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During the height of March Madness, no one is talking about the Fresno State basketball teams. Instead, the buzz is about the 2008 football team.

The Bulldog football team held its first practice in preparation for the 2008 football season Wednesday afternoon. The team was practicing on the field for the first time since preparing for its Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl victory over Georgia Tech on New Year’s Eve.

After a winter filled with off-season conditioning and weight training workouts, the team is ready to get back on the field for spring practice.

“We are excited to get started,” coach Pat Hill said. “Spring ball is a opportunity for us to build the personality of a team that will return in the fall.”

The 9-4 record and bowl victory in the 2007 season have left many excited about the chance of even more success in the upcoming season, but drills started slowly on Wednesday.

“The coaches are just breaking us in right now, we are a little rusty,” tailback Ryan Mathews said.

Spring football focuses on the basics and coaches prepare the team to learn the intricate plays and schemes later on during the summer camps. This spring the Bulldogs will try to build a strong foundation and generate good team chemistry.

One of the keys for a successful spring will be the transition to new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier. Wednesday was his first practice and first chance to work with the offense.

“Timing is always going to be off on the first day; it takes a couple of practices to iron out the kinks,” Nussmeier said. “The impressive thing is that our guys fought through. If we continue to do that, we’ll get better each day.”

There is still plenty of work to be done if the Bulldog football team is going to live up to expectations in 2008, but Hill is already excited about his squad.

“We are coming off a great season of nine wins and have some great leadership returning,” Hill said. “I’d expect this group will pick up where last season finished and be ready to make a run.”

Spring football means that the 2008 football season is one step closer. Looking forward, the team has plenty they can count on.

But if they are going to make a serious run, the Bulldogs must fill the spots of the departing senior class and departing coaches.

Here are five things the 2008 Fresno State football team can count on for the upcoming season and five issues the team must address if they hope to win the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and reach the Bowl Championship Series (BCS).