August 29, 2024 • 50 mins
Fresno State Football Head Coach Tim Skipper along with Fresno State QB Mikey Keene and Offensive Captain Mose Vavao joined The Voice of The Bulldogs Paul Loeffler at The Point Patio Bar & Bistro to talk about this weekends huge game against the Defending Champion Michigan Wolverines and Paul ask the student athletes what their favorite food item is at The Point Patio Bar & Bistro.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
On the Bulldog Sports Network from Learfield. This is the
Bulldog Football Hour, presented by American pistachio growers, powering the
Valley one nut at a time. Also brought to you
by Table Mountain Casino Resorts, Lucky Days and Epic Nights,
and by Pepsi, official soft drink of Fresno State Athletics.
(00:22):
Now live from the Point Pettio Bori Pistro. Here's your host,
the voice of the Bulldogs, Paul Leffler.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Hey, now you can hear me? Hey, red Way do
that again?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
I like to wear that sounded.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Boy, is there a little excitement in this community, in
this valley or what?
Speaker 4 (00:53):
Presno State opening the college football season Saturday night in
the biggest stadium in the country against thee his program
in college football history, which happens to be the defending
national champion, and the Bulldogs go in there with unbridled
enthusiasm thanks to their interim head coach Tim.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Skipper and Coach Skippers.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Here we're gonna hear from a couple of his players
a little bit later, Mikey Keen and mose Vavao, two
of the captains on this year's team, And you can
come join us. We're here at the Point Pattiobar and Bistro,
northwest corner of Willow and Knees, and big news is
we've got three pairs of tickets to give away to
next week's home opener against Sack State. If you're here
at the restaurant and you want to enter to win,
(01:36):
go grab a little slip of paper there, write your
name on it.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
We'll pull some winners out of a hat a little
bit later on.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
If you've got questions for the coach of those players,
you can come join us here at the point. Eat
some great food. What's everybody eating tonight? I don't see
too much food on the table yet, they're waiting for
those orders to arrive. Fantastic appetizers here. The burgers are great,
the short rib tacos. Well, let's ask Tim Skipper a
hard hitting question for the first one. I know you've
been to this restaurant before, Coach, what's your number one
(02:03):
go to item on the menu at the Point Patti
o'bar and Bistro.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
I'm guessing you were talking about food right now. Yes,
we're talking food.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
I mean, if you want to give some people your
drink order, I suppose you could do that, but then
they might buy you a bunch of drinks and we
don't need you have it a table full of drinks
right here.
Speaker 5 (02:20):
I'm a burger guy, so I like all the burgers here.
They do a great job with that. With the fries,
you know, Coach he'll kind of made us eat that
all the time, saving money. So that's kind of my
thing now. So burger and fries here big time. I
was gonna say it's a little different quality of burger.
We won't say the fast food chain that was catering
(02:41):
your team meals back then, a little different quality of
burger here at the point.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
It's a lot different different hey man. First of all, congratulations,
I know what this means to you, those of us
who've seen you grow up, even though it doesn't look
like you've aged since you were a player back here.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Twenty five years ago, almost thirty years ago.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Everyone who's been around you knows how much passion you
have for this program. And we've seen your charisma, that
million dollar smile, we've seen the kind.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Of players you've been able to recruit.
Speaker 4 (03:10):
But I think everybody would love to hear it straight
from you what this means to be the head coach
of this program going into this huge season opener against Michigan.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Can you help us understand what it feels like to
be coach?
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Tim Skipper.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
I'll say this dreams became reality the day this happened
when I moved here. I moved here from New Orleans, Louisiana.
I come from a coaching family, so I always knew
I wanted to coach, but I was away from home.
I didn't really know a lot of people. And the
way the valley has taken me in the city of
Fresnol in particular, I feel like this is my home now,
you know. And I felt that way for a long time,
(03:46):
and then I came back and coached here on two
different stints. So my goal always has been to be
the head coach of Fresnel State. That's my dream. It
wasn't to be at some other school or somewhere else.
So I am living my dream right now. I'm twenty
four to seven doing everything possible to make the Dogs
the best version of ourselves. And I mean, you could
(04:07):
knock me out, pinch me, whatever it is, and I'm happy.
I'm good to go, ready to go, and I can't
wait to get this game started on Saturday.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
And we'll talk about the game. We'll talk about the opponent.
We're going to talk to your quarterback and your center
once they get here.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
We're at the.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
Point Patti O'bar and Bistro, northwest corner of Willow and Knees.
The best way to get your questions answered is to
come here, meet the coach, meet the players. But if
you can't make it, you can still submit your questions online.
Use Twitter or what they call the x app now
and use that hashtag ask fs and Alan from the
Quarterback Club has already done that. And you just mentioned
your dad. You said you're from a coaching family. Your
(04:42):
dad and your brother both have a lot of coaching experience.
I know some of the Bulldog fans here remember watching
your brother Kelly score a few touchdowns right outstanding running
back before Tim came here. So Alan wants to know,
he says, Coach Skip his two things, is the O
line ready to physically impose its will on opponent this year?
And be will Kelly and your dad be at the
(05:03):
game on Saturday.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
So I'll start with the old line. Let's start there.
The old line has been working.
Speaker 5 (05:10):
We do a lot of physical stuff at practice, particularly
for the.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Guys up front, the old line and the D line,
and they get after it.
Speaker 5 (05:16):
You know, that's how you know how the season's gonna go,
is how they go at each other. And it's been
some blood baths out there, a lot of plastic flying around,
and I'm very excited about the guys.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
I think we're ready to roll.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
We want to do a better job of running the
football and stopping the run, and that starts with the
guys up front. You'll have mostly here a little later on,
and uh, I think we're I think you're gonna be
proud of what you see.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
You know, some coaching staffs are a little afraid of
what you just said, a blood bath in practice.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
They don't want it to get too physical.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
But you played for a coach where if the practice
wasn't physical enough, he might stop practice and change the drills.
Speaker 5 (05:50):
He'll change the drills or he's going to start the
whole thing over. So I don't know which one's worse.
But I'm used to the physicality. Like you said, that's
what bulldog football is. That's the heartbeat of us, that's
in our DNA. So we're gonna hit at practice in
on game day. I'm not one of those guys. I
think you could just talk about it and think it's
gonna happen. You have to actually do it. So we've
(06:11):
been practicing very physical. The physical part of practice is over.
Today was a physical practice. We were full pads. Tomorrow
we'll take all the pads off and we'll put these
spider things on, which or nothing, and then a helmet,
and then Friday will just be in shirt and shorts,
and then Saturday we're gonna put those full pads on
and we're gonna let the plastic fly around.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
So it'll be fun. And I'm curious.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
I know you're reviewing a lot of things, and you're
watching so much film, and you're with all these other coaches,
several of whom coached you as a player, which has
to be a little surreal.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
So I know you got a lot of things on
your hands.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
But if you've gotten a feel for how the players
have responded to that call for increased physicality, how much
they enjoy the nature of these practices, it's been great.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
You know.
Speaker 5 (06:53):
You see the guys with the smile on their face
when they know they did a good, hard day work.
You know, that's when you know you got their attention,
and you can see it every day at practice. The
intensity has kept on going up. Like we're always talking
about being on the rise, and it's being on the
rise with everything that we do. And the physicality part
from practice one to where we are now is night
and day.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
So I'm excited about it.
Speaker 5 (07:14):
And we knew going into the season this first game
their identity is being physical. That's our identity. So it's
going to be a thing where we have to impose our.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Will in order to do what we want to do well.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
I'm sure some of these people here at the point
Patti o'bar and Bistro watched the National Championship game last
year and they noticed how physical Michigan was on the
offensive and defensive lines. And the scouty report on the
Wolverines looks like those two units are going to.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Be just as beefy and just as nasty. Yeah, I mean,
you see the guys.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
You see the guys that played last year, and then
there's these guys behind them that didn't get to play
that much that are hungry to play.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Now.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
All they've had is a spring game, so.
Speaker 5 (07:52):
They have a lot of size a lot of weight,
a lot of muscle, all that stuff, big old budget,
a lot of money, everything like that, and that's what
we live for here.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
We enjoy these challenges.
Speaker 5 (08:03):
We enjoy going over there, playing in their house and
playing bulldoff football.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
That's what we're about.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
I'm just curious of all of you here at the
point right now, how many of you are heading to
Michigan for this football game. We've got a few of
them out here. Some Bulldog fans have already left. I
know some of my friends are already on their way,
or some are already there. In fact, Tim Schiller and
his tour group, they've been texting me pictures all day
from mckina Island back there, so they're having a good
time and they're probably cheering now that we said their
(08:32):
name on the radio. Before we catch the break here, coach,
I want to get our practice update presented by Pepsi,
the official soft drink of Fresno State Athletics.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
We'll talk more about the Wolverines here in a little bit.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
You just gave us a big taste of how physical
the practices have been, but you've also been trying to
identify a hierarchy, a depth chart figuring out who you
can trust in which kind of spots. Is there anybody
that has surprised you a little bit to how they
responded to that challenge as you get closer and closer
to game day.
Speaker 5 (09:05):
I don't know if it's anybody in particular, but I
will say a group. I think the running backs responded
to it the most. You know, they're the guys getting
hit every time, so they're the ones I'm worried about.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Are they gonna take into this.
Speaker 5 (09:17):
You know they're gonna give up there all, they're gonna
start tippy towing so they don't get his hit as
hard and all that stuff. But I think they really
stepped up to the challenge more downhill running, finishing running,
getting extra yards out the contact. I could see a
big difference with that with the whole entire group.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Whole entire group.
Speaker 5 (09:32):
So I'm very happy with how they're running the ball,
and I'm looking forward to continuing to see success as
we keep going through the season.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
One of the things Pat McCann, the offensive coordinator, was
talking about earlier this week is he really wants to
see this team run the ball more effectively than last year.
And there were some nice games. Last year, Malik Sharrod
had some explosive performances. Do you have a standard that
you're setting and you used to coach running backs here too,
your brother was a great running back here. That is
(10:00):
there a target that you're putting in the minds of
those running backs of what you want to see this year,
whether it's statistically or some other kind of metric.
Speaker 5 (10:07):
I think with running backs you always have to be
sky's the limit. There's always more yards to get, so
you never want to put a parameter on it. You
want to get all of it. So just keep going forward,
never go backwards. That's a big thing for us. Just
keep moving piles forward. One guy can't tackle you, make
them have to swarm to get you down on the ground,
and as soon as you get in the open field,
run as fast as you can. Like some dogs as chasing.
(10:29):
So that's kind of the mentality right now.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
Well, it makes it easy in practice because there's always
dogs chasing them in practice, right And you used to
be one of those dogs chasing people down. And that
makes me wonder of all the running backs that you
had to tackle in eleven on eleven at Fresno State practice, situations.
Who is the guy that you felt the hardest or
the longest after you collided with them?
Speaker 5 (10:50):
That is actually an easy question, Michael Pittman, no doubt,
Michael Pittman.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
That's a pros pro right there.
Speaker 5 (10:57):
That guy brought it and he was so strong, powerful legs.
Just we would do drills where you couldn't go to
the ground and he would actually hit you, grab you,
keep you up, and then take off it. And that's
I'm not exaggerating. He would do that all the time.
That's why I knew he was special.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
You never tried arm wrestling him, did you? No?
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Never will anybody volunteering here for that. And that makes
me wonder too. Man, I got so many questions for you. Man,
You're so easy to talk to. I know all these
bulldog fans here at the point are going to figure
that out if they haven't figured it out already. And
I want to get to Michigan after the commercial. But
before we hit that, since I asked you about which
running back was the hardest to bring down, how about
(11:38):
of all the tackles you made, And that's a lot
because you're one of the leading tacklers in Fresno State history.
Is there one hit, one collision, one shot you delivered that.
Afterwards you're like, man, where's that video?
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Why don't I have it yet?
Speaker 3 (11:53):
I want?
Speaker 4 (11:53):
I want that one on save so I can watch
it twenty five years from now.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
There's a couple.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
Actually, Coach Baxter showed Team one of them. He has
all the film. He's if you ever want film, go
to Baxter. He has everything. And it was actually was
on a special teams play of course if he has it.
And it was a hay shot that would get me
thrown in jail if I played now where it'd be targeting.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
You go to jail, be all.
Speaker 5 (12:16):
At and the guy didn't see me and I came
from the side and he's running thing, he's about to.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Get a tackle and he was done.
Speaker 5 (12:24):
So that's a hit that I'll always remember because I
had a hurt ankle doing it, and then my ankle
didn't hurt as much after I made the hit, so
it was That's one I always remember.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
That's the one you hit forward, than rewind, then forward,
then rewind by ten times.
Speaker 5 (12:38):
Absolutely, absolutely, My hardest tackles to make was playing against
la Danian Thomason. He was so slippery and we were
the same height, and I just I wasn't used to that.
Usually you're tackling taller guys and things like that. So
I'm getting down by his legs and he's so powerful
and elusive. So every time I tackled him, I felt
(12:58):
like it was an honor to tackle. So he was
my hardest person to tackle.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
Well, if you're gonna say that, Pat Hill would be
awfully mad at me if I didn't bring up the
yardage total. Y'all held him too when he came to
the doghouse. Do you remember what it was?
Speaker 2 (13:12):
I want to say forty nine yards? That was it? Bingo. Yeah,
there you go. That was a great night Bulldog Stadium.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
They came in with that running game and we shut
them down pretty good. And then they were talking in
the media like we had fifteen guys out there or
something like that.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
So that was a really fun atmosphere.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
Well, if number fifty one counted for five guys, that
might have been accurate.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
He used to wear number fifty one.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
Now he's gonna be wearing that coaches headset on the
sideline at the Big House Saturday night, seven thirty Eastern
kick four thirty, Our time, our game day coverage on
the radio, so all you know it's gonna start a
little earlier. Two o'clock is one. We're gonna get started
Saturday afternoon. Gonna have some great content for you. We'll
hear from the Michigan announcers, the NBC announcers, No What
Eagle and Todd Blackledge will be with us. Our new
(13:56):
athletic director, Garrett Classy's gonna be there. He's gonna be
here tonight too if you haven't met him yet. So
are Mikey Keenan mose Vaval. It's the Bulldog Football Hour
at the Point Patio Bar and Bistro on the Bulldog
Sports Network from their field. Welcome back to the Bulldog
Football Hour, coming to you live from the Point Patio
(14:17):
Bar and Bistro that's on the northwest corner of Willow
and Knees. Got a great crowd on hand for our
first show of the year. We'll be here every Wednesday
night if it's a game week. Only exception is when
we have Central Valley Honor flight coming in. Then we'll
take the show out to the airport and welcome home
a bunch of veterans. At the same time, the biggest
stadium in the country is gonna welcome your Fresno State
Football Bulldogs on Saturday night at four thirty kickoff. Our
(14:40):
time pregame coverage we'll start at two on Saturday afternoon
here on thirteen forty Fox Sports Radio in ninety six
seven and nine to seventy in Bakersfield and twelve eighty
in Stockton, and online the iHeartRadio app and the Bulldog App,
the Varsity App. There are a lot of ways you
can listen, but the best way to listen to Coach
Skipper is right here at the point tonight. You still
(15:00):
have time to join us. We're gonna be giving away
some tickets in a little while for the home opener.
Right now, we're going to get to the trip ahead,
brought to you by Golden Eagle Charter, the preferred motor
coach and executive transportation service of Fresno State Athletics. It's
a pretty significant trip, one of the most anticipated trips
in Bulldog football history. And I forgot to follow up.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
You know.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
I always tell young people who say, what's the key
to doing a good interview? I say, it's listening so
you can ask a good follow up question. And I
dropped the ball. I let you off the hook. You
only answered one of Allen's two questions. He wanted to
know if your dad and your brother we're gonna be
there at the season opener against Michigan.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
So my brother will be there. He called me yesterday
and he just said, I'm going to a game. I'll
see you out there. I said, yeah, I go ask
if I have tickets or anything. He said, oh, you
have tickets for me. Don't let this head coach think
get to you. So he'll be there.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
He will be there.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
And your brother, Kelly, who was a great bulldog running back,
is now on staff with the Buffalo Bills. How many
years of coaching did your dad put in? Ooh, I
think it's thirty. It's thirty four to thirty six. I
keep forgetting the number. It's thirty four to thirty six years.
And I'm just going to go out on a limb
and guess that you haven't had to ask them for
coaching advice that they may be volunteered a little to you,
(16:16):
whether this year or over the years.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Yeah, there's a lot of coaching in my house.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
You know.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
Obviously there's a lot of football coaching. But then there's
a lot of golf talk happening too, so it's a
lot of coaching happening.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
How would you describe your golf game, coach?
Speaker 5 (16:28):
Uh, nonexistent. I'm all ball, all ball.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
That sounds like good time management.
Speaker 4 (16:35):
Sorry, I got distracted by some short rib tacos coming
out here with that great salsa here at the point
Patti o'bar and bistro.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Boy, that wedge salad over there looks good too.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
They've got a fantastic menu and bulldogs are on the
menu this weekend. We're talking to coach Tim Skipper, and
when it comes to this game at Michigan, we know
it's the defending national champs. We know the football budget
at Michigan is somewhere between four and five times.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
The football budget of Fresno State.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
The locker room at Michigan, I mean when you guys
putting the bowling alley in coach, come on, I mean where.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
They've got a bowling alley, barber shop? What else they
have that.
Speaker 5 (17:11):
Michigan everything, restaurants, everything it seems like in there.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
But it's real nice. A lot of space, a lot
of new.
Speaker 5 (17:21):
Yeah, they spend the money when they have it, but you.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
Played during an era where it almost became a badge
of honor for the Bulldogs to say, yeah, we don't
have that stuff, we don't need that stuff. We're gonna
beat the teams that do have that stuff, exactly right.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
We still have some of that in us.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Don't worry.
Speaker 4 (17:38):
Don't worry, And a lot of people have donated to
upgrade the facilities at Fresno State. The locker room that
you hang out in now is a lot different. I
bet you've told your players that. Huh oh yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 5 (17:49):
We had like little alleyways as our little lockers. They
faced each other, so we were getting dressed, we bumped
into each other.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
And now the locker room at least.
Speaker 5 (17:57):
They can spread their arms out and have a little pea.
So it's totally different, totally different.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
So when you you've scouted a lot of opponents, I mean,
you played against a lot of big time teams, you
say it what Pat Hill used to say about Freslo
State scheduling mentality. I want these fans to hear you
say it instead of me.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Saying anybody anytime, anywhere.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
Doesn't it sound better coming out of his mouth. And
you were part of winning some of those big games.
Speaker 5 (18:25):
Absolutely absolutely, and we enjoy it, you know, coaches, the players,
we all buy into it. We want that, you know,
for all of us. Somewhere along the line, those schools
they always tell you can't play here, you can't coach here, whatever,
You're not big enough, whatever it is, right, So that's
our this is our opportunity to go prove that we
do belong, that we do have faith in ourselves and
(18:48):
we can beat you.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
And you've scouted a lot of opponents, whether it was
as a player here, a coach here, or you know,
coaching with coach mclwayin at Colorado State, at Florida and
the secs. You know, game planning the biggest budgets in
the country, even sometime getting used to Michigan weather with
the Chippewas up there and the mac How do you
put in perspective the challenge you guys are up against.
(19:13):
With the personnel that coach Moore and Michigan are gonna
put on the field on Saturday.
Speaker 5 (19:17):
You know, they're they're gonna be the classic, bigger, faster, stronger,
And that's okay.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
They are very good on film.
Speaker 5 (19:24):
They are as fundamentally as sound team as I've seen
up front. I'm talking old line and D line. They
don't mess around. They work together, you know, they just
they step together, they hit at the same time. They
get the same pad level like it's it's pretty impressive
to see as you watch their season last year. If
you're a Bulldog fan, you're saying to yourself, a lot
(19:45):
of those guys are gone. So we'll see if the
new guys are the same way, we'll find out and
we need to be that way, you know, that's how
we preach the same stuff. So it's gonna be the
ultimate challenge of Wills and and how you build your
program is all on the line. And the team that
can figure that part out and go back to the
(20:07):
fundamentals and show it on the field, that's the team
that's gonna be successful.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
One of the guys who's not there anymore was their
outstanding quarterback, JJ McCarthy's moved on to the NFL, and
of course he's injured, and coach Moore elected this week
not to name a starting quarterback. So you guys have
two guys that you're preparing for. How do you approach that?
What does that preparation look like, and how quickly. Do
you need to be ready to make adjustments on the fly.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Definitely.
Speaker 5 (20:34):
In first games, you're always gonna have to make adjustments,
especially when they're using two quarterbacks. We've been getting ready
for two quarterbacks since the staff started watching them in
the springtime, so we're.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Prepared for both guys.
Speaker 5 (20:47):
Whoever's in there, we have certain scheme for that person,
so we can do what we need to do and
we can adjust the scheme.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Also, they're kind of salt and pepper. They're totally different.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
You know, one's a runner that's phenomenal runner, in the
other ones a phenomenal passer. So we'll see what kind
of style they want to have with a certain quarterback
that's in there, and we'll adjust as we go.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
You know, you were talking a few minutes ago about
the underdog mentality, and one of the things that came
out of your mouth was maybe sometimes people tell you you're
too small, and I know you heard that at the
linebacker position. People said, hey, you're not as tall as
these other guys at these other teams.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
And that anytime, anyone, anywhere, anytime, anybody anywhere. Sorry, Coach Hill,
I didn't mean a step on it.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
So you played in some matchups where the other team's
O line, the other team's running backs, the other teams
receivers were bigger than all you guys on defense, and
you still find a way to win.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
So how does that work?
Speaker 4 (21:45):
To turn what on paper the tail of the tape,
so to speak, looks like an advantage for the other team.
How do you flip that script so it's to your advantage.
So I'll tell you a true story.
Speaker 5 (21:54):
So we played Ohio State, and back in the day,
everybody huddled.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
So we huddled on defense.
Speaker 5 (21:59):
The defense was, you know, facing Ohio State, but I
had to turn to talk to the defensive guys. So
I'm in there and calling the defense and Ohio State
breaks their huddle, so they're right on me because I'm
right by the ball. So I call the defense. I
look back and I couldn't see the quarterback.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
That's how tall the old line was. I couldn't see them.
Speaker 5 (22:15):
So I get the break, I get lined up, and
I'm like, all right, whoever comes at me, I'm hitting
them as hard as I can because right now they
think I'm the smallest guy out here and I'm gonna
be an easy hit. So very first play from the jump.
I tried to set the tempo that don't judge me
off my size. I got something in here that you
can't compete with. So that's the mentality we take, and
that's Bulldog football and that's what we are.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
That's what we're gonna out hit you. That's our deal.
Speaker 5 (22:40):
And if you want to worry about the size and
all that, that's your fault.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
It sounds to me like the Red Wave believes your coach.
And if they believe you, then I think your players
believe you. And if any of them are listening, I
know a couple of them are on their way right now.
We're gonna have the quarterback Mikey keen here and the
center mostay of about here pretty quickly since shot up.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
The Ohio State game.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
And we know, you know, there were a few interceptions
by a future outstanding quarterback in his first college start,
but kind of the signature play for Bulldog fans in
that game. Some of you guys remember what I'm talking about,
that rigo line that you were just describing. Couldn't punch
the ball in the end zone against your defense.
Speaker 5 (23:16):
Couldn't couldn't do it, and we jumped off side twice,
so we gave him extra plays and big fourth down stop.
Every one of those guys outwait us. They were stronger
than us, they were bigger than us, and we showed
them what it was up. You know, we got to
stop and that was the exciting moment. Kind of thought
it was going to turn the whole game around and
help us out, but it went the other way.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
But that's another story.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
Well, maybe we'll get the buck guys back on the
schedule one of these days. The Bulldogs are taking on
Ohio State's arch rival Michigan in the Big House Saturday
four point thirty The Kick. We got a few more
minutes with Coach Skipper before the players arrived. So if
you've got a question, cend it our way on Twitter,
the x app, or even better, come join us at
the Point. Pattio Bar and Bistro, brought to you tonight
by the American Pistachio Grower is powering the Valley one.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Nut at a time.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
We thank the American Pistachio Growers for their continued supporter
Fresno State Athletics and for being the presenting sponsor this
show and for bringing some pistachios for us to take
to the folks in Michigan. These are some fresh and
crisp ones. Zachary and West are here from APG tonight.
We appreciate you guys, and we appreciate the coach. We'll
be right back from the Point Patio Bar and Bistro
on the Bulldog Sports Network from Learfield.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
Welcome back.
Speaker 4 (24:31):
It's the Bulldog Football Hour at the Point Patio Bar
and Bistro here till seven o'clock.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
We've got tickets to give away.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
Not for the Michigan game, because boy, a flight would
be exorbitant at this point if you haven't already made
plans to get there, but we do have tickets for
the home opener next Saturday night against sax State at
Valley Children Stadium. You know, Fresno State led all the
group of five schools and attendance last year, and the
Dogs would like to do it again. So you need
to fill up the stadium next Saturday night, and a
couple of you get off scott free because we're gonna
(24:59):
give away some tickets here. Before we're done, we have
Coach Skipper for a few more minutes. Then we'll turn
to the guys who are going to be getting the
football to each other quite a bit on Saturday night,
the center and the QB quarterback Mikey Keene is here.
You're gonna hear from him in a few minutes, mostly
of a vow on his way as well. But while
we still have coach Skipper, let's get some of your
questions off of Twitter or the x app with that
(25:20):
hashtag ask fs here's others receiving votes. That's his handle
on the x app, and he says, what do you
want people unfamiliar with how Fresno State competes to walk
away saying about the Bulldogs after Saturday night.
Speaker 5 (25:36):
Oh, I love that question. So, just like I told
the team, that's how I'll answer this. Everybody needs to
see a team that loves to compete. They compete for
every single inch. Whether we're on offense, defense, special teams,
it doesn't matter. They're going to compete to win that
down that moment. And then seeing a team that handles
adversity when something bad happens, they just shake it off
(25:58):
and we move on and we get going with the
next play, the next moment, the next situation. That is
very important because game football games go, there's tons of
peaks and valleys, ups and downs, and we're gonna have
to handle the times when we're facing.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Adversity, So that is huge.
Speaker 5 (26:13):
And the last thing, which might be the most important thing,
they need to see a bunch of guys flying around
playing extremely physical. We have to strike and knock people backwards,
bottom line, flat out. We have to be extremely physical.
People should say that word physical.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Boy, those guys are physical. That's what we have to have.
Speaker 5 (26:31):
And if we get those three things to go together,
that's a good combination of gumbo right there.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
Well, the guy from New Orleans knows all about gumbo.
What's the secret to a good gumbo? By the way,
is there a special ingredient?
Speaker 5 (26:43):
Yeah, you have to have sausage in the gumbo. There's
no sausage in the gumbo's it's not right.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
It's not gumbo if there's no sausage. Yeah, I have
sausage in the gumbo.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
Well, the dogs are going to try to put some
sausage in the gumbo on Saturday night at the Big
House against the eighth ranked Michigan Wolverines. We're here at
the Point Patio Rmbistro here till seven o'clock. As I
told you, you're going to hear from the quarterback Mikey
Kane in the center, mose baval In just a few minutes.
Our new athletic director, Garrett Classy is here as well.
If you haven't met him yet, make sure you say hello,
(27:13):
and coach, I've got another question for you before we
let you go, and I don't want to forget to
let you kind of lay the groundwork for our guests
that are coming up with Mikey and Mosey. By the way,
We're brought to you tonight by Table Mountain Casino Resort.
Have a lucky day followed by what Pat Hill always says,
an epic night only at Table Mountain Casino Resort. I'm
sure these fans here who are enjoying a great meal
(27:34):
at the point tonight and everything they want to drink,
they can ask you personally for your drink recommendations here.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
We'll get that off the air.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
But yeah, I'm sure they can tell that when you talk,
you're not sitting there saying, hmm, how should I say this?
What's the right way to say this? How can I
craft this sentence? It just comes out of you so naturally,
And I'm just wondering if that's how coaching is for
you because you've marinated in it your whole life. You
were kind of an extra coach as a bulldog middle
(28:02):
linebacker racking up all those tackles. As you've made this
transition to interim head coach, have you had to change
much or you've just allowed who you already are to
kind of fill in some gaps that you didn't have
access to before.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
You know, I've had.
Speaker 5 (28:17):
To answer that question a couple of times, and I
go back to when I was promoted to this position.
When I talked to my dad, the only thing he
said to me was be you. Be you, And it's
so true. Just being myself, answering the questions the way
I always would answer the questions. I deal with the
day to day activities of work exactly how I would
deal with it. I don't try to please other people
(28:39):
or anything like that. I'm just being myself and it's
so natural. It's a good feeling when you think about this,
be yourself. I mean, it's so easy. Just be you,
and that's what you need to be every single day.
So that's what you're.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
Getting as great advice for anybody in any line of work,
and it takes me back to something. Your brother's coach
and your first coach here Fresno State, Jim Sweeney was
kind of famous for saying too right. Did you ever
have that conversation where he said, that's not like you?
Because I've heard a lot of his players say they
got called, you know, to the office, and he said, Hey,
look at all these things you did, that's not like you.
Speaker 5 (29:13):
Yes, that little phrase right there, and I hit you
dead in the heart and you feel so bad.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
And he had a way. He's like your your grandfather.
Speaker 5 (29:21):
He had a way of making you feeling bad without
really even raising his voice. He's a unique guy in
that way. Missling love him so much because he's a
wealth of knowledge. He always had one liners. It's just
crazy crazy to think about those days.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
What a special program.
Speaker 4 (29:38):
And now Tim Skipper is leading the charge for the
Bulldogs against the Michigan Wolverine Saturday night. Coach, I know
you're gonna have a great time with these fans out here,
hopefully have a great meal here at the point. But
before I let you go, can you give us your
one minute introduction of your center most day Va vou
and your quarterback Mikey Keane, what you love about them
and what you need from them to have the kind
(30:00):
of season that you're aiming for.
Speaker 5 (30:01):
Yeah, so I'll start with Mikey. Last year, Mikey transferred
in here. He was new, he was trying to get
used to the valleys and used to his teammates, all
those things.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
So it kind of took him a season he get
his feet.
Speaker 5 (30:11):
Wet and get real comfortable, and then I think in
the spring, and then obviously right now you saw his
leadership ability really take over. Like he's very vocal, he's
not afraid to talk to guys, tell him when they're
doing good, telling when they're doing bad. I think that's
the biggest thing you'll see different with Mikey. He obviously
can throw the ball, he's a great quarterback, he's very smart,
can read coverages. But I think you're gonna see his
(30:31):
leadership take off. So I'm excited to see that. And
just like my dad told me, just be you just
do what you do, throw that ball, find the open guys,
and go have fun.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
Let it rip with Mosay.
Speaker 5 (30:42):
Mosay is more on the quiet side, but when we
talk about physicality, he brings the physicality.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
He's the heart beat up front.
Speaker 5 (30:50):
He does all the checks, does everything, but he also
sets the tone by the way he plays. He knocks
people off the ball, and he is ready. I just
actually talked to him a couple of days ago out
the challenge.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
He has.
Speaker 5 (31:01):
This a good one against MICHIGAN'SD line, and I know
he's ready for that. And this is a future tone
setter for him, you know. I told that, like, hey,
look this today, you can make You can make a
career out of one game right now, doing what you
need to do and just being you and playing bulldog
football on Saturday. So I'm excited to see that those
two guys are not only just great players, but they're
(31:22):
good people. You'll see that as you're talking to them.
And I'm ecstatic for them to have this opportunity. They
were meant to be here right now and just take
advantage of it and have fun with it.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
Sounds like a plan. Show a hands who's ready to
run through a brick wall right now? All right, don't
do that here at the point, Patti o'barnbistro. We don't
want to affect their renovation budget. Coach, great to have you.
We're gonna have a lot of fun out here all
year long. If you missed the coach tonight, be here
next Wednesday from six to seven. Enjoy your dinner here
at the Point, and I'll try to ask your players
(31:54):
some good questions.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
There. You go, have fun. They're good kids. That's the
one and only Coach Tim Skipper leading your into the
big House. Saturday night.
Speaker 4 (32:01):
We'll be right back from the Point Patio Bar and
Bistro the Bulldog Football Hour on the Bulldog Sports Network
from their field. Welcome back to the Bulldog Football Hour.
We're here at the Point Patio Bar and Bistro. If
you've never been here before, boy, or you missing out
especially on Wednesday nights because every week there's a Bulldog game.
(32:22):
This year, we're gonna be here unless there's an honor
flight coming in. Then we'll be out at the airport,
and boy do we have fun the last time we
did that on a Bulldog football night.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
Next Wednesday from six to seven, we'll be here.
Speaker 4 (32:32):
We'll have some tickets to give away then, if you're
here and you haven't written your name on a slip
of paper yet for a chance to win two tickets
to the home opener next Saturday against sax State. Go
write your name on one of those little papers on
that big long table here at the Point Patio Bar
and Bistro. Boy, what a great time with Coach Skipper.
We could talk to him for hours, couldn't we wasn't
that fun? And we'll do it again. But we're gonna
(32:54):
get to the players here in a moment. Our broadcast
tonight here at the Point Patio Bar and Bistro is
brought to you by Resort life Carts.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
If you're looking for the perfect golf cart or even.
Speaker 4 (33:04):
A street legal ride, Resort life Carts or your local
experts discover your dream cart today at resortlifecarts dot com.
Those are the big sellers at the kickoff dinner this year.
By the way, we auctioned off three of them for
a pretty penny. Well, let's talk to the QB. We've
got the guy who's gonna snap the ball to him
rolling in right now. But let's get Mikey Keen up first.
(33:25):
He is Numero uno. After all, have you always worn
number one?
Speaker 2 (33:30):
Mikey? Is that something that goes way back?
Speaker 3 (33:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (33:32):
Growing up as a kid, favorite player was Cam Newton,
which is kind of funny because I ended up playing
for Gus Malzan at UCF who was the coordinator at
Auburn for Cam Newton. So got to watch a lot
of film while I was there, But now he's my
favorite player. So kind of just wore that number all
growing up and then was able to get back in
it when I got to the Freslo State.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
Who else felt really old when he said I grew
up watching Cam Newton, Right, I felt about eighty when
he said that. Ain'tbody eighty here today? Maybe next week
we'll have someone that season. We've got some veteran Bulldog
fans here and a veteran experienced quarterback. And you heard
what Coach Skip was just saying about you. The difference
from last year to this year. He thought this spring
(34:12):
he saw a real difference, and he said, we're gonna
see your leadership more and more.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
In your mind, what does that look like?
Speaker 4 (34:19):
What would it look like to see you being a
different level of leader in twenty twenty four?
Speaker 6 (34:25):
For sure, I think it's all about confidence, just my
comfortability with the system, and even to extend it a
little bit further, just living here as well, being more
a part of the Bulldog family and things like that.
The Red Wave you guys did an excellent job of
opening your arms and inviting me in and welcome, welcoming
me here.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
So I appreciate you for that. Thank you for that.
Speaker 6 (34:45):
It's not always an easy process and transition to come
to from one coast to the other, but you guys
did an excellent job, and I appreciate you for that.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
But no, just just.
Speaker 6 (34:55):
Being more vocal and things like that. Understanding situations, more
understanding what this places about, and being able to translate
that message to the team in a better way is
really what I think is going to be different.
Speaker 4 (35:06):
We've got a question for you that came in here
on the X app that I'll get to in a moment,
but somebody else is here mostly moved that microphone a
little closer to your mouth so we all hear you,
because Coach Skipp already told us you're kind of soft spoken,
you know, get it right in front of your mouth
there if you can, even.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
If you have to shift the ear thing that a
little bit.
Speaker 4 (35:24):
Mikey, why don't you tell us what you appreciate about
number fifty one here?
Speaker 6 (35:30):
This guy complete in total leader of the team. That's
the great thing about being one of the leaders on
the team is you got peers alongside of you as well,
And this guy doesn't a phenomenal job of leading his group.
As well as being a leader on the team, the
center has looked at as the leader of the offensive line,
which is the most important unit on the field. I'll
say that right now. I'm biased though I'm by play quarterback.
(35:51):
These guys protect me all day, so but I appreciate
the heck out of him and what he does and
brings to this program through and through.
Speaker 2 (35:58):
Bulldog born and bulldog bred guy.
Speaker 6 (36:00):
It is a great job of establishing that every single day,
and I'm super excited to see what he gets to
do and how he leads on Saturday and what we
get to accomplish. And it's a huge opportunity. And that's
the word that keeps coming up, his opportunity. But mostly
does a phenomenal job of just being the same guy
every single day. He's super consistent and it just works
his tail off. So I appreciate him for that.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
Thank you, man.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (36:23):
And it kind of seems like you're the same guy
since when you got here, because you found your way
out of the field really early as a young Bulldog.
So it's kind of like your fifth senior year, I think,
huh yeah, No.
Speaker 7 (36:34):
It's a it's been a long road, but surely's been
one of the best blessings of my life being here
in Fresno, being shown off for the Red Wave every Saturday.
Speaker 3 (36:44):
And yeah, it's just been awesome, you know.
Speaker 4 (36:47):
And there's this there's this idea out there that offensive
linemen like to eat. Have you ever encountered that that perception?
Speaker 3 (36:54):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (36:55):
Maybe maybe if only we had video on the Bulldog
Football Hour. If you're not here at the point, you
missed out. Uh so I know you've been at this
restaurant a time or two.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
Yeah, definitely for sure.
Speaker 4 (37:07):
What's your go to? On the point? Menu had changes
from time to time. The menu changes a little bit,
But what's what's your favorite here?
Speaker 7 (37:12):
I've always been a state guy, so anytime I can
get a steak, you know, they make it awesome here.
Speaker 4 (37:18):
So steaks the way to go. Have you had that
steak bites appetizer too? Now with the mushrooms? Oh yeah,
and that sauce.
Speaker 7 (37:25):
Yeah it's a little it's a little dangerous for me,
but uh yeah it's pretty good.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
Now I'm getting hungry. It's funny how that works.
Speaker 4 (37:32):
You know, I was asking Mikey about his leadership and
this next question that's coming in on line is for Mikey,
but I'm going to ask it to you first and
get your observation. Then we'll let him see if he
needs to correct anything you said. Because what sidelines Fresno
State on Twitter or x depending on what you call it.
They said, what is the biggest improvement in Mikey's game
(37:53):
from last year to this year? Who would know better
than you you're watching all that same film he is.
Speaker 3 (37:59):
Yeah, no, Mikey.
Speaker 7 (38:00):
Honestly, it's been a huge step for him this past offseason,
you know, growing as a leader. He's gained more confidence
being back behind there and honestly just building on his
vocal vocal leadership. And we're super excited to see what
he does for this season. And he's just building this
craft every day, day in and day out, and he's
(38:22):
super consistent and he leads people. You know, he not
only does what needs to be done, but takes people
under his wing and brings him to the right place
to go. So definitely, as a veteran guy and as
also a captain, seeing seeing him go and do what
he does on the field. I'm excited for this season.
Speaker 2 (38:41):
How do you do, Mikey? He did good.
Speaker 6 (38:43):
I appreciate that, Yes, sir, appreciate that.
Speaker 4 (38:46):
I know you're your own harshest critic and no one's
more motivated to improve than you are, for sure. So
what were the things in the off season you wanted
to focus on and what have you been most pleased
with in terms of your Probably.
Speaker 6 (39:00):
No doubt, I think the two biggest things. We're being
most more explosive in the past game, having a better
understanding of how we're trying to tack defenses, and getting
on the same page with coach McCann. That's been a
big set that we've taken in the offseason. I feel
a whole bunch more comfortable in our areas of trying
to get the ball downfield and things of that sort,
and also protecting and taking care of the ball. Ball
security is job security, they like to say, So protecting
(39:22):
the ball and being smarter when I get outside the pocket,
and limiting limiting negative plays and turnovers and things of
that sort, and just always ending and we try and
talk about always ending a drive with a kick, whether
it's a punt pat a field goal, but we're always
trying to end it on a kick. So limiting those
turnovers and giving our defense a great a great spot
(39:44):
and keeping momentum on our side is a big thing
for us. So I think I've been doing a better
job with that this offseason and looking forward to getting
able to do it this season.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
Mostly I think I heard him say he's better at
the deep ball now, Is that what I heard?
Speaker 3 (39:55):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (39:55):
And uh, honestly, he is, and I can't wait for
him to show it off on Saturdays.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
But he can't throw the deep ball unless you guys
give him a little time to do it.
Speaker 7 (40:03):
Yeah, exactly. So that's our job and I'm gonna do
it to the best for our ability.
Speaker 3 (40:08):
You know.
Speaker 4 (40:08):
Let me ask you a question that I know you
can handle. And Coach Skipper was just out here pumping
everybody up, getting them ready to charge into battle, talking
about physicality and how you have to meet challenges head on.
So I'm gonna ask you a question that a little
bit tough, maybe because you were talking about the difference
from last year.
Speaker 2 (40:25):
To this year with Mikey.
Speaker 4 (40:26):
Last year, you guys didn't know who the quarterback was
in fall camp because Mikey was in a competition with
Logan five and you guys had known Logan for years
and you're just getting to know Mikey.
Speaker 2 (40:36):
How much easier is it for the.
Speaker 4 (40:37):
Team now to have an unquestioned, proven, preseason all conference
quarterback leading the way.
Speaker 7 (40:43):
Yeah, no, it's super exciting, you know, now we know
what to expect, right, We had a whole year where
Mikey got some snaps in.
Speaker 3 (40:51):
I mean, he was starting most of the year.
Speaker 7 (40:52):
So honestly, it's just a lot of confidence in an
offensive room and just speaking from an online perspective, understanding
that we got to protect him at all costs, you know,
and this guy's dangerous with the ball in his hands.
So if we can give him time back there and
let him get going, get in the rhythm, then job
(41:13):
well done.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
When you guys did that last year, he was pretty
stinking accurate, wasn't it.
Speaker 4 (41:17):
Yeah, it was a sight to see for sure. And
before we take the break here, let's put him to
the test. Mikey. When you played that back in your
hometown game against Arizona State and the defense shut down
the devils, you put some points on the board. You
how many passes you completed in a row to start
that game.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
Oh, I got I have no idea.
Speaker 2 (41:39):
I did not remember that stat. I was counting on you, man.
Speaker 4 (41:44):
I'm getting you confused with Ryan Colburn who went fourteen
for fourteen against Idaho back in two thousand and nine.
Speaker 2 (41:48):
Savannah, what was it? Was it?
Speaker 4 (41:50):
Fifteen straight? Sixteen straight? Start that game? Fifteen? Now you
know they're nice, So now we expect sixteen in a
row against Michigan Saturday. No pressure or Mike exactly, yep,
mikey Kane mostly have a vow here for another ten minutes,
then we'll give some tickets away. If you're not here yet,
come join us at the Point Patio Bar and Bistro.
It's the Bulldog Football Hour on the Bulldog Sports Network
from their field.
Speaker 3 (42:12):
Yeah you know.
Speaker 4 (42:14):
Oh well, we've had a great time tonight here at
the Bulldog Football Hour at the Point Patio Bar and Bistro.
If you miss us tonight, join us next week from
six to seven right out here on this patio.
Speaker 2 (42:23):
The misters are going. It feels pretty good, done it, guys,
It feels super really good.
Speaker 3 (42:27):
Yeah. So I'm just telling you that much needed.
Speaker 2 (42:29):
Would you like to have those at practice.
Speaker 3 (42:31):
Oh, those would be nice. You have no idea.
Speaker 6 (42:34):
Don't let Coach Hill ever hear you say that. You'll
never hear the end of it. You know, that's our
advantage that he that's our advantage.
Speaker 2 (42:40):
There you go.
Speaker 4 (42:41):
We're brought to you tonight by Bulldog Bread, the official
nil collective of Fresno State Athletics. To support student athletes,
visit Bulldog Bread be our ea D dot com and
also tonight by thirty two below Ice. That'll cool you down,
just like these misters. We're being cooled down all season
long by thirty two below Ice, the official ice provider
of Fresno State Athletics. We only have a few more
(43:03):
minutes with most of Vavou and Mikey Keane, the Bulldogs
center and quarterback. More importantly, the Bulldogs two captains on offense.
Can you guys help us understand what that means to
you to have your teammates say, hey, these are the
guys that we want leading us this year.
Speaker 3 (43:19):
Uh. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (43:20):
I've always said it's just a complete honor, honestly to
have this kind of group of men going in day
day in and day out, blood swam tears looking to
me Mikey, Devo and CV as leaders and as guys
to look upon.
Speaker 3 (43:37):
It's just a complete honor.
Speaker 7 (43:38):
And honestly, we just we just hope we uh show
it off well and that we lead these guys well.
Speaker 6 (43:44):
How about you, Mikey, Yeah, I think that's an accomplishment
that is just kind of really, you know, above all
the yards or touchdowns or things of that sort in
in in the terms of a personal accomplishment. I know,
I hold it near and dear to my heart, and
it's a true honor, especially at a program like this
with such the phrase pride and tradition, but it's it
(44:07):
speaks true to the guys that have come before and
how this place runs and how the value supports us.
But no, it's just a complete honor to have that
from your teammates because it's voted for and you just
gotta you gotta wear it with with I keep saying honor,
but you gotta wear it with honors. So it's just
one of those things that's super special and I'll never
forget it and always remember it.
Speaker 4 (44:28):
I'm gonna try to squeeze in two quick questions before
we run out of time. One for you most sakes,
because I listened to Coach Skipper over here talking about physicality,
and I'm wondering if it took a while to figure
out what he considered physicality, did you have to adjust
your calibration on on where that threshold was.
Speaker 7 (44:45):
Honestly, like just being an oldlignment, physicality is part of
the game, and.
Speaker 3 (44:51):
Being you know, a step above.
Speaker 7 (44:53):
Everyone in that department is how how you actually went
at this position.
Speaker 3 (44:57):
But when coach Skipp came in, honestly, he's a.
Speaker 7 (45:00):
Bulldog, bulldog born bulldog, bread all the way through, and
his passion to the game just makes you want to
take it up a notch every every day I practice,
Like he talks about always being on the rise, So
being on the rise, you know mentally, but physically is
a big part of that game.
Speaker 3 (45:13):
So I would say he pushes us to be more
physical day in and day out.
Speaker 4 (45:18):
And Mikey's speaking and of taking it up a notch.
I know you focused on your physique and the offseason
to cut down on bobby body fat, added some muscle mass,
and we know what kind of dividends that will play off.
Speaker 2 (45:28):
People forget you guys were unbeaten in non conference play
last year.
Speaker 4 (45:31):
You led the Dogs to that big win in Big
Ten Country at Purdue, and before you got hurt, the
Dogs didn't have any losses on the season. So here's
the one last question online, They say, what have you
seen in this team that tells you the Bulldogs can
go into the big House and pull off the upset?
Speaker 2 (45:48):
What makes you believe?
Speaker 6 (45:50):
Yeah, I think just being in this program makes you believe.
The history of this place and playing the quote unquote
power five teams anybody, anytime, anywhere, is what coach the
great coach Pat Hill said. So that's the mentality playing
Bulldog football, handling adversity when it comes, because it will come,
(46:11):
it is inevitable, and just continue to stay together. We
got to do this together. We gotta believe, and we
do believe. So I'm excited for Saturday. This is a
huge opportunity for us and we're fired up to go.
So it's gonna be fun, a lot of fun. Well,
we know coach Skipper believes. I think we just heard
Mikey Keane believes.
Speaker 2 (46:27):
Mostly. How about you, you.
Speaker 3 (46:28):
Believe absolutely absolutely?
Speaker 2 (46:31):
How about you?
Speaker 3 (46:31):
Redwave?
Speaker 4 (46:34):
They are going to ann Arbor on a mission. Guys,
thanks a lot, have a great dinner and we'll see
you on the plane. Yes, sir, appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (46:40):
Thank you Mikey.
Speaker 4 (46:41):
Keane mosseave about your quarterback and your center, two offensive captains. Boy,
this hour flew bye, but thanks for joining us tonight.
We'll see you next week, next Wednesday from six to seven.
Here at the point, Pattiobar and Bistro, thanks for listening
to the Bulldog Football Hour of the Bulldog Sports Network
from Learfield.
Speaker 1 (47:19):
You've been listening to the Bulldog Football Hour, presented by
American pistachio Growers Powering the Valley one nut at a time,
also brought to you by ECU Smarter Banking since nineteen
thirty four and by Hard No.
Speaker 8 (47:35):
Can you imagine do you imagine if this was Lebron
James coming into the league and people were acting like this.
I'm not gonna talk about Lebron. I don't think Lebron.
We're gonna keep freeze Lebron out. We're not gonna put
him on the Olympic team.
Speaker 9 (47:47):
We're not.
Speaker 7 (47:48):
No.
Speaker 9 (47:48):
I know he's a big star coming in.
Speaker 8 (47:49):
He's gonna be the next Michael Jordan, but no, no, no,
I don't want to talk about it.
Speaker 9 (47:52):
He's getting US plane rides.
Speaker 8 (47:54):
He's getting us all kinds of money and un endorsement deals,
He's getting us all kinds of money for TV deals.
Speaker 9 (47:59):
But now no upset. I don't I don't want to
talk about him like Jason.
Speaker 10 (48:02):
To be fair, how we can count we'll go either
side of the fence, but for this time, for purpose
of this argument, will go to the negative. How many
people have made millions upon millions of dollars with the
most acenine run of takes about Lebron James. You don't
have to like everything he does. You could look at
(48:23):
some of the quotes, even yesterday's thing that we played
on the show. Find it wherever you get the podcast
about what BRONI should or shouldn't call him on the court.
Folks would find their way to just make that the
biggest deal in the world, right, and they'll build another house,
and they'll buy a nice jet. Maybe some fancy sneakers
see what I did there, and then then they'll go
(48:45):
out of their way. And whatever he does, it's never
the right thing on the court, right basketball play, he's
got no guts, he won't take a shot. I mean, so,
the the idiocy argument has always been there, and we've
been watching for twenty years. I don't choose to participate.
Perhaps i'd be a multi comic kid.
Speaker 9 (49:05):
I did just think.
Speaker 8 (49:07):
About just going to every single WNBA practice and asking
every player team, Hey, how do you feel about Kaitlyn
Clark's chances for MVP? What you want to start about
Kaitlyn Clark for MVP? Will you talk about this? Hey,
Kennedy Carter, angel Rees, will you talk about Kitlyn Clark
for mvple you guys do it? Cheryl Swoops, Hey, Lexie
Hull is great, but wow, will you talk about Kaitlyn
Clark for MVP.
Speaker 2 (49:26):
It's too bad we're.
Speaker 10 (49:27):
Doing the show right now just from a logistical standpoint
because we don't have anybody. I don't think boots on
the ground, because the Liberty and Sparks have just tipped
off here in Los Angeles. I mean, it would be
a nice opportunity. Liberty obviously a top team, Sparks not
a top team, not a top team, but still future HOMA.
Speaker 9 (49:49):
Yeah, sure next year when she.
Speaker 10 (49:52):
And Cameron brink are playing together, Are you kidding me? Lights,
camera action, let's go. But this would have been a
nice space in which to just go and ask that
question and see what kind of responses we get. If
nothing else, we would win virally on TikTok and Instagram
with the facial expressions. Forget about whatever verbal responses we get,
(50:14):
we can always add
On the Bulldog Sports Network from Learfield. This is the
Bulldog Football Hour, presented by American pistachio growers, powering the
Valley one nut at a time. Also brought to you
by Table Mountain Casino Resorts, Lucky Days and Epic Nights,
and by Pepsi, official soft drink of Fresno State Athletics.
(00:22):
Now live from the Point Pettio Bori Pistro. Here's your host,
the voice of the Bulldogs, Paul Leffler.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Hey, now you can hear me? Hey, red Way do
that again?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
I like to wear that sounded.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Boy, is there a little excitement in this community, in
this valley or what?
Speaker 4 (00:53):
Presno State opening the college football season Saturday night in
the biggest stadium in the country against thee his program
in college football history, which happens to be the defending
national champion, and the Bulldogs go in there with unbridled
enthusiasm thanks to their interim head coach Tim.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Skipper and Coach Skippers.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Here we're gonna hear from a couple of his players
a little bit later, Mikey Keen and mose Vavao, two
of the captains on this year's team, And you can
come join us. We're here at the Point Pattiobar and Bistro,
northwest corner of Willow and Knees, and big news is
we've got three pairs of tickets to give away to
next week's home opener against Sack State. If you're here
at the restaurant and you want to enter to win,
(01:36):
go grab a little slip of paper there, write your
name on it.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
We'll pull some winners out of a hat a little
bit later on.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
If you've got questions for the coach of those players,
you can come join us here at the point. Eat
some great food. What's everybody eating tonight? I don't see
too much food on the table yet, they're waiting for
those orders to arrive. Fantastic appetizers here. The burgers are great,
the short rib tacos. Well, let's ask Tim Skipper a
hard hitting question for the first one. I know you've
been to this restaurant before, Coach, what's your number one
(02:03):
go to item on the menu at the Point Patti
o'bar and Bistro.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
I'm guessing you were talking about food right now. Yes,
we're talking food.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
I mean, if you want to give some people your
drink order, I suppose you could do that, but then
they might buy you a bunch of drinks and we
don't need you have it a table full of drinks
right here.
Speaker 5 (02:20):
I'm a burger guy, so I like all the burgers here.
They do a great job with that. With the fries,
you know, Coach he'll kind of made us eat that
all the time, saving money. So that's kind of my
thing now. So burger and fries here big time. I
was gonna say it's a little different quality of burger.
We won't say the fast food chain that was catering
(02:41):
your team meals back then, a little different quality of
burger here at the point.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
It's a lot different different hey man. First of all, congratulations,
I know what this means to you, those of us
who've seen you grow up, even though it doesn't look
like you've aged since you were a player back here.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Twenty five years ago, almost thirty years ago.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Everyone who's been around you knows how much passion you
have for this program. And we've seen your charisma, that
million dollar smile, we've seen the kind.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Of players you've been able to recruit.
Speaker 4 (03:10):
But I think everybody would love to hear it straight
from you what this means to be the head coach
of this program going into this huge season opener against Michigan.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Can you help us understand what it feels like to
be coach?
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Tim Skipper.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
I'll say this dreams became reality the day this happened
when I moved here. I moved here from New Orleans, Louisiana.
I come from a coaching family, so I always knew
I wanted to coach, but I was away from home.
I didn't really know a lot of people. And the
way the valley has taken me in the city of
Fresnol in particular, I feel like this is my home now,
you know. And I felt that way for a long time,
(03:46):
and then I came back and coached here on two
different stints. So my goal always has been to be
the head coach of Fresnel State. That's my dream. It
wasn't to be at some other school or somewhere else.
So I am living my dream right now. I'm twenty
four to seven doing everything possible to make the Dogs
the best version of ourselves. And I mean, you could
(04:07):
knock me out, pinch me, whatever it is, and I'm happy.
I'm good to go, ready to go, and I can't
wait to get this game started on Saturday.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
And we'll talk about the game. We'll talk about the opponent.
We're going to talk to your quarterback and your center
once they get here.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
We're at the.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
Point Patti O'bar and Bistro, northwest corner of Willow and Knees.
The best way to get your questions answered is to
come here, meet the coach, meet the players. But if
you can't make it, you can still submit your questions online.
Use Twitter or what they call the x app now
and use that hashtag ask fs and Alan from the
Quarterback Club has already done that. And you just mentioned
your dad. You said you're from a coaching family. Your
(04:42):
dad and your brother both have a lot of coaching experience.
I know some of the Bulldog fans here remember watching
your brother Kelly score a few touchdowns right outstanding running
back before Tim came here. So Alan wants to know,
he says, Coach Skip his two things, is the O
line ready to physically impose its will on opponent this year?
And be will Kelly and your dad be at the
(05:03):
game on Saturday.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
So I'll start with the old line. Let's start there.
The old line has been working.
Speaker 5 (05:10):
We do a lot of physical stuff at practice, particularly
for the.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Guys up front, the old line and the D line,
and they get after it.
Speaker 5 (05:16):
You know, that's how you know how the season's gonna go,
is how they go at each other. And it's been
some blood baths out there, a lot of plastic flying around,
and I'm very excited about the guys.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
I think we're ready to roll.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
We want to do a better job of running the
football and stopping the run, and that starts with the
guys up front. You'll have mostly here a little later on,
and uh, I think we're I think you're gonna be
proud of what you see.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
You know, some coaching staffs are a little afraid of
what you just said, a blood bath in practice.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
They don't want it to get too physical.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
But you played for a coach where if the practice
wasn't physical enough, he might stop practice and change the drills.
Speaker 5 (05:50):
He'll change the drills or he's going to start the
whole thing over. So I don't know which one's worse.
But I'm used to the physicality. Like you said, that's
what bulldog football is. That's the heartbeat of us, that's
in our DNA. So we're gonna hit at practice in
on game day. I'm not one of those guys. I
think you could just talk about it and think it's
gonna happen. You have to actually do it. So we've
(06:11):
been practicing very physical. The physical part of practice is over.
Today was a physical practice. We were full pads. Tomorrow
we'll take all the pads off and we'll put these
spider things on, which or nothing, and then a helmet,
and then Friday will just be in shirt and shorts,
and then Saturday we're gonna put those full pads on
and we're gonna let the plastic fly around.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
So it'll be fun. And I'm curious.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
I know you're reviewing a lot of things, and you're
watching so much film, and you're with all these other coaches,
several of whom coached you as a player, which has
to be a little surreal.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
So I know you got a lot of things on
your hands.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
But if you've gotten a feel for how the players
have responded to that call for increased physicality, how much
they enjoy the nature of these practices, it's been great.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
You know.
Speaker 5 (06:53):
You see the guys with the smile on their face
when they know they did a good, hard day work.
You know, that's when you know you got their attention,
and you can see it every day at practice. The
intensity has kept on going up. Like we're always talking
about being on the rise, and it's being on the
rise with everything that we do. And the physicality part
from practice one to where we are now is night
and day.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
So I'm excited about it.
Speaker 5 (07:14):
And we knew going into the season this first game
their identity is being physical. That's our identity. So it's
going to be a thing where we have to impose our.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Will in order to do what we want to do well.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
I'm sure some of these people here at the point
Patti o'bar and Bistro watched the National Championship game last
year and they noticed how physical Michigan was on the
offensive and defensive lines. And the scouty report on the
Wolverines looks like those two units are going to.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Be just as beefy and just as nasty. Yeah, I mean,
you see the guys.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
You see the guys that played last year, and then
there's these guys behind them that didn't get to play
that much that are hungry to play.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Now.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
All they've had is a spring game, so.
Speaker 5 (07:52):
They have a lot of size a lot of weight,
a lot of muscle, all that stuff, big old budget,
a lot of money, everything like that, and that's what
we live for here.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
We enjoy these challenges.
Speaker 5 (08:03):
We enjoy going over there, playing in their house and
playing bulldoff football.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
That's what we're about.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
I'm just curious of all of you here at the
point right now, how many of you are heading to
Michigan for this football game. We've got a few of
them out here. Some Bulldog fans have already left. I
know some of my friends are already on their way,
or some are already there. In fact, Tim Schiller and
his tour group, they've been texting me pictures all day
from mckina Island back there, so they're having a good
time and they're probably cheering now that we said their
(08:32):
name on the radio. Before we catch the break here, coach,
I want to get our practice update presented by Pepsi,
the official soft drink of Fresno State Athletics.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
We'll talk more about the Wolverines here in a little bit.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
You just gave us a big taste of how physical
the practices have been, but you've also been trying to
identify a hierarchy, a depth chart figuring out who you
can trust in which kind of spots. Is there anybody
that has surprised you a little bit to how they
responded to that challenge as you get closer and closer
to game day.
Speaker 5 (09:05):
I don't know if it's anybody in particular, but I
will say a group. I think the running backs responded
to it the most. You know, they're the guys getting
hit every time, so they're the ones I'm worried about.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Are they gonna take into this.
Speaker 5 (09:17):
You know they're gonna give up there all, they're gonna
start tippy towing so they don't get his hit as
hard and all that stuff. But I think they really
stepped up to the challenge more downhill running, finishing running,
getting extra yards out the contact. I could see a
big difference with that with the whole entire group.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Whole entire group.
Speaker 5 (09:32):
So I'm very happy with how they're running the ball,
and I'm looking forward to continuing to see success as
we keep going through the season.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
One of the things Pat McCann, the offensive coordinator, was
talking about earlier this week is he really wants to
see this team run the ball more effectively than last year.
And there were some nice games. Last year, Malik Sharrod
had some explosive performances. Do you have a standard that
you're setting and you used to coach running backs here too,
your brother was a great running back here. That is
(10:00):
there a target that you're putting in the minds of
those running backs of what you want to see this year,
whether it's statistically or some other kind of metric.
Speaker 5 (10:07):
I think with running backs you always have to be
sky's the limit. There's always more yards to get, so
you never want to put a parameter on it. You
want to get all of it. So just keep going forward,
never go backwards. That's a big thing for us. Just
keep moving piles forward. One guy can't tackle you, make
them have to swarm to get you down on the ground,
and as soon as you get in the open field,
run as fast as you can. Like some dogs as chasing.
(10:29):
So that's kind of the mentality right now.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
Well, it makes it easy in practice because there's always
dogs chasing them in practice, right And you used to
be one of those dogs chasing people down. And that
makes me wonder of all the running backs that you
had to tackle in eleven on eleven at Fresno State practice, situations.
Who is the guy that you felt the hardest or
the longest after you collided with them?
Speaker 5 (10:50):
That is actually an easy question, Michael Pittman, no doubt,
Michael Pittman.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
That's a pros pro right there.
Speaker 5 (10:57):
That guy brought it and he was so strong, powerful legs.
Just we would do drills where you couldn't go to
the ground and he would actually hit you, grab you,
keep you up, and then take off it. And that's
I'm not exaggerating. He would do that all the time.
That's why I knew he was special.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
You never tried arm wrestling him, did you? No?
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Never will anybody volunteering here for that. And that makes
me wonder too. Man, I got so many questions for you. Man,
You're so easy to talk to. I know all these
bulldog fans here at the point are going to figure
that out if they haven't figured it out already. And
I want to get to Michigan after the commercial. But
before we hit that, since I asked you about which
running back was the hardest to bring down, how about
(11:38):
of all the tackles you made, And that's a lot
because you're one of the leading tacklers in Fresno State history.
Is there one hit, one collision, one shot you delivered that.
Afterwards you're like, man, where's that video?
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Why don't I have it yet?
Speaker 3 (11:53):
I want?
Speaker 4 (11:53):
I want that one on save so I can watch
it twenty five years from now.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
There's a couple.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
Actually, Coach Baxter showed Team one of them. He has
all the film. He's if you ever want film, go
to Baxter. He has everything. And it was actually was
on a special teams play of course if he has it.
And it was a hay shot that would get me
thrown in jail if I played now where it'd be targeting.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
You go to jail, be all.
Speaker 5 (12:16):
At and the guy didn't see me and I came
from the side and he's running thing, he's about to.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Get a tackle and he was done.
Speaker 5 (12:24):
So that's a hit that I'll always remember because I
had a hurt ankle doing it, and then my ankle
didn't hurt as much after I made the hit, so
it was That's one I always remember.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
That's the one you hit forward, than rewind, then forward,
then rewind by ten times.
Speaker 5 (12:38):
Absolutely, absolutely, My hardest tackles to make was playing against
la Danian Thomason. He was so slippery and we were
the same height, and I just I wasn't used to that.
Usually you're tackling taller guys and things like that. So
I'm getting down by his legs and he's so powerful
and elusive. So every time I tackled him, I felt
(12:58):
like it was an honor to tackle. So he was
my hardest person to tackle.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
Well, if you're gonna say that, Pat Hill would be
awfully mad at me if I didn't bring up the
yardage total. Y'all held him too when he came to
the doghouse. Do you remember what it was?
Speaker 2 (13:12):
I want to say forty nine yards? That was it? Bingo. Yeah,
there you go. That was a great night Bulldog Stadium.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
They came in with that running game and we shut
them down pretty good. And then they were talking in
the media like we had fifteen guys out there or
something like that.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
So that was a really fun atmosphere.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
Well, if number fifty one counted for five guys, that
might have been accurate.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
He used to wear number fifty one.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
Now he's gonna be wearing that coaches headset on the
sideline at the Big House Saturday night, seven thirty Eastern
kick four thirty, Our time, our game day coverage on
the radio, so all you know it's gonna start a
little earlier. Two o'clock is one. We're gonna get started
Saturday afternoon. Gonna have some great content for you. We'll
hear from the Michigan announcers, the NBC announcers, No What
Eagle and Todd Blackledge will be with us. Our new
(13:56):
athletic director, Garrett Classy's gonna be there. He's gonna be
here tonight too if you haven't met him yet. So
are Mikey Keenan mose Vaval. It's the Bulldog Football Hour
at the Point Patio Bar and Bistro on the Bulldog
Sports Network from their field. Welcome back to the Bulldog
Football Hour, coming to you live from the Point Patio
(14:17):
Bar and Bistro that's on the northwest corner of Willow
and Knees. Got a great crowd on hand for our
first show of the year. We'll be here every Wednesday
night if it's a game week. Only exception is when
we have Central Valley Honor flight coming in. Then we'll
take the show out to the airport and welcome home
a bunch of veterans. At the same time, the biggest
stadium in the country is gonna welcome your Fresno State
Football Bulldogs on Saturday night at four thirty kickoff. Our
(14:40):
time pregame coverage we'll start at two on Saturday afternoon
here on thirteen forty Fox Sports Radio in ninety six
seven and nine to seventy in Bakersfield and twelve eighty
in Stockton, and online the iHeartRadio app and the Bulldog App,
the Varsity App. There are a lot of ways you
can listen, but the best way to listen to Coach
Skipper is right here at the point tonight. You still
(15:00):
have time to join us. We're gonna be giving away
some tickets in a little while for the home opener.
Right now, we're going to get to the trip ahead,
brought to you by Golden Eagle Charter, the preferred motor
coach and executive transportation service of Fresno State Athletics. It's
a pretty significant trip, one of the most anticipated trips
in Bulldog football history. And I forgot to follow up.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
You know.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
I always tell young people who say, what's the key
to doing a good interview? I say, it's listening so
you can ask a good follow up question. And I
dropped the ball. I let you off the hook. You
only answered one of Allen's two questions. He wanted to
know if your dad and your brother we're gonna be
there at the season opener against Michigan.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
So my brother will be there. He called me yesterday
and he just said, I'm going to a game. I'll
see you out there. I said, yeah, I go ask
if I have tickets or anything. He said, oh, you
have tickets for me. Don't let this head coach think
get to you. So he'll be there.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
He will be there.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
And your brother, Kelly, who was a great bulldog running back,
is now on staff with the Buffalo Bills. How many
years of coaching did your dad put in? Ooh, I
think it's thirty. It's thirty four to thirty six. I
keep forgetting the number. It's thirty four to thirty six years.
And I'm just going to go out on a limb
and guess that you haven't had to ask them for
coaching advice that they may be volunteered a little to you,
(16:16):
whether this year or over the years.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Yeah, there's a lot of coaching in my house.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
You know.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
Obviously there's a lot of football coaching. But then there's
a lot of golf talk happening too, so it's a
lot of coaching happening.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
How would you describe your golf game, coach?
Speaker 5 (16:28):
Uh, nonexistent. I'm all ball, all ball.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
That sounds like good time management.
Speaker 4 (16:35):
Sorry, I got distracted by some short rib tacos coming
out here with that great salsa here at the point
Patti o'bar and bistro.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Boy, that wedge salad over there looks good too.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
They've got a fantastic menu and bulldogs are on the
menu this weekend. We're talking to coach Tim Skipper, and
when it comes to this game at Michigan, we know
it's the defending national champs. We know the football budget
at Michigan is somewhere between four and five times.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
The football budget of Fresno State.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
The locker room at Michigan, I mean when you guys
putting the bowling alley in coach, come on, I mean where.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
They've got a bowling alley, barber shop? What else they
have that.
Speaker 5 (17:11):
Michigan everything, restaurants, everything it seems like in there.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
But it's real nice. A lot of space, a lot
of new.
Speaker 5 (17:21):
Yeah, they spend the money when they have it, but you.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
Played during an era where it almost became a badge
of honor for the Bulldogs to say, yeah, we don't
have that stuff, we don't need that stuff. We're gonna
beat the teams that do have that stuff, exactly right.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
We still have some of that in us.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Don't worry.
Speaker 4 (17:38):
Don't worry, And a lot of people have donated to
upgrade the facilities at Fresno State. The locker room that
you hang out in now is a lot different. I
bet you've told your players that. Huh oh yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 5 (17:49):
We had like little alleyways as our little lockers. They
faced each other, so we were getting dressed, we bumped
into each other.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
And now the locker room at least.
Speaker 5 (17:57):
They can spread their arms out and have a little pea.
So it's totally different, totally different.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
So when you you've scouted a lot of opponents, I mean,
you played against a lot of big time teams, you
say it what Pat Hill used to say about Freslo
State scheduling mentality. I want these fans to hear you
say it instead of me.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Saying anybody anytime, anywhere.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
Doesn't it sound better coming out of his mouth. And
you were part of winning some of those big games.
Speaker 5 (18:25):
Absolutely absolutely, and we enjoy it, you know, coaches, the players,
we all buy into it. We want that, you know,
for all of us. Somewhere along the line, those schools
they always tell you can't play here, you can't coach here, whatever,
You're not big enough, whatever it is, right, So that's
our this is our opportunity to go prove that we
do belong, that we do have faith in ourselves and
(18:48):
we can beat you.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
And you've scouted a lot of opponents, whether it was
as a player here, a coach here, or you know,
coaching with coach mclwayin at Colorado State, at Florida and
the secs. You know, game planning the biggest budgets in
the country, even sometime getting used to Michigan weather with
the Chippewas up there and the mac How do you
put in perspective the challenge you guys are up against.
(19:13):
With the personnel that coach Moore and Michigan are gonna
put on the field on Saturday.
Speaker 5 (19:17):
You know, they're they're gonna be the classic, bigger, faster, stronger,
And that's okay.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
They are very good on film.
Speaker 5 (19:24):
They are as fundamentally as sound team as I've seen
up front. I'm talking old line and D line. They
don't mess around. They work together, you know, they just
they step together, they hit at the same time. They
get the same pad level like it's it's pretty impressive
to see as you watch their season last year. If
you're a Bulldog fan, you're saying to yourself, a lot
(19:45):
of those guys are gone. So we'll see if the
new guys are the same way, we'll find out and
we need to be that way, you know, that's how
we preach the same stuff. So it's gonna be the
ultimate challenge of Wills and and how you build your
program is all on the line. And the team that
can figure that part out and go back to the
(20:07):
fundamentals and show it on the field, that's the team
that's gonna be successful.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
One of the guys who's not there anymore was their
outstanding quarterback, JJ McCarthy's moved on to the NFL, and
of course he's injured, and coach Moore elected this week
not to name a starting quarterback. So you guys have
two guys that you're preparing for. How do you approach that?
What does that preparation look like, and how quickly. Do
you need to be ready to make adjustments on the fly.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Definitely.
Speaker 5 (20:34):
In first games, you're always gonna have to make adjustments,
especially when they're using two quarterbacks. We've been getting ready
for two quarterbacks since the staff started watching them in
the springtime, so we're.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Prepared for both guys.
Speaker 5 (20:47):
Whoever's in there, we have certain scheme for that person,
so we can do what we need to do and
we can adjust the scheme.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Also, they're kind of salt and pepper. They're totally different.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
You know, one's a runner that's phenomenal runner, in the
other ones a phenomenal passer. So we'll see what kind
of style they want to have with a certain quarterback
that's in there, and we'll adjust as we go.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
You know, you were talking a few minutes ago about
the underdog mentality, and one of the things that came
out of your mouth was maybe sometimes people tell you you're
too small, and I know you heard that at the
linebacker position. People said, hey, you're not as tall as
these other guys at these other teams.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
And that anytime, anyone, anywhere, anytime, anybody anywhere. Sorry, Coach Hill,
I didn't mean a step on it.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
So you played in some matchups where the other team's
O line, the other team's running backs, the other teams
receivers were bigger than all you guys on defense, and
you still find a way to win.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
So how does that work?
Speaker 4 (21:45):
To turn what on paper the tail of the tape,
so to speak, looks like an advantage for the other team.
How do you flip that script so it's to your advantage.
So I'll tell you a true story.
Speaker 5 (21:54):
So we played Ohio State, and back in the day,
everybody huddled.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
So we huddled on defense.
Speaker 5 (21:59):
The defense was, you know, facing Ohio State, but I
had to turn to talk to the defensive guys. So
I'm in there and calling the defense and Ohio State
breaks their huddle, so they're right on me because I'm
right by the ball. So I call the defense. I
look back and I couldn't see the quarterback.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
That's how tall the old line was. I couldn't see them.
Speaker 5 (22:15):
So I get the break, I get lined up, and
I'm like, all right, whoever comes at me, I'm hitting
them as hard as I can because right now they
think I'm the smallest guy out here and I'm gonna
be an easy hit. So very first play from the jump.
I tried to set the tempo that don't judge me
off my size. I got something in here that you
can't compete with. So that's the mentality we take, and
that's Bulldog football and that's what we are.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
That's what we're gonna out hit you. That's our deal.
Speaker 5 (22:40):
And if you want to worry about the size and
all that, that's your fault.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
It sounds to me like the Red Wave believes your coach.
And if they believe you, then I think your players
believe you. And if any of them are listening, I
know a couple of them are on their way right now.
We're gonna have the quarterback Mikey keen here and the
center mostay of about here pretty quickly since shot up.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
The Ohio State game.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
And we know, you know, there were a few interceptions
by a future outstanding quarterback in his first college start,
but kind of the signature play for Bulldog fans in
that game. Some of you guys remember what I'm talking about,
that rigo line that you were just describing. Couldn't punch
the ball in the end zone against your defense.
Speaker 5 (23:16):
Couldn't couldn't do it, and we jumped off side twice,
so we gave him extra plays and big fourth down stop.
Every one of those guys outwait us. They were stronger
than us, they were bigger than us, and we showed
them what it was up. You know, we got to
stop and that was the exciting moment. Kind of thought
it was going to turn the whole game around and
help us out, but it went the other way.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
But that's another story.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
Well, maybe we'll get the buck guys back on the
schedule one of these days. The Bulldogs are taking on
Ohio State's arch rival Michigan in the Big House Saturday
four point thirty The Kick. We got a few more
minutes with Coach Skipper before the players arrived. So if
you've got a question, cend it our way on Twitter,
the x app, or even better, come join us at
the Point. Pattio Bar and Bistro, brought to you tonight
by the American Pistachio Grower is powering the Valley one.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Nut at a time.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
We thank the American Pistachio Growers for their continued supporter
Fresno State Athletics and for being the presenting sponsor this
show and for bringing some pistachios for us to take
to the folks in Michigan. These are some fresh and
crisp ones. Zachary and West are here from APG tonight.
We appreciate you guys, and we appreciate the coach. We'll
be right back from the Point Patio Bar and Bistro
on the Bulldog Sports Network from Learfield.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
Welcome back.
Speaker 4 (24:31):
It's the Bulldog Football Hour at the Point Patio Bar
and Bistro here till seven o'clock.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
We've got tickets to give away.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
Not for the Michigan game, because boy, a flight would
be exorbitant at this point if you haven't already made
plans to get there, but we do have tickets for
the home opener next Saturday night against sax State at
Valley Children Stadium. You know, Fresno State led all the
group of five schools and attendance last year, and the
Dogs would like to do it again. So you need
to fill up the stadium next Saturday night, and a
couple of you get off scott free because we're gonna
(24:59):
give away some tickets here. Before we're done, we have
Coach Skipper for a few more minutes. Then we'll turn
to the guys who are going to be getting the
football to each other quite a bit on Saturday night,
the center and the QB quarterback Mikey Keene is here.
You're gonna hear from him in a few minutes, mostly
of a vow on his way as well. But while
we still have coach Skipper, let's get some of your
questions off of Twitter or the x app with that
(25:20):
hashtag ask fs here's others receiving votes. That's his handle
on the x app, and he says, what do you
want people unfamiliar with how Fresno State competes to walk
away saying about the Bulldogs after Saturday night.
Speaker 5 (25:36):
Oh, I love that question. So, just like I told
the team, that's how I'll answer this. Everybody needs to
see a team that loves to compete. They compete for
every single inch. Whether we're on offense, defense, special teams,
it doesn't matter. They're going to compete to win that
down that moment. And then seeing a team that handles
adversity when something bad happens, they just shake it off
(25:58):
and we move on and we get going with the
next play, the next moment, the next situation. That is
very important because game football games go, there's tons of
peaks and valleys, ups and downs, and we're gonna have
to handle the times when we're facing.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Adversity, So that is huge.
Speaker 5 (26:13):
And the last thing, which might be the most important thing,
they need to see a bunch of guys flying around
playing extremely physical. We have to strike and knock people backwards,
bottom line, flat out. We have to be extremely physical.
People should say that word physical.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Boy, those guys are physical. That's what we have to have.
Speaker 5 (26:31):
And if we get those three things to go together,
that's a good combination of gumbo right there.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
Well, the guy from New Orleans knows all about gumbo.
What's the secret to a good gumbo? By the way,
is there a special ingredient?
Speaker 5 (26:43):
Yeah, you have to have sausage in the gumbo. There's
no sausage in the gumbo's it's not right.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
It's not gumbo if there's no sausage. Yeah, I have
sausage in the gumbo.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
Well, the dogs are going to try to put some
sausage in the gumbo on Saturday night at the Big
House against the eighth ranked Michigan Wolverines. We're here at
the Point Patio Rmbistro here till seven o'clock. As I
told you, you're going to hear from the quarterback Mikey
Kane in the center, mose baval In just a few minutes.
Our new athletic director, Garrett Classy is here as well.
If you haven't met him yet, make sure you say hello,
(27:13):
and coach, I've got another question for you before we
let you go, and I don't want to forget to
let you kind of lay the groundwork for our guests
that are coming up with Mikey and Mosey. By the way,
We're brought to you tonight by Table Mountain Casino Resort.
Have a lucky day followed by what Pat Hill always says,
an epic night only at Table Mountain Casino Resort. I'm
sure these fans here who are enjoying a great meal
(27:34):
at the point tonight and everything they want to drink,
they can ask you personally for your drink recommendations here.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
We'll get that off the air.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
But yeah, I'm sure they can tell that when you talk,
you're not sitting there saying, hmm, how should I say this?
What's the right way to say this? How can I
craft this sentence? It just comes out of you so naturally,
And I'm just wondering if that's how coaching is for
you because you've marinated in it your whole life. You
were kind of an extra coach as a bulldog middle
(28:02):
linebacker racking up all those tackles. As you've made this
transition to interim head coach, have you had to change
much or you've just allowed who you already are to
kind of fill in some gaps that you didn't have
access to before.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
You know, I've had.
Speaker 5 (28:17):
To answer that question a couple of times, and I
go back to when I was promoted to this position.
When I talked to my dad, the only thing he
said to me was be you. Be you, And it's
so true. Just being myself, answering the questions the way
I always would answer the questions. I deal with the
day to day activities of work exactly how I would
deal with it. I don't try to please other people
(28:39):
or anything like that. I'm just being myself and it's
so natural. It's a good feeling when you think about this,
be yourself. I mean, it's so easy. Just be you,
and that's what you need to be every single day.
So that's what you're.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
Getting as great advice for anybody in any line of work,
and it takes me back to something. Your brother's coach
and your first coach here Fresno State, Jim Sweeney was
kind of famous for saying too right. Did you ever
have that conversation where he said, that's not like you?
Because I've heard a lot of his players say they
got called, you know, to the office, and he said, Hey,
look at all these things you did, that's not like you.
Speaker 5 (29:13):
Yes, that little phrase right there, and I hit you
dead in the heart and you feel so bad.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
And he had a way. He's like your your grandfather.
Speaker 5 (29:21):
He had a way of making you feeling bad without
really even raising his voice. He's a unique guy in
that way. Missling love him so much because he's a
wealth of knowledge. He always had one liners. It's just
crazy crazy to think about those days.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
What a special program.
Speaker 4 (29:38):
And now Tim Skipper is leading the charge for the
Bulldogs against the Michigan Wolverine Saturday night. Coach, I know
you're gonna have a great time with these fans out here,
hopefully have a great meal here at the point. But
before I let you go, can you give us your
one minute introduction of your center most day Va vou
and your quarterback Mikey Keane, what you love about them
and what you need from them to have the kind
(30:00):
of season that you're aiming for.
Speaker 5 (30:01):
Yeah, so I'll start with Mikey. Last year, Mikey transferred
in here. He was new, he was trying to get
used to the valleys and used to his teammates, all
those things.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
So it kind of took him a season he get
his feet.
Speaker 5 (30:11):
Wet and get real comfortable, and then I think in
the spring, and then obviously right now you saw his
leadership ability really take over. Like he's very vocal, he's
not afraid to talk to guys, tell him when they're
doing good, telling when they're doing bad. I think that's
the biggest thing you'll see different with Mikey. He obviously
can throw the ball, he's a great quarterback, he's very smart,
can read coverages. But I think you're gonna see his
(30:31):
leadership take off. So I'm excited to see that. And
just like my dad told me, just be you just
do what you do, throw that ball, find the open guys,
and go have fun.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
Let it rip with Mosay.
Speaker 5 (30:42):
Mosay is more on the quiet side, but when we
talk about physicality, he brings the physicality.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
He's the heart beat up front.
Speaker 5 (30:50):
He does all the checks, does everything, but he also
sets the tone by the way he plays. He knocks
people off the ball, and he is ready. I just
actually talked to him a couple of days ago out
the challenge.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
He has.
Speaker 5 (31:01):
This a good one against MICHIGAN'SD line, and I know
he's ready for that. And this is a future tone
setter for him, you know. I told that, like, hey,
look this today, you can make You can make a
career out of one game right now, doing what you
need to do and just being you and playing bulldog
football on Saturday. So I'm excited to see that those
two guys are not only just great players, but they're
(31:22):
good people. You'll see that as you're talking to them.
And I'm ecstatic for them to have this opportunity. They
were meant to be here right now and just take
advantage of it and have fun with it.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
Sounds like a plan. Show a hands who's ready to
run through a brick wall right now? All right, don't
do that here at the point, Patti o'barnbistro. We don't
want to affect their renovation budget. Coach, great to have you.
We're gonna have a lot of fun out here all
year long. If you missed the coach tonight, be here
next Wednesday from six to seven. Enjoy your dinner here
at the Point, and I'll try to ask your players
(31:54):
some good questions.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
There. You go, have fun. They're good kids. That's the
one and only Coach Tim Skipper leading your into the
big House. Saturday night.
Speaker 4 (32:01):
We'll be right back from the Point Patio Bar and
Bistro the Bulldog Football Hour on the Bulldog Sports Network
from their field. Welcome back to the Bulldog Football Hour.
We're here at the Point Patio Bar and Bistro. If
you've never been here before, boy, or you missing out
especially on Wednesday nights because every week there's a Bulldog game.
(32:22):
This year, we're gonna be here unless there's an honor
flight coming in. Then we'll be out at the airport,
and boy do we have fun the last time we
did that on a Bulldog football night.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
Next Wednesday from six to seven, we'll be here.
Speaker 4 (32:32):
We'll have some tickets to give away then, if you're
here and you haven't written your name on a slip
of paper yet for a chance to win two tickets
to the home opener next Saturday against sax State. Go
write your name on one of those little papers on
that big long table here at the Point Patio Bar
and Bistro. Boy, what a great time with Coach Skipper.
We could talk to him for hours, couldn't we wasn't
that fun? And we'll do it again. But we're gonna
(32:54):
get to the players here in a moment. Our broadcast
tonight here at the Point Patio Bar and Bistro is
brought to you by Resort life Carts.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
If you're looking for the perfect golf cart or even.
Speaker 4 (33:04):
A street legal ride, Resort life Carts or your local
experts discover your dream cart today at resortlifecarts dot com.
Those are the big sellers at the kickoff dinner this year.
By the way, we auctioned off three of them for
a pretty penny. Well, let's talk to the QB. We've
got the guy who's gonna snap the ball to him
rolling in right now. But let's get Mikey Keen up first.
(33:25):
He is Numero uno. After all, have you always worn
number one?
Speaker 2 (33:30):
Mikey? Is that something that goes way back?
Speaker 3 (33:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (33:32):
Growing up as a kid, favorite player was Cam Newton,
which is kind of funny because I ended up playing
for Gus Malzan at UCF who was the coordinator at
Auburn for Cam Newton. So got to watch a lot
of film while I was there, But now he's my
favorite player. So kind of just wore that number all
growing up and then was able to get back in
it when I got to the Freslo State.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
Who else felt really old when he said I grew
up watching Cam Newton, Right, I felt about eighty when
he said that. Ain'tbody eighty here today? Maybe next week
we'll have someone that season. We've got some veteran Bulldog
fans here and a veteran experienced quarterback. And you heard
what Coach Skip was just saying about you. The difference
from last year to this year. He thought this spring
(34:12):
he saw a real difference, and he said, we're gonna
see your leadership more and more.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
In your mind, what does that look like?
Speaker 4 (34:19):
What would it look like to see you being a
different level of leader in twenty twenty four?
Speaker 6 (34:25):
For sure, I think it's all about confidence, just my
comfortability with the system, and even to extend it a
little bit further, just living here as well, being more
a part of the Bulldog family and things like that.
The Red Wave you guys did an excellent job of
opening your arms and inviting me in and welcome, welcoming
me here.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
So I appreciate you for that. Thank you for that.
Speaker 6 (34:45):
It's not always an easy process and transition to come
to from one coast to the other, but you guys
did an excellent job, and I appreciate you for that.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
But no, just just.
Speaker 6 (34:55):
Being more vocal and things like that. Understanding situations, more
understanding what this places about, and being able to translate
that message to the team in a better way is
really what I think is going to be different.
Speaker 4 (35:06):
We've got a question for you that came in here
on the X app that I'll get to in a moment,
but somebody else is here mostly moved that microphone a
little closer to your mouth so we all hear you,
because Coach Skipp already told us you're kind of soft spoken,
you know, get it right in front of your mouth
there if you can, even.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
If you have to shift the ear thing that a
little bit.
Speaker 4 (35:24):
Mikey, why don't you tell us what you appreciate about
number fifty one here?
Speaker 6 (35:30):
This guy complete in total leader of the team. That's
the great thing about being one of the leaders on
the team is you got peers alongside of you as well,
And this guy doesn't a phenomenal job of leading his group.
As well as being a leader on the team, the
center has looked at as the leader of the offensive line,
which is the most important unit on the field. I'll
say that right now. I'm biased though I'm by play quarterback.
(35:51):
These guys protect me all day, so but I appreciate
the heck out of him and what he does and
brings to this program through and through.
Speaker 2 (35:58):
Bulldog born and bulldog bred guy.
Speaker 6 (36:00):
It is a great job of establishing that every single day,
and I'm super excited to see what he gets to
do and how he leads on Saturday and what we
get to accomplish. And it's a huge opportunity. And that's
the word that keeps coming up, his opportunity. But mostly
does a phenomenal job of just being the same guy
every single day. He's super consistent and it just works
his tail off. So I appreciate him for that.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
Thank you, man.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (36:23):
And it kind of seems like you're the same guy
since when you got here, because you found your way
out of the field really early as a young Bulldog.
So it's kind of like your fifth senior year, I think,
huh yeah, No.
Speaker 7 (36:34):
It's a it's been a long road, but surely's been
one of the best blessings of my life being here
in Fresno, being shown off for the Red Wave every Saturday.
Speaker 3 (36:44):
And yeah, it's just been awesome, you know.
Speaker 4 (36:47):
And there's this there's this idea out there that offensive
linemen like to eat. Have you ever encountered that that perception?
Speaker 3 (36:54):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (36:55):
Maybe maybe if only we had video on the Bulldog
Football Hour. If you're not here at the point, you
missed out. Uh so I know you've been at this
restaurant a time or two.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
Yeah, definitely for sure.
Speaker 4 (37:07):
What's your go to? On the point? Menu had changes
from time to time. The menu changes a little bit,
But what's what's your favorite here?
Speaker 7 (37:12):
I've always been a state guy, so anytime I can
get a steak, you know, they make it awesome here.
Speaker 4 (37:18):
So steaks the way to go. Have you had that
steak bites appetizer too? Now with the mushrooms? Oh yeah,
and that sauce.
Speaker 7 (37:25):
Yeah it's a little it's a little dangerous for me,
but uh yeah it's pretty good.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
Now I'm getting hungry. It's funny how that works.
Speaker 4 (37:32):
You know, I was asking Mikey about his leadership and
this next question that's coming in on line is for Mikey,
but I'm going to ask it to you first and
get your observation. Then we'll let him see if he
needs to correct anything you said. Because what sidelines Fresno
State on Twitter or x depending on what you call it.
They said, what is the biggest improvement in Mikey's game
(37:53):
from last year to this year? Who would know better
than you you're watching all that same film he is.
Speaker 3 (37:59):
Yeah, no, Mikey.
Speaker 7 (38:00):
Honestly, it's been a huge step for him this past offseason,
you know, growing as a leader. He's gained more confidence
being back behind there and honestly just building on his
vocal vocal leadership. And we're super excited to see what
he does for this season. And he's just building this
craft every day, day in and day out, and he's
(38:22):
super consistent and he leads people. You know, he not
only does what needs to be done, but takes people
under his wing and brings him to the right place
to go. So definitely, as a veteran guy and as
also a captain, seeing seeing him go and do what
he does on the field. I'm excited for this season.
Speaker 2 (38:41):
How do you do, Mikey? He did good.
Speaker 6 (38:43):
I appreciate that, Yes, sir, appreciate that.
Speaker 4 (38:46):
I know you're your own harshest critic and no one's
more motivated to improve than you are, for sure. So
what were the things in the off season you wanted
to focus on and what have you been most pleased
with in terms of your Probably.
Speaker 6 (39:00):
No doubt, I think the two biggest things. We're being
most more explosive in the past game, having a better
understanding of how we're trying to tack defenses, and getting
on the same page with coach McCann. That's been a
big set that we've taken in the offseason. I feel
a whole bunch more comfortable in our areas of trying
to get the ball downfield and things of that sort,
and also protecting and taking care of the ball. Ball
security is job security, they like to say, So protecting
(39:22):
the ball and being smarter when I get outside the pocket,
and limiting limiting negative plays and turnovers and things of
that sort, and just always ending and we try and
talk about always ending a drive with a kick, whether
it's a punt pat a field goal, but we're always
trying to end it on a kick. So limiting those
turnovers and giving our defense a great a great spot
(39:44):
and keeping momentum on our side is a big thing
for us. So I think I've been doing a better
job with that this offseason and looking forward to getting
able to do it this season.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
Mostly I think I heard him say he's better at
the deep ball now, Is that what I heard?
Speaker 3 (39:55):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (39:55):
And uh, honestly, he is, and I can't wait for
him to show it off on Saturdays.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
But he can't throw the deep ball unless you guys
give him a little time to do it.
Speaker 7 (40:03):
Yeah, exactly. So that's our job and I'm gonna do
it to the best for our ability.
Speaker 3 (40:08):
You know.
Speaker 4 (40:08):
Let me ask you a question that I know you
can handle. And Coach Skipper was just out here pumping
everybody up, getting them ready to charge into battle, talking
about physicality and how you have to meet challenges head on.
So I'm gonna ask you a question that a little
bit tough, maybe because you were talking about the difference
from last year.
Speaker 2 (40:25):
To this year with Mikey.
Speaker 4 (40:26):
Last year, you guys didn't know who the quarterback was
in fall camp because Mikey was in a competition with
Logan five and you guys had known Logan for years
and you're just getting to know Mikey.
Speaker 2 (40:36):
How much easier is it for the.
Speaker 4 (40:37):
Team now to have an unquestioned, proven, preseason all conference
quarterback leading the way.
Speaker 7 (40:43):
Yeah, no, it's super exciting, you know, now we know
what to expect, right, We had a whole year where
Mikey got some snaps in.
Speaker 3 (40:51):
I mean, he was starting most of the year.
Speaker 7 (40:52):
So honestly, it's just a lot of confidence in an
offensive room and just speaking from an online perspective, understanding
that we got to protect him at all costs, you know,
and this guy's dangerous with the ball in his hands.
So if we can give him time back there and
let him get going, get in the rhythm, then job
(41:13):
well done.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
When you guys did that last year, he was pretty
stinking accurate, wasn't it.
Speaker 4 (41:17):
Yeah, it was a sight to see for sure. And
before we take the break here, let's put him to
the test. Mikey. When you played that back in your
hometown game against Arizona State and the defense shut down
the devils, you put some points on the board. You
how many passes you completed in a row to start
that game.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
Oh, I got I have no idea.
Speaker 2 (41:39):
I did not remember that stat. I was counting on you, man.
Speaker 4 (41:44):
I'm getting you confused with Ryan Colburn who went fourteen
for fourteen against Idaho back in two thousand and nine.
Speaker 2 (41:48):
Savannah, what was it? Was it?
Speaker 4 (41:50):
Fifteen straight? Sixteen straight? Start that game? Fifteen? Now you
know they're nice, So now we expect sixteen in a
row against Michigan Saturday. No pressure or Mike exactly, yep,
mikey Kane mostly have a vow here for another ten minutes,
then we'll give some tickets away. If you're not here yet,
come join us at the Point Patio Bar and Bistro.
It's the Bulldog Football Hour on the Bulldog Sports Network
from their field.
Speaker 3 (42:12):
Yeah you know.
Speaker 4 (42:14):
Oh well, we've had a great time tonight here at
the Bulldog Football Hour at the Point Patio Bar and Bistro.
If you miss us tonight, join us next week from
six to seven right out here on this patio.
Speaker 2 (42:23):
The misters are going. It feels pretty good, done it, guys,
It feels super really good.
Speaker 3 (42:27):
Yeah. So I'm just telling you that much needed.
Speaker 2 (42:29):
Would you like to have those at practice.
Speaker 3 (42:31):
Oh, those would be nice. You have no idea.
Speaker 6 (42:34):
Don't let Coach Hill ever hear you say that. You'll
never hear the end of it. You know, that's our
advantage that he that's our advantage.
Speaker 2 (42:40):
There you go.
Speaker 4 (42:41):
We're brought to you tonight by Bulldog Bread, the official
nil collective of Fresno State Athletics. To support student athletes,
visit Bulldog Bread be our ea D dot com and
also tonight by thirty two below Ice. That'll cool you down,
just like these misters. We're being cooled down all season
long by thirty two below Ice, the official ice provider
of Fresno State Athletics. We only have a few more
(43:03):
minutes with most of Vavou and Mikey Keane, the Bulldogs
center and quarterback. More importantly, the Bulldogs two captains on offense.
Can you guys help us understand what that means to
you to have your teammates say, hey, these are the
guys that we want leading us this year.
Speaker 3 (43:19):
Uh. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (43:20):
I've always said it's just a complete honor, honestly to
have this kind of group of men going in day
day in and day out, blood swam tears looking to
me Mikey, Devo and CV as leaders and as guys
to look upon.
Speaker 3 (43:37):
It's just a complete honor.
Speaker 7 (43:38):
And honestly, we just we just hope we uh show
it off well and that we lead these guys well.
Speaker 6 (43:44):
How about you, Mikey, Yeah, I think that's an accomplishment
that is just kind of really, you know, above all
the yards or touchdowns or things of that sort in
in in the terms of a personal accomplishment. I know,
I hold it near and dear to my heart, and
it's a true honor, especially at a program like this
with such the phrase pride and tradition, but it's it
(44:07):
speaks true to the guys that have come before and
how this place runs and how the value supports us.
But no, it's just a complete honor to have that
from your teammates because it's voted for and you just
gotta you gotta wear it with with I keep saying honor,
but you gotta wear it with honors. So it's just
one of those things that's super special and I'll never
forget it and always remember it.
Speaker 4 (44:28):
I'm gonna try to squeeze in two quick questions before
we run out of time. One for you most sakes,
because I listened to Coach Skipper over here talking about physicality,
and I'm wondering if it took a while to figure
out what he considered physicality, did you have to adjust
your calibration on on where that threshold was.
Speaker 7 (44:45):
Honestly, like just being an oldlignment, physicality is part of
the game, and.
Speaker 3 (44:51):
Being you know, a step above.
Speaker 7 (44:53):
Everyone in that department is how how you actually went
at this position.
Speaker 3 (44:57):
But when coach Skipp came in, honestly, he's a.
Speaker 7 (45:00):
Bulldog, bulldog born bulldog, bread all the way through, and
his passion to the game just makes you want to
take it up a notch every every day I practice,
Like he talks about always being on the rise, So
being on the rise, you know mentally, but physically is
a big part of that game.
Speaker 3 (45:13):
So I would say he pushes us to be more
physical day in and day out.
Speaker 4 (45:18):
And Mikey's speaking and of taking it up a notch.
I know you focused on your physique and the offseason
to cut down on bobby body fat, added some muscle mass,
and we know what kind of dividends that will play off.
Speaker 2 (45:28):
People forget you guys were unbeaten in non conference play
last year.
Speaker 4 (45:31):
You led the Dogs to that big win in Big
Ten Country at Purdue, and before you got hurt, the
Dogs didn't have any losses on the season. So here's
the one last question online, They say, what have you
seen in this team that tells you the Bulldogs can
go into the big House and pull off the upset?
Speaker 2 (45:48):
What makes you believe?
Speaker 6 (45:50):
Yeah, I think just being in this program makes you believe.
The history of this place and playing the quote unquote
power five teams anybody, anytime, anywhere, is what coach the
great coach Pat Hill said. So that's the mentality playing
Bulldog football, handling adversity when it comes, because it will come,
(46:11):
it is inevitable, and just continue to stay together. We
got to do this together. We gotta believe, and we
do believe. So I'm excited for Saturday. This is a
huge opportunity for us and we're fired up to go.
So it's gonna be fun, a lot of fun. Well,
we know coach Skipper believes. I think we just heard
Mikey Keane believes.
Speaker 2 (46:27):
Mostly. How about you, you.
Speaker 3 (46:28):
Believe absolutely absolutely?
Speaker 2 (46:31):
How about you?
Speaker 3 (46:31):
Redwave?
Speaker 4 (46:34):
They are going to ann Arbor on a mission. Guys,
thanks a lot, have a great dinner and we'll see
you on the plane. Yes, sir, appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (46:40):
Thank you Mikey.
Speaker 4 (46:41):
Keane mosseave about your quarterback and your center, two offensive captains. Boy,
this hour flew bye, but thanks for joining us tonight.
We'll see you next week, next Wednesday from six to seven.
Here at the point, Pattiobar and Bistro, thanks for listening
to the Bulldog Football Hour of the Bulldog Sports Network
from Learfield.
Speaker 1 (47:19):
You've been listening to the Bulldog Football Hour, presented by
American pistachio Growers Powering the Valley one nut at a time,
also brought to you by ECU Smarter Banking since nineteen
thirty four and by Hard No.
Speaker 8 (47:35):
Can you imagine do you imagine if this was Lebron
James coming into the league and people were acting like this.
I'm not gonna talk about Lebron. I don't think Lebron.
We're gonna keep freeze Lebron out. We're not gonna put
him on the Olympic team.
Speaker 9 (47:47):
We're not.
Speaker 7 (47:48):
No.
Speaker 9 (47:48):
I know he's a big star coming in.
Speaker 8 (47:49):
He's gonna be the next Michael Jordan, but no, no, no,
I don't want to talk about it.
Speaker 9 (47:52):
He's getting US plane rides.
Speaker 8 (47:54):
He's getting us all kinds of money and un endorsement deals,
He's getting us all kinds of money for TV deals.
Speaker 9 (47:59):
But now no upset. I don't I don't want to
talk about him like Jason.
Speaker 10 (48:02):
To be fair, how we can count we'll go either
side of the fence, but for this time, for purpose
of this argument, will go to the negative. How many
people have made millions upon millions of dollars with the
most acenine run of takes about Lebron James. You don't
have to like everything he does. You could look at
(48:23):
some of the quotes, even yesterday's thing that we played
on the show. Find it wherever you get the podcast
about what BRONI should or shouldn't call him on the court.
Folks would find their way to just make that the
biggest deal in the world, right, and they'll build another house,
and they'll buy a nice jet. Maybe some fancy sneakers
see what I did there, and then then they'll go
(48:45):
out of their way. And whatever he does, it's never
the right thing on the court, right basketball play, he's
got no guts, he won't take a shot. I mean, so,
the the idiocy argument has always been there, and we've
been watching for twenty years. I don't choose to participate.
Perhaps i'd be a multi comic kid.
Speaker 9 (49:05):
I did just think.
Speaker 8 (49:07):
About just going to every single WNBA practice and asking
every player team, Hey, how do you feel about Kaitlyn
Clark's chances for MVP? What you want to start about
Kaitlyn Clark for MVP? Will you talk about this? Hey,
Kennedy Carter, angel Rees, will you talk about Kitlyn Clark
for mvple you guys do it? Cheryl Swoops, Hey, Lexie
Hull is great, but wow, will you talk about Kaitlyn
Clark for MVP.
Speaker 2 (49:26):
It's too bad we're.
Speaker 10 (49:27):
Doing the show right now just from a logistical standpoint
because we don't have anybody. I don't think boots on
the ground, because the Liberty and Sparks have just tipped
off here in Los Angeles. I mean, it would be
a nice opportunity. Liberty obviously a top team, Sparks not
a top team, not a top team, but still future HOMA.
Speaker 9 (49:49):
Yeah, sure next year when she.
Speaker 10 (49:52):
And Cameron brink are playing together, Are you kidding me? Lights,
camera action, let's go. But this would have been a
nice space in which to just go and ask that
question and see what kind of responses we get. If
nothing else, we would win virally on TikTok and Instagram
with the facial expressions. Forget about whatever verbal responses we get,
(50:14):
we can always add
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com