"The thing I was impressed with was that nobody on our team got discouraged when that happened," said Coach DeRuyter. "We had a lot of resolve defensively, and went out and got some takeaways. Then offense took advantage of those."
But that being said, Coach DeRuyter still saw plenty to clean up if his Bulldogs are to achieve their main goal: Winning the Mountain West.
"We were fortunate to win that game with the amount of turnovers that we had," said Coach DeRuyter. "You can't turn the ball over four times and expect to win many games."
So it's back to work on the practice field, getting ready for a road trip to Colorado State. Led by former Fresno State offensive coordinator Jim McElwain, the Rams have struggled so far this season at 1-4. But Coach DeRuyter says he isn't fooled by records.
"I look at an offense that is very physical," said Coach DeRuyter. "They've got some good size. They've got some veteran guys. They've got a senior quarterback, an all-conference running back. We see a tough conference opponent we have to go beat on the road."
And the Bulldog players know nothing short of perfection in all three phases will be tolerated.
"The biggest thing is we have to come out with fire, with passion," said senior offensive lineman Richard Helepiko. "We've definitely have to take it one step at a time. We're still looking forward to winning the Mountain West championship and is starts this week."
Kickoff at Hughes Stadium is set for Saturday at 4:00pm Pacific, with the game televised on Time Warner Cable SportsNet.
