SAN JOSE — San Jose State players and coaches spent much of the week saying that Saturday night’s game at Fresno State doesn’t carry any extra significance.
“I know it’s a rivalry and it’s a ‘we hate Fresno and they kinda hate us’ type of deal,” senior cornerback Nehemiah Shelton said, “but at the end of the day, it’s just another game that’s going to count the same in the tally mark as 1-0 or 0-1.”
But the game against Fresno State is one SJSU fans always circle on their calendars. And Saturday’s meeting – the 85th all-time – is loaded with juicy subplots.
Not only are regional bragging rights and the Valley Trophy on the line, but with a win, the Spartans (4-1, 2-0 Mountain West) can solidify their hold on first place in the West Division race and move one victory away from becoming bowl eligible for the second time in three seasons.
SJSU is more than a touchdown favorite against the Bulldogs (1-4, 0-1 MW) and although the players won’t say it, there’s potential for some payback, too.
Fresno State ended SJSU’s 2021 season with a 40-9 drubbing that also prevented the Spartans from becoming bowl eligible. And remember, SJSU never got a chance to play the Bulldogs during its magical, unbeaten 2020 regular season because COVID-19 contact tracing forced the game to be canceled three days before kickoff.
“I definitely like beating them. I think I’ve only beat them once since I’ve been here,’’ senior defensive lineman Cade Hall said. “I’m 1-2 against them. I want to fix that before I leave.”
The teams have traveled very different paths so far this season.
It has been one bump and bruise after another for the Bulldogs. They are winless since their season opener against Cal Poly, and preseason Heisman darkhorse quarterback Jake Haener suffered an ankle injury in a 45-17 loss at USC.
The product of Danville’s Monte Vista High won’t play Saturday and might not return this season. Logan Fife stepped in at quarterback and has yet to throw a touchdown pass while being intercepted four times.
Fresno State’s road-heavy schedule hasn’t helped either. The Bulldogs lost games at the Pac-12’s Oregon State and USC – and opened conference play last weekend at MW favorite Boise State and lost 40-20. Along the way, the Bulldogs lost at Connecticut, becoming the first FBS team to lose to the Huskies since 2019. Saturday is Fresno State’s first home game in more than a month.
Things have been much different in Silicon Valley.
SJSU is riding a three-game winning streak and rolling on both sides of the ball.
Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro has won back-to-back Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week honors, and SJSU’s defense ranks ninth nationally in points allowed per game (14).
SJSU has outscored its opponents 107-29 in the past three games and hasn’t allowed a point in the fourth quarter during the stretch.
The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 43-38-3, in large part because of a decades-long dominance that saw Fresno State win 18 of 20 games from 1988 through 2010.
SJSU has turned the series back into a rivalry, and has won five of the past nine meetings. But the Spartans haven’t won in Fresno since 2016.
Last season’s loss was particularly frustrating because it prevented the Spartans from becoming bowl eligible in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1985-86.
“That one hurt for sure. Not only did we get beaten badly by our rival, but we lost our hopes of going to a bowl game,” Hall said. “I think it left a bad taste in our mouth for sure.”
Haener threw for four touchdowns and 343 yards for the Bulldogs in that game. SJSU’s defense won’t get another shot at trying to stop Haener, but can go a long way in continuing their rivals’ miserable start to the season.
Since losing Haener, the Bulldogs’ offense has spiraled, scoring 17 points per game after averaging 32.5 in the first two games of the season. The defense has allowed at least 35 in three of the past four games and has allowed the second-most rushing yards in the conference.
SJSU appears to have solved its early-season running issues. Through the first two games, the Spartans had rushed for a combined 103 yards (only Colorado State and Boston College were averaging fewer rushing yards per game among FBS teams). Since then, the Spartans rushed for 128 yards against Western Michigan, 142 against Wyoming, and then a season-high 203 rushing yards last week against UNLV.
And unlike last season, when Nick Starkel was still recovering from an arm injury, the Spartans have a clear advantage at quarterback. Cordeiro led the Spartans with 109 yards last week, and now leads the conference with 1,308 passing yards and 12 total touchdowns. And he’s done it without throwing a single interception.
Even with each stat and matchup pointing in the Spartans’ favor, Hall feels that “The roles aren’t reversed” and “their record does not reflect how good of a team they are at all.”
Shelton said, “Anyone can get (beat) at any given time. So you’ve got to make the most of your preparation and be ready to go when the opportunity presents itself.”
For San Jose State, the opportunity doesn’t get much bigger than the one waiting for them Saturday night in Fresno.
Source: www.mercurynews.com