2014-15 Football Previews – (Mountain West) – Bulldogs
The Fresno State Bulldogs have played two great seasons under head coach Tim DeRuyter, and while it would be unfair to say they have no shot at winning another Mountain West championship in 2014, it’s clear that the Boise State Broncos have taken over the reigns as favorites entering the new college football season.
Fresno State
Mountain West Conference 2014-15 College Football Previews:
Head Coach: Tim DeRuyter
2013 Record: 11-2
Fresno State Gambling Odds to win BCS Championship: 300/1
Fresno State Gambling Odds to win Mountain West Mountain Division:
Fresno State Gambling Odds to win Mountain West Conference: 3/1
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Entering Year 3 under Tim DeRuyter, the team will keep its up-tempo offense intact, but recreating the success it saw in 2013 seems unlikely. The team scored 43.4 points per game last season, which was good enough for sixth in the nation, and it was the top throwing team in the country, compiling 394.8 yards per contest through the air.
Team Strengths:
Losses from within the receiving core make wideout far from a strength, but the team knows it has at least one reliable option in Josh Harper. He was one of three players to collect at least 1,000 yards receiving on the team, and he’ll be leading a group of youngsters in 2014.
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With the passing game as a giant variable, look for running backs Josh Quezada and Marteze Waller to be more involved in the offense than ever before.
Both backs averaged 5.2 yards per carry last season, and while the bulk of their success came against struggling run defenses, the committee approach will allow them to take on less of the load than would be the case if they were the sole back in a new QB system.
Defensively, this team is going to see depth at cornerback that it didn’t have a year ago. Additionally, all four starters return at linebacker, which should give the team a bit more confidence it had on that side of the ball than it had last year.
Specifically look for free safety Derron Smith to make a huge difference. He has 14 interceptions entering his senior season, which is more than any player actively playing in the FBS.
Team Weaknesses:
The most notable loss on this roster is David Carr. The former Fresno State quarterback is gone after winning two Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year awards, and if that weren’t bad enough news for this group, so are his go-to targets Davante Adams and Isaiah Burse.
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Finding consistency on offense won’t be as simple as it’s been in the past, and that’s going to be a problem for a group that relied so heavily on throwing the ball last season.
The Bulldogs won’t name a starter at quarterback until two weeks before the season, and if turmoil turns out to be the theme early in the year, there could be questions about playing time once conference competition begins.
2014-15 Fresno State Football Gambling Prediction: 8-4
The Fresno State Bulldogs will be the favorites to win the West Division when the year begins, and that shouldn’t change as the season winds down. Against conference competition, it shouldn’t be a surprise if the team goes 7-1, as it avoids matchups with both Utah State and Colorado State this season.
Boise State will be the big one, and in all likelihood, it will be the team’s only Mountain West lost.
Unfortunately for Fresno State’s overall record, the schedule isn’t as friendly outside of the conference. The team opens up competition against USC, Utah and Nebraska, and it’s not unfathomable to think that all three of those contests could be losses.
With all that in mind, an 8-4 record makes sense for the regular season. This will be a solid group in conference competition, but against the rest, a losing record is to be expected.
Coach DeRuyter has set the bar high in his first two season, but things are about to get more difficult.
A new quarterback will be a challenge for this roster—especially with such a strong strength of schedule in the first three weeks of the year.
2014 Fresno State Schedule
- Sat, Aug 30 @ USC
- Sat, Sept 6 @ Utah
- Sat, Sept 13 vs Nebraska
- Sat, Sept 20 vs Southern Utah
- Fri, Sept 26 @ New Mexico
- Fri, Oct 3 vs San Diego State 10:00 PM ET
- Fri, Oct 10 @ UNLV
- Fri, Oct 17 @ Boise State
- Sat, Nov 1 vs Wyoming
- Sat, Nov 8 vs San Jose State
- Sat, Nov 22 @ Nevada
- Sat, Nov 29 vs Hawaii
