FRESNO STATE VS. WEBER STATE, 7 p.m. Saturday at Bulldog Stadium

KEYS TO SUCCESS

FOR FRESNO STATE

Make "Fast, physical and fanatical" more than just some cheesy slogan the way "Anyone, anytime, anywhere" became under Pat Hill. The Bulldogs were well short on all three points in that equation last year. The only thing they have proven to this point is they can pronounce the words.

FOR WEBER STATE

Use the running game and quarterback Mike Hoke to control the football. The Wildcats were able to move the football on the ground last season, pounding out 205.4 yards per game to rank 19th in the FCS, and can use Hoke's mobility to their advantage on plays that are in the 3rd-and-short and 3rd-and-medium range.

PROJECTED STARTERS

FRESNO STATE

Quarterback: Derek Carr

Backfield: Robbie Rouse, RB

Wide receivers: Josh Harper, Isaiah Burse, Rashad Evans

Tight end: Marcel Jensen

Offensive line: Austin Wentworth, LT; Matt Hunt, LG; Lars Bramer, C; Richard Helepiko, RG; Cody Wichmann, RT

Defensive line:Anthony Williams, DE; Tyeler Davison, NG; Andy Jennings, DE

Linebackers: Shawn Plummer, OLB; Travis Brown, MLB; Jeremiah Toma or Patrick Su'a or Kyrie Wilson, MLB; Donavon Lewis, OLB

Secondary: L.J. Jones, CB; Phillip Thomas, SS; Derron Smith, FS; Sean Alson, CB

Special teams: Quentin Breshears or Blake Dunn, PK; Garrett Swanson, KO; Andrew Shapiro, P; Chad Preacher, LS; Andrew Shapiro, PH; Isaiah Burse, KR or Milton Knox or Robbie Rouse, KR; Rashad Evans, PR

WEBER STATE

Quarterback: Mike Hoke

Backfield: C.J. Tuckett, RB; Karl Finai, FB

Wide receivers: Jordan Clemente, Shaydon Kehano, Xavian Johnson

Tight end: Brian Jankowski

Offensive line: Shelton Robinson, LT; Tytan Timoteo, LG; Tyson Tiatia, C; Alex Land, RG; Justin Turner, RT

Defensive line: Dustin Martin, LE; Adam Saga-White, DT; Connor Myers, DT; Trevor Pletcher, RE

Linebackers: Luke King, SLB; Anthony Morales, MLB; Robbie Diamond, LC

Secondary: Tony Epperson, W; Willie Okwuonu, FS; Adam Padilla, R; David James, RC

Special teams: Kela Marciel, PR, PH; Kris Parham, KR; Shaun McClain, PK; Tony Epperson, P; Trevor Pletcher, DS

Tailgating

Better to receive: Derek Carr has been bullish on the Bulldogs' chances to score a lot of points and win a lot of games since the spring, and here's one reason why: Fresno State has more returning receivers this season with 30 or more receptions than any team in the Mountain West Conference -- and the list doesn't include redshirt freshman Davante Adams, who has been exceptional in practice.

The Fresno State position group includes Rashad Evans (44 receptions), Isaiah Burse (40), Josh Harper (35) and then there is running back Robbie Rouse (32).

The MWC teams that come closest to the Bulldogs are Hawaii, San Diego State and Wyoming; each has three returning receivers with 30 or more receptions.

Air Force and Boise State have two, Colorado State and New Mexico have one and Nevada and UNLV don't have any returning receivers with 30 or more receptions last season.

Streak is on: The Bulldogs' Evans has caught at least one pass in 16 consecutive games and 23 of the past 24 that he has played in, with a high of seven in a victory last season at Idaho.

The only team to shut him out in that stretch is Boise State in 2010, a game in which he played sparingly.

Getting defensive: One thing to note with the Weber State defense -- Jody Sears' official hire date as defensive coordinator was April 2, in the middle of spring practices.