Bulldogs have speed to burn

Perhaps Fresno State should consider changing its nickname from Bulldogs to Greyhounds.

Despite a tradition of ground-and-pound offenses, these Bulldogs are built for fast-break football.

The three starting receivers have been clocked at sub-4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

Devon Wylie is credited with being the fastest in Bulldogs history, with a 4.27 time. Rashad Evans posted a 4.35 time, and Jalen Saunders was just under 4.4.

Running back Robbie Rouse, who once turned down a scholarship offer from Hawaii, was clocked at 4.43 seconds.

The Bulldogs like to use their speed to stretch the field vertically. This season, they have 53 completions of at least 15 yards, including 22 exceeding 25 yards.

Even in defeat, the Bulldogs like to go deep. In last week’s loss to New Mexico State, eight of quarterback Derek Carr’s 22 completions were at least 20 yards, including scoring passes of 59 and 64 yards.

“They have big-play players who can make big-play plays,” Hawaii defensive coordinator Dave Aranda said.

Outlook: Helepiko and Hunt are back after serving one-game suspensions, and they should help provide ample time for Carr to attempt long passes to Saunders, who is third nationally with an average of 20.6 yards per catch, and Wylie. Corners usually give those two cushions, opening the way for quick-hitting hitches or screens. Carr, the younger brother of NFL quarterback David Carr, has a strong arm and a trust in his blockers that enables him to ignore pass-rush threats. He has been sacked only 4 percent of the time on pass plays. Rouse has drawn comparisons to Warrick Dunn, Maurice Jones-Drew and Ray Rice because of his compact build, catching ability and toughness on inside rushes. Rouse sometimes motions wide, where he is matched against a linebacker, or gets free on seepage plays in which he appears to be a weakside blocker on a bootleg, then sneaks into the flats as a receiver. Benefitting from read options and express plays (where he follows two blockers to the perimeter), Rouse has amassed more than 1,100 rushing yards for the second consecutive season.

Outlook: Brown is an active open-field tackler (45 solo stops) and Harrell is a pocket-crushing tackle (14 backfield tackles), but the Bulldogs have not been consistent at the other defensive positions. Injuries have thinned the secondary. Safety Phillip Thomas broke his leg in training camp, and his replacement, Derron Smith, suffered a broken arm in the season’s third game. This week, wideout J.J. Stallworth moved to safety. Linebacker Kyle Knox, the Bulldogs’ fourth-leading tackler, is suspended for this game. At least Knox will be back in the lineup next week. Randy Stewart, who was named the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator in 2009, resigned Sunday. Tim Skipper was promoted to coordinator, inheriting a defense that has allowed 37.4 points and 444 yards per game.

Outlook: The Bulldogs specialists are back on the block. This season, the Bulldogs have blocked a punt, two field goals and six point-after kicks, increasing the rejection total to 66 in the past 10 seasons. Marcel Jensen and Cody Wichman each have three blocks. Meanwhile, Goessling is perfect on 37 PATs and 8-for-12 on field-goal tries. He needs eight points to become the Bulldogs’ career scoring leader.

Outlook: After a week of competition, the successor to injured quarterback Bryant Moniz will be revealed tonight. Graves is the better runner and Austin appears to be more comfortable in the pocket. To stretch defenses, Moniz averaged 5.7 deep passes (traveling at least 20 yards from the line of scrimmage) per game. In a relief appearance last week, eight of Austin’s 38 passes were on deep routes. Offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich said both quarterbacks have enough reps and knowledge with the four-wide offense. “We can win with either quarterback,” Rolovich said. Pollard’s return from knee and ankle issues enables Davis to move back to the left side. Ostrowski has become the go-to receiver the past two weeks, during which he was the primary target 30 times.

Outlook: In reviewing videos of special teams the past two games, the UH coaches noticed that Dee Maggitt (above) was able to effectively block the gunner (the speedster who is supposed to be the first to reach the returner). If Maggitt can do the job against a gunner in full sprint, the coaches thought, wouldn’t he be effective in pass coverage? Maggitt was moved from cornerback to nickelback, where he will split reps with Mike Sellers. “He earned his stripes on special teams,” associate head coach Rich Miano said. “He went out there and really locked down their gunners. He’s a jammer. He did such a great job, he showed he could play defense. He’s earned the right to play. This (game) will be his first extensive play.”

Outlook: One day, Edwards vowed, he will break a kickoff return. He has four returns of 40-plus yards, and in the past three games, he is averaging 28.8 yards per runback. “I don’t run angry, I run with a lot of intensity and force,” Edwards said. Tank Hopkins also has practiced as a kickoff returner. Hopkins said he finds inspiration watching Harding catch punts. “I learn a lot from him,” Hopkins said. “You have to get the ball before you can run. That’s money right there.” Dunnachie’s new technique — he drops the ball slightly more in front — has resulted in an NCAA-low four punt returns. He has not been blocked in his 37-game UH career, a credit to Ingram’s rapid snaps and a shield of three blockers. “If anybody can get through those guys, they deserve to block it,” Dunnachie said.

Remaining games at Aloha Stadium