Billy Clyde Puckett
10-11-2005, 03:27 PM
He won;t be Elway, but he could be a nice mid round pickup
http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/bulldogs/story/11335024p-12083082c.html
Pinegar takes pass on puffing up stats
Bulldogs QB is content to hand off, if wins follow.
By Bryant-Jon Anteola / The Fresno Bee
His arm is rested, and his ego is unbruised.
For much of the past two games, all Fresno State quarterback Paul Pinegar has done is call plays in the huddle, read the defense to figure which one to run, then hand off to his running backs.
What he hasn't had to do is pass the ball much: 10 of 19 for 112 yards in the Bulldogs' 37-7 victory Saturday over New Mexico State, and 9 of 16 for 69 yards in the Bulldogs' 44-14 win against Toledo.
But Pinegar, a four-year starter, said he doesn't mind the limited action.
"I could say I'd want to pass more, but the running game is a quarterback's best friend," Pinegar said. "The ideal game is to have balance across. But when something is working or if we get a big lead, there's no reason to go away from the run or try to force something just because."
Rainy weather at New Mexico State caused Fresno State to rely heavily on its running game despite wanting to emphasize its passing attack.
Against Toledo, Fresno State spent much of the game playing defense. Its offense was able to score with quick-striking plays after usually working with short field position.
Still, since Fresno State began a hot streak in which it has won nine of 10 games dating to last season, Pinegar has reached the 200-yard passing mark just three times while the Bulldogs have averaged 48.7 points.
He ranks seventh in the nation with a 166.6 pass-efficiency rating this season.
When called upon to shoulder a larger responsibility, Pinegar has shown he can deliver.
In Fresno State's 37-34 loss at Oregon last month, Pinegar amassed a career-high 418 yards on 33-of-43 passing with three touchdowns.
In Fresno State's 37-34 bowl win over Virginia last season, Pinegar connected for five touchdown passes and 235 yards on 23-of-36 passing.
And through this 10-game stretch, Pinegar has thrown a combined 26 touchdowns, with 16 thrown in the first half, before the games turned into blowouts.
"We have full confidence that when we need to pass a lot, Paul can make it happen," offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti said. "We're just not a statistics-driven team. We do what we can do best to exploit defenses and what they're giving us.
"I believe we've started out balanced every game, then the score and field position dictated what we did from there."
Yet because of Pinegar's limited passing activity, the Bulldogs' coaching staff said there is a danger of rustiness throwing off timing routes with the receivers.
Practice emphasis, however, won't change regardless of what has happened in games, coach Pat Hill said.
Pinegar and the offense spend 90 minutes of every full-contact practice throwing against the starting secondary.
Afterward, Pinegar passes against the scout team for 30minutes, always trying to perfect his timing, accuracy and get into a rhythm with the receivers.
"The key is making the most of your passes," Pinegar said. "We try to stress efficiency. If it's handing off the ball a lot, that's fine. If it's passing a lot, that's fine. All we worry about is doing what we've got to do to win."
http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/bulldogs/story/11335024p-12083082c.html
Pinegar takes pass on puffing up stats
Bulldogs QB is content to hand off, if wins follow.
By Bryant-Jon Anteola / The Fresno Bee
His arm is rested, and his ego is unbruised.
For much of the past two games, all Fresno State quarterback Paul Pinegar has done is call plays in the huddle, read the defense to figure which one to run, then hand off to his running backs.
What he hasn't had to do is pass the ball much: 10 of 19 for 112 yards in the Bulldogs' 37-7 victory Saturday over New Mexico State, and 9 of 16 for 69 yards in the Bulldogs' 44-14 win against Toledo.
But Pinegar, a four-year starter, said he doesn't mind the limited action.
"I could say I'd want to pass more, but the running game is a quarterback's best friend," Pinegar said. "The ideal game is to have balance across. But when something is working or if we get a big lead, there's no reason to go away from the run or try to force something just because."
Rainy weather at New Mexico State caused Fresno State to rely heavily on its running game despite wanting to emphasize its passing attack.
Against Toledo, Fresno State spent much of the game playing defense. Its offense was able to score with quick-striking plays after usually working with short field position.
Still, since Fresno State began a hot streak in which it has won nine of 10 games dating to last season, Pinegar has reached the 200-yard passing mark just three times while the Bulldogs have averaged 48.7 points.
He ranks seventh in the nation with a 166.6 pass-efficiency rating this season.
When called upon to shoulder a larger responsibility, Pinegar has shown he can deliver.
In Fresno State's 37-34 loss at Oregon last month, Pinegar amassed a career-high 418 yards on 33-of-43 passing with three touchdowns.
In Fresno State's 37-34 bowl win over Virginia last season, Pinegar connected for five touchdown passes and 235 yards on 23-of-36 passing.
And through this 10-game stretch, Pinegar has thrown a combined 26 touchdowns, with 16 thrown in the first half, before the games turned into blowouts.
"We have full confidence that when we need to pass a lot, Paul can make it happen," offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti said. "We're just not a statistics-driven team. We do what we can do best to exploit defenses and what they're giving us.
"I believe we've started out balanced every game, then the score and field position dictated what we did from there."
Yet because of Pinegar's limited passing activity, the Bulldogs' coaching staff said there is a danger of rustiness throwing off timing routes with the receivers.
Practice emphasis, however, won't change regardless of what has happened in games, coach Pat Hill said.
Pinegar and the offense spend 90 minutes of every full-contact practice throwing against the starting secondary.
Afterward, Pinegar passes against the scout team for 30minutes, always trying to perfect his timing, accuracy and get into a rhythm with the receivers.
"The key is making the most of your passes," Pinegar said. "We try to stress efficiency. If it's handing off the ball a lot, that's fine. If it's passing a lot, that's fine. All we worry about is doing what we've got to do to win."