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FRESNO STATE 2003 Outlook

 by FSU Dawg

The Dawgs will be a young team again this year. At this point, the OFFENSIVE Depth Chart for the Dawgs reveals that at least for the present, the Dawgs will start 3 Seniors, the equivalent of 3 Juniors, 4 Sophomores and one Freshman.

The DEFENSIVE Depth Chart for the Dawgs reveals that at least for the present, the Dawgs will start 3 Seniors, 4 Juniors and 4 Sophomores.

OFFENSIVE LINE:

The Dawgs lost 4 offensive lettermen, all of whom were offensive linemen,

Including 3 offense line starters [ First Team All-Wac Tackle Joe Schey who started 13 games; Second Team All-Wac Center Rodney Michael who started all 14 games; and, Honorable Mention All-Wac Guard Fitu Tu'ua who started 11 games. In Addition thereto, the Dawgs lost Guard Victor Taifane who actually started 11 games but was beaten out by Dartagnon Shack in the 12th game last season and was a substitute for the final 2 games and the Silicon Valley Bowl game. No matter how you cut it, that is a lot of loss along the offensive front.

The Center position is being filled by 6' 5" 320 Pound Redshirt Freshman Kyle Young who selected Fresno State over Colorado, Colorado State, Kansas State and San Diego State. The Tackle position is being filled by 6' 7" 290 Pound Sophomore Matt Stevenson who started 2 games last season and played in all 14 games.

The Guard position is being filled by 6' 3" 285 Pound Sophomore Sean Finnerty who has game experience in just a couple of games from last year. The Dawgs return 6' 4" Junior Logan Mankins [consensus pre-season first team All Wac and Outland Award Watch List candidate] at Left Tackle; 6' 2" 300 Pound Sophomore Dartagnon Shack [strongest of the Dawgs] at Right Guard; and 6' 6" 220 Pound Junior Tight End Duncan Reid.

The Dawgs may have lost a great substitute in Taifane. but we gained Outstanding depth in JUCO transfers Kawika Edwards [6' 4" 300 Pound Jr Guard] and James Martin [6' 4" 305 Pound Jr Guard] as well as at tackle in Adam Messick, a 6'7" 290 Pound Redshirt Freshman and Chris Denman, a 6' 6" 260 Pound Redshirt Freshman.

WIDE RECEIVERS:

The Dawgs returned all WR starters and all lettermen from the team last season with Bernard Berrian returning after missing almost all of last year with a knee injury against Wisconsin in the first game last year. Berrian will team with Marque Davis and the most packed assortment of quality receivers to be at Fresno State during the time that Pat Hill has been here.

TIGHT ENDS / H BACK:

The Dawgs list 12 starting positions of their depth chart. and that is because they have alternate starters depending upon the formation. The starting Tight end as well as the starting H back returns with all their depth from last season.

RUNNING BACKS:

The Dawgs return all starters and all lettermen from the team last season. With Rodney Davis featured at Tailback. but changes are in store for those whomay be unaware. 6' 1" 210 Pound Sophomore Tailback Dwayne Wright and 5' 10" 220 Pound Redshirt Freshman Tailback have both been added as extra depth. and it just may be that IF they are given a fair chance, one of those two might sit Rodney Davis on the Bench.

In addition thereto, you can expect a major team in philosophy this year in the offense in that the Fullback position will be a meaningful position on the team. And in that regard, 5' 10" 225 Pound Junior Jamal Jones has been moved from defensive linebacker where he was one of the hardest hitters on the team to the fullback position, and in addition thereto, 5' 11" 245 Pound Redshirt Freshman Roshon Vercher has been added to the depth. These guys along with 5' 8" 225 Pound incumbent Sophomore James Cummings who lost his starting spot to Jamal Jones will open some holes for running room for the best running backs tandems since Pat Hill arrived.

QUARTERBACKS:

6' 4" 220 Pound Sophomore Paul Pinegar returns at the top spot. It appears

that we lost our 4th string quarterback Tim Bessolo from Los Alamitos. who saw the writing on the wall. but we added 6' 3" 190 Pound Redshirt Freshman Jordan

Christensen who Pat Hill has referred to as the future of the Dawg franchise and 6' 2" 210 Pound Redshirt Freshman Tommy Barrington. This new depth, along with 6' 2" 210 Pound Senior Quarterback Jeff Grady leaves the Dawgs well stocked in quality Quarterbacks for years to come.

OFFENSIVE SCHEME:

Pat Hill favors an offense built around a "smash mouth" running game. He is a terrific coach and is just about everything any fan could want in a coach. EXCEPT for his offensive philosophy. which at times leaves a lot to be desired.

At any rate, last year Rodney Davis set a new rushing record for the Dawgs Last year. while the fullback position was ignored. This year the Dawgs play Teams where passing can be pretty dangerous. teams that FSU can ill-afford to make mistakes with by throwing errant passes. That has probably exacerbated Pat's desire for the running game. and having Dwayne Wright and Robbie Dubois sure as heck would probably make anyone think a little more about running the ball. At any rate, I think that you will see a little more reliance again on a running game with increased use of the fullback which will result in a lessening of the use of triple Wide Receiver sets and a reduction in the use of the H Back this year.

OFFENSIVE EFFECTIVENESS:

The key to this year's offense will be mixing the running game with the

passing game. The Dawgs have all the tools to do exactly that. This team should have the most effective Dawg offense since David Carr in 2001. When keeping in mind that the Dawgs have only 3 seniors starting on the offense this season, it is not hard to understand that the 2004 Dawg offense will be even better. and probably the best in Pat Hill's tenure.

DEFENSIVE LINE:

The Dawgs also lost 2 starters on the defensive line [including First Team All-Wac Defensive End Nick Burley and First Team All-Wac Nose Tackle Jason Stewart].

The Nose Tackle position is being filled with 6' 2" 305 Pound JUCOAll-American Donyell Booker who graduated from Reedley College and transferred to FSU before the start of the Spring semester. He participated in the Spring practices and it appears that he will follow in the footsteps of Alan Harper quite well. I expected some drop off when Alan Harper left and was replaced by Jason Stewart last year. Maybe there could have been some. but not much. This time it appears [at least so far] that we won't have to worry about any noticeable drop-off with Booker replacing Stewart. It might not turn out that way. but at this point it looks like it. FSU also welcomes 6' 4" 330 Pound Redshirt Freshman Louis Leonard, a kid who passed the entrance exam and was competing for a starting position as a true freshman last year before it was discovered that there was a defect in his transcripts which required him to sit out the year. He should make a substantial impact in the middle of the DL this year. Next year we will have lost only one backup from the team this year... while adding Jason Shirley, a 6' 5" 295 Pound Tackle from Fontana... and the Tackle position will again be improved.

The defensive end position is being filled by 6' 3" 250 Pound Sophomore Garrett McIntyre. Garrett played in 12 games last year. and started in the Silicon Valley Bowl when the grades for Burley were not cleared in time for him to make the trip. We can't replace Nick Burley without some loss. but Garrett was a lot better Than expected last year. and he keeps on getting better. We also have 6' 1" 250 Pound Senior Brian Morris back. Morris took a starting position as a freshmen. With Burley on the bench. but Morris had a knee injury. and he seems to have had a new knee injury every year since. He is back and healthy. and IF he stays that way, he might take over a top spot. At this point, the FSU Defensive End depth is probably about the same as last year.

LINEBACKERS:

The Dawgs also lost 1 the starting Linebackers [Honorable Mention All-Wac Linebacker Sam Williams]. Williams will be replaced with 6' 2" 235 Pound Junior Linebacker David Adamo. Fresno State returns all of the other linebacker Lettermen [with the exception of Jamal Jones who transferred to the fullback position] and the Dawgs have added significantly to the quality of their depth, most notably with 6' 4" 240 Pound Redshirt Freshman Ricky Miller, 6' 0" 240 Pound Redshirt Freshman Dwayne Andrews, 6' 2" 220 Pound Redshirt Freshman James Lolohea and Tyler Clutts, a 6' 2" 220 Pound true Freshman who was the top ranked wrestler in the State of California last year as well as playing both LB and QB for Clovis, one of the better programs in California. Overall, the Linebacker position should be stronger than last year.

CORNERBACKS:

The Dawgs lost one starting Cornerback [Demorieux Reneau] and one letterman [Juan Batista]. Reneau who started 13 games last year was replaced in the Silicon Valley Bowl last year when his grades did not clear in time by 6' 0" 200 Pound Sophomore Raymond Washington. At this point, Washington still has the Starting position.

The Dawgs lost Kendall Edwards to a knee injury in the second game last yearAgainst the Aztecs. Edwards was replaced by Dee Meza who started the next 12 games and was one of the stars in the game against Georgia Tech. Edwards will be back to reclaim the starting corner position and the corner positions and depth is now so strong that Meza has changed positions to play at a safety position. The Cornerback position is the most improved position on the team. And next year it will be even stronger when Clifton Smith, a 5' 8" 165 Pound Cornerback who selected FSU over USC, Arizona State and Oregon State AND Damon Jenkins, a 5' 11" 180 Pound Cornerback who also selected FSU over USC become available.

SAFETIES:

The Dawgs lost first team All Wac Free Safety Cameron Worrell. All other Defensive safety lettermen have returned and Dee Meza has changed to the safety position from his prior cornerback spot. The Dawgs have added additional excellent depth in this position most notably with 5' 11" 205 Pound Redshirt Freshman Vincent Mays and 6' 0" 185 Pound Redshirt Freshman Josh Sherley.

DEFENSIVE SCHEME:

The defensive scheme will probably remain the same as last year with the Dawgs blitzing as the need arises. And with the return of Edwards and Morris, the blitzing capability of the Dawgs might just have increased.

DEFENSIVE EFFECTIVENESS:

The defense should be significantly improved this year. especially at the Corners. The Dawgs also have significantly increased the depth throughout the defense. The Dawgs ought to be more adept at stopping both the running game and the passing game than they were last year.

SPECIAL TEAMS:

n Special teams the Dawgs lost its 4 year starting Long Snapper Kevin Murphy as well as First Team All Wac Kicker Aspen Asparuhov and Second Team All Wac Punter Jason Simpson.

I have heard that the Dawgs tentatively plan to replace Long Snapper Murphy With 6' 6" 220 Pound Jr Duncan Reid. This information could be accurate or inaccurate...

I am uncertain.

All kick-offs last year were accomplished by 6' 0" 187 Pound Redshirt Junior Brett Visintainer... and he is back this year. He is a little older... has quite a bit more experience... and he may be a little stronger. That means that the depth and hang time of the kick-offs will be at least as good as they were last year... and possibly a little better. The field goal kicker last year was Aspen Asparuhov who will probably be Replaced with Brett Visintainer this year. Visintainer has a strong leg. but may not be as accurate as Asparuhov. but it took some time before Asparuhov was able to beat out Visintainer for the starting field goal kicker position when Asparuhov first started with the Dawgs. Still... with the departure of Asparuhov, FSU fans may have witnessed the arrival of a new sheriff in town, a 6' 1" 185 Pound Kicker 2 time All-State kicker from Reno, Nevada [McQueen] named Clint Stitser. Stitser kicked 14 field goals last season, 4 of which were in excess of 50 yards... with a long of 57 yards. He selected Fresno State over Michigan State, and Oregon... and he may give Visintainer more of a battle for the starting position that anyone might think. In my view, he probably has the best chance of any of the true freshmen recruited by FSU of making an immediate impact.

The punter position will be taken by 6' 0" 190 Pound Redshirt Freshman Mike Lingua... and Lingua can kick the air out of the ball. as long as he is not facing a rush. However, when facing the rush Lingua has not always got off those kind of kicks. It is expected that this ability will be developed through practice and training... and he should be a good punter by the start of the season. Jason Simpson was very athletic... a guy who could make open field tackles when the returner got past his coverage team... and that happened more often than FSU fans would like to remember last year. It is very doubtful that Lingua could presently match Simpson's ability to pass... or his ability to tackle. However, Lingua, who only played one year of high school football was a goalie for his highschool soccer team... so he has very quick feet... and there is no question about his athletic ability. Give him a couple of years and you might see more of that athletic ability than you might think.

The coverage guys for FSU should be very similar to that which it had last year...since all the coverage lettermen are returning... and FSU should again have one of the best coverage teams in the Wac.

2003 OUTLOOK:

The Dawgs finished with a record of 9 Wins and 5 Losses last year. but those results are a little skewed. The Dawgs were plagued with injuries received from their own teammates in practices before the first game against Wisco. and against Wisco the Dawgs QB [Grady] suffered a hip injury. but even though his effectiveness was largely curtailed, Pat left him in the game and it was lost in the last few seconds thereof. The Dawgs then beat San Diego State with a red-shirt freshman QB [Pinegar] and had a game effectively stolen from them by the officials against Oregon even though the Dawgs started that game without 9 starters. The Dawgs were short approximately 8 to 9 starters throughout the year. losing badly to Oregon State, being blown out by Boise. and then losing to Hawaii. At the same time, the Dawgs beat Colorado State for the 3rd time in a row, all the other Wac members except UTEP which the Dawgs couldn't play. and finished the season with a win over Georgia Tech in the Silicon Valley Bowl without an additional 7 of the then starting players who were kept out for the sake of complying with an idiot rule by the Wac presidents.

Overall, the Dawgs should be slightly improved at offense over last year.

Primarily because of the additional experience of Pinegar... the return of Bernard Berrian... and the addition of substantial additional quality depth... most notably in the WR, RB and QB positions... but even the O-line has more quality depth than last year. This quality depth equates to less time being required for the offensive starters... and fresher athletes... especially in the 4th quarter. In addition thereto, the change in offensive philosophy should, at least in the substantial majority of Dawg games, equate to taking more time off the clock on offense with the defense getting rest on the sidelines... and the opposing team expending the energies of its starting athletes defensive athletes. Couple those 2 factors and you have a pretty fresh defense in the 4th quarter when the energy is most badly needed.

The Dawg quality depth should be noticeably improved on the defense.

Especially in the area of the DBs which had the least depth last year of any position on the defense... and this year the DB positions should be the strongest positions on the defense. The Dawgs have also available to them this year additional beef to plug up the middle as that may become necessary.

IF the red-shirt QB learned his lessons from last year. and he should have Learned something at least. the passing game could be pretty effective for the Dawgs... and this could be a pretty good year... but 2004 will be even better!

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