Colburn fluent in Bulldog-ese

Starting QB has command of the language, and the team now.

Published online on Wednesday, Sep. 02, 2009

Four Fresno State quarterbacks, a student assistant and then-offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti sat in a Bulldogs meeting room in the fall of 2005.

Starting signal-caller Paul Pinegar and Cignetti were in the midst of a conversation, speaking a language foreign to first-year quarterback Ryan Colburn.

The former Central Valley Christian High star, fresh off his second undefeated season and second consecutive Central Section title, listened intently at the end of the room. But as he watched Pinegar and Cignetti form English words with their mouths, he might as well have been hearing Chinese.

"Hey, remember in 2002 we were playing [Southern Methodist] and we ran that China route," Pinegar said to Cignetti.

"Oh, yeah, yeah," the coach replied.

Colburn sat puzzled.

"I'm thinking, 'OK, I'm starting to get some of this,' then they talk about that and I'm [lost]," Colburn said Wednesday. "And they didn't have enough time to slow down and answer me."

Four falls later, Colburn is the guy most fluent in the offensive terminology and will begin the year as Fresno State's starter against UC Davis on Saturday.

The learning curves of 2005 and 2006, when he sat out while taking gray- and redshirt years, were successfully navigated miles ago. The red stoplights he faced as a backup when he finally did suit up in 2007 and 2008 are in the rearview mirror as well.

Colburn was given the keys to the Fresno State offense Monday night and he plans on driving it like an E-Class.

"At first I didn't feel like I was ready," Colburn said. "I felt I had a lot to learn. After a couple years I felt I was ready to contribute, but Tommy [Brandstater] was in front of me and he's doing very well for himself now. He's obviously not a slouch. Paul was a really good quarterback before him, and now I'm in position to win games and I'm excited."

Coach Pat Hill said Wednesday he knew back in 2005 that with patience and hard work Colburn could develop into a "heckuva" quarterback.

"He has," Hill said.

Colburn, now a junior eligibility-wise, didn't think it would take this long when he joined the program in 2005.

But that was what Colburn calls "freshman arrogance."

"Every kid who comes here thinks they're going to blow the starter out of the water because they were successful in high school," he said. "Sometimes that works out really well for guys, but eventually it catches up with them. They come to respect how much more difficult it is."

Colburn learned that early, watching Pinegar and earning great respect for him. It wasn't as difficult to stand on the sideline during his first two years as it was in 2007 and 2008, he said. Last season was the low point of his career, he said.

"Coach Hill and I have a different opinion on this, but the hardest thing to do is know you're ready to play and not be able to contribute," he said. "Tommy was a senior and had been the starter a couple years. They made it clear I wasn't on his level. I didn't exactly agree with that, but that was coach Hill's decision to make.

"That was the hardest -- to sit and watch us struggle. That's hard for any competitor."

The Bulldogs went 7-6 last season, and Colburn never saw the field, not even in a 61-10 drubbing at the hands of Boise State that ended the regular season. Colburn said he felt he should have played last year, but said Hill wasn't sure he could make a difference.

Colburn's not bitter, he said. Once that season was complete, he was over it.

"I had a season to get ready for," he said, "a big one."

Since the end of 2008, Colburn has improved his ability to throw long, his accuracy and his pocket awareness, Hill said.

Colburn said he's become a more consistent quarterback and wants to maintain that.

Senior receiver Seyi Ajirotutu said Colburn's decision-making has improved since 2005 and that his confidence in his teammates has grown as well, which allows Colburn to concentrate on doing his job.

Senior receiver Marlon Moore said Colburn's strong mind and will are two qualities he brings to the team.

"He's a little bit of a butthead, but he's going to push you to be as good as you can be and that's what you need from a quarterback," Moore said.

Junior center Joe Bernardi has complete confidence in the Bulldogs offense's new driver. He has known Colburn since the pair roomed together on their Fresno State recruiting trip.

"He's an unbelievable leader," Bernardi said. "His best quality you won't see till crunch time in a game. ... Our success for the next four months is all he cares about, even if we run 60 times a game."

Bernardi said that he never doubted Colburn would be the starter this season, even amid the tight battle between Colburn and freshman Derek Carr.

"He's our guy," Bernardi continued. "Not to take anything away from Derek -- what he did was remarkable. ... This is Ryan's team."