Posted by bambi2godzilla on 8/22/2007, 10:25 am Bryant-Jon Anteola Fresno State lost its top receiver for the season, and its defensive coordinator could miss the entire season, too. The Bulldogs learned Tuesday that sophomore receiver Chastin West will miss the upcoming year after suffering a knee injury midway through Saturday's scrimmage. West, who led Fresno State with 33 receptions last year, was expected to play a prominent role in a revamped offense. West is scheduled to undergo surgery today. "It's a shame," said Fresno State coach Pat Hill, whose season begins in 10 days. "You hate to lose a player of his caliber and his experience." The status of defensive coordinator Dan Brown remains unsettled. Brown underwent surgery Monday in San Francisco to remove a tumor in his head. Hill said Brown had 80% to 90% of the tumor removed and added he still must undergo more treatment. The Bulldogs now have endured three blows during fall camp. Starting linebacker and motivational captain Ahijah Lane was the first casualty, lost for the year after suffering two torn patella tendons in a scrimmage two weeks ago. West was the Bulldogs' most reliable and versatile receiver, able to catch, block and run, and return kickoffs and punts. Sophomores Jason Crawley, Marlon Moore and Seyi Ajirotutu will get increased playing time, Ajirotutu in particular. True freshmen Devon Wylie and Tim Lang also might play earlier than expected. Fresno State's top returning receiver now is tight end Bear Pascoe, who caught 22 passes for 307 yards last year. "Losing an impact player like Chastin ... is definitely something we need to adjust to, and we're going to miss him," offensive coordinator Jim McElwain said. "He could do a lot of different things for us, play a lot of different roles. "We've got to figure out how we're going to blend offensively with the guys we've got, whether that's relying more on different receivers, more on our tight ends, more on our running backs." There is no timetable for Brown's return. Brown remains in San Francisco and is not expected to return to Fresno until Friday. Defensive backs coach Randy Stewart is expected to call the defensive plays in Brown's place. "Anytime you lose a coach or a player, it's hard," Hill said. "Dan's [situation] is ... a little bit more serious. You don't know all the details. It's not completely done. He still has more treatment to go through." Brown was entering his 11th season at Fresno State, his sixth as the defensive coordinator. Brown learned earlier this month that a tumor was found inside his skull. Still, he remained heavily involved during the first two weeks of practice, teaching fundamentals and motivating players. Doctors suggested he continue his daily routine, and Brown showed no signs of illness at practices. But he also declined to comment on his health, as he often was unsure and seemed nervous when talking about his status. With Brown out, Stewart serves as interim defensive coordinator and directs the Bulldogs' youngest defense ever under Hill. Only three players started the majority of last season. This will be the first time Stewart, the Bulldogs' defensive backs coach the past five years, gets to call plays. One coach said he could already tell the difference with Brown no longer at practice. "It's a big loss," said running backs coach Tim Skipper, who played under Brown in the mid '90s as a linebacker. "Coach Brown is very smart, understands the game well. I'm used to hearing him yelling and you're not hearing that anymore. "But if you know Dan well, he'd want us to pick up the flag. So that's what we're going to do. We've got to make it look like he's still here. Added Hill: "Adversity makes every team stronger. We've had some adversity this year. We've had adversity in the past. "Right now we're just going through a time where there's other people in all areas of this football team that must pick up the flag and move forward and do a great job."
63.249.102.18
'Dogs take two more blows
West lost for the season; Brown to be determined.
The Fresno Bee
8/22/07
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