April 21, 2009
Spring Game Roster 
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State football team will wrap-up its spring practice session on Saturday with the annual Spring Scrimmage on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium. Admission and parking is free.
Head coach Pat Hill will run the squad through simulated game situations for about 80 plays in the final of 15 practice sessions of the spring session, which began on March 23. The team will begin warming up at 1:30 p.m. and will start the scrimmage at 2 p.m. The Bulldog Stadium gates will open at 1 p.m. and fans are asked to sit in the stands on the west side (press box side of the Stadium).
"We have gotten a lot of work done and we are looking forward to one last chance of live scrimmage work before the summer hits" said Hill. "We have been taking a lot of live hits in pressure situations, which will be important as we head into fall camp and get ready for the 2009 season and for UC Davis on Sept. 5. With a tough early season schedule that includes Wisconsin, Boise State and Cincinnati, we need to be well prepared."
Hill has been pleased with the progress of the team and the hard work that's gone into the spring session. He's especially pleased with the defense and the development of young players who are eager for the 2009 season.
"We could be pretty salty on defense," Hill said. "We have some really good leaders returning in Chris Carter, Ben Jacobs and Moses Harris. They have been working hard and leading our team. We have a ways to go and some spots to fill, but we have some talented young players who bring a lot of speed to our defense."
A lot of media and fan focus during spring practices has been on the vacant quarterback situation. Hill said it's a three-man race between true freshman Derek Carr, junior Ryan Colburn and redshirt freshman Ebahn Feathers and he's been pleased with the progress he's seen.
"The good news is that we have three very talented quarterbacks," said Hill. "Everyone wants to know right now who's going to be playing, but we don't have to make that decision until fall camp. All three have worked very hard and they have several more months of hard work ahead of them before we open fall camp. I like what I've seen from all of them. It's a good, healthy and competitive environment and when you have that at every position, with people striving to be their best and wins jobs, it helps the football team."
For the first time during spring ball, Hill is allowing quarterbacks to play live and be hit and has placed no restrictions on the defense, which can blitz and play any schemes.
"Make no mistake, this not like preparing for an opponent during the regular season," said Hill. "What people are going to see in the scrimmage are fundamental things we need to work on to make our team better. That's been our goal the whole spring. It may not be as entertaining as some people would like, we are not to be throwing long passes on every play, but we need to improve in a lot of areas as a team."
For fun, Hill is implementing a new and unique scoring system for the scrimmage.
The Bulldogs will have 10 offensive drives over the field and six drives in the Compete Zone (25-yard line) and that will be conducted similar to college football overtime rules. He expects to run about 80 plays in the scrimmage.
Scrimmage Scoring System
Offense:
Touchdown: 6 points
Extra Point (all kicked from the 25 yard line): 1 point
First Down: 1 point
Field goal: 3 points
Defense:
Turnover: 7 points
Offense Makes a field goal under 40 yards: 4 points
Offense misses a field goal over 40 yards: 1 point
Offense Misses a field goal under 40 yards: 7 points
Holds offense to a three-and-out to start a drive: 2 points
Force a punt on a regular drive: 1 point
Missed extra point: 1 point
Hill is also asking fans to avoid shooting video of the scrimmage as there has been a lot of practice footage appearing on the internet in recent weeks.
"While we appreciate those fans who are excited about the team and feel putting our practice footage on the internet is a great way to `promote' the team, it will undoubtedly be used by our early season opponents to help their scouting reports of our personnel, formations and tendencies. If you care about the Bulldogs and the football team, please don't post our practice or scrimmage footage on the internet."
SEASON TICKETS AND PROMOTIONS
Season tickets for the 2009 season will be available at the Bulldog Ticket Office, which opens at Noon. Fresno State has several ticket specials available at the scrimmage. Approximately 200 lucky fans will win prize packages that will include Bulldog Bucks redeemable at the Bulldog Shop, special one day only season ticket values. Fresno State will also be giving away five 2009 Fresno State season tickets at the scrimmage.
CLUB RED TICKETS ON SALE
Club Red is offering a great opportunity for former student-athletes to come out to Bulldog Stadium and support the Fresno State Football team. The 2009 schedule has been released and active Club Red Members can now purchase up to four season tickets in the lower part of Section 29 for only $99 each! This is a great opportunity for all former Fresno State student-athletes to reconnect with former teammates and watch the Bulldogs this fall. To purchase discounted season tickets, please call the Bulldog Ticket Office at (559) 278-DOGS. Only active Club Red members are eligible to purchase these season tickets, so be sure to have your ID number available. If you are not an active member, please contact Andrea Alires at (559) 244-5600 or by email at clubred@csufresno.edu.
BULLDOG SHOP AND EQUIPMENT SALE
The Bulldog Shop will be on site in the in the Lexus Blue Lot, in front of the ticket office, with a special apparel sale beginning at 10 a.m. The equipment staff will also have gently used Fresno State gear available for purchase at the Bulldog Shop sale.
There will be inflatable games for kids also in the Lexus Blue Lot and the Bulldog players and coaches will be available for autographs and pictures after the scrimmage.
MY TEAM SHIRTS
Fresno State will unveil its newest branded "My Team" T-shirts at the Bulldog Shop sale on Saturday. "My Team" shirts are $14.
SPRING SCRIMMAGE ON KMJ RADIO
Fans can listen to the scrimmage on KMJ radio from 2-3 p.m. Ralph Wood, Jordan Christensen and Steve Gonzales will broadcast live from Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldog baseball team plays at San Jose State at 1 p.m. and Paul Loeffler will be in San Jose broadcasting the game and will provide baseball updates during the football scrimmage.
PARKING
Parking is free for the Spring Scrimmage. The Red Lot (Cedar and Barstow) and Q lots (corner of Bartow and Campus Drive) will be available for parking. There will be limited space available in the Lexus Blue Lot. The White Lot is closed.
Join the State - Fresno State! Come join the Fresno State football team at the annual spring scrimmage on Saturday at 2 p.m. Admission is free and the scrimmage will be broadcast live on KMJ Radio 580 AM.
