Team preview: Fresno State

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(All information as of June 20, 2007)

Pat Hill begins his second decade with the Fresno State program much like he started the first -- needing some wins.

After an amazing run where the Bulldogs won 38 games over four years, they slipped a notch in 2005, finishing with eight victories after losing the final four games of the season. It only got worse in 2006 as the Bulldogs fell hard to 4-8, with no wins outside the conference.

The toughest defeat was at Utah State, the struggling Aggies' only victory of the season. That 13-12 stunner was part of a seven-game slide for Fresno.

Ever the optimist, Hill points out how the Bulldogs won three of their final four, the kind of building block needed to instill confidence in the offseason. Still, it's fragile at best and leaves Hill in a tough spot as he tries to figure out why his team has lost eight of its last 12, dating back to a disheartening defeat at USC in 2005. That 50-42 thriller, before 90,007 at the Coliseum, led to three more losses to close that campaign for Fresno, letting all the air out of the program.

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