2010 Fresno State Football Predictions

September 2, 2010

Fresno State finished up the 2009 season at 8-5 after losing against Wyoming at the New Mexico Bowl. The Bulldogs faired pretty well in the Mountain West Conference, as they ended up 6-2 in conference play. This year the Bulldogs look to be strong again, as they have 15 starters back from the 2009 season. For a better idea of what the Bulldogs will look like this season, keep reading as I take a look at what they will send to the field on both sides of the ball, plus my thoughts on where they will finish the year in the WAC.

Offense:

The Bulldogs should once again be very dangerous on the offensive side of the ball, as they return senior starting quarterback Ryan Colburn, who threw for 2,459 yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior. Colburn also showed the ability to run with the ball when needed, as he added two touchdowns on the ground last season. Look for solid improvements from the Bulldogs in the passing game this season.

The Bulldogs will have to find a way to replace the huge numbers that running back Ryan Mathews put up in 2009, as Mathews ran for over 1,800 yards with 19 touchdowns. It looks like they will turn to sophomore Robbie Rouse, who put together a pretty fine freshman season as the primary backup to Mathews, rushing for 479 yards and four touchdowns.

The Bulldogs also took a hit at the receiver position, as they lose three of their top four receivers from the 2009 season. The only starter back is junior Jamel Hamler, who hauled in 37 passes for 503 yards and five touchdowns. Senior Devon Wylie and freshman Josh Harper will likely step in and start at the other two spots, and should have pretty solid numbers if Colburn stays healthy. The Bulldogs also return senior tight end Vince Pascoe, but he had just six catches for 52 and doesn’t figure to be a big part of the offense again this season.

The strength of the offense will come up front on the offensive line, as the Bulldogs have all five starters back from the 2009 season, led by three possible first team all-conference performers in senior right tackle Kenny Wiggins, senior right guard Andrew Jackson, and senior center Joe Bernardi. With this unit only expected to be better in 2010, I think they will be a big reason why the offense will stay strong even with the loss of Mathews.

Defense:

The Bullldogs allowed just over 28 points a game on defense last season, not a terrible number when the offense is averaging nearly 34 points a game, but definitely not where they want to be. This year Fresno State has seven starters back, and definitely has the potential to make some nice improvements on this side of the ball.

The Bulldogs return senior defensive end Chris Carter, who led the way with five sacks in 2009, and figures to only be better in his final season. Also back is one of the top defensive tackles in the conference in senior Cornell Banks, who figures to be teamed up with junior Logan Harrell in the middle. Also back is senior defensive end Chris Lewis, who chipped in with 4.5 tackles for loss in 2009.

The strength of the defense will come at the three linebacker spots, as the Bulldogs one of the best middle linebackers in the conference in senior Ben Jacobs, who led Fresno State with 106 tackles and eight tackles for loss last year. Also back is junior Kyle Knox on the outside, who put together a pretty solid junior season. Sophomore Travis Brown figures to be the new starter opposite of Knox as the other outside linebacker.

The concern for the defense will be the secondary that has just two starters back from the 2009 season in senior corner Desia Dunn and senior strong safety Lorne Bell. Bell finished second in tackles with 65 last season, and will need to be a leader for this unit in 2010. Keep an eye out for sophomore free safety Phillip Thomas, as he will step into the starting lineup this season after recording a team best two interceptions in limited playing time as a freshman.

WAC Prediction – 3rd: I look for the Bulldogs to finish right around the same mark that they did in 2009. While they looked to have improved on the defensive side of the ball, it is going to be interesting to see just how much Mathews meant to the offense. If they stay healthy they have an outside shot at competing for the WAC with Boise State and Nevada.

For a complete look at how the conference will play out this season, check out our 2010 WAC predictions.

If you are interested in making some money betting on the college football odds this season, be sure to stop back each week for our expert college football picks.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

Posted by Jack Jones · Filed Under Football Picks, Football Predictions, Football Rankings 

Comments

Comments are closed.