Fresno State football took a big hit by losing again to Boise State. Staying focused is key. How will they respond to finish the season?

Boise State took advantage of a huge third-down conversion advantage to defeat the host Fresno State football team 34-21 Friday night.

The victory improves Boise State to 4-0 in the WAC and 7-1 overall. Fresno State drops to 4-1, 5-3.

The Bulldogs host Utah State at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Kyle Brotzman's 47-yard field goal put Boise State up 34-21 with 3:11 left in the game. The drive ate up nearly 5 minutes.

Fresno State's Marlon Moore acrobatically caught a pass in the back of the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown from Tom Brandstater with 8:13 left in the game to make the score 31-21 Boise State.

Fresno State gained only 123 yards in the second and third quarters combined.

Boise State went up 31-14 with 11:35 left in the game when Jeremy Avery bounced outside on 3rd-and-4 from the 24 and outran the Fresno State defense to the end zone.

Another third-down play for Boise State.

Boise State has converted 7 of 14 third downs ... Fresno State is 0 for 9.

Fresno State kicker Clint Stitser missed a 39-yard field goal attempt with 1:45 left in the third quarter as Fresno State continues to bog down on offense.

His second miss of the game was wide left and made irrelevant a 41-yard pass play from Tom Brandstater to Seyi Ajiritutu.

Boise State running back Jeremy Avery took a handoff and ran 10 yards for a touchdown with 4:41 left in the third quarter to give the Broncos a 24-14 lead.

The TD drive started at Boise State's 15-yard line and lasted nearly 7 minutes.

Boise State rushed for 205 yards in the first half. D.J. Harper leads with 122 and Jeremy Avery has 83.

Clifton Smith has 60 yards on three runs, including a long of 36 yards. He has returned 3 punts for 89 yards, including a 65-yarder for a touchdown.

Tom Brandstater is 7 for 18 for 66 yards and has been sacked twice.

Marcus Riley leads with 7 tackles.

What halftime adjustments should Fresno State make?

With Fresno State punting from deep in its own territory with less than a minute before the half, Boise State tried to block the punt but ran into Kyle Zimmerman.

Instead of getting the ball near midfield, Boise hands the ball back to Fresno State after the penalty gave the Bulldogs an automatic first down.

Kyle Brotzman responded to Fresno State's blocked field goal with a 43-yarder to give Boise State a 17-14 lead with 10:40 left in the first half.

Fresno State's Clint Stitser's 47-yard field goal attempt was blocked with 12:18 left in the first half, keeping the score at 14-14.

Jamal Hamler dropped a pass on 3rd-and-long that originally was called a first-down catch. After a review, it was ruled incomplete, setting up Stitser's failed attempt. Boise State returned the blocked field goal to its 48.

On a play-action pass on 2nd-and-7 from the Boise State 44, Tom Brandstater had a wide-open Seyi Ajiritutu down the middle. Brandstater, however, hurried the throw and didn't put enough air under it and overthrew him.

Fresno State punter Kyle Zimmerman lofted a punt that teammate Darren Newborne caught at the Boise State 4-yard line. Boise State takes over with tough field position as the first quarter comes to an end.

Boise State's D.J. Harper ran left and broke several tackles to score on a 29-yard run and tie the score at 14-14 with 4:31 left in the first quarter.

The Broncos have 137 rushing yards so far.

Boise State running backs, particularly Jeremy Avery, are gashing the Fresno State defense for big gains. Most are coming around the right side.

Clifton Smith took a punt at the Fresno State 35, ran up the right sideline and scored untouched to give the Bulldogs a 14-7 lead with 7:04.

The Fresno State special teams are outplaying Boise State in every aspect.

The stands look nearly full. Oddly, most of the empty seats are on either side of the 50-yard line.

Could be a slow-to-get-here crowd with the 6 p.m. Friday kickoff.

A 5-yard touchdown run by Ryan Mathews was Fresno State's response to Boise State's quick score and it tied the game at 7-7 with 10:04 left in the first quarter.

Clifton Smith's 36-yard run out of the quarterback position set up the touchdown by Mathews, who is starting in place of an injured Lonyae Miller.

After some techincal difficulties from the Bulldog Stadium pressbox, we're up and running.

So is Boise State, which took a 7-0 lead on its second drive of the game, a 24-yard TD run by Jeromy Avery.

D.J. Harper, on that drive, broke off a 49-yard run to set up Avery's score.

** If the Central Section Division I title game were today, I'd like to see Clovis East and Edison. The only section team with a shot at beating the No. 1 Tigers is one who can run the ball -- and run it well. And no one does it better than Clovis East because of its double wing.

** Bullard star running back Clifton Rogers is in coach Donnie Arax's doghouse. Arax wishes he had the Hoover transfer for more than one year to instill better discipline.

** The word on Tulare-Kings counties streets is No. 7 El Diamante (7-1) of the West Yosemite League is superior to No. 4 Tulare (8-0) of the East Yosemite League. It's quite likely we won't know until they meet in the Nov. 30 D-II championship game.

** Spring (baseball) and fall (football) for Fowler boys' major sports? Try 41-2. The baseball team went 33-2 while finishing No. 1 in the state last spring. And the football team's rolling this fall at 8-0. The common denominator: Josh Poytress, The Bee's All-Star Player of the Year in baseball and the school's quarterback in football. He'll attend Fresno State on a baseball scholarship.

Fresno State football has faced greater challenges, but this week's contest with Boise State is HUGE! What are the keys to a Bulldogs victory?

The Fresno State football team started slowly but used a big third quarter to roll past San Jose State 30-0 Saturday at Bulldog Stadium.

After taking a 6-0 lead into halftime, the Bulldogs scored on each of their third-quarter possessions to pull away and win their fourth-straight game. Fresno State improves to 5-2 overall and 4-0 in the Western Athletic Conference.

Clint Stitser's 44-yard field goal with 10:17 left in the game gave Fresno State a 30-0 lead over San Jose State.

Freshman Ryan Mathews sprinted 58 yards for his second touchdown of the third quarter to give Fresno State a 27-0 lead with 4:05 left in the quarter.

Mathews ran left, made one cut and went untouched to the end zone. Fresno State has scored on each of its third-quarter possessions.

Lonyae Miller dove in from 2 yards out to give Fresno State a 20-0 lead with 9:24 left in the second half.

The Bulldogs scored on both of their first two third-quarter drives. Both started in San Jose State territory, the first following a 61-yard kickoff return by A.J. Jefferson and the second following a failed fake punt by San Jose State.

Ryan Mathews broke several tackles en route to a 14-yard touchdown run with 13:58 left in the third quarter. The score, on Fresno State's first drive of the second half, gave the Bulldogs a 13-0 lead.

Clint Stitser's 40-yard field goal with 3 seconds left in the half gave Fresno State a 6-0 lead heading into halftime. The scoring drive started at Fresno State's 33 with 1:06 left.

Neither team has gotten within sniffing distance of the end zone. Two of the three field goal attempts have been missed. Fresno State leads 3-0 with 4 minutes left in the first half.

Fresno State kicker Clint Stitser connected on a 35-yard field goal with 1:10 left in the first quarter to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead over San Jose State.

San Jose State kicker Will Johnson missed a 39-yard field goal attempt with 2:28 left in the first quarter. Johnson is 2 of 10 this season.

The drive started at San Jose State's 20 and included a long pass in which Fresno State's A.J. Jefferson was beaten.

Damion Owens got Fresno State's first interception of the season on the first play of the game, picking off an Adam Tafralis pass at the Fresno State 35 and returning it 20 yards.

Fresno State football player Jason Shirley has been suspended for the rest of the season, ending his career with the Bulldogs.

In a release today, Fresno State said Shirley, a senior defensive tackle, was suspended for multiple violations of the Department of Athletics Student-Athlete Code of Conduct.

"It has been determined that Jason can no longer be associated with the Fresno State football program," Bulldogs athletic director Thomas Boeh said in the release. "Although this is certainly an unfortunate resolution, we feel it is critical to maintain the integrity of the Code of Conduct.

"However, Jason will maintain his scholarship and receive all possible assitance with his efforts to address past issues and earn his undergraduate degree."

Shirley has been suspended indefinitely Oct. 9 after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and hit-and-run. He also was suspended for the first two games of the season following a preseason incident.

It's electric here at Chukchansi Park for the No. 1 Bullard vs. No. 2 Edison showdown

There were 9,000 presale tickets in what will be one of the best-attended football games involving Fresno Unified schools in 30 years.

I wrote in today's column of the drawbacks playing at this Triple-A baseball facility, mainly because of the dirt infield that's part of the playing surface and the distance fans sit from the action. And I compared it to Sunnyside High, which Edison uses as its "home" field. It's a traditional football field, creating a much-more intimate environment.

Interestingly, the 6,000-seat Sunnyside facility wouldn't have come close to accommodating tonight's crowd, which will exceed 10,000. Only 15,000-seat Ratcliff Stadium would have.

Some thoughts heading into Week 8, which begins the regular-season stretch run:

** I like Edison's chances against Bullard for two reasons: 1, Tigers are on top of their game, playing so loose behind a superb senior, QB Jerry Davis; and 2, Clifton Rogers (bad ankle) has to be 100% for Bullard to have a chance, and I'm not sure he will be.

** Clovis West has a lot of problems, the immediate worst attempting to stop Clovis East's double wing. This is a priority game for the Golden Eagles, which no doubt led partly to their loss to Buchanan last week because they may have overlooked the Bears. I don't see CW beating the Timberwolves, but know this: There's plenty of time for the Eagles to find stride with a talented cast and win the Division I championship.

** No shock if Delano, at home, upsets unbeaten Tulare. Why? Two reasons: 1, Tigers are at home and with talent; and 2, We still don't have a true read of Tulare because of the Redskins' Tulare-Kings County exclusive schedule. And there's no question that region is down this season. Just look at Mt. Whitney as the worst of examples.

** How about Selma, which stopped a 34-game losing streak this season, actually going to Dinuba -- the Central Section's 15th-ranked team -- with realistic thoughts of winning? There's no greater insurance in football than a successful running game. And wing-T Selma has it with RB Adrian Pacheco. Then, again, this is a Dinuba outfit that rocked previously unbeaten Kingsburg 33-0 last week. Makes for an intruiging game, doesn't it?

The Bulldogs are in contention for the WAC and this could be the year to win it. Next up, San Jose State. Your comments ...

** A day after writing a column on Scott Seward -- the 5-7, 160-pound state-leading rusher in eight-man football for Clovis Christian -- I watched his clone, Clovis East quarterback Taylor Scott, chew up Central in the Timberwolves' 35-14 win. They're built alike and have similar speed. So who's to say Seward couldn't play with the big boys?

** Wow, how Clovis West fooled me. I just knew the Golden Eagles were ready to explode after nearly knocking off the state's second-ranked Centennial-Corona on the road three weeks ago. Then they barely beat Central before losing to unranked Buchanan Friday night. Gotta wonder at this point if they'll ever truly find their stride this season under first-year coach Martin Martin.

** Kingsburg, while unbeaten, had only played one team with a winning record (Caruthers). Then the 12th-ranked Vikings met reality in humbling 33-0 loss at DInuba.

** I ruffled some Bullard community feathers when writing two weeks ago that the unbeaten Knights could be 2-2 had not transfer running back Clifton Rogers arrived from Hoover. Wonder if those same people were paying attention in the second half Friday night, when Bullard was shut out by Reedley after Rogers was sidelined with an ankle injury. No Central Section player means more to a tean than Rogers.

That's it, Fresno State improves to 4-2, 3-0 in the WAC with today's win over the Vandals of Idaho. Be sure to read The Fresno Bee and check FresnoBee.com tomorrow for all the stats and details from the game.

Idaho cut into the lead when Brian Nooy found Peter Bjorvik in the end zone with a 9-yard pass. The extra point trims the lead to 37-24 with 1:15 to go in the game.

Fresno State now leads Idaho 37-17 following a 44-yard field goal by Clint Stitser with 5:09 to go in regulation.

Idaho's Tino Amancio connected on a 42-yard field goal with 6:45 to go in the fourth quarter to make the score 34-17 Fresno State.

Fresno State's Clint Stitser added a 20-yard field goal for the Bulldogs increasing the lead to 34-14 with 12:59 left in the fourth quarter.

Idaho cut the lead to 31-14 with 58 seconds to go in the third quarter on a fumble (... loose ball that popped into the air when the quarterback took off running and was hit ...) which was recovered by Deonte Jackson and taken 49 yards for the score.

Fresno State's Lonyae Miller took a handoff 18 yards for his second touchdown run of the game and Clint Stitser nailed the extra point kick to extend the lead to 31-7. The Bulldogs break the game open with 2:07 to go in the third quarter.

Fresno State sustained a nice drive beginning at its own 42 yard line and Ryan Mathews scored his second touchdown of the game from four yards out with 9:37 to go in the third quarter. Clint Stitser's extra point increased the lead to 24-7.

The Bulldogs increased the lead to 17-7 just before the half as Ryan Mathews ran it in from five yards out. Clint Stitser kicked the point after and 36 seconds remain before the half.

Idaho capitalized on a fumble recovery and in one play scored on a 54-yard pass from Brian Nooy to Stanley Franks. The point after kick cuts the Bulldogs lead to 10-7 with 6:15 to go in the second quarter.

Fresno State added a 44-yard field goal by Clint Stitser on the first play of the second quarter to make the score10-0 for the Bulldogs.

Fresno State, on its third possession, marched 80 yards and into the end zone on a 5-yard run by Lonyae Miller for the game's first score. Clint Stitser added the point after for a 7-0 lead with 4:20 to go in the first quarter.

Fresno State and Idaho exchanged lost fumbles to begin the game, then on its second possession, the Bulldogs' Clint Stitser was wide left on a 51-yard field goal attempt. The game is scoreless as Idaho takes over with 10:26 to go in the first quarter.

Gotta love having quarterbacks Jerry Davis (Edison), Beau Sweeney (Clovis West) and Ebahn Feathers (Washington) in next summer's City-County All-Star Football Game. Last year's game was marred by fights. This one, conversely, should be an entertaining showcase and big draw at the gate.

City-County exception: Sanger running back/safety Justin Webber deserves to play in the game despite not playing a down this year because of a knee injury. He and Bullard's Clifton Rogers would be an outstanding complement to the quarterbacks.

Some thoughts entering Week 7:

** Trap game for Clovis East tonight at Central for two reasons: Timberwolves play Clovis West next week and Central is determined to prove it can win the TRAC.

** Shocking numbers: Clovis, which hasn't had a losing season since 1973, is 0-6 while being outscored 229-52; and Mt. Whitney, coming off a 12-1 and D-II championship seasson, also 0-6 while being outscored 256-94.

** Fowler, in a great cycle of athletes that will extend for at least two more years, will beat Strathmore tonight on the road. Redcats QB Josh Poytress is one of the top five athletes in the Central Section.

Fresno State offensive linemen Chris Piligian weighed in on the House Foreign Affairs Committee's resolution passed Wednesday labeling the deaths of about 1.5 million Armenians nearly a century ago a "genocide."

"You can't deny it," said Piligian, who's Armenian. "That's like the Nazi's saying the holocaust didn't happen."

The declaration from the House panel -- approved 27-21 -- said the deportation of about 2 million Armenians from the Ottoman Empire (modern day Turkey) and the subsequent deaths of about 1.5 million Armenians was "systematic" and "deliberate."

The language in the resolution says, "The Armenian genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923."

The full House still needs to vote on the resolution.

"I'm glad," Piligian said. "There's conclusive evidence that the Armenian genocide happened. The Turkish, of course, deny it but that's just for their own personal reasons. ...

"The reason why it took so long for us to maybe declare it actually happened is maybe we're more worried about our relations with what was going on with Turkey than how the Armenians feel about it."

This is the one time each year that every WAC coach is optimistic about the upcoming season. Heck, even Idaho is undefeated. Sorry George.

Fresno State coach Steve Cleveland and point guard Kevin Bell shared their optimism with WAC media members, answering questions about the losses of Q-Hosley and D-McGuire, the addition of transfers Bryan Harvey and Rekalin Sims, the parity expected in the conference this season, etc.

New Mexico State and Utah State are expected to compete for the WAC title with Nevada and Fresno State poised to enter the top group if one of those schools slide.

One coach voted for Fresno State to win the WAC in the coaches poll. The Bulldogs were picked to finish fourth in both the coaches and media poll.

They could finish better if (in no order):

True freshman Brandon Webster, a big body in the post, is able to make an impact (10-15 minutes per game) by the time the Bulldogs start WAC play.

Those long rebounds from missed 3-pointers land in the hands of Hector Hernandez and other FS teammates.

K-Bell doesn't sprain an ankle, get a eyelash in his eye, trip on a blade of grass and miss game time.

Fresno State should handle Idaho this weekend, but what concerns remain about the Bulldogs' overall game?

Fresno State recovered Nevada's final onside kick attempt and secured a 49-41 win at Mackay Stadium. Fresno State improves to 3-2, 2-0 in the WAC, and will prepare for Idaho next Saturday. Be sure to get your copy of The Fresno Bee tomorrow and check FresnoBee.com for complete game details and analysis.

Colin Kaepernick hit Adam Bishop with a 34-yard pass and an extra point kick brings the score to 49-41 with 3 seconds to go ... what? Nevada executed an onside kick setting up the late game drama. Nevada will likely try another ...

Nevada scored a late touchdown as Colin Kaepernick found Luke Lippincott on a 37-yard pass with 28 seconds to go. Brett Jaekle's extra point cuts the to 49-34.

With 6:22 left in the game, quarterback Colin Kaepernick ran a bootleg to the left and into the end zone from three yards out for a Wolf Pack touchdown. Brett Jaekle added the extra point to make the score 49-27 Fresno State.

Fresno State has put the game virtually out of reach as Lonyae Miller took a handoff 72 yards for a score on a third down play. Clint Stitser knocked the ball through the uprights for a 49-20 lead with 12:35 to go.

Clifton Smith scored on a 15-yard run, from a direct snap in the shotgun position, and Clint Stitser's kick increased Fresno State's lead to 42-20 with 2:36 remaining in the third quarter.

Brandon Fragger of Nevada scored on a 10-yard pass from Colin Kaepernick and Brett Jaekle hit the extra point kick to cut Fresno State's lead to 35-20 with 9:00 to go in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs scored on the first offensive play of the second half as Ryan Mathews took the handoff 67 yards for his third touchdown of the game. Clint Stitser added the point after giving Fresno State a 35-13 lead with 14:42 left in the quarter.

The Bulldogs lead the Wolf Pack 28-13 after one half of play. Check back for more scoring updates when the second half gets underway.

Fresno State has opened the game up with the return of a blocked field goal attempt. Bear Pascoe got a hand on Brett Jaekle's attempt and A.J. Jefferson scooped up the ball and took it in from about midfield. Clint Stitser added the point after for a 28-13 lead with 1:45 to go in the second quarter. A costly penalty on Nevada negated a touchdown run by Colin Kaepernick which forced the field goal attempt.

The Bulldogs answered right back on a 54-yard run by Ryan Mathews after a nice kickoff return set great field position. Clint Stitser's extra point kick was good extending the lead to 21-13 with 5:04 to go before the half.

Nevada battled back and scored on a 9-yard pass from backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick to Marko Mitchell with 5:22 to go in the second quarter. Starting quarterback Nick Graziano was injured on the previous drive. Brett Jaekle kicked the extra point making the score 14-13 Fresno State.

Nevada's Brett Jaekle added a second field goal from 36 yards out to cut Fresno State's lead to 14-6 with 12:20 to go in the second quarter.

Fresno State leads Nevada 14-3 after one quarter of play. Nevada will begin the second quarter with the ball after a Fresno State punt to end the first.

Clifton Smith took a Nevada punt 67 yards for a touchdown and the point after increased Fresno State's lead to 14-3 with 8:10 remaining in the first quarter. The Wolf Pack went three-and-out on its second possession and Smith made the most of it, virtually untouched into the end zone.

Fresno State took its opening drive and scored on a 3-yard run by Ryan Mathews with 9:09 to go in the first quarter. Clint Stitser added the point after for a 7-3 Bulldogs lead.

The Wolf Pack engineered a nice opening drive from its own 20 yard line, but stalls at the four and settles for a short field goal by Brett Jaekle to take a 3-0 lead.

Today's game between Fresno State and Nevada is homecoming for the Wolf Pack and the Bulldogs would like nothing better than to leave town with a win and a 2-0 record in the WAC. Game time approaches ...

I expect the Sanger-Edison crowd at Sunnyside Stadium to at least match the 6,000 that turned out for the Clovis West-Edison 27-27 tie in Week 3 on Sept. 14. In that one, Edison out drew the Golden Eagles' fans 2-to-1.

Actually, I thought tonight's game would outdraw the CW-Edison contest given the fact Sanger traditionally draws much better on the road than the Eagles.

Looking at the ticket line outside the stadium, it appears that could be the case. The line measures about 100 yards a few minutes before kickoff.

There's a decent parking lot here at Sunnyside, but it doesn't accommodate capacity crowds, forcing fans to line their cars down Peach and Kings Canyon avenues.

Edison hasn't defeated Sanger since 1990, losing eight straight to the Apaches. But the second-ranked Tigers (4-0-1) are prohibitive favorites tonight over No. 10 but injury ravaged Sanger (4-1).

Fresno State men's basketball has added Cal-State Monterey Bay to the 2007-08 schedule, Bulldogs coach Steve Cleveland said Friday afternoon.

The Otters, entering their first full season in Division II, will play at the Save Mart Center on Dec. 5 at 7. p.m., filling in a gap between Fresno State's games at Winston-Salem State (Nov. 27) and against UNLV on a neutral court in Las Vegas (Dec. 8).

"It's a good opportunity," Otters coach Pat Kosta said. "The athleticism is a big jump for us, but our conference [California Collegiate Athletic Association] is very tough. The experience of playing in that venue and against that caliber of competition will do nothing but help us."

Cal-State Monterey Bay returns seven players from last season's 14-16 squad.

The non conference game counts as a "bonus game" for Fresno State season ticket holders, Cleveland said. Other tickets will be $2 for adults and $1 for kids.

Earlier today, Reno was awarded the WAC Basketball Tournament for 2009 and 2010. Nevada will be the host to the event, which will be held at the Lawlor Events Center.

This spring, New Mexico State will host the final of its back-to-back WAC tournaments in Las Cruces.

If you're not a fan of gambling, you may not like Reno. But if you don't like drinking beer at a bowling alley on a Tuesday night -- one of the few places open -- you may not like the area around NMS either.

The WAC needs a host city with a 1) good airport (cheap and easy to travel to, which eliminates Fresno), 2) a site with 2-3 hours reach of several WAC schools (helps attendence) and 3) a place with tourist attractions.

Bay area? Salt Lake City? Los Angeles? Seattle? Denver? Dallas or New Orleans? (Hey, I had to throw that in there for the folks at La. Tech.)

I caught up with PG recruit Reggie Moore during halftime of Saturday night's football game. Check out the story from today on FresnoBee.com ...

The Bulldogs travel to Reno Saturday to take on Nevada. What is your prediction for this game?