As a Fresno State football fan for the last decade I have witnessed some great seasons by the Bulldogs. I have grown very accustomed to the Bulldogs winning 7 or 8 games and earning a trip to a bowl game. That wasn’t the case in 2011 as the Bulldogs failed to live up to expectations. The 2011 Fresno State Bulldogs finished 3-4 in WAC play and 4-9 overall. Following the season, Fresno State dismissed long time coach Pat Hill and hired Texas A&M; defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter.
Although the season was a difficult one, there were some bright spots and reasons to hope for the future. A good title for this season of Bulldog football would be, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Let’s start with the ugly.
The Ugly
It doesn’t get much uglier than Fresno State’s defensive performance this season. The Bulldogs ranked 106th in the nation allowing 35.2 points per game on average. Fresno State did not hold a single opponent under 20 points all season. Fresno’s defense also ranked 69th in the nation in sacks (22) and 111th in interceptions (5). Hopefully new coach Tim DeRuyter will have success in turning this defense around before the 2012 season begins.
A 3-4 record in WAC play is really ugly. The Western Athletic Conference is not top tier competition, especially since Boise State left, yet the Bulldogs went 3-4 against the WAC. The losses to Louisiana Tech and Nevada are somewhat understandable, but losing to San Jose State and New Mexico State is not okay.
The Bad
Fresno State’s record of 4-9 wasn’t good, but their 2-4 record at home is the big disappointment. Bulldog stadium used to be a tough place to play, but opposing teams had no problem winning there this season. The attendance at the home games was also disappointing. The attendance was under 30,000 in four of the six games at Bulldog Stadium this season. For the home finale against San Jose State the attendance was only 25,492, not pretty.
Boise State came to Bulldog Stadium on October 7th as the #5 team in the country, so I wasn’t exactly expecting a Bulldog victory. I also wasn’t expecting to be losing 50-0 going into the fourth quarter. Boise completely dominated every aspect of the game and by the time Devon Wylie returned a punt for a 79-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter it didn’t even matter.
The Good
The 2011 Fresno State football season was disappointing, but there were a few bright spots this year. Quarterback Derek Carr played really well in his first season as a starter. Carr completed 62% of his passes for 3544 yards and 26 touchdowns and only 9 interceptions. The really good news is that Carr is only a sophomore and has two more years at Fresno State.
Derek Carr was not the only standout on the Bulldogs’ offense this year. Junior Robbie Rouse ran for 1549 yards and has gone over 3,000 yards in his career at Fresno State. Jalen Saunders was outstanding with over 1000 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns. Saunders averaged 21.3 yards per catch this year, 2nd best in college football. Like Carr, Saunders is only a sophomore and has a bright future in Fresno.
