Information UCLA , & Fresno St.
Information UCLA , & Fresno St.
SAN JOSE -- Who needs a football stadium when a chandelier ballroom can be had? Wind-driven rain led Fresno State and UCLA to cancel Monday's final practices before tonight's Silicon Valley Football Classic, so the Bulldogs improvised by using two elegant rooms inside the team hotel for their last-minute preparations.
Fresno State players walked through their game plan indoors before spending Monday night in team meetings. Meanwhile, the freshly sodded turf at Spartan Stadium was covered by a tarp -- not that Bulldogs coach Pat Hill expects a dry playing surface.
Even though today's forecast calls for partly cloudy skies, Spartan Stadium's drainage system is archaic. Both coaches expect a muddied mess before the first half ends.
"Every year we play here, that field is wet and sloppy," Hill said. "It's going to be a quagmire out there again."
It was especially so last year, when Fresno State beat Georgia Tech 30-21.
The year before, the turf was muddied near midfield in a 44-35 loss to Michigan State.
Another bowl game with slick conditions will put ball security at a premium, both coaches said.
"How you protect the ball is going to be a concern," UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. "But this is football. It's played in the rain, snow, sleet, it doesn't matter. We'll just have to make do with what we have."
Something else to look for: lots of running between the hash marks. Muddy fields make it difficult to run intricate pass patterns, so don't be surprised to see running backs barrel across the middle of the field.
Last year, Fresno State running back Rodney Davis ran 35 times for 153 yards and two touchdowns to win offensive most valuable player honors.
The senior fell off the radar screen this year but could see significant playing time in sloppy conditions.
"The one good thing about Rodney is he's a proven mudder," Hill said. "I'd like to be able to control the game with the running game in these conditions, put UCLA on a long field and really try to make ball security an issue that hopefully works in our favor."
Ticket sales
Ticket sales for today's game have topped 19,000, according to Silicon Valley Football Classic executive director C. Jay Key, though officials are bracing for a lower actual attendance if the rainy weather persists.
"I'm hoping we get a good walk-up crowd as people get itchy," Key said.
"Hopefully, a lot of Fresno fans that are sitting on the fence will come on down."
Sales through the Fresno State ticket office topped 7,000, while UCLA sold approximately 5,000 tickets. Key reported 2,300 in local sales, some of which includes Bulldogs fans purchasing tickets directly through the bowl. Roughly 4,700 go to bowl sponsors.
Spartan Stadium has a listed capacity of 28,067.
Tape job
For the first time since spraining his left ankle during practice Oct. 24, Brett Visintainer will not require a pain-killing injection to make it through a game.
But that doesn't mean Fresno State's kicker is healthy. Visintainer's plant foot will be immobilized with tape.
While the injury hasn't affected Visintainer's field-goal accuracy -- 13 of 15 with the bad ankle -- he can only take a three-step approach on kickoffs. Opponents are getting a better starting field position as a result.
"I have to," he said. "The way they tape my ankle, I can't flex my foot to do long approaches."
No edge
Hill was quick to dispel any notion that a victory today would help Fresno State against UCLA in recruiting.
"Beating UCLA won't make any difference," Hill said. "The conference affiliation is the biggest difference, and tradition.
"Except for maybe Ricky Miller, who is no longer with us, we've never beaten UCLA on a recruit. We're not on the same plane as them."
Injury report
Fresno State is without starting wide receiver Marque Davis, who aggravated a knee injury in the regular-season finale against Texas-El Paso. Cornerback Raymond Washington (finger) will play with a brace.
UCLA is without three starters: wide receiver Ryan Smith (ankle), running back Tyler Ebell (shoulder) and free safety Ben Emanuel (suspension).
Also ...
UCLA freshman wide receiver Antwuan Smith (Buchanan High) is redshirting this season. Smith enrolled in January after failing to qualify academically out of high school. Walk-on linebacker Nick Amendola (Bullard) quit the team earlier this year.
Fresno State has a 9-8 all-time record in bowl games compared to a 12-11-1 mark for UCLA. The Bulldogs never have won bowl games in consecutive seasons.
UCLA's 10 bowl victories in the past 14 years are exceeded only by Florida State, Tennessee, Penn State, Alabama, Miami and Michigan.
The Bulldogs are 16-15 against Pac-10 teams since 1980 and 3-6 under Hill
FYI.
JHR
