Sophomore kicker Kevin Goessling has made 7 of 8 field goals, and all 28 of his extra points last year. Since last year's Hawaii game when he struggled to kick with the game on the line, Goessling has made 14 of 16 field goals over his past 14 games.

Freshman running back Robbie Rouse is averaging 8.0 yards a carry, which is even better than Mathews, who is averaging 7.4 yards per carry. Mathews does lead the nation with 974 rushing yards and an average of 162.3 per game.

Receiver Seyi Ajirotutu might not be making a ton of catches. But he's blocking well and he still leads the team with 21 catches for 292 yards (48.7 average).

Linebacker Ben Jacobs and safety Moses Harris have been the top two defenders at 40 and 30 tackles. Cornerback Desia Dunn has six pass deflections, which means opposing teams are picking on him regularly but he's not yielding too much.

And of course defensive end Chris Carter has a team-best four sacks. In fact, Carter has four of Fresno State's five sacks.

Things that Fresno State should be concerned about...

Defense as a whole still isn't looking great, just passable. Again, just five sacks from the defense isn't anything to brag about. The Bulldogs have gotten better forcing turnovers but still just have two recovered fumbles and four interceptions.

The return game hasn't been much of a factor, though mostly because teams have not been giving Fresno State many opportunities to return kicks or punts.

The offensive line gave up three sacks against San Jose State and the team was penalized a season-worst seven times Saturday.

But overall, the Bulldogs are playing well, and it's possible that they win out the season -- if they don't overlook any of their opponents as some Pat Hill teams have done in past seasons.