Jeff Grady is still a stranger in the restaurants and shopping malls of Central California, seldom spotted and stopped and reminded that the Fresno State Bulldogs football season sits on his shoulders. It was like this a year ago. But then, of course, David Carr was something of a rock star, signing autographs, posing for pictures, the quarterback responsible for Fresno State's rise to national relevance lavished with love.

	Jeff Grady says he isn't trying to be another David Carr.

"He was amazing to watch," Grady said. "He always had time for people. I never once saw him turn down an autograph."

Grady watched Carr's every move, but studied strongest his preparation, his leadership, his throws under pressure. All of it taught Grady this: He can't be him. He doesn't dare try. All around Grady, Fresno State coach Pat Hill insists this is the best talent he's ever had at Fresno State. This is the biggest, best offensive line; the surest, swiftest receivers; the toughest, nastiest defense. Grady doesn't have to do it alone here, but he understands: He has to do it.

There isn't a moment to lose with the season starting Friday at No. 23 Wisconsin. It always starts that way here, always diving in the deep end when a young quarterback wouldn't mind dipping his toe first. This is Fresno State football. This is the burden.

"I'm the only unproven one now," said Grady, a redshirt junior out of Huntington Beach, Calif. "Everyone else here has been through the battles. They've done it. I'm the only big question. I've got to keep this train rolling. I understand: If I falter, this team falters."

When you're replacing the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft at Fresno State, they don't let you ease into the job. Grady has a good, accurate arm, a smart mind and with the speed and talent of All-America Bernard Berrian, he considers his job this: "Throw it short, let them run long," Grady said.

This is wise thinking. There is so much to be done. So much, so soon. For Hill to get his program to a Bowl Championship Series game, there is no time to waste outside of Western Athletic Conference games. The Bulldogs start the season at Camp Randall Stadium, where they started a season ago with a 32-20 victory. They travel to Oregon and Oregon State, too. Surprise, surprise: No powerhouses are traveling to Fresno this year. Where does Grady start his senior season as quarterback? At Tennessee. At Oklahoma. Fresno had contracts for Colorado and Texas Tech to return games, but they used buyouts to bail on the Bulldogs.

If those schools are trying to get out of harm's way, Grady is stepping into it. He's careful, too. For now, he doesn't dare yell and scream at his Bulldogs. He understands this: Proving himself won't come with the swagger and tough-guy act in preseason practice, but the moment of truth on Saturday nights.

"I just don't like saying too much, because I haven't done anything yet," Grady said. "Once I've established myself on the field, I'll vocalize more, say what I want to say. I'm looking forward to getting the chance to prove it. That's big to me. Nobody wants to hear someone who hasn't played getting loud and rah-rahing on everyone."

Two years ago, this program was just climbing to its feet when a redshirt junior, Carr, fired four interceptions and lost to Ohio State. This should make Grady's job easier, standing as a reminder that even the best quarterback in school history couldn't do it alone. "Grady is going into the Wisconsin game with more seasoned veterans than Carr did against Ohio State," Hill confessed.

It won't be long until Grady steps out of the shadows now and everyone sees his face in Fresno. There's no hiding there. This always has been a quarterback university, back to Carr and Trent Dilfer and Kevin Sweeney. They've always thrown the ball, always gone deep with games on the line. Grady could have the toughest task of all. He walks into David Carr's old job with everything still there: The great coach, the great line, the great receivers.

"There are no excuses for me," Grady said.

All his job, all on him. For better or worse, he won't walk unnoticed through the malls and restaurants of Central California for long. He has the most important job in town, the conductor responsible for keeping that train moving toward a BCS bowl.

Adrian Wojnarowski is a columnist for The Record (N.J.) and a regular contributor to ESPN.com