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No. 25 Fresno State faces tough opener at Rutgers

Aug 30, 2008 - 10:12 AM No. 25 Fresno State at Rutgers, 4:00 pm EDT

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Fresno State coach Pat Hill will play anybody, anywhere.

The 25th-ranked Bulldogs, who have expectations of contending in the Western Athletic Conference, open a difficult non-conference schedule with what could be an intriguing contest at Rutgers on Labor Day.

Fresno State plays three of its first four games on the road, including a September 27 contest at UCLA, and also hosts Wisconsin on September 13.

Doug Nussmeier, who helped mold St. Louis' Marc Bulger into one the NFL's top quarterbacks, was hired as the Bulldogs' offensive coordinator. His pupil at Fresno State will be senior Tom Brandstater, who is entering his third season as the Bulldogs' starter and has shown steady improvement.

After throwing 14 interceptions as a sophomore, Brandstater was picked off only five times last year and was named MVP of the Humanitarian Bowl, completing 23-of-29 passes for 285 yards and a touchdown in Fresno State's 40-28 win over Georgia Tech.

Last season, Rutgers became the first school in NCAA history to boast a 3,000-yard passer (Mike Teel), a 2,000-yard rusher (Ray Rice) and a pair of 1,000-yard receivers (Tiquan Underwood and Kenny Britt) in the same season. The Scarlet Knights also won consecutive bowl games for the first time in the program's 138-year history.

Teel, Underwood and Britt all return, but the Scarlet Knights have a huge void to fill with the departure of Rice, the school's all-time leading rusher.

Rice saved his best for last, rushing for a school-record 280 yards in Rutgers' 52-30 victory over Ball State in the International Bowl.