Game Day: UH at Fresno State

Stephen Tsai has a gameday preview with breakdowns of the the offense, defense and special teams for both UH and Fresno. Here's an excerpt about Fresno's defense:

It's a coin flip on how to defend UH's four-wide offense, and the Bulldogs are going with "heads" - a front-loaded attack. The Bulldogs, who are 11th nationally with 3.0 sacks per game, hope they generate a pass rush from their front seven to disrupt the Warriors' offensive timing.

Daniel Lyght of The Fresno Bee has a gameday breakdown. Here's an excerpt about UH's defense:

The Warriors have forced 12 turnovers this season, so the Bulldogs need to be careful. Corey Paredes leads the Western Athletic Conference with 62 tackles (12.4 per game) and fellow linebacker Aaron Brown leads the Warriors with three sacks. Defensive back Jeramy Bryant could be a threat; he has two interceptions so far this season.

Lyght writes about Fresno QB Ryan Colburn, the injuries that have plagued the Bulldogs, and Fresno coach Pat Hill's hopes for a low-scoring game:

"A low-scoring game is more to our advantage," Hill said. "Defense is the name of the game. Defense will control the tempo of the game, and special teams."

But, added Hill: "I don't see it being a 10-7 game. Low 30s, high 20s, that'd be low scoring probably in a game like this. But you never know. Cincinnati, everyone thought would be a high-scoring game and it really wasn't."

Lyght also has news and notes.

BarkBoard.com has a game preview.

Jake Camarillo of Ka Leo talks to some of the UH players about playing in the hostile environs of Fresno.

"It's real fun – you got guys yelling at you and little kids swearing at you," said junior defensive lineman Vaughn Meatoga. "You've never seen that kind of stuff before."

When the Warriors played at Fresno State in 2008, they pulled out an overtime win, upsetting the No. 22 Bulldogs.

Senior slot receiver Greg Salas enjoys the hostile environment.

"You just gotta enjoy the atmosphere, there's not many places like that. (You) just gotta live for the moment in these games," said Salas.

Tsai writes about the passion of the FSU fans.

Then there is the path leading to the field, where Bulldogs fans bark insults at visiting teams.

"I talked to my players about what the crowd will be like," said head coach Greg McMackin, whose Warriors play Fresno State tonight. "There will be elderly ladies waving their fists at us, and people yelling at us, and even 5-year-old guys yelling. It will be a real hostile environment."

And Ferd Lewis writes that a UH victory over Fresno would be huge.

A victory here today at Bulldog Stadium, on Ag Day, where they are 11-point underdogs, would be a significant step in several directions for the Warriors, who are 3-2 (1-0 WAC). Apart from setting up a showdown with nationally ranked Nevada next week in Aloha Stadium, a win would be a major move toward the seven victories required for bowl eligibility, the Warriors' avowed goal after a year's absence from the postseason.