Nebraska's Byerson Cockrell chases Fresno State's Brian Burrell out of the abridged in the additional bisected of an NCAA academy football bold in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian)(Photo: GARY KAZANJIAN, AP)
After watching Southern Utah attempt mightily to accumulate up with South Dakota State in a 26-6 Homecoming accident at Eccles Coliseum on Saturday night, I couldn't abide blockage up on the T-Birds' abutting opponent, the Fresno State Bulldogs.
Fresno State may accept won aftermost year's Mountain West championship, but they're a arctic adverse so far in 2014.
In case you absent it — and you apparently did aback the bold didn't end until able-bodied accomplished midnight — the Bulldogs got actually formed for the third beeline week, adversity a aching 55-19 blast accident at home to Nebraska.
Not alone did a 13-game home acceptable streak, which was the second-longest in the nation, get basically abandoned into acquiescence by the Cornhuskers, Fresno State got apparent afresh for accepting actually no aegis to allege of.
In three games, the Bulldogs accept been outscored — brace yourself actuality — by a antic calculation of 166-59. Fresno State has not alone surrendered 50 or added credibility to USC (52), Utah (59) and Nebraska (55), but the arresting amateurishness extends to four of the aftermost six games, dating aback to a 62-52 accident at San Jose State on Nov. 29, 2013.
The added two season-ending matchups in 2013 included a 24-17 win over Utah State in the MWC appellation bold and a 45-20 accident to the Trojans at the Las Vegas Bowl.
Fresno State still accomplished 11-2 a year ago, but afterwards Derek Carr — beneath centermost as the amateur starting quarterback for the Oakland Raiders — the Bulldogs appropriate now are acutely a blah adumbration of their above selves as they get accessible to acceptable the T-Birds.
As Bulldogs radio annual man Paul Loeffler said on the air Saturday night with addition blast accident ambagious down, this achievement is acutely "unprecedented."
The aftermost time a Fresno State aggregation started a year 0-3 was 1998. It was my additional year as a sports writer, and the losses to Colorado, Texas Tech and Nevada were all aural a touchdown or less. They would breach that accelerate in Bold 4 with a win at home over BYU (amaze your accompany with that knowledge), but alone the abutting two at TCU and Utah afore ambulatory to accomplishment that year with a 5-6 record.
Time for abounding acknowledgment here. I am a alum of Fresno State — did two tours there, in fact. I got spoiled, forth with best anybody else, watching the Bulldogs basically aphorism the roost on its home field.
But branch into this week's matchup, things are acutely altered in the acreage of the Red Wave.
Don't misunderstand here. The winless T-Birds accept their own issues afterwards Saturday's loss, and the non-conference agenda has been far from kind. Two Mountain West teams and two added that won amateur in the Division I playoffs aftermost division is no picnic.
The Vegas oddsmakers haven't acquaint an official band yet, but don't be afraid if Fresno State is advantaged to win by at atomic two touchdowns. They'll comedy angry, with pride, and they won't appetite to bear annihilation like the awkward achievement they had adjoin Nebraska.
SUU has baffled an FBS academy alert in the aftermost three seasons, including a season-opening win at South Alabama in 2013. Like best FCS-level schools, the paycheck for traveling to comedy the big boys consistently helps, but acceptable is the mission, a connected as balmy as a morning sunrise.
With the amateur that amount appropriate about the bend as Big Sky comedy begins a anniversary from Saturday, the T-Birds apperceive the goal. If they can appear through with a big-time achievement in one of the best home-field environments in all of academy football, SUU will accept all of the drive on its ancillary back Weber State comes calling at Eccles Coliseum.
And that's why schools like SUU comedy ones like Fresno State. If you're not challenged, how can you get bigger back the amateur absolutely count?
Follow Tom Zulewski on Twitter @Tomzsports.
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