Fresno State (4-3, 2-1 MW) vs San Jose State (5-2, 3-1 MW)
Saturday, October 26, 2024 | 5 p.m. PT | truTV/MAX | Valley Children's Stadium (41,031) | Fresno, Calif.
GAME DAY NEED-TO-KNOW
Homecoming
Ron Cox Ring of Honor ceremony at halftime
Debut of Fresno State's new black uniforms
Postgame drone show
TICKETS
MEDIA COVERAGE
TV - truTV/MAX
Play-by-Play - Ari Wolfe
Analyst - Darius Walker
Sideline - Lauren Jbara
Radio - Bulldog Sports Network (BSN)
Play-by-Play - Paul Loeffler
Analyst - Pat Hill
Sideline - Cam Worrell
Social Media: Twitter: @FresnoStateFB | Instagram:@fresno_state_football | Facebook: FresnoStateFootball | YouTube: FresnoStateAthletics
Live Stats: BulldogsLive.com
A LOOK INSIDE
Series: Fresno State leads, 44-39-3
Head Coaches:
Tim Skipper
Fresno State Record (Years): 5-3 (1st season*)
Career DI Record (Years): Same
Ken Niumatalolo
San Jose State Record (Years): 5-2 (1st Season)
Career DI Record: 114-85
QUICK LOOK
Fresno State has an eventful night on Saturday with homecoming, the debut of the new black uniform combo, a halftime induction of Ron Cox into the Ring of Honor (more information on page 15), and a postgame drone show.
Fresno State and San Jose State will meet for the 87th time in program history this weekend, and the 46th time in Fresno.
While going through three conference changes together from the Big West to the WAC to the Mountain West, this Saturday's matchup may be the final between the teams as conference rivals. As MW foes since 2013, the teams are even in the series, 5-5.
The teams compete for the Valley Trophy, a piece of hardware that represents the schools in the San Joaquin Valley and the Silicon Valley.
San Jose State has current possession of the Valley trophy, and has only had back-to-back years with possession of the trophy once in 2015 and 2016.
Fresno State looks to "get back on track" against San Jose State. The Bulldogs' loss on the road to the Spartans in 2023 was the first of three-straight that depleted a promising Bulldog team a season ago.
Fresno State returns home following a win at Nevada that ended a two-game losing skid for the Bulldogs.
Entering Week 8, Fresno State has its conference home opener this Saturday.
Fresno State is three wins away from 200 wins inside the home stadium that's first game was played in 1980. The stadium's overall record is 197-65-2.
Fresno State has had two sellout crowds this season.
Fresno State has 12 players who have earned their first career starts this season, a mark that is 8th most in the FBS.
Fresno State's defense leads the Mountain West in total defense.
Fresno State held Nevada scoreless in the second half last week, after giving up 21 points in the first two quarters. The Bulldogs held their opponent scoreless in the second half for the first time since 2023 at Wyoming.
In that defensive performance was a third quarter that saw no yards gained by the Wolf Pack (-2 total yards). It was the first time in a decade that the Bulldogs held an opponent to 0 or negative yards in a quarter. Fresno State last held Boise State to -3 yards in the fourth quarter of the 2014 MW Championship Game.
Senior linebacker Malachi Langley entered the program's Top 10 for career tackles with 13 tackles last week at Nevada. Langley has been in the program since 2019, as one of the longest-tenured Bulldogs.
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
Fresno State and San Jose State will be meeting for the eighty-seventh time in program history
Fresno State currently leads the series with a record of 44-39-3
This is the forty-ninth time they will meet in Fresno in the series, and the Bulldogs are 26-18-1 at home all time against the Spartans
In their last meeting on November 11, 2023, San Jose State defeated Fresno State at home by a final score of 42-18
The series between Fresno State and San Jose State dates back over 100 years to when the teams first competed against one another on November 19, 1921 where the Spartans defeated the Bulldogs 14-2 on the road
Fresno State is 5-5 against San Jose State in their previous ten matchups
From 1991 to2005, Fresno State dominated their series with San Jose State, winning 12-straight games within that time span.
Fresno State's largest margin of victory over San Jose State came on November 20, 1999 where they defeated the Spartans 63-12
Fresno State enters this contest with a 2-1 conference record following wins against New Mexico and Nevada and a loss against UNLV
San Jose State possesses a 3-1 record against conference opponents following victories against Air Force, Nevada and Wyoming and a loss to Colorado State
Fresno State and San Jose State have played three mutual opponents (Sacramento State, Washington State and Nevada) so far this season. The results in all three games were the same for both teams with wins over Sacramento State and Nevada, and a loss to Washington State.
The Spartans fell 54-52 in double overtime to Washington State.
Fresno State currently holds a 2-1 home record after defeating New Mexico State on Sept. 14 and Sacramento State on Sept. 7 at Valley Children's Stadium
San Jose State has one of the country's top wide receiver talents in Nick Nash who has 904 yards on the season. He has 11 receiving touchdowns on the year. He is second in the FBS in total yards receiving and leads the country in receiving touchdowns.
