The Fresno Bee from Fresno, California • D9

SATURDAY D9 THE FRESNO BEE-SOUTHTHE FRESNO BEE SOUTH 9 D9 Logical Page is THE FRESNO 21:06 By Tony Barnhart Atlanta Journal-Constitution Georgia Saturday night scare of Notre Dame paved the way for a September treat college football fans gotten in 10 years. No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the regular season.

It will happen tonight in Austin, Texas, when Ohio State, ranked No. 1 in the latest Associated Press poll, visits Texas, the reigning national champion. Earlier this week, the Longhorns took over the No. 2 spot, which was held by Notre Dame before its 14-10 win at Tech. big and fun, the reason you come to Longhorns running back Selvin Young said.

what you dream of. When boxers go out, they try to fight the best box- ers there are to show themselves that the Ohio State coach Jim Tressel sees an op- portunity here. A year ago, Texas was ranked No. 2 when it went to Columbus, Ohio, and beat the Buckeyes 25-22. That game served as the launching pad for the 13-0 run to the national title.

a privilege to be allowed on a stage like Tressel said. think of any- thing that would prepare you more for Big Ten play than to play the defending nation- al A showdown of No. 1 versus No. 2 is some- what of a rarity in the regular season. only happened 20 times in the 70-year histo- ry of the AP poll.

The last regular-season meeting of No. 1 vs. No. 2 came in 1996, when top-ranked Florida lost to No. 2 Florida State 24-21 in Tallahassee.

With a little help from other teams, the Gators still went on to win Steve only national title. Quarterback Troy Smith was asked if today represents the most important game in Ohio season. a big Smith said. if we win at Texas and then lose the week after, then how big is the Texas Exam: Clarett mentally OK for trial A mental health evaluation of former Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett found he is competent to stand trial on rob- bery charges, his attorney said. A judge had ordered Clarett to be exam- ined after his Aug.

9 arrest in the wake of a highway chase and violent struggle with police, who found four loaded guns in his SUV. Ex-Georgia Southern coach dies Erk Russell, who led yard defense under Vince Dooley and then built a small-college powerhouse at Georgia Southern, died Friday after a car crash in Statesboro, Ga. He was 80. death was not from injuries re- lated to the wreck, East Georgia Regional Medical Center chief executive Bob Bigley said, adding the examination is not com- plete. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Adding 1, 2 equals a rarity Texas, Ohio State collide in an early showdown for the top spot. Ahijah Lane said. not going to let them wear us down. going to wear them down. because from the Pac-10 mean we play with them or beat Boise State, which has been the top program in the Western Athletic Conference the past five seasons, beat the Oregon State 42-14 Thursday in a game the Broncos trailed 14-0 before responding with six straight touchdowns.

The dif ference in matchup is Oregon, a 10-2 team a season ago, is considered more talented than last team and projected to challenge USC and Cal for the conference championship. Oregon State, which was 5-6 last season, is ex- pected to finish in the bottom half of the Pac-10. Midmajor powers such as Boise State and Fresno State have had regular success against the weaker pro- grams Fresno 2004 victory over Washington, and Texas win over Bay- lor last the top-to-mid-tier pro- grams from BCS conferences that typically have had a talent advantage over midmajor teams, coaches said. The difference in talent and depth often can be seen in the second quarter and late in the third quarter when reserves generally shuff le into a game. is no said Idaho coach Dennis Erick- son, talking about the depth dif- ference between a WAC pro- gram and BCS team.

just a matter of the type of personnel able to get. In the Pac-10, recruiting a little bit bigger and faster athletes, and what happens with your depth. depth is bigger and faster. just kind of the na- ture of the game. I think there are players in our league that can play.

We just have enough of That means most im- portant matchups might not be Fresno State running back Dwayne Wright against Oregon linebacker Blair Phillips. Rather, it could be a matchup such as Bulldogs reserve safety Moses Harris against Ducks re- serve receiver Jaison Williams that determines the game. think we match up well with Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. bigger have taller re- ceivers have exceptional speed. But I think we can run right with them.

This will be a very physical game, an emotion- al It will be depth that is challenged first, with run- ning back Jonathan Stewart ex- pected to begin the game on the bench after missing most of this practices because of a right ankle sprain, according to the Eugene Register-Guard. Sophomore Jeremiah Johnson is expected to start in place. Stewart, who ran for 168 yards and two touch- downs last week in 48-10 victory over Stanford, still might play. Fresno depth, mean- while, has been so strapped that the Bulldogs played five true freshmen and dressed another three in their 28-19 victory over Nevada last week. It was the highest number of true fresh- men to play and dress in 10 seasons.

The Ducks exposed the Bull- depth last season when Or- egon went with a no-huddle of- fense when Fresno State had most of its reserve defensive linemen in the game. Oregon won 37-34. Depth also was an issue in Fresno 50-42 loss at USC last season. Then, the defense tired in the second half and did not have the reserves to provide quality minutes. USC outscored Fresno State 37-21 in the second half.

Fresno answer to the depth issue is controlling the clock through the running game, which would limit the number of possessions for Ore- high-powered offense and keep the defense fresh. think a perception that the Pac-10 teams are so su- San Jose State coach Dick Tomey said. think the difference is the Pac-10 teams have more quality depth. But I think teams like Fresno State can beat The reporter can be reached at or (559) 441-6362. Continued from Page D1 Pat Hill the only coach whose team will play anywhere, Oregon players told reporters all the horror stories heard about playing at Bulldog Stadium, how hot it is, how loud it is, how a reasonable chance of being hit with a malted beverage.

heard quarterback Dennis Dixon told the Oregonian. never played up there before, but I hear a lot of red up That was all before the student section was moved and alcohol was banned, but no sense contradicting perception with inconvenient realities, like the several thousand empty seats or the fans getting a head start on traffic with 2 minutes left at last opener. Not that No. 20 Oregon get a higher excitement level than Nevada, but not everything the Ducks hear on TV is completely accurate. Take Fresno State running back Dwayne Wright.

TV announcers portrayed him as a skinny kid who hurt his knee, and then spent the past two years heaving massive weights to the soundtrack and plotting his revenge. The inside scoop was he had put on at least 15 pounds of muscle. In real life, he now weighs about 226, four pounds less than the 230 when he hurt his knee at Kansas State in 2004. Is he strong? As strong as the smell coming out of your great storage closet. But no one has ever mistaken him for the kicker.

He squats 500 and benches 370, barely up from the 475 and 350 of two years ago. So why does everyone think so much bigger? Wright says. they seen me in Dixon, the Oregon quarterback, is also under the impression the defense will be a tougher test than Stanford was last week. That might be the case. One-card bingo is a tougher test than the Stanford defense.

Oregon sophomore Jonathan Stewart ran for 168 yards before spraining his ankle in the third quarter, then his backup, Jeremiah Johnson, ran for 79 more. If that worrisome enough, Dixon is fast and has the option to change any play into one where he takes the snap in the shotgun, fakes a handoff and runs around the end. Anyone who saw last Nevada game, where quarterback Jeff Rowe seemingly could have strolled away from the Fresno State defensive linemen wearing cement lip-f lops, has to see this as a concern. It should be close, though. The past four Fresno State games against Oregon have been decided by two overtimes and 13 total points, and the difference between winning and heartbreak could be something small.

A rowdy crowd. A good spot of the ball. ankle still being as tender as a Temptations song. His status will be a last-minute decision. Not that you can believe everything you hear.

The columnist can be reached at or (559) 441-6217. Read his blog at www.fresnobeehive.com. Continued from Page D1 FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS (1-0, WAC 1-0) No. Player Pos. Year 1 Paul Williams WR SR 2 Clifton Smith RB JR 3 Sean Norton QB SO 3 Moses Harris DB RS-FR 4 Vincent Mays SS SR 5 Marlon Moore WR RS-FR 6 Chastin West WR FR 7 Tom Brandstater QB SO 10 Alan Goodwin LB SR 11 Tyler Clutts DE JR 13 Jason Crawley WR RS-FR 15 Ryan Colburn QB FR 15 Josh Sherley FS SR 16 Jordan Christensen QB SR 17 Marcus McCauley CB SR 18 Jaron Fairman WR SR 19 Marvin Haynes DB RS-FR 19 Seyi Ajirotutu WR RS-FR 20 Kyle Duffy RB FR 22 Anthony Harding RB FR 22 Jay Reddick CB RS-FR 23 Jake Jorde FS SO 24 Damion Owens CB FR 25 Shannon Dorsey RB JR 25 Damon Jenkins CB JR 26 Roshon Vercher FB JR 27 Rich Owens RB RS-FR 27 Michael Stuart DE SO 28 A.J.

Jefferson CB FR 29 Jamal Rashad RB SO 30 Will Smith LB FR 30 Elgin Simmons CB SR 31 Marcus Riley LB JR 32 Quaadir Brown LB SO 32 Dwayne Wright RB RS-JR 34 Trevor Shamblee LB JR 35 Kyle Zimmerman SR 35 Dustin Abrams FR 36 Lorne Bell SS FR 37 Jason Blackmon CB RS-FR 37 Mike Lingua SR 38 Keelen Kennedy CB SR 39 Clint Stitser PK JR 40 Nate Adams FB JR 40 Brian Gridiron FS JR 41 Ikenna Ike DT SO 42 Charles Tolbert DT JR 43 Ahijah Lane LB JR 44 Frank Padilla FB FR 45 Isaac Kinter FB RS-FR 46 Will Harding CB JR 46 John Green DE SO 47 Ryan Machado LB RS-FR 48 Raynard Camp FB RS-FR 48 Frank Manquero LB RS-FR 49 Todd Chisom LB RS-FR 50 Cornell Banks DT FR 51 Dwayne Andrews LB SR 52 Richard Pacheco OL SO 53 Max Navo LB RS-FR 54 John Guevara OT SO 54 Ben Jacobs LB FR 55 Nico Herron LB FR 56 Robert Schenck LB FR 57 Tommy Gatta LB RS-FR 58 Ryan McKinley LB SO 59 Kyle Young SR 60 Kenny Wiggins OT FR 61 Charley Robbins OG FR 62 Cole Popovich OG SO 65 Pierce Masse OG SO 66 Robin Kezirian SR 67 Cameron Harris SO 68 James Meeks OT RS-FR 69 Andrew Jackson DT FR 71 Nick Wright OL FR 72 Bobby Lepori OT SO 74 Joe Bernardi OC FR 75 Chris Piligian OG JR 76 Adam McDowell OL SO 77 Ryan Wendell OG JR 79 Chris Denman OT SR 80 Drew Lubinsky TE SO 81 Norman Davis TE RS-FR 82 Jamel Hamler WR FR 84 Joe Fernandez WR SR 85 Bear Pascoe TE SO 86 Darren Newborne WR RS-FR 87 Kevin Ciccone WR SO 88 Jesus Tapia TE JR 89 Phillip Ghilarducci WR JR 90 Ken Amendola LS JR 90 Chris Lewis DE FR 91 Kenny Avon DT SO 92 Marlon Brisco DE SR 93 Taylor Smith DE FR 94 Jon Monga DT SO 96 Wilson Ramos NT RS-FR 97 Jason Shirley NT JR 98 Louis Leonard DT SR 99 Jason Roberts DE SO SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time Sept. 1 Nevada 28-19 Today Oregon 7 p.m. (ESPN2) Sept. 16 at Washington 3:30 p.m. Sept.

30 Colorado State 7 p.m. Oct. 7 at Utah State 5 p.m. Oct. 14 Hawaii 2 p.m.

Oct. 21 at Louisiana State TBA (ESPN) Nov. 1 at Boise State 5 p.m. (ESPN2) Nov. 11 New Mexico State 2 p.m.

Nov. 18 Idaho 2 p.m. Nov. 24 at Louisiana Tech 6 p.m. (ESPN2) Dec.

2 at San Jose State 3 p.m. STATISTICS Score by quarters 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total Fresno State 7 7 7 7 28 Opponents 0 6 6 7 19 Rushing Player Att Gain Loss Net TD Dwayne Wright 26 159 1 158 3 Chastin West 1 20 0 20 0 Tom Brandstater 3 17 0 17 0 Lonyae Miller 4 14 0 14 0 Anthony Harding 2 5 0 5 0 Team 1 0 0 0 0 Paul Williams 1 0 2 -2 0 Total 38 215 3 212 3 Opponents 34 188 20 168 1 Passing Player Comp Att Int Yds TD Tom Brandstater 16 24 0 124 1 Total 16 24 0 124 1 Opponents 18 34 0 183 2 Receiving Player No. Yds Avg TD Long Joe Fernandez 5 58 11.6 1 20 Jaron Fairman 3 26 8.7 0 13 Chastin West 3 8 2.7 0 5 Paul Williams 2 22 11.0 0 17 Bear Pascoe 1 6 6.0 0 6 Dwayne Wright 1 4 4.0 0 4 Roshon Vercher 1 0 0.0 0 0 Total 16 124 7.8 1 20 Opponents 18 183 10.2 2 26 OREGON DUCKS (1-0, PAC-10 1-0) No. Player Pos. Year 1 Garren Strong WR JR 2 Terrell Ward CB RS-FR 2 Jordan Kent WR SR 3 Cameron Colvin WR JR 4 Jaison Williams WR SO 5 Remene Alston Jr.

RB FR 6 Derrick Jones WR FR 6 Walter Thurmond III CB RS-FR 7 Chad Peppars CB FR 7 Nathan Costa QB FR 8 Jackie Bates CB JR 9 Ryan DePalo FS JR 10 Dennis Dixon QB JR 11 Justin Roper QB FR 12 Cody Kempt QB FR 13 Jerome Boyd SS SO 14 Matt Dragich SR 15 Patrick Chung SO 16 Brady Leaf QB JR 17 Willie Glasper CB RS-FR 18 James Finley WR SR 19 Brian Paysinger WR JR 20 Matthew Harper DB JR 22 Chris Vincent RB SR 23 Brian Butterfield CB FR 23 Andre Crenshaw RB FR 24 Jeremiah Johnson RB SO 25 Kevin Garrett LB RS-FR 26 Kyle Weatherspoon WR SR 27 Andiel Brown RB JR 27 Titus Jackson FS RS-FR 28 Johnson Stewart RB SO 28 J.D. Nelson FS SR 29 Parris Moore SR 30 Kwame Agyeman SS JR 31 Jameel Dowling DB JR 32 Jairus Byrd FR 33 Blair Phillips LB SR 34 A.J. Tuitele LB JR 35 Spencer Paysinger SS FR 36 Paul Martinez PK SR 37 Akobundu Ikwuakor RB SR 38 Chris Mulvanny LB SR 38 Matt Larkin HB SO 39 Todd Crowley WR FR 40 John Bacon LB SO 40 Luke Bellotti PK JR 41 Morgan Flint PK RS-FR 41 Marvin Johnson CB FR 42 Brent Haberly LB SR 43 Michael Speed DE SO 44 Dante Rosario TE SR 45 Matt Toeaina DE SR 47 Jason Turner LB JR 48 Jon Pope SS SR 49 Nick Reed DE SO 50 Simi Toeaina DT RS-FR 51 Jeff Kendall SO 52 Loren Gandy SLB FR 53 Erik Elshire LB SO 54 Jordan Holmes OL FR 55 Enoka Lucas SR 56 Victor Filipe DE SR 57 Fenuki Tupou OL JR 60 Max Unger OT SO 61 Josh Tschirgi OG JR 63 Jon Teague OG SO 64 Max Forer OL FR 66 Pat OL JR 67 Sean Cullen OL JR 68 C.E. Kaiser OL FR 69 Bo Thran OL FR 70 Landis Provancha OL FR 71 Mark Lewis OL SO 72 Justin Talarizadeh OL FR 75 Geoff Schwartz OT JR 77 Palauni Ma Sun OG SR 78 Jacob Hucko OT SO 80 Drew Larson WR SR 81 Ryan Keeling TE SO 82 Dan Kause HB SR 83 Ed Dickson HB RS-FR 84 Eric Steimer LS JR 85 Matt Evensen PK SO 86 Ryan Mattice WR SO 87 Rory Cavaille WR RS-FR 87 Josh Thomas-Dotson LB JR 88 Brandon Bair TE FR 89 Michael DiVincenzo DE SO 90 David Faaeteete DT JR 91 Harris DT SO 92 Micah Howeth DT JR 92 Aaron McVein WR FR 93 Dexter Manley II DE JR 93 Nicholas Dahlen WR RS-FR 94 Hayden Piper DT FR 95 Darius Sanders DE SR 96 Jordan Spence DT FR 97 Cole Linehan DT SO 98 Aaron Knowles SR 99 Jeremy Gibbs DT JR SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time Sept. 2 Stanford 48-10 Today at Fresno State 7 p.m.

(ESPN2) Sept. 16 Oklahoma 12:30 p.m. (ABC) Sept. 30 at Arizona State TBA Oct. 7 at Cal 5 p.m.

(ABC) Oct. 14 UCLA 12:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at Washington State TBA Oct. 28 Portland State 12:30 p.m.

Nov. 4 Washington 12:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at USC 7:15 p.m. Nov.

18 Arizona 12:30 p.m. Nov 24 at Oregon State 12:30 p.m. STATISTICS Score by quarters 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total Oregon 3 24 7 14 48 Opponents 3 7 0 0 10 Rushing Player Att Gain Loss Net TD Jonathan Stewart 22 170 2 168 2 Jeremiah Johnson 10 79 0 79 1 Andiel Brown 2 28 0 28 0 Dennis Dixon 5 22 5 17 1 Brady Leaf 1 9 0 9 0 Garren Strong 1 0 3 3 0 Total 41 308 10 298 4 Opponents 35 134 34 100 0 Passing Player Comp Att Int Yds TD Dennis Dixon 21 30 0 236 1 Total 21 30 0 236 1 Opponents 30 34 0 224 1 Receiving Player No. Yds Avg TD Long Garren Strong 6 78 13.0 0 29 Jaison Williams 3 42 14.0 1 15 Brian Paysinger 3 29 9.7 0 16 Dante Rosario 2 37 18.5 0 24 Jordan Kent 2 27 13.5 0 14 Cameron Colvin 2 3 1.5 0 4 Jeremiah Johnson 2 2 1.0 0 3 James Finley 1 18 18.0 0 18 Total 21 236 11.2 1 29 Opponents 20 224 11.2 1 39 GAMEDAY ROSTERS GETTY IMAGES Oregon running back Jonathan Stewart got off to a hot start last week, shredding defense for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Bulldogs: Depth a factor at end James: Fiction will yield to facts as Oregon arrives NO.

19 PENN STATE (1-0) AT NO. 4 NOTRE DAME (1-0); 12:30 P.M. (KSEE-24) Penn State update: Junior quarter- back Anthony Morelli had an impressive debut with three touchdown passes in a 34-16 victory over Akron, but the Nittany Lions showed little in terms of a running game, rushing for 76 yards. The defense at is predictably strong. Linebacker Paul Posluszny heads a unit that gave up 225 total yards, forced three turnovers and had five sacks.

A similar effort will be needed against Notre Dame. Notre Dame update: The Fighting Irish faithful are anxious after a close call against Georgia Tech last week. The Irish defense answered plenty of questions in the 14-10 victory, but Heisman hopeful quarterback Brady Quinn and the offense need to do the same this week. They moved the ball well with 384 total yards, but had problems finding the end zone. Story line: The first meeting between the teams since 1992 could have an impact on the national-title race, especially because Penn State plays Ohio State in two weeks.

Notre Dame must win to prove its preseason hype and ranking are for real. The pick: Notre Dame. Quinn and the Irish offense will be fired up to show last week was a fluke and should move the ball. NO. 18 CLEMSON (1-0) AT BOSTON COLLEGE (1-0); 12:30 P.M.

Clemson update: Linebacker Anthony Waters, the leading tackler in 2005, tore his ACL during a 54-6 victory over Florida Atlantic last week and is out for the season, leaving a hole in a defense that gave up 89 rushing yards in that game. Quarterback Will Proctor, taking over for Charlie Whitehurst, had a solid debut as a starter with three touchdown passes, and the running game rolled up 197 yards. Boston College update: Eagles quarterback Matt Ryan passed 48 times in a 31-24 season-opening victory at Central Michigan, but the Boston College running game showed little, with 85 yards. The Eagles will have to play better defense in the fourth quarter after giving up two fourth-quarter touchdowns last week and nearly blowing a 31-10 lead. Story line: The game is most likely for second place in the ACC Atlantic Division, which will really come in to play should Florida State stumble in a conference game.

Last year, Boston College defeated Clemson, 16-13, a loss that ultimately cost Clemson a spot in the ACC title game. The pick: Clemson. be revenge time for the Tigers, unless they get caught peeking ahead to next showdown with Florida State. NO. 12 GEORGIA (1-0) AT SOUTH CAROLINA (1-0); 4:45 P.M.

(ESPN) Georgia update: Despite scoring 48 points in its season-opening win, the offense was less than impressive, totaling 295 yards. A three- quarterback rotation was either the cause or the attempted cure as Joe Tereshinski, Joe Cox and Matthew Stafford all played significant minutes. Running backs Thomas Brown, Danny Ware and Kregg Lumpkin also split time, but none stood out in a combined 120-yard performance. A defense that gave up 67 rushing yards will have to carry the load. South Carolina: Could it be that there is a Steve Spurrier team with a better defense than offense? After a 15-0 victory over Mississippi State, the Gamecocks faithful believe so.

team had 10 first downs and 274 yards in offense, and needed a trick play for its only touchdown, yet held Mississippi State to 161 yards in offense. Spurrier is 11-2 in his career against Georgia. Story line: Georgia has won four consecutive games in the series, but the past two have been 20-16 and 17-15. The pick: South Carolina. quarterback and running-back platoons will prevent the Bulldogs from finding a good rhythm.

Peter Yoon, Los Angeles Times GAMES OF THE WEEK fresnobee.com the fresno bee COLLEGE FOOTBALL saturday, september 9, 2006 page D9.