Fresno State battle tested for stretch run

Originally Published: November 18, 2003

By Ed Graney | Special to ESPN.com

This is what Pat Hill coaches for, this kind of game against this kind of opponent at this time of year. Second-place Fresno State -- 7-4 overall and 5-1 in conference -- hosts first-place Boise State this week.

"This is a great opportunity for us," said Hill. "It's not very often this late in the season that you can play a game like this in your home stadium, one with a championship-type atmosphere and having everything on the line. We are really looking forward to it."

A reason for Boise State fans not to become overly confident: After its 41-7 rout of San Jose State, Fresno ran its winning streak in November to 14 straight. "We don't schedule easy early in the season like a lot of people," said Hill, whose team opened with games against Tennessee, Oregon State and Oklahoma. "If you do that, I think you find it hard to peak late and sustain anything as you begin the conference climb. We always hope the schedule that we play early makes us a tougher team at this point in the season. We don't get off to great starts here, but the experience we gain really seems to help us (in November)."

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