Fresno State Bulldogs
Mountain West
The Fresno State Bulldogs lost only one game all year, but that one loss cost them a lot. In the final week of the regular season, the Bulldogs lost to San Jose State, ending all hope they had of reaching a BCS bowl. Had they won that game, they would most likely be on their way to one. Fresno State finished with an 11-1 record and won the Mountain West Conference and is headed to a bowl game for the second time in as many years under coach Tim DeRuyter.
2013 Record: 11-1, 8-1
Coach: Tim DeRuyter
Coach Bowl Record: 1-1
Big Wins: 10/26 at San Diego State (35-28 OT), 12/7 Utah State (24-17)
Bad Losses: 11/29 at San Jose State (52-62)
Strengths:
Fresno State is the definition of an Air-Raid team. Senior QB Derek Carr has led the offense to ridiculous numbers. Carr, the younger brother of former number one draft pick David, threw for 4,866 yards and 48 touchdowns this season. Both are good for first in the nation, as are his yards per game, 405.5, his completions per game, 35.33, his points responsible for per game, 25.2, and his total offense, 415.3 yards per game. The Bulldogs offense is first in the nation is passing offense, first downs, and third in total offense. Carr is not a one-man show though. A trio of playmakers, Davante Adams, Josh Harper, and Isaiah Burse, all line up at receiver. Adams has statistically been one of the best receivers in the country. He has 122 catches, 1,645 yards, and 23 touchdowns on the season. His catches and TD’s are tops in the country, and he is second in yards. Harper was second on the team in yards with 1,011 and touchdowns with 13. While those two put up big numbers, Burse was not to be outdone. He was second on the team with 94 catches, and narrowly missed 1,000 receiving yards, finishing with 987. To go along with that, he caught five touchdowns and returned two punts to the house. As teams focused on Carr and the receivers, a pair of running backs quietly put together some nice seasons. Josh Quezada and Marteze Waller ran for 787 and 629 yards respectively. With all the passes being thrown, big numbers didn’t happen on the ground, but the backs made the most of their carries.
Weaknesses:
While the offense was one of the best, the defense was one of the worst. Fresno State gave up a ton of yardage and points this season. On average, they gave up 277.4 yards through the air each game, and a total of 425.1. Those are good for 116th and 91st respectively. They also ranked in the bottom third of the country in scoring defense, defensive pass efficiency, penalty yards per game, and red zone defense. In seven of their 12 games, teams scored over 25 points. The Bulldogs were helped out a bit by their ability to create turnovers. Junior safety Derron Smith roamed the field and picked off six passes this season. In addition to Smith, Ejiro Ederaine recorded 15.5 tackles for a loss, including 10 sacks. With the high-powered offense that Fresno State has, the Bulldogs were able to overcome their defensive shortfalls.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Josh Quezada, RB, 787 yards
Passing: Derek Carr, 4,866 yards
Receiving: Davante Adams, WR, 1,645 yards
Tackles: Karl Mickelsen, LB, 88
Sacks: Ejiro Ederaine, LB, 10.0
Interceptions: Derron Smith, S, 6
2013 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 170.4 (68th in nation, 9th in conference)
Passing Offense: 410.3 (1, 1)
Total Offense: 580.6 (2, 1)
Scoring Offense: 47.3 (4, 1)
Rushing Defense: 156.5 (54, 4)
Pass Defense: 280.5 (116, 11)
Total Defense: 436.9 (100, 6)
Scoring Defense: 30.2 (84, 4)
Turnover Margin: 0.4 (37, 4)
Sacks: 2.82 (21, 1)
Sacks Allowed: 0.73 (5, 1)
Recent Bowl Appearances:
2012 Hawaii Bowl SMU (10-43)
2010 Humanitarian Bowl Northern Illinois (17-40)
2009 New Mexico Bowl Wyoming (28-35)
2008 New Mexico Bowl Colorado State (35-40)
2007 Humanitarian Bowl Georgia Tech (40-28)
2005 Liberty Bowl Tulsa (24-31)
*all team stats through 11/30
