2007 Fresno State Bulldogs football team

2007 Fresno State Bulldogs football
Humanitarian Bowl champion
Humanitarian Bowl, W 40–28 vs. Georgia Tech
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Record	9–4 (6–2 WAC)
Head coach	Pat Hill (11th season)
Offensive coordinator	Jim McElwain (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Dan Brown (7th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Bulldog Stadium (Capacity: 41,031)

2007 Western Athletic Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 19 Hawaii $		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 non-AQ school to meet automatic qualification criteria Rankings from AP Poll

The 2007 Fresno State football team represented California State University, Fresno in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. This season was the Bulldogs' 27th in their current home of Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California and their 11th with Pat Hill as head coach.

Preseason

Spring 2007 Scrimmage in Visalia

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.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	7:00 pm	Sacramento State*	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA		W 24–3	35,963
September 8	2:30 pm	at No. 23 Texas A&M*	Kyle Field College Station, TX	FSN	L 45–47 3OT	75,922
September 15	3:30 pm	at No. 19 Oregon*	Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR		L 21–52	58,525
September 29	7:00 pm	Louisiana Tech	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA		W 17–6	38,104
October 6	1:00 pm	at Nevada	Mackay Stadium Reno, NV		W 49–41	18,503
October 13	2:00 pm	at Idaho	Kibbie Dome Moscow, ID		W 37–24	14,205
October 20	2:00 pm	San Jose State	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA (rivalry)		W 30–0	35,494
October 26	6:00 pm	Boise State	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA (Battle for the Milk Can)	ESPN2	L 21–34	40,607
November 3	2:00 pm	Utah State	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA		W 38–27	32,904
November 10	8:05 pm	at No. 14 Hawaii	Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI (rivalry)		L 30–37	49,047
November 24	12:30 pm	Kansas State*	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA	ESPN	W 45–29	34,671
November 30	5:00 pm	at New Mexico State	Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, NM	ESPN2	W 30–23	6,397
December 31	11:00 am	vs. Georgia Tech*	Bronco Stadium Boise,ID (Humanitarian Bowl)	ESPN2	W 40–28	27,062
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Pacific time

Personnel

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Seasons at Fresno State	Alma Mater
Pat Hill	Head coach	11th as HC; 17th overall	UC Riverside (1973)
Jim McElwain	Offensive coordinator	1st	Eastern Washington University (1983)
Dan Brown	Defensive coordinator	10th	Boise State (1982)
Jeff Grady	Tight Ends	1st
John Baxter	Special Teams/Wide Receivers/Assistant Head Coach	11th	Loras College
Tom Mason	Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers	7th	Nevada (1977)
Kerry Locklin	Defensive line	8th	New Mexico State (1982)
Tim Skipper	Running backs	2nd	Fresno State (2001)
Randy Stewart	Secondary	1st?
Derek Frazier	Offensive line	1st?
Andy Buh	Graduate Assistant	1st

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.

Depth chart

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

Game summaries

Sacramento State

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

See also: 2007 Sacramento State Hornets football team

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.

At No. 23 Texas A&M

Stephen McGee hands off

	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	3OT	Total
Bulldogs	0	0	14	15	3	7	6	45
No. 23 Aggies	7	12	3	7	3	7	8	47

See also: 2007 Texas A&M Aggies football team

This was the first-ever meeting between the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Texas Aggies.

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."

At No. 19 Oregon

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	6	8	0	7	21
No. 19 Ducks	21	21	0	10	52

See also: 2007 Oregon Ducks football team

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

	1	2	3	4	Total
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs	3	3	0	0	6
Fresno State Bulldogs	0	0	10	7	17

See also: 2007 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team

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.

At Nevada

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

See also: 2007 Nevada Wolf Pack football team

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.

At Idaho

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

See also: 2007 Idaho Vandals football team

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 carries. Idaho's Deonte Jackson also had a big game, rushing for 111 yards on 11 carries. 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

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

See also: 2007 San Jose State Spartans football team and Fresno State–San Jose State football rivalry

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

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

See also: 2007 Boise State Broncos football team and Milk Can (college football)

Utah State

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

See also: 2007 Utah State Aggies football team

At No. 12 Hawaii

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	7	9	0	14	30
No. 12 Warriors	24	10	0	3	37

See also: 2007 Hawaii Warriors football team and Fresno State–Hawaii football rivalry

Kansas State

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

See also: 2007 Kansas State Wildcats football team

At New Mexico State

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

See also: 2007 New Mexico State Aggies football team

Vs. Georgia Tech (Humanitarian Bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Yellow Jackets	7	0	14	7	28
Bulldogs	3	17	14	6	40

See also: 2007 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team and 2007 Humanitarian Bowl

Awards

• A. J. Jefferson was selected as an All-American for the All-purpose player/return specialist role.