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NFL Network analyst and GV Wire columnist David Carr knows a little bit more about playing quarterback at Fresno State than the typical media member.
That’s because he did it himself, before he was the first pick of the 2002 draft and an NFL quarterback for 10 seasons.
Carr was the Fresno State quarterback at the peak of coach Pat Hill’s “Anybody, anytime, anywhere” era. In 2001, the Bulldogs started 6-0, including wins against Colorado, No. 22 Oregon State and No. 23 Wisconsin.
But Fresno’s dream of busting the BCS ended with a loss at Boise State. That game knocked the Bulldogs down from No. 8 in the nation to 18th. (It also got the Broncos started on their long run as the flagship program of the non-power conference programs.)
Then on Oct. 26, Fresno State lost again — 38-34 at Hawaii. Ashley Lelie caught three touchdown passes from Nick Rolovich, including the 14-yard game-winner with 13 seconds left. But the enduring image of that thriller is UH safety Nate Jackson crashing into Carr from the blindside and disconnecting him from the ball. Laanui Correa recovered the fumble to set up the third and final lead change of the game’s last five minutes.
Now, 20 years later, the Bulldogs again visit Hawaii in October with just one loss and ranked 18th. Other similarities include a road win against a nonconference powerhouse (Wisconsin then, UCLA now) and a quarterback turning heads nationally.
The current Fresno State star behind center is Jake Haener, who leads the nation with 1,464 passing yards and became an instant San Joaquin Valley legend two weeks ago with his clutch performance against UCLA.
Our NFL Draft expert, sports editor Curtis Murayama, has watched Haener play three times this season, and sees him as a good NFL prospect because of his combination of passing and running skill. Murayama also mentioned Haener’s calm demeanor while under duress.
Carr might be a bit biased toward his fellow Bulldog, but he is also among the many who are impressed by the Washington transfer’s performance.
“Jake is very confident in his abilities, and he should be. He has a quick release, a live arm, and the ability to move so that he can throw over tall linemen,” Carr wrote in his weekly column. “He also has all the intangibles — leadership and toughness — that coaches love and teammates admire. The way he soaked up (Fresno State coach Kaelen) DeBoer’s offense, which isn’t an easy one, on the fly last season was incredible. There’s no reason he shouldn’t be in the Heisman Trophy conversation.”
At this point, Haener has the numbers (yes, the 4-1 Bulldogs have played one more game than most other teams, but his stats also include just two picks in 186 pass attempts).
And the 40-37 win at the Rose Bowl against a UCLA team that had just knocked off LSU gives him the best “Heisman Moment” in the first third of the season. Despite being injured in the game with a painful-looking hip injury, Haener came back to lead the Bulldogs to two touchdowns in the final three minutes, the winning drive covering 75 yards in 40 seconds with no timeouts to work with.
Last Friday, Haener passed for five touchdowns in Fresno’s 38-30 win against UNLV. Fresno State’s only loss was at No. 3 Oregon, 31-24. The Bulldogs led 24-21 in the fourth quarter. But Haener, who was sacked four times, lost a fumble and the Ducks tied it with a field goal, and then scored the winning touchdown with 2:57 left.
Last year, Hawaii started its pandemic-abbreviated season with a 34-19 win at Fresno in the UH debut for coach Todd Graham. They pretty much shut down Fresno’s new quarterback.
The Rainbow Warriors intercepted Haener three times and allowed just one touchdown and 289 yards in his 31 pass attempts.
Chevan Cordeiro and Calvin Turner Jr. both outplayed Haener from behind center (both scored two touchdowns, Turner from the wildcat formation).
We’ll learn Saturday if UH’s defense still has Haener’s number and if this group can knock another Fresno State quarterback out of the Heisman race and the Bulldogs from the national rankings — like Nate Jackson and the Warriors did in 2001.
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