DeRuyter making changes to Hawai'i Bowl preparation

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- With the Bulldogs playing in the Hawai'i Bowl for the second time in three years, Fresno State head coach Tim DeRuyter has made it clear he plans to do things differently than before the 43-10 loss to SMU in 2012.

"They're looking at this as an opportunity to cement the legacy of these seniors to finish the chapter on this season and say who we are," DeRuyter said. "And so the motivation is very different from say, two years ago."

"A couple players asked me about it, and I told them how it was," wide receiver Josh Harper said. "It wasn't a good feeling, it kinda stuck with us. It wasn't a good memory for the seniors."

Still, Coach DeRuyter said his players have earned the right to enjoy the bowl game as a reward for becoming the first Fresno State team to start the season 0-3 and still get to the post season.

"Most of these guys will probably never go back to Hawaii again once their playing careers are done," DeRuyter said. "So for them to have this opportunity, those lifelong memories are tremendous."

But playing in a bowl game and winning one are two different things. Fresno State hasn't won a bowl game since the 2007 Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, and both players and coaches are tired of that losing taste in their mouths.

"I mean we're going to have our fun," Harper reinforced. "We got to the bowl game. It's our reward game. But at the same time, we still want to leave the island with a win."

"This is the launch for next year's team," DeRuyter added. "A lot of these guys who are going to be playing on the 24th are going to be coming back. We need to set a standard for how we play in bowl games."

And by all accounts, they'll be ready Christmas Eve at 5 p.m. Pacific for their ESPN nationally televised battle against Rice.

"We're going to attack this thing like it's the Super Bowl," said DeRuyter. "It's the last game for our seniors and we want to send them out the right way."