GameDay Tailgating

Published online on Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

Wylie and Bernardi update: Fresno State coach Pat Hill said Friday that receiver/punt returner Devon Wylie is a game-time decision and center Joe Bernardi will start today against Utah State.

Wylie injured his hamstring on a deep route against San Jose State on Oct. 17 and didn't travel to Las Cruces, N.M., for last week's game against New Mexico State. Wylie's hamstring also gave him trouble this summer.

There have been at least six hamstring injuries at Fresno State the past two seasons.

Wylie's absence was expected to hurt the Bulldogs last week, but they prevailed without him and even excelled on special teams. Marlon Moore returned two punts for 59 yards and Chastin West took a punt 88 yards for a touchdown.

Bernardi started last week for the first time since Sept. 26, when he injured his shoulder against Cincinnati. The junior center left the New Mexico State game in the second quarter, though, and never returned.

Hill said a hard hit in the side caused Bernardi to leave. Senior Richard Pacheco once again took his place.

Evans at quarterback: Fresno State receiver Rashad Evans is redshirting, but that doesn't mean he's sitting around.

Evans has been useful on scout offense this season and has been really helpful this week as a scout team quarterback, giving the Bulldogs a taste of the option run they expect to see from Utah State on Saturday.

Evans - a sophomore who is redshirting because of a nagging hamstring injury this preseason and increased depth at the receiver position - played quarterback and defensive back in high school. He ran for 1,420 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior at James Logan High-Union City, so running from the quarterback position is nothing new to him.

"He gave us a good look," Hill said. "He's fast."

Hill added that Evans is quicker than Bulldogs quarterback Ebahn Feathers.

Having a quick option quarterback on scout offense was a plus for the Fresno State defense, which hasn't always excelled against option quarterbacks in the past. Utah State quarterback Diondre Borel ran for 74 yards and a score and also threw for another touchdown last season against the Bulldogs.

BY THE NUMBERS

8: Total margin of victory in Utah State's three WAC games. The Aggies have two losses by field goals, and a win by two points.

10-2-1: Bulldogs' record against the Aggies in Fresno. The tie came in 1990 (24-24), and the Aggies' last win in Fresno was in 1980 (14-0).

96-64: Pat Hill's career record as head coach.

AUDIBLE

"We needed to keep putting those seconds back on the board. That guy for New Mexico State was a little sleepy on the clock. We had to talk to the official a couple times to get us the seconds back that we needed."

- Bulldogs coach Pat Hill on last week's clock issues, rare for a home game