Fresno v. Texas A&M
ASAP
Senior Member
Texas A&M -17.5
I'll be pulling for Fresno State as I am a big fan of their team but both a win and a cover are not likely to happen.
I was at the Fresno State v. Sacramento State game last week and appreciated a great defensive effort. However, the offense was very unimaginative, less than all of the years prior. Pat Hill has always been conservative but this game plan was shocking. Screen plays and straight ahead running were all that was seen. In Fresno's defense, Hill says he was playing with a limited playbook so that the offensive plays would not be exposed. Also, Bear Pascoe is a stud and will likely be a factor in this game.
The net result offensively for Fresno is that Pascoe and a no preview offense are all they have going for them. The receivers are fast but very small. This means they may not get open down field. Brandstater can run but he has a tremendously difficult time hitting wide open receivers. And the running game, well do you know the name of any of there backs.
Additionally, there special teams which has always been one of the best in the nation is still great but their punt returner, Clifton Smith sucks. He exercises bad judgment in receiving the ball and can't keep his hands on it.
Texas A&M will run theoption which won't bode well for Fresno in that their defenses strong point this season is their secondary. If the rookie can shadow the quarterback they may have some success but I anticipate A&M utilizes a strong running game and the home field and humidity to it's advantage.
I am not sure what the under will be in this game but I would consider it. I have a high success rate in playing the over/under on Fresno games and view the under in this one as a strong play without even knowing what it is.
Prediction: Texas A&M 34 Fresno State 13
Caveat: If Fresno were to get the early lead and force Texas A&M into passing situations you can throw out the aforementioned article and prediction. Look for Texas A&M to receive as it is important that they not try and pass against Fresno. Also, A&M's receiver's do not even know how to catch the ball.
Good luck
I'll be pulling for Fresno State as I am a big fan of their team but both a win and a cover are not likely to happen.
I was at the Fresno State v. Sacramento State game last week and appreciated a great defensive effort. However, the offense was very unimaginative, less than all of the years prior. Pat Hill has always been conservative but this game plan was shocking. Screen plays and straight ahead running were all that was seen. In Fresno's defense, Hill says he was playing with a limited playbook so that the offensive plays would not be exposed. Also, Bear Pascoe is a stud and will likely be a factor in this game.
The net result offensively for Fresno is that Pascoe and a no preview offense are all they have going for them. The receivers are fast but very small. This means they may not get open down field. Brandstater can run but he has a tremendously difficult time hitting wide open receivers. And the running game, well do you know the name of any of there backs.
Additionally, there special teams which has always been one of the best in the nation is still great but their punt returner, Clifton Smith sucks. He exercises bad judgment in receiving the ball and can't keep his hands on it.
Texas A&M will run theoption which won't bode well for Fresno in that their defenses strong point this season is their secondary. If the rookie can shadow the quarterback they may have some success but I anticipate A&M utilizes a strong running game and the home field and humidity to it's advantage.
I am not sure what the under will be in this game but I would consider it. I have a high success rate in playing the over/under on Fresno games and view the under in this one as a strong play without even knowing what it is.
Prediction: Texas A&M 34 Fresno State 13
Caveat: If Fresno were to get the early lead and force Texas A&M into passing situations you can throw out the aforementioned article and prediction. Look for Texas A&M to receive as it is important that they not try and pass against Fresno. Also, A&M's receiver's do not even know how to catch the ball.
Good luck
Comments
Fresno State dominated a very weak FCS team (like they were suppose to). They ended week #1 as the number one defense in the country. Now that really doesn't hold a lot of water except for the fact that last year's squad lost to Utah State (only win of the year). So the team is much improved Defensively.
Those RB's that you say nobody knows the name of?....The leading rusher (Ryan Matthews) last week was a true freshman who led the nation in rushing for his senior year in HS. He is currently wearing a retired number from a former Fresno State All-American who allowed Matthews to wear it because he knows he has the chance to be special. Fresno State has had some NFL caliber backs in the past (i.e. Michael Pittman, Lorenzo Neal, Wendell Mathis, Dwayne Wright) and has had a 1000yd rusher since 2000. The top returning rusher is a sophmore who has a goal of 1600 yds and is very powerful with speed. Most fans might not know their names but they definitely doesn't mean they aren't worth knowing.
The QB situation was not good last year. Brandstater looked like a first year QB at the helm and he was. He bad decisions like forcing the ball into tight coverage and trying to make plays. He is the biggest question mark on the team at this point. His spring and summer have shown that he appears better then last year (he wasn't as good last year during camp). The reason he is still a question mark is that he hasn't done it on the field in a live game against quality opposition yet. This is a legit area of concern at this point.
The WR's are not small like you stated. Fresno State's top 3 receivers are 6'1 (Marlon Moore), 6'3 (Seyi Ajirotutu), and 6'3 (Jason Crawley). Fresno State's main catching threat is Bear Pascoe who is the TE and stands 6'6 and built like a semi. If he doesn't run over someone after the catch then there just isn't anyone in his way. The biggest problem Fresno State has is that the top returning receiver is out for the season so they are young and inexperienced (common theme). Last year Fresno State lost their top 3 receivers for at least half the season each. This is one reason the team collapsed last year.
The Defense returns their top 2 linebackers who missed last year with injuries. They were exposed greatly last year by the absence of these two guys (Marcus Riley, Quaadir Brown). The defense is fast in every position and his only missing experience to call them a very good D. The DB's were also handled quite easily last year and even though they had an NFL CB. He was exposed more than others. The biggest key for the A&M game is that Fresno State's 6'5 330LB DT is suspended for this game and that leaves a big hole for Jovorski Lane to run through. If Fresno State can't find a replacement then that can be the difference in the game.
Clifton Smith doesn't suck as you proclaim.....he really hasn't had much game experience for you to call him out like that but hey you know Fresno State well apparently. He played 1 game in '05 and returned 2 punts for TD's then in the first quarter against Oregon he blew out his knee. He played in '06 but wasn't even 80% by his own statements and the general rule on ligament tears is it takes 2 years to recover. This offseason he has appeared to have the shiftyness and vision that fans got a glimpse of in '05. In the opener he didn't get much of a chance to return punts. The punter for Sac. State kicked to 50+ punts to start which caused Smith to backpeddle and the defense was on him as he caught the ball. His third and final punt return was a 20 yd return before he fumbled which is not something he does often.
There is a lot of optimism about this team in the Valley but everyone knows the team is very young (most think '08 is the year to make some real noise). The biggest factor going against Fresno State in this game is inexperience and the humidity. It is possible that A&M could wear Fresno State out but I don't see them pulling away early. From a personal perspective I don't feel the stadium enviroment will overwhelm them but it is a factor to consider. 65 players on the team haven't played against a D-1 team nor a road game. Fresno State definitely has the talent level to match and beat A&M and that's why I put it as an upset in the other thread. The two things that I pinpoint most when deciding that Fresno State will knock off A&M is that they live for these games as shown in the past. Even in a bad year last year, they took Oregon, Washington to the wire and even was competitive with LSU for 2 and a half quarters with a back-up QB making his first start. The other thing is that Pat Hills teams have done well against option offenses in the past so he seems to have a game plan to contain them. They will be ready IMO. Early turnovers could change everything however.