Almost every time Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick has a good game, it's a blow to Fresno State's recruiting efforts.
How did a player who was just 90 miles from Fresno, not become a Bulldog and instead join Western Athletic Conference rival, Nevada?
Fresno State surely had to have seen footage of Kaepernick while he started at quarterback for Pitman High-Turlock before leaving in the spring of 2006. Kaepernick was the quarterback in the Wing-T offense that Fresno State spotted running back Anthony Harding, who was Kaepernick's teammate.
But Kaepernick rarely displayed his running ability during high school. His high school coach was concerned about Kaepernick's durability to take such big hits since he was tall but skinny at 6-4, 172. And since he was in a Wing-T offense, Kaepernick didn't pass as much and instead handed the ball off a lot to Harding.
So Kaepernick failed to jump out on film, apparently. And the fact that he was better in baseball than football scared off some programs from ever offering him.
Fresno State baseball coach Mike Batesole even offered Kaepernick a scholarship. But Kaepernick was always more interested in playing football. Nevada spotted Kaepernick at one of its summer camps. This camp in particular focused on individuals and quarterback play.
Kaepernick finally stood out. Even though his skills were raw -- including a slow throwing motion -- Nevada offered him a football scholarship. Wolf Pack coach Chris Ault wasn't sure about Kaepernick's quarterbacking ability but he liked his raw talent and decided to roll the dice.
Kaepernick took his first and only football offer, choosing the sport he liked over the sport (baseball) that he was better at.
What did Nevada see in Kaepernick that perhaps Fresno State failed to then?
Mostly, Nevada saw room ... room on its roster to take a chance on a project quarterback.
Fresno State, meanwhile, didn't have any room.
During Kaepernick's senior football season, Fresno State already had three quarterbacks in its system that were awaiting the departure of four-year starter Paul Pinegar, who last played in 2005.
Waiting in the wings were then freshmen Tommy Brandstater, who had the mold of an NFL quarterback, and Sean Norton, who had the high school resume of a star-waiting-to-be, along with a grayshirting freshman Ryan Colburn, who rarely lost in high school. Add to the fact that Fresno State also had Jordan Christiansen as a reserve quarterback and the Bulldogs were stacked at the position -- in quantity, not necessarily quality as later discovered.
So Fresno State wasn't in the market for a quarterback during the fall of 2005, which turns out to be the signing class of 2006. The Bulldogs especially weren't looking for a raw quarterback like Kaepernick. So they never gave it a second thought that Kaepernick should have joined Fresno State.
Nevada saw differently. Nevada had needs. Ault wanted a fast quarterback to begin the next phase of his pistol offense -- a mobile quarterback to bring option and run elements into the mix.
Kaepernick has since flourished in such a system.
And because of those circumstances, Kaepernick has been able to torch Fresno State for the past two seasons with two more to go, the next being Saturday's game at Reno.
Fresno State has done the same thing in many local situations. Cameron Loefler was the latest. He now is at Nevada with Stefon Jefferson from El Diamante in Visalia redshirting. Look out in two years Fresno!
Kapp is not the bulldogs problem; defense is. Clearly, the 'dogs can not play defense against contemporary offenses. Hill and his staff are clueless. THey think better talent, or harder play will cure the ills. Both their wishes are O.K. but the 'dogs are getting out coached more often than out played. THe essence of insantity is to "keep on doing things the same way you've always done them and expect a different result." I've previously supported HIll, but I'm done. He and his staff have hit the wall. Who do the 'dosg get? Don't know. But the time for change has come.