DeRuyter excited for Fresno State opener at USC

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- We are less than five full days away from Fresno State's football opener on the road against the USC Trojans. Bulldog head coach Tim DeRuyter met with local media Monday for the first of his weekly press conferences to talk about the team.

Coach DeRuyter expressed plenty of optimism ahead of Saturday's showdown at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, saying his team is ready, both physically and mentally, to compete against USC. It's a Trojan team that comes into the new season ranked 15th in the country by the Associated Press, and blew out the Bulldogs 45-20 the last time each team was on the field.

But this is a new year, with new players, and in USC's case, a new head coach. So when it comes down to the nitty gritty, Coach DeRuyter says the Bulldogs have just as good a chance as USC, to come out with an upset win.

One Bulldog who will not be playing against USC is Redwood High grad Dillon Root. Coach DeRuyter announced Monday morning the redshirt junior wide receiver has been suspended for one game, for a violation of athletic department policy. DeRuyter says Root will practice with the scout team this week, and actually commended the Visalia native for his attitude.

And one note from the Trojans, senior cornerback Josh Shaw will also miss Saturday's game because he was injured over the weekend. Shaw saved his nephew from drowning in a pool at a family function. He jumped from a second story balcony to the concrete below, jumped in the water and pulled the boy out. But he sustained two high ankle sprains in the process, and will be out for a while. A heroic action, to say the least.