Fresno State kicker leaves team

Fresno State kicker Colin McGuire has decided to leave the team due to personal reasons.

McGuire, who was in the lineup for the Bulldogs during Saturday's loss to USC, was in his second season with Fresno after playing as a true freshman last year.

"We really appreciate the contributions from Colin over the last year and a half - he helped us win a Mountain West Conference championship," head coach Tim DeRuyter said. "We let him have a couple of weeks off during training camp this year to deal with some personal issues with his family.

"We thought we were over the hump, but clearly he has to spend some more time taking care of that and we wish him all the best as he deals with this difficult time in his life."

Last season McGuire made 11-of-16 field goal attempts with a long of 47 yards. He was 1-for-2 on extra point attempts against the Trojans on Saturday but did not attempt a field goal.

With McGuire's departrue, walk-on freshman Kody Kroening will take over as the place kicker with punter Garrett Swanson stepping in as the backup.