Andrew Marden's Blog

Brandstater Hanging In There

2010-03-16T21:56:00Z

Tom Brandstater

Kudos to former Fresno State quarterback Tom Brandstater, who survived the addition of Brady Quinn to the Denver Broncos quarterback ranks.

Quinn was traded to Denver over the weekend, passed his physical, and is expected to compete with Kyle Orton as the team's starter.

To make room for Quinn on the roster, the Broncos cut Chris Simms. They chose to keep Brandstater, their 6th round draft pick in 2009. He played at Fresno State from 2005-2008.

10th Grader Gets Offer from Fresno State!

2010-03-16T21:45:00Z

I was out of town at the WAC Tournament last week and didn't see this story until Tuesday afternoon...

from the Bakersfield Californian:

10th-grader Wallace picks up Fresno State offer

Bakersfield High sophomore Tyrone Wallace has been offered a basketball scholarship from Fresno State, BHS coach Greg Burt confirmed.

Wallace also has drawn interest from numerous Pac-10 Conference schools, Burt said, including USC, which came to watch Drillers practices this year.

Wallace, a 6-foot-2 guard, averaged 20.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.8 steals a game for Bakersfield, which lost 73-68 to Clovis East in the section semifinals.

Women's NCAA Tournament Thoughts

2010-03-16T02:42:00Z

The 2010 Women's NCAA Final Four is in San Antonio this year and Fresno State is obviously a long shot (at best) to make it that far. I can't speak for anyone associated with the university but I'm fairly confident the Bulldogs will be happy just to win their first game.

It won't be easy.

Baylor, their opponent in the first round (Saturday in Berkeley at 7:30 pm PT on ESPN2), is the team that knocked Fresno State out of the 2008 NCAA Tournament. The Bears are the 4-seed in the Memphis Regional (Fresno State is 13th), and are ranked 16th in the country. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after losing in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

Similarly, the Bulldogs received an at-large bid (their first in school history) after failing to win the WAC Tournament.

I was at the WAC Tournament. I saw Fresno State continue its season-long conference domination until the championship game, when Louisiana Tech figured out how to beat the Bulldogs by grabbing more rebounds (49-35) and shooting better from the field (46.7%-33.8%).

The Lady Techsters won the game, 68-66, and got the WAC's automatic bid into the women's NCAA Tournament. They are a 14-seed and will play 3rd-seeded Florida State Saturday in Tallahassee, Florida.

As for the Bulldogs, I honestly don't know if they are good enough to beat Baylor. I hope they are. I also hope fans show up to cheer them on, since the game is just a few hours away in Berkeley.

Regardless of what happens, though, the fact that the NCAA Selection Committee voted Fresno State in as an at-large says the Bulldogs are respected.

Bulldogs Announce 2010 Football Schedule

2010-03-16T02:39:00Z

from gobulldogs.com

FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno State’s 2010 football schedule was announced today and the Dogs will be playing seven home game for the fi rst time since 1994.

Among the home games are three non-conference games, two from BCS Conferences, and two schools that played in BCS Bowl games last season.

The Bulldogs open the season at home with Cincinnati, the defending Big East Conference champs, who played Florida in the Sugar Bowl last season and were in the Orange Bowl the year before that. The Bearcats were

12-1 last season, one of those wins was a nail-biting 28-20 victory over Fresno State at Cincinnati. This will be the second meeting between the two schools. It will be televised live by ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m. PT.

The second non-conference game has Cal Poly coming to Bulldog Stadium on October 2. The Mustangs and Bulldogs have not played since 1985. The Dogs owns a 30-10-2 all-time record in the series which began in 1922.

Fresno State closes out the home schedule with Illinois on Dec. The Fighting Illini from the Big Ten Conference are coached by Ron Zook. The Dogs won in Champaign, Ill., last season on a dramatic last-second play that took the nation by storm when Bulldog guard Devan Cunningham scored a two-point conversion on a tipped pass attempt with 2 seconds remaining for the Bulldogs to win 53-52.

The Bulldogs fourth non-conference game will be on the road, at Mississippi on Sept. 25. The Bulldogs and Rebels have never played. Mississippi, from the SEC, is coming off a victory in the Cotton Bowl and coached by Houston Nutt.

Fresno State opens the WAC schedule at Utah State on Sept. 18 and will play the next two league games at home, with Hawaii and New Mexico State coming to town Oct. 9 and Oct. 16, respectively.

The remaining WAC home games feature two teams that went to bowl games last season, Nevada on Nov. 13 and Humanitarian Bowl Champion Idaho on Nov. 27.

Fresno State’s game at Boise State on Friday, Nov. 19, will be live on ESPN2 at 6:30 p.m. PT.

“We are excited to be able to have seven home games for our fans,” said head coach Pat Hill. “Opening and closing the season with BCS opponents is unique and exciting and in the middle we have Cal Poly, a California State school, and four excellent WAC games. After 13 years of playing great programs on the road, it’s nice to finally get paid back with some quality home games. We have more in the future including Colorado, Nebraska, Ol’ Miss and Rutgers coming to Bulldog Stadium. Our players and our fans deserve this schedule.”

Sept. 4 Cincinnati Bulldog Stadium 7:30 p.m. ESPN2

Sept. 18 *Utah State Logan, Utah TBA TBA

Sept. 25 Mississippi Oxford, Miss. TBA TBA

Oct. 2 Cal Poly Bulldog Stadium 7 p.m. TBA

Oct. 9 *Hawai’i Bulldog Stadium 7 p.m. TBA

Oct. 16 *New Mexico State (HC) Bulldog Stadium 7 p.m. TBA

Oct. 23 *San Jose State San Jose, Calif. TBA TBA

Nov. 6 *Louisiana Tech Ruston, La. TBA TBA

Nov. 13 *Nevada Bulldog Stadium 7 p.m. TBA

Nov. 19 *Boise State Boise, Idaho 6:30 p.m. ESPN2

Nov. 27 *Idaho Bulldog Stadium 7 p.m. TBA

Dec. 4 Illinois Bulldog Stadium 7 p.m. TBA

David Carr Introduced as 49ers QB

2010-03-16T02:37:00Z

The San Francisco 49ers introduced former Fresno State quarterback David Carr on Monday, the same day they finalized a deal to trade Shaun Hill to Detroit.

Carr was asked, predictably, if he'll have a chance to be the team's starting quarterback.

"The thing that I wanted to hear from all those guys is to have a chance to be on the field if I play the way that I know that I can play and they said yes," said Carr at Monday's press conference. "So that's all I needed to hear. Once I get on the field I feel confident that we're gonna play well."

Carr agreed to a two-year deal with the 49ers last week.

Paul George...Staying or Going?

2010-03-12T19:22:00Z

So apparently Fresno State sophomore guard Paul George may or may not be coming back to the Bulldog men's basketball team next season. He also may or may not enter the NBA Draft.

The truth is, we don't know. I honestly don't think he knows.

We DO know that he changed his answer a few times last night after the Bulldogs lost to Louisiana Tech 74-66 in the quarterfinals of WAC Tournament. I was in the postgame press conference and my camera recorded George saying he will return to Fresno State next season. In fact, I used that soundbyte in my 11:00 story!

But then I found out later that sometime Thursday night George posted on Twitter his intentions to enter the NBA Draft. As of 11:30 Friday morning, those comments were gone.

I also read the Fresno Bee's story Friday morning saying George "is going to test the NBA waters" but that there is also "a 50-50 chance of him returning next season."

Obviously these are contradictory statements. Which one do we believe?

I don't have a problem with Paul George changing his mind. But to do it that quickly and to do it on the record? In my opinion if he isn't sure what he wants to do, he should say that or not say anything at all.

How many times did we run soundbytes from Ryan Mathews during the football season saying he was coming back to Fresno State only to find out the running back signed with an agent not too long after the Bulldogs' bowl game loss to Wyoming?

WAC Tournament - Day 2

2010-03-12T04:27:00Z

Busy day Thursday...didn't have time to blog this afternoon!

I'm still in the process of putting together my 11:00 story, but thought I'd take a break for a few minutes to get you caught up on what's happened today.

The Fresno State men's basketball team is now out of the WAC Tournament, losing its first-round game to Louisiana Tech this afternoon, 74-66.

Sophomore guard Mike Ladd didn't play in the game; in fact, he wasn't even on the bench! Ladd was sent home from Reno today for "violating athletic department policy." All we know is whatever he did, it happened sometime yesterday. Athletics Director Thomas Boeh was very vague when answering questions about it, as expected.

After the game (again, without Ladd), sophomore guard Paul George announced that he will not leave Fresno State early for the NBA Draft, but instead will return to the Bulldogs for the 2010-2011 season.

"I look forward to coming back next year and turning the tables a little bit," said George, who led Fresno State in scoring Thursday with 22 points. " (I) feel good that we'll be the team that's dominant with upperclassmen."

So George is coming back next season. So is head coach Steve Cleveland. There were rumors he might not have been retained following another losing season but that's not the case.

"Steve Cleveland is our head basketball coach, our head men's basketball coach, and he will be Fresno State's head men's basketball coach for the 2010-2011 season," said Boeh. "And we're pleased to have him. We think there is a great future with this team."

The Bulldogs finish the season with a 15-18 record.

Coming Friday...coverage of the Fresno State women's basketball team in its semifinal game against Idaho (12:00 pm tipoff).

WAC Tournament - Day 1

2010-03-10T19:48:00Z

7:30 pm - day is done! I'm back from men's practice and just finished uploading my 11:00 story to our server.

5:00 pm - catching my breath! I just uploaded my stories for CBS47 On Your Side at 6 which include highlights from the game (Fresno State beat Hawai'i 83-55, by the way, to advance to Friday's semifinal game against Idaho). It takes awhile to do this because when we feed stuff remotely we have to account for "compression time." Headed to men's practice in 30 minutes.

12:50 pm - halftime...Fresno State leads 49-28...I am now back in the media workroom capturing the video I shot...hoping to get a lot of it edited before the second half starts!

11:50 am - almost tip-off...Fresno State vs Hawai'i...gotta go!

11:15 am - test equipment to make sure it works (I also did this before I left in Fresno)

11:00 am - set up gear in media workroom

10:45 am - arrive Lawlor Events Center...check in

Off to Reno...

2010-03-09T22:21:00Z

It's Tuesday afternoon around 2:30 pm and I'm about to leave for Reno, NV. That's the site of this year's WAC Basketball Tournament, where both the Fresno State men's and women's teams will try to win three consecutive games and gain an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The road is a little easier for the Bulldog women, the top seed in their bracket. They haven't lost a conference game all year and they won this tournament the past two years.

As for the Bulldog men, they are the 5th seed in their bracket. If they can get past Louisiana Tech in the first round, they'll likely have to face top-seeded Utah State in the semifinals.

All the action starts Wednesday at noon (which is why I am leaving Tuesday, to make sure I get to Reno in time for the first game. It's a five-hour drive from Fresno). The tournament runs through Saturday.

Be sure to tune into CBS47 nightly to watch my reports from "The Biggest Little City in the World!"

David Carr to the 49ers?

2010-03-06T01:45:00Z

The San Francisco 49ers invited David Carr for a visit this weekend.

That's according to the San Francisco Chronicle, which is also reporting the former Fresno State All-American is planning to visit with the Arizona Cardinals.

Carr just finished his second season in New York as the Giants backup quarterback. Hee hasn't been a starter since 2006, his last season in Houston.

The former #1 overall pick is an eight-year veteran of the NFL, but not all of the 49ers players think signing Carr is a good idea. Linebacker Patrick Willis tweeted today:

@rt831 for real for what. we have 3 qb's that are better then him. that's a waste of his time

Willis is, of course, entitled to his opinion. That was written late Friday morning on his Twitter page, which for the record is followed by more than 6,000 people.

The quarterbacks Willis is talking about are Alex Smith, Shaun Hill and Nate Davis.

Robin Lopez on "In-Season All-Improved Team"

2010-03-05T00:32:00Z

Robin Lopez/Courtesy: Phoenix New Times

ESPN.com's John Hollinger put together a list of the NBA players he thinks have improved over the course of the regular season and Robin Lopez (San Joaquin Memorial HS) is on it.

Lopez is averaging 8.2 ppg for Phoenix this season and has been seeing a decent amount of playing time since the middle of January.

Click here to read Hollinger's story (Note: you have to be an ESPN Insider to read the full version).

Petersen: “Everyone needs to be extremely paranoid"

2010-03-05T00:24:00Z

The Fresno State football team doesn't start spring practice until March 15th, but Western Athletic Conference Champion Boise State will get things started this Monday (March 8th).

The WAC has yet to release its 2010 football schedule, so we don't know exactly when Fresno State will play Boise State this season (though we do know the game will be in Boise), but head coach Chris Petersen told the Idaho Statesman, “Everyone needs to be extremely paranoid and have an edge.

“If we do that and get that, then we’ll have a chance. And if we think we’re going to repeat because of the guys we have coming back, because of what we did last year, I promise you we won’t.”

Wow. Talk about not resting on your laurels!

This is from a coach who's team just completed an undefeated season and has 22 of its 24 starters returning (Boise State loses cornerback Kyle Wilson, a senior, and lineman Kevin Sapien to career-ending neck and shoulder injuries, according to the Statesman).

If Stanford doesn't get respect, how can Fresno State?

2010-03-05T00:09:00Z

Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote Thursday that the Stanford women's basketball team "(has) a hard time getting much attention paid to (it) even among (its) own sport's aficionados...all because Connecticut never loses at all."

The title of his column is No. 2 Stanford women get no respect.

Well Stanford is 27-1 this season, with its only loss to UConn, and ranked 2nd in the country.

And one of the Cardinal's win came against Fresno State back on December 30th (68-46 at the Save Mart Center).

So...if Ratto is right and Stanford isn't getting respect, then how can Fresno State hope to get respect despite everything the Bulldogs have accomplished this season?

Matt Darr Can't Catch a Break

2010-03-03T23:28:00Z

Mutiple sources, including ESPN.com, are reporting Fresno State is losing assistant coach John Baxter to USC.

John Baxter/Courtesy: gobulldogs.com

Baxter is the Bulldogs' special teams coach and associate head coach, and has been on Pat Hill's staff since Day 1 (1997).

A spokesperson for Fresno State athletics told me Wednesday afternoon that Baxter's reported departure to USC is not a done deal...at least not yet.

But assuming it turns out to be true, I can't imagine what it'll mean to Matt Darr. I certainly wouldn't blame him for feeling, as he put it, "betrayed."

Matt Darr/Courtesy: rivals.com

Darr, a valley native from Frontier High School in Bakersfield, is the nation's top-ranked punter who signed with the Bulldogs last month on National Signing Day.

"I'm just real excited that I've got this under my belt," he said on February 3rd, 2010. "I'm excited that I'm going to Fresno State and I think that's where I belong."

But it wasn't his first choice.

You may remember that Darr initially committed to USC, then backed out of it when Pete Carroll left for the NFL.

Sounds a lot like the Tyler Bray-Lane Kiffin situation, doesn't it?

But at least Bray, the former standout quarterback at Kingsburg High School, had a choice- he could have gone with Kiffin to USC. Darr doesn't have the option to go with Baxter to USC because he already signed his letter of intent with the Bulldogs. If he chose to leave Fresno State, he'd have to sit out and lose a year of eligibility.

“I was real shocked and disappointed in (John Baxter's) decision,” Darr told BarkBoard.com. "It felt like I've been betrayed."

It also makes you wonder how Pat Hill feels. Baxter is the last remaining coach on Fresno State's staff who's been with Hill all 13 seasons...

Sunday at the NFL Combine

2010-03-01T01:28:00Z

Ryan Mathews

Fresno State running backs Ryan Mathews and Lonyae Miller had their on-field workouts Sunday, along with the rest of the top running backs.

Here are their numbers, according to the NFL Combine's website:

RB 40-Yard Dash:
4. Ryan Mathews 4.45 sec
8. Lonyae Miller 4.53 sec

RB Vertical Jump:

T7. Lonyae Miller 36.5”

T10. Ryan Mathews 36.0”

RB Broad Jump:

T4. Lonyae Miller 10’0”

Click here to see video of Mathews' on-field workout, along with analysis.