'Dogs ready for rumble with Boise State

Fresno State is out to buck history, finally bust the Broncos.

Published online on Thursday, Sep. 17, 2009

Cross your fingers. The Fresno State football team is playing Boise State today.

It's a rivalry game that hasn't been much of a rivalry, with the Bulldogs losing seven of the past eight games.

But that hasn't stopped most Fresno State faithful from, well, keeping the faith as they prepare for a game that could dictate the course of the season and support for coach Pat Hill.

"Hey, you've got to think positive, keep believing," said Stacie Bergman, a senior at Fresno State. "Everyone knows this is a big, big game. It's a different season. Maybe we'll see a different result."

Hill and Bulldogs fans have been down this path many times before, going into big games with high hopes only to be let down by a defeat. That emotional roller coaster has caused some to tire of Hill.

"People have issues with Pat Hill across the board," said Bulldogs fan Matt Brown. "Bottom line is: You can't go 1-7 against your rival. ... Boise State has been, by far, the worst thing to happen to Pat Hill."

Fresno State has not beaten Boise State since 2005. The Bulldogs have not beaten a nationally ranked opponent at home since 2001, when they defeated No. 10 Oregon State 44-24.

In recent years, disappointments have predominated, despite high expectations. Last year, Fresno State was ranked No. 21 and lost to No. 10 Wisconsin 13-10 before a standing-room-only crowd of 42,387. At home three weeks later, Fresno State lost its conference opener 32-29 to Hawaii before a near-sellout crowd of 40,572.

"It's sad, but you kind of get used to it," said Audrea Salazar, a bartender at sports-themed restaurant Me-n-Ed's Victory Grill at Granite Park. "It's part of being a Fresno State football fan."

Hill's contract, which entitles him to roughly $1.2 million annually when incentives are reached, expires at the end of the 2010 season. And while the number of Hill detractors haven't been as vocal as they were at the end of last year's underachieving 7-6 run, a Boise State result similar to last year's, when the Bulldogs lost 61-10, could ignite more fans to clamor for a change, said Guy Haberman, a sports talk show host on local ESPN radio affiliate KFIG (AM 1430).

"I don't know how much losing would hurt, but winning the game would certainly help," said Haberman, referring to fan support for Hill. "People are excited, but they're expecting Boise State to win."

Hill, in his 13th season at Fresno State, said at the beginning of fall camp that he wasn't concerned about securing a contract extension.

"What we need to do," he said then, "is win some WAC championships. We need to catch Boise."

And there are some who believe doing just that tonight could swing some loyalty back to Hill.

"Fresno State is our school; it's the community's team," said Brodie Major of Fresno. "We just want to see them win."

Fresno State is projecting a near-sellout crowd of about 40,000 for the team's marquee home game of the season. Hill said this week that he hoped fans would help the Bulldogs in their quest to topple the six-time WAC champion Broncos.

"We need the hometown crowd," Hill said. "Boise won't play in a road environment like ours all season. ... If our fans come up big, they can make a big difference."