Pat Hill came to Fresno State to lead the Bulldogs out of the valley to the promised land of major college football. It took him three years to do it, but this trip to Las Vegas could be the first step toward Fresno State playing a more prominent role in the west.

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"This team came together and managed to do something special,'' Hill said. "We're very excited about the opportunity to play in a bowl game and show people we play good football at Fresno State.''

This year's Las Vegas Bowl will be something of a family affair. Not only will the game reunite Utah and Fresno State in a game pitting the WAC against the Mountain West, but it will bring together head coaches Pat Hill and Ron McBride, who are old pals.

Hill played for McBride at UC-Riverside and later assisted him at Utah. When McBride left the Arizona coaching staff in 1989 to take over at Utah, it was Hill who stepped in and replaced him. To take it one step further, McBride's daughter, Jill, is married to Fresno State assistant John Baxter.

It will also be the third meeting between the WAC and the new Mountain West. The WAC won the previous two meetings between the two feuding conferences and would love to complete the sweep on Dec. 18.

"We're not going to make that much of an issue,'' said Hill, who already whipped Liberty Bowl-bound Colorado State at home. "This is a chance for our team to close out the year with a bowl win. That's our main goal.''

Fresno State hasn't been in the postseason since losing to Colorado in the 1993 Aloha Bowl. This time around, the Bulldogs have comparable talent. Quarterback Billy Volek, wide receiver Rodney Wright, defensive lineman Alan Harper, linebacker Orlando Huff, kicker Jeff Hanna and defensive back Anthony Limbrick were named first-team All-WAC.

This group helped Fresno State capture a share of its third conference title. The tri-champion Bulldogs were the top choice of the Las Vegas Bowl, leaving Texas Christian to the Mobile Alabama Bowl and Hawaii for its hometown Oahu Bowl.

"This has been the kind of season that can put this program back on the map,'' Hill said. "I know the game with Utah will be a physical one. We're looking forward to the challenge.''

The Personnel File

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Billy Volek, Sr., QB. Volek was listed as the league's preseason offensive player of the year in many magazines. And while the postseason award went to Texas Christian running back LaDainian Tomlinson, Volek still had a solid season. He finished first in the WAC and fourth in the nation in passing efficiency with a rating of 152.9. He threw 30 touchdown passes and -- get this -- only three interceptions.

"Numbers wise, Billy is as good as anyone," said Hill.

"His completion percentage is in the high 60s and his 10-to-1 touchdown-interception ratio is better than anybody's. He's won a championship. He just hasn't gotten the recognition he deserves but not many people have seen him because our games haven't been on television. This will be his chance and our chance to be seen."

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Defensive lineman Alan Harper was a force to be reckoned with. While many defensive teammates were hobbled with injuries, Harper stayed up long enough to finish with 74 tackles, including four sacks.

COACH UPDATE: Pat Hill (19-16 in three years at Fresno State and overall). This is one coach who escaped the hot seat in time to be carried off the field on the shoulders of his players. Hill has done what he promised and that's produce a winning football team in three years.

STRENGTHS: Fresno State has one of the better offenses in the league. The Bulldogs finished first in the WAC in scoring, averaging 33.1 points behind the pin-point passing of Volek and the big-play capabilities of Wright, who finished third in the league in receptions with 68 for 1,007 yards and seven touchdowns.

Freshman running back Derrick Ward rushed for 824 yards and six touchdowns. The offense and special teams helped generate the kind of points Fresno State needs to win games.

CONCERNS: The Fresno State defense isn't strong against the pass. Hawaii proved that fact in its overtime win over the Bulldogs that kept Fresno State from winning the league title outright. Hill's defensive unit finished in the middle of the league pack in all major categories. It will be up to the offense to offset the mental lapses on defense.

Noteworthy

RECORD-SETTER: Volek set NCAA single-season and career records for pass-interception percentage. With only a dozen interceptions in 934 career attempts, his percentage of .013 beat Utah State's Anthony Calvillo, who set the mark at .023 in 1992-93. Volek also beat Peyton Manning's and Charlie Ward's shared single-season record of .011. Volek threw only three picks in 355 attempts for a percentage of .008.