Fresno State quick hits: Bulldogs sharp wrapping up game prep

Fresno State wrapped up the majority of its game prep for the Saturday season-opener against Incarnate Word with a very sharp practice Thursday morning, particularly quarterback Chason Virgil.

“Great Thursday practice,” coach Jeff Tedford said. “We worked really hard Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday is a polish day and I thought the guys were really crisp and sharp. It’s great to end the week that way.”

On Virgil – Tedford on Virgil, who will start Saturday against the Cardinals: “We try to put him in tough situations all week long and make the first two days really difficult. We script it that way – the most difficult looks and all that stuff – so hopefully he has all the answers when we get into the game.”

Yeah, but … – Tedford and his staff have been trying to purge all vestiges of a 1-11 season a year ago, working on sharpening focus, attention to detail, competitiveness. But the big question remains unanswered, until Saturday. Will the Bulldog be able to take it to the field?

“I’m extremely comfortable and confident and optimistic, but you have to play the game,” defensive coordinator Orlondo Steinauer said.

“I’m not a crystal ball reader, but I know this … we’ve been ramping up and, again, Coach Tedford has a culture he wants established and we have a subculture on defense and within that there are small subcultures of what I’m trying to instill and that’s why I feel comfortable. All that culture stuff has been ingrained. Now it’s time to go out and play.”

Game-time call – The Bulldogs have one position where a starter has not yet been decided – receivers sophomore Derrion Grim and fourth-year junior Jamire Jordan have been competing through the second half of fall camp.

A starter will be a game-time call, Tedford said, but both are expected to play a lot of snaps.

Bonus – Fresno State, which on Saturday is retiring No. 4 in honor of Derek Carr in a halftime ceremony, will have Derek Carr souvenir cups available at concessions stands and a limited number of commemorative programs will be sold for $5.

A Derek Carr No. 4 commemorative T-shirt will be given to every fan in attendance and there also will be 20,000 Derek Carr cheer cards available throughout the stadium.

In addition, because of forecast high temperatures on Saturday, cooling stations will be set up on the north end of Bulldog Stadium behind sections 19/20 and 23/24.

This story was originally published August 31, 2017 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Fresno State quick hits: Bulldogs sharp wrapping up game prep."