10/21/2005
Fresno St. prepares for Idaho
MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) - The last time Idaho hosted a ranked Division I-A opponent, John F. Kennedy was about to become president - and the Vandals lost.
Idaho coach Nick Holt is hoping for a different outcome on Saturday when No. 24 Fresno State visits the Kibbie Dome.
In the fall of 1960, the Vandals fell to Oregon State 28-8.
Fresno State (4-1, 2-0 Western Athletic Conference) climbed back into the AP college football poll this week after scoring 46 consecutive points in a 53-21 victory over Utah State.
The Bulldogs had been No. 22 before losing at Oregon 37-34 on Sept. 17 and falling out of the poll for three weeks.
Fresno State coach Pat Hill said he was happy to be back in the national limelight, but with seven games remaining - including Hawaii, Boise State, Nevada and No. 1 Southern California - the Bulldogs cannot afford to take Idaho lightly.
``It doesn't really make any difference right now, because you've just got to keep winning,'' Hill said. ``So far, everything is going well, but we still have seven more to go.''
Winning has come easy for the Bulldogs, who have outscored opponents 223-96, averaging 44.6 points per game and outscoring everyone but Oregon by more than 30 points.
``They're the best football team that has come into the Kibbie Dome since I've been associated with University of Idaho football,'' said Holt, who was an assistant from 1990-97 before returning as head coach last season. ``We have our work cut out for us.''
It's the first meeting of the teams since 1979, when Fresno State was a 30-10 winner at home.
The Vandals, meanwhile, have struggled to find an offense, averaging just 17.4 points per game and switching from senior Michael Harrington to junior Steven Wichman at quarterback after the season opener. Idaho (1-5, 1-2) has been outscored 205-104 this season.
After losing 62-14 at Nevada on Oct. 8, the Vandals had a bye week to prepare for the Bulldogs.
``We really had to get back to fundamentals; correct some things that we didn't do well in the game,'' Holt said. ``Then, looking at different personnel and making sure we did things correctly with the personnel we have. We needed a breath of fresh air and to get some guys healthy.''
The Vandals will have to be at their best against the Bulldogs, who bring the WAC defensive player of the week, cornerback Richard Marshall, who had a team-high six tackles, returned a fumble for 17 yards and intercepted a pass against Utah State.
The Bulldogs also have Clint Stitser, the placekicker who earned WAC special teams honors after hitting 3-for-3 field goals, including a career-long 44-yarder, and all six extra point tries against Utah State.
Fresno State has a balanced offense, averaging 170 yards per game rushing and 12 touchdowns on the ground and 195 passing yards and 12 passing TDs this season.
As for playing indoors in front of a partisan crowd, Hill said, ``We've never been inside and we've never been to Moscow, Idaho, so we're looking forward to the trip.
``We played in front of a real hostile crowd at Oregon and I feel our players handled it well.''
