April 16, 2008

FRESNO, Calif. - The theme for Fresno State this season has been "Back to Business", so it's no surprise that head coach Pat Hill and his squad have taken a workmanlike approach to the 2008 spring session. The Bulldogs will hold their final scrimmage of the spring Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Stadium. The public is invited.

Free parking is available in the White Lot and Lexus Blue Lot beginning at 10a.m. Tailgating is permissible and all Fresno State tailgating rules apply. The Bulldog Stadium gates open at 1 p.m.

Children are invited to the Fun Zone located behind the south scoreboard from 1-3:30 p.m.

The scrimmage will begin at 2 p.m. Fresno State's players and coaches will be available for 30 minutes afterward on the field to sign autographs.

Hill expects to take his team through a three-part scrimmage, working on various game-like situations. In addition, the Bulldogs have been working on their timing with the new play clock rule that will be instituted in the 2008 college football season. The new rule is similar to the NFL's 40-second play clock.

"We have had a good spring," said Hill. "Overall, we would have liked to get more live plays in. In years past we were able to run probably twice as many, but we couldn't this year because we were missing players in some key positions. Overall, I like the personality of this team. They have worked hard and the young guys have developed their fundamental skills, which will be big benefit when August comes. The hardest part is once we are done with the spring, the coaches can't work with the players again until fall camp so we have to rely on the players, especially the seniors, to get themselves ready for fall camp. We have a good group and they know what's expected of them and the expectations for this season. I expect our most experienced senior leaders like Tom Brandstater, Bear Pascoe, Bobby Lepori, Jon Monga and Cole Popovich to take the reins of this team. We are in pretty good hands I'd say."

The Bulldogs will have one final practice light practice on Monday, April 21, to conclude their 15th and final practice session of the spring.

As a special treat to enhance the atmosphere, the Fresno State Marching Band will be performing during the scrimmage as well.

2008 Season Ticket Sales
According to Russell Hayden, Fresno State's Director of Ticket Operations, season ticket renewals and public sales are well ahead of this pace from last year. Fresno State has already sold 275 new mini-plans and 400 new season tickets in the public areas.

In addition, the Bulldog Foundation auto-renewal membership process is currently at 48%, which is extremely high for this time of year.

Reasons for the excitement include a projected preseason Top 25 ranking for Fresno State, and the much anticipated home schedule featuring games against Big Ten powerhouse Wisconsin and defending WAC champion Hawaii.

Both ESPN.com and CBSSportsline.com have the Dogs in their preseason Top 25 rankings for the 2008 season. The Badgers, led by outstanding junior running back P.J. Hill, are ranked No. 13 in the ESPN.com Preseason poll. In his first two seasons, Hill has rushed for more than 2,800 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Hayden projects that due to the current sales pace of season ticket and mini-plans, there likely may not be single game tickets available for the Wisconsin game. In addition, approximately 3,000 tickets for the UCLA game on Sept. 27 at the Rose Bowl have been purchased through the Bulldog ticket office.

Season tickets and mini-plans will be available for sale at Bulldog Stadium during the scrimmage.

Bulldog Shop Sale
The Bulldog Shop will hold its annual "Spring Tent Sale" the scrimmage on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. with special sales and merchandise for fans. In addition, the Bulldog Shop will be selling commemorative Roady's Humanitarian Bowl posters during the scrimmage. The Bulldog Spring Tent Sale will be in the Lexus Blue Lot at the South Entrance of Bulldog Stadium.

KMJ to Broadcast Spring Scrimmage
Fresno State's radio flagship station KMJ 580 AM will broadcast the spring scrimmage live from 2-3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Fresno State's broadcast team of Bill Woodward, Jordan Christensen and Ralph Wood will be hosting special guests to talk about the spring session and the upcoming Bulldog football season.

No Video, Please
Fresno State asks that fans refrain from shooting any video during the open scrimmage. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Join the State - Fresno State! Season tickets and mini-plan packages for the 2008 Bulldog football season may be purchased right now by clicking the tickets icon at the top of this page.