Bulldogs' Pinegar back in control

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

It is fitting that Fresno State quarterback Paul Pinegar is majoring in health science.

PINEGAR

Then last week, returning earlier than expected from a torn pectoral muscle on his right side, Pinegar completed 11 of 19 passes for 111 yards. He has been named the Bulldogs' starting quarterback for Saturday's football game against host Hawai'i.

"It's definitely going to be a change," said Pinegar, who learned of the severity of the pectoral injury a week before the season opener against Tennessee. "It's been a while since I started. I look forward to getting back into the swing of things."

The Bulldogs are admittedly an improved team with Pinegar, who was named the Western Athletic Conference's 2002 Freshman of the Year after throwing for 2,292 yards and 20 touchdowns. In amassing a 9-3 record as a starter, Pinegar broke the school record for passing yards by a freshman, set by Trent Dilfer in 1991.

He has the arm strength to stretch defenses and, at 6 feet 4 and 220, is difficult to bring down. His toughness was apparent in high school, when he suffered the thumb injury in the first game of his senior season.

"It was kind of devastating," said Pinegar, who was being recruited by Southern California and Oregon at the time.

Determined to play, Pinegar crafted a splint that enabled him to grip a football. "I could still throw the ball," he said.

In nine games, he completed 89 of 167 passes for 1,520 yards and 15 touchdowns — good statistics, but not nearly good enough to retain interest from USC and Oregon. Instead, his mailbox was filled with recruiting letters from Division I-AA Sacramento State and Portland State.

But then Fresno State, which had recruited Pinegar as a high school junior, regained interest. The Bulldogs offered Pinegar a scholarship on the condition he "gray shirt," meaning he would delay his enrollment by a semester.

Although his parents were FSU graduates, "they didn't pressure me," Pinegar recalled. "They let me make my own decision. This is what I wanted to do."

After David Carr completed his FSU eligibility in December 2001, becoming the NFL's No. 1 draft choice the following April, Jeff Grady was promoted as the successor. Grady, like Carr, played his first two years and then redshirted as a junior.

But Grady suffered a hip injury in the second game, elevating Pinegar to starter, a role he did not relinquish until suffering the pectoral injury in August. Pinegar said the injury was a combination of over-usage and "not knowing the extent of the injury. It progressively got worse."

The injury did not require surgery. Pinegar accepted coach Pat Hill's invitation to travel with the team, even though he could not play, and assist Grady.

"It was a good experience for me," Pinegar said.

Back at starter, Pinegar said he does not plan to abandon his fearless style, even though he is playing behind an offensive line that has lost three projected starters to injuries.

"I'm not scared to take a hit if it means delivering the ball," he said.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.