Fresno State's football team will have an opportunity to rest during this bye week, and also a chance to study its next opponent.
Hawaii plays Louisiana Tech at 5 p.m. Wednesday on ESPN2. It's the third straight road game the Warriors play before facing Fresno State in Honolulu on Oct. 10.
Hawaii coach Greg McMackin says the road stretch has not been ideal, more for academic than athletic reasons. The players have been in class for nine days in September. School began Aug. 24.
"It really puts a strain on the players academically," McMackin said from Dallas, where his team landed before dawn Monday morning.
McMackin said his players have done a great job of practicing and attending study hall while on the road.
Fresno State will have an opportunity to study its upcoming opponent in Greg Alexander and Hawaii, which is in the middle of a long road stretch, during its bye week.
"I've really admired them for that," he said.
The Hawaii players, who have two tutors traveling with them, spent 11 consecutive nights on the mainland to play Washington State on Sept. 12 and UNLV on Sept. 19. They flew into Hawaii the morning after the UNLV game and returned to the mainland Monday morning on a red-eye.
McMackin said the Warriors will practice twice in Dallas before flying into Monroe, La., today and traveling by bus to Ruston, La., on Wednesday.
"You just have to do what you gotta do," McMackin said. "That's our schedule, and the players, they're working hard and I know they're going to do a good job."
Hawaii's pass offense is once again tops in the nation, averaging 423 yards per game. Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley compared Hawaii's offense to that of 2007, when the Warriors went to the Sugar Bowl with Colt Brennan at quarterback and receivers Davone Bess, Ryan Grice-Mullen and Jason Rivers.
That's bad news for the Louisiana Tech's Bulldogs and those at Fresno State, too. Cincinnati worked Fresno State on Saturday for 300 yards and three touchdowns.
Hawaii senior quarterback Greg Alexander is the nation's most efficient passer with 1,234 yards, nine touchdowns and just two interceptions. (Aside: The last three quarterbacks to oppose Fresno State all rank high on the efficiency list -- Boise State's Kellen Moore is No. 2, Cincinnati's Tony Pike is No. 5 and Wisconsin's Scott Tolzien is No. 13.)
"He's a big presence in the pocket," Dooley said of Alexander. "He's got a very good arm and he's making the accurate throws and he's staying in there waiting for guys to get down the field and he has exceptional wide receivers around him. They really got it rolling. It's going to be a big challenge for our defense."
And Fresno State's defense will likely be watching.
A few rules are needed to help foster a feeling of community. We encourage a free and open exchange of ideas in a climate of mutual respect, but any post that violates someone's right to use and enjoy fresnobee.com is prohibited. Before you post, please read the terms of use and obey these simple guidelines.
Here are the ground rules:
Contents of this site are © Copyright The Fresno Bee. All rights reserved.
E-Mail
Print
@Nyx.CommentBody@