Quote:Bulldog game day

Fresno State Bulldogs (1-2, 0-1 WAC) at No. 14 Cincinnati Bearcats (3-0, 1-0 Big East)
Breakdown: Bulldogs
For the second week in a row, the Bulldogs will be facing a Top 15 opponent – last Friday was then-No. 10 Boise State and tomorrow will be No. 14 Cincinnati.

The difference this time is that the ’Dogs will be playing 2,304 miles from home at Nippert Stadium.

“If we are not ready to match the intensity of the environment we’re in, we’ll have a very tough day,” coach Pat Hill said.

...

Breakdown: Bearcats
The Bearcats are the defending Big East champs and by the looks of it, Cincy is serious about its title defense.

Senior quarterback Tony Pike is leading the charge, averaging more than 300 yards a game and only throwing two interceptions in 106 tosses. His favorite target is speedy wideout Mardy Gilyard, who has already caught four touchdowns.

While the Bulldogs will surely have their hands full trying to stop the duo, their most difficult obstacle tomorrow will be conditioning. Cincinnati runs a high-paced, no-huddle offense to keep its opponents guessing.

The Bearcats have made some noise with their aerial attack in ’09, but do not move the ball on the ground very often. Tailback Jacob Ramsey is only averaging 53 yards a game. But Ramsey does have two receiving touchdowns.

The 3-4 defense Cincinnati runs has made life difficult on opposing quarterbacks this year. The Bearcats already have 11 sacks in only three games.

The reason for the pass rush’s effectiveness? Fresno State coach Pat Hill said Cincy runs its defense with “a high level of sophistication.”

Cincy will even run its defense without a single down linemen, in what Hill called a “radar” formation. The Bearcats have their sights locked in on the ’Dogs, ready to fire away.

http://collegian.csufresno.edu/2009/09/2...me-day-23/

Quote:The Collegian’s keys to victory
By Collegian Staff | September 25, 2009 (10 hours ago)

1. Utilize the tight end.
Fresno State tight ends have only caught three passes for 16 yards. The tight end should be a safety valve and a reliable target for an inexperienced quarterback.

2. Take the risk.
Defensive coordinator Randy Stewart can’t be afraid to blitz quarterback Tony Pike.

3. Avoid the mismatch.
Defensive alignment and responsibility will be vital against the spread offense. That starts and ends with strong safety Moses Harris.

Position matchups
When Fresno State runs:
Advantage Fresno State
Fresno State tailback Ryan Mathews has been dominant in 2009, averaging 9.1 yards per carry. The Bearcats will have problems trying to stop him.

When Cincinnati runs:
Advantage Fresno State
Cincinnati’s rushing attack averages 157 yards per game, but the ’Dogs’ front seven can stop tailbacks Jacob Ramsey and Isaiah Pead.

When Fresno State passes:
Advantage Cincinnati
Quarterback Ryan Colburn is averaging one interception every 12 throws. Until that changes, he is a liability.

When Cincinnati passes:
Advantage Cincinnati
Quarterback Tony Pike will have time to pick apart the defense, especially a secondary without free safety Lorne Bell.

Special teams:
Advantage Cincinnati
The Bulldogs gave up 36 yards per kickoff return last week. If kicker Andrew Shapiro can only kick the ball to the 15-yard line, Cincinnati will start at or around midfield.

http://collegian.csufresno.edu/2009/09/2...victory-2/

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_13419...ck_check=1

No. 14 Cincinnati ready for big-play Bulldogs
By JOE KAY AP Sports Writer
Posted: 09/25/2009 08:04:21 AM PDT
Updated: 09/25/2009 08:04:21 AM PDT


CINCINNATI—Killing time in their hotel rooms before their game at Oregon State last weekend, the 14th-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats got a chance to watch television and do a little scouting on their next opponent.
Once they started watching, they couldn't turn away.

Fresno State's big-play offense gobbled up big chunks of yards on running plays and long passes, leaving No. 8 Boise State doing everything it could to keep up. A game of pinball offense ended with Boise State winning 51-34.

Cincinnati (3-0) came away with mixed feelings. The offensive players liked the frenetic pace. The defense? Not so much.

"Me and my roommate, (linebacker) Andre Revels, got upset watching the defense," linebacker J.K. Schaffer said. "I mean, we picture ourselves playing against them and what we'll have to do against them."

They know what they need to do: Avoid a shootout.

The Bulldogs (1-2) have one of the nation's top running games and a quarterback who likes to throw deep, stretching defenses until they're bent totally out of shape. They went to Wisconsin and took the game to double overtime before losing 34-31. They gave Boise State all it could handle.

Now, they're headed to Cincinnati.

"We will be challenged against Fresno State defensively, more so than I can remember," Bearcats coach Brian Kelly said.

So far, they've been awfully good.

Cincinnati was impressive in its toughest challenge yet last Saturday. No

nonconference team had beaten Oregon State on its home field in 13 years. A 28-18 victory ended that streak at 26 games and showed that Cincinnati's defense—its biggest question—was growing up fast.
A unit with 10 new starters this season pulled the Bearcats through on an afternoon when the offense was merely above average.

"I'm not too surprised," Schaffer said. "We knew we were going to have a very tough defense coming in. We've worked really hard. We go all-out every day, trying to get better. We're not real surprised."

All along, Cincinnati has known it can outscore anyone when its offense is playing in top form. Senior quarterback Tony Pike leads a no-huddle, spread offense that ranks in the top 10 nationally in four categories, including fourth in scoring at 48.3 points per game. Receiver and kick returner Mardy Gilyard has scored six touchdowns.

Schaffer and his defensive teammates weren't the only ones doing a little scouting and wincing this week.

"Cincinnati throws a different wrinkle at us than the last two games," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. "We had a power game with Wisconsin, a very run-pass balanced team with Boise State. This team this week will be a no-huddle, spread team, a lot of times with five wide receivers in the game. It'll be a high-paced offense. They've got a wide receiver who may be as good as anybody I've seen on film for years in Gilyard."

The Bulldogs' best chance is to turn it into another shootout.

They've got the running game for it. Fresno State ranks fourth nationally in rushing, with junior Ryan Mathews leading the country with 149 yards per game. He has topped 100 yards in all three games this season, using his ability to dart through holes and run away from defenders. During the game against Boise State, Mathews scored on runs of 69, 60 and 68 yards.

"If you don't fit (the defense) the right way, if you don't wrap him up, Mathews is going to go for 60, 70 yards," Kelly said. "This will be the ultimate challenge for our defense up to this point in the season. If you don't fit the play properly and you don't tackle, they're going to run to daylight."

Kelly spent some time tinkering with his high-tech offense this week. The Bearcats had more dropped passes, penalties and mental mistakes at Oregon State than they had in the first two games combined. In the second half, they put together a couple of solid drives to clinch it and keep their streak intact: 24-0 under Kelly when leading after three quarters.

"I think we missed a lot of opportunities," running back Isaiah Pead said. "But when the time came and push came to shove, we got the job done. We didn't get uptight, we didn't yell at each other and point fingers. All of us came together."

(09-25-2009 12:23 PM)gruehls Wrote:  

Quote:When Cincinnati runs:
Advantage Fresno State
Cincinnati’s rushing attack averages 157 yards per game, but the ’Dogs’ front seven can stop tailbacks Jacob Ramsey and Isaiah Pead.

I stopped reading right about there. Fresno has one of the 20 or so worst run defenses in the country which makes it a disadvantage.

Yeah, I don't have a whole lot of faith in the UC running game, but they looked pretty good at the end of the OrSU game. The biggest problem with the running game is that forget that we have it occasionally.

Our running game is definitely better than their run defense, we just don't use it very often. They give up 6.2 yards per carry.