in the Rose Bowl stadium. Fresno State won its first game there by five points, taking control of the final 8 minutes and 55 seconds and not allowing a UCLA comeback.
Hawaii
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warriors | 9 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 32 |
| No. 22 Bulldogs | 3 | 6 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 29 |
Idaho
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vandals | 3 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 32 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 45 |
At Utah State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 30 |
| Aggies | 7 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 28 |
At Louisiana Tech
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno State Bulldogs | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | 7 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 38 |
Nevada
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolf Pack | 7 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 41 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
New Mexico State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aggies | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Bulldogs | 3 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
At San Jose State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 3 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 24 |
| Spartans | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
At No. 9 Boise State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| No. 9 Broncos | 7 | 6 | 28 | 20 | 61 |
vs. Colorado State (New Mexico Bowl)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 10 | 10 | 0 | 20 | 40 |
| Bulldogs | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
Awards
First Team All WAC
Bobby Lepori- Sr. OL
Second Team All WAC
Bear Pascoe- Sr. TE- 2007 1st team
Chris Carter- So. LB
Ben Jacobs-So. LB
Moses Harris- Jr. DB