Warszawski: Deserved or not, Fresno State’s ‘giant slayer’ reputation persists

The clerk at Neilsen’s Department Store, founded in 1839 and purported to be the oldest store in the South, must’ve known I wasn’t a local.

“Where are you from?” he asked.

“Fresno, California,” I said. “In town for the football game.”

“Welcome to Oxford,” he replied. “Hope your boys take it easy on us.”

I looked at the clerk’s face for a trace of a smile but found none. He was actually being serious.

Instead it was me who grinned. OK, it was more of a smirk.

I didn’t tell him Mississippi is a 291/2-point favorite over Fresno State in Saturday’s game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Or that the No. 17 Rebels are coming off a 73-point victory. Not to mention the Bulldogs have lost 19 in a row to ranked opponents, a dubious streak that dates to 2004. Or that they have never beaten a Southeastern Conference opponent in five tries.

It wouldn’t have mattered. In many college football quarters, Fresno State is considered a formidable foe regardless of its conference affiliation or recent past.

Why is this? Because of these three little words: “Anyone, anytime, anywhere.”

Never mind that it’s been close to 15 years since former coach Pat Hill brought that mentality to Fresno State. Or that his Bulldogs returned from “anywhere” against “anyone” with more losses than wins.

The reputation of Fresno State as giant slayer still exists – deserved or not.

Looking back, Hill’s greatest triumph may not have been the 6-0 start in 2001 that launched the Bulldogs into the top 10. Or when Fresno State went to Kansas State in 2004 and thrashed the 13th-ranked Wildcats by three touchdowns. Or even the 50-42 loss to top-ranked USC in 2005 at The Coliseum, a game many Red Wavers still equate with a win.

Nope. Hill’s greatest triumph was how he changed the national perception about the program, a perception that endures.

When San Jose State and Hawaii schedule the likes of Auburn or Ohio State, they’re considered “body bag games.” Games played for a paycheck, and really for no other reason. No one gives them any chance to win.

When the Bulldogs schedule a Mississippi or Nebraska, you don’t hear those negative tones.

Such is the power of three little words.

I was there at Camp Randall Stadium in 2001 when Fresno State added Wisconsin to a collection of scalps that included Colorado and Oregon State. The following week, David Carr made the cover of Sports Illustrated.

I was also there at Neyland Stadium in 2003 when the Bulldogs were uncompetitive against Tennessee. And two weeks later in Oklahoma when Fresno State got thrashed by the top-ranked Sooners. (Hill’s postgame quote – “I don’t believe in moral victories, but we won the second half” – remains one of my all-time favorites.)

It’s interesting to me how memories of 2001 endure in the collective memories of college football fans, even those living in SEC country, while those from other, less successful years fade away.

Fresno State has played Mississippi twice in the not-so-recent past (2010 and ’11), and both were competitive losses (55-38 and 38-28). So that may be part of the clerk’s reaction, too.

I’m not sure how long this perception of the Bulldogs as giant slayers can continue. Not without them actually slaying someone. And aside from a 2012 loss to Oregon at Autzen Stadium, Fresno State under fourth-year coach Tim DeRuyter has barely put up a fight against Power Five conference teams.

Saturday presents a tremendous opportunity to renew the legacy that Hill started, or add a new chapter. It won’t be easy, though. These are new-and-improved Rebels.

In 2013, Mississippi coach Hugh Freeze landed a recruiting class that Rivals.com ranked No. 7 in the country. The five-star headliners – defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, receiver Laquon Treadwell, tackle Laremy Tunsil and defensive back Tony Conner – are now juniors and considered among the top players at their positions nationally. (Tunsil may not play amid an NCAA investigation.)

So, these young, untested Bulldogs face long odds. Not just for a victory, but for keeping the score within reason. That’s the harsh reality.

In many respects, Fresno State would be fortunate to stay within three touchdowns of Mississippi and return to the smoky central San Joaquin Valley with minimal injuries.

Unless the Bulldogs win one of these nonconference games, and soon, their reputation as giant slayers will eventually fade away. But based on my conversation with a department store clerk and other folks I encountered around this colorful college town, it still persists.

This story was originally published September 11, 2015 at 7:50 PM with the headline "Warszawski: Deserved or not, Fresno State’s ‘giant slayer’ reputation persists."