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Fresno State wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu (2) catches a touchdown pass with Wisconsin cornerback Chris Maragos (21) defending during overtime last weekend in Madison, Wis. Wisconsin won 34-31.
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Dave Southorn
dsouthorn@idahopress.com
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

The Fresno State Bulldogs still resemble a Pat Hill-coached squad — for the most part.

While there are plenty of two-back sets and old-fashioned power football looks, the Bulldogs have added a few wrinkles and played to their strengths this season.

Fresno State (1-1) has put up strong numbers on the ground and in the air, averaging 244.5 yards per game rushing and 245 yards per game passing heading into Friday's home game against No. 10 Boise State (2-0), a game on ESPN at 8 p.m.

"I think they're a more diverse team (this season)," Boise State head coach Chris Petersen said.

Piloting the Bulldogs' offense is junior quarterback Ryan Colburn, who had thrown five passes in 2007 as a redshirt freshman entering this season.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Colburn credits some of his early success (450 yards, five TDs) to a depth of talent behind and alongside him. Fresno State's top two rushers and top four receivers have a combined 17 letters of experience behind them.

"I won't lie, it really does make my job a lot easier," Colburn said. "We have some really good skill players. It's my job to get it out of my hands as quickly as possible into theirs so they can make a play."

The Bulldogs lost tight end Bear Pascoe after he ran out of eligibilty, but have junior running back Ryan Mathews and senior receiver Marlon Moore healthy after the two missed a combined 10 games last season.

"It's because we've got six receivers and four running backs, we don't have the tight ends we've had in the pass, so we've had to change our personnel around and it's worked out well for us," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. "Right now our running backs and receivers are the strength of our football team, so we need to play to them."

Colburn earned the starting nod after a heated competition with true freshman Derek Carr (the younger brother of former Bulldog David Carr) and speedy redshirt freshman Ebahn Feathers, who the Bulldogs tend to use in the "Wildcat" formation.

"They're giving you more that you have to defend," Petersen said.

Transitioning from wearing a headset to a helmet on gamedays has taken a bit of getting used to for Colburn, as he did not even appear in a game last season behind Tom Brandstater, but he said each week has delivered more learning experiences.

"I feel like a lot of hard work is paying off," Colburn said. "It's different getting into the swing of just playing football again and having fun instead of just seeing practice snaps."

In his first game Sept. 5 against UC Davis, Colburn attempted only nine passes, completing five for 161 yards, thanks to a rushing attack that racked up 310 yards on the ground. In last Saturday's 34-31 loss in two overtimes to Wisconsin, he attempted 36 passes as the Bulldogs had 179 rushing yards.

Still, defenses have been forced to respect the run, helping Colburn and the Bulldog passing attack.

"Their run game sets up the pass game and definitely opens up the play action," Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson said.

The Bulldogs were sunk by three turnovers last week against the Badgers, including a Colburn interception in overtime.

Knowing he'll be facing a Boise State defense that has held opponents to 10 points or less 10 times in its last 15 games, Colburn is hoping his progression includes learning from his hiccups.

"If you make a mistake against them, they make you pay," Colburn said. "So I'm looking forward to getting out there and playing a mistake-free game. I've made mistakes, but I'm the kind of guy that won't make them a second time."