Hawaii should not expect to play a shell of a team when it enters Fresno State's Bulldog Stadium tomorrow just because FSU was blasted 67-21 at Boise State last Friday. Bulldogs known to rebound
Brown back on D-lineBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comThe previous time Fresno State came off a loss of 40 or more points, it won three games in a row.
And it wasn't very long ago.
Following its 59-19 defeat at Oregon State on Sept. 21, the Bulldogs beat Rice, No. 22 Colorado State and Southern Methodist.
"I've said this before, that players are a lot more resilient than fans and coaches," FSU coach Pat Hill said. "The players were humiliated and humbled in the (Boise State) game and they know they missed tackles and got dominated physically on both sides of the ball. They want to have a chance to re-establish themselves."
If that is to happen, Fresno State -- which gave up 476 passing yards last week -- will have to slow down UH's run-and-shoot offense.
The Bulldogs will try to put pressure on Hawaii quarterback Tim Chang, but they will also need a strong performance from their secondary.
Backup cornerbacks Awan Diles and Raymond Washington, both redshirt freshmen, have gotten a lot of work in practice this week. They are expected to push starters Dee Meza and Demorieux Reneau and will probably be on the field with them at times. Safety Tyrone Culver is also working out at corner.
FSU's best cornerback, Kendall Edwards, was lost for the season with a torn ACL in the team's second game of the year.
"You need corners when you play against Hawaii, a lot of them," Hill said. "There's always four wide receivers on the field, and guys are going to get run down."
Slipped off the hook: Sophomore running back Mike Bass, UH's leading rusher, said he's ready to return to action after missing three games with a sprained knee.
"I'm not thinking about (the injury) anymore, and my cuts are coming back," Bass said. "I believe if they needed me I could have played last week. But it was better to rest up and do it right."
The former Corona, Calif., Centennial High School standout is expecting "special" treatment from the Fresno State fans. He was recruited hard by FSU coming out of high school two years ago and almost ended up there.
"It was real close, I actually basically committed there and backed out," Bass said. "They probably don't like me over there too much, but that just makes it more fun."
UH cornerback Lamar Broadway, a high school teammate of Bass, was also heavily recruited by Fresno State. He was a late addition to the travel squad this week.
Bass and Broadway were hoping to make a quick visit home tonight, since Corona is 15 minutes from Ontario, where the team is laying over before going to Fresno tonight.
Strong-arm tactics: Chang said he hadn't noticed an increase in his arm strength, although his receivers and coach June Jones have.
"I just try to get (passes) there. Sometimes I put too much loft, sometimes I put it on line. I try to vary my throws, any way to get it to the receivers. If I throw too hard and it bounces off their chest, that's my fault. I just have to throw a good ball for them to catch.
"I don't really know that I got stronger. I thought I throw the ball like a weakling compared to Chad Kapanui, Nick Rolovich, and Dan Robinson."
Short yardage: Defensive back Kyle Mowry a 6-foot, 186-pound freshman from Del Oro High School in Sacramento, Calif., and kicker Haaheo Bento, a 5-11, 194-pound sophomore from St. Louis School, have joined the Warriors as walk-ons. ... Tomorrow's game will be televised by ESPN2. Steve Levy is on play-by-play, with Rod Gilmore providing color and Heather Cox on the sidelines. ... FSU receiver and return man Bernard Berrian, a preseason All-American, is redshirting after injuring his knee in the Bulldogs' season opener against Wisconsin.