SAN JOSE – It was impossible for San Jose State football players to miss the Valley Trophy this week.
It was the first thing they saw when they walked into the training facility. It sat on the visitor’s sidelines during practices. After that, the shiny “V” sat in the locker room.
Not that the Spartans needed a reminder.
The Spartans will make the 2 ½ hour drive to Fresno on Saturday for what could be a bowl-clinching victory against their oldest rival.
“I’ve been thinking about this game since before the season started,” said cornerback Michael Dansby. “Fresno is always going to be a big week.”
Dansby’s 98-yard pick six was a key play in the Spartans’ 42-18 win over the Bulldogs last season that brought the Valley Trophy back to San Jose for the first time since 2019. But more than half of this year’s roster – as well as first-year head coach Ken Niumatalolo – are experiencing the rivalry for the first time.
“All of us are being indoctrinated to what this rivalry means,” Niumatalolo said.
San Jose State finishes warming up before a game against Sacramento State at CEFCU Stadium in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
The Spartans (5-2, 3-1 Mountain West) have additional motivation: It’s homecoming on Saturday at Fresno State – typically a game the home team schedules against what it considers an inferior opponent.
“That’s what’s driving the whole team actually, that homecoming,” Dansby said. “Thank god our coaches told us that because that’s driving me for sure.”
Fresno State (4-3, 2-1 Mountain West) also has a first-year coach, though Tim Skipper needs no primer on the history between the teams. He played linebacker for the Bulldogs and had his first career interception against the Spartans in 2000.
This will be the 87th time the schools face off since they first met in 1921. Fresno State leads the series 44-39-3, an advantage largely helped by a 16-1 stretch from 1991-2010. San Jose State is aiming to keep the Valley Trophy for consecutive years for the first time since 2015-16.
The last time SJSU won at Fresno was the 2016 season.
Due to conference realignment (the Bulldogs are joining the Pac-12 in 2026) this could be the final game Fresno State hosts between the two for a while.
“Hopefully we could still figure out a way to play each other because it’s been so long that we’ve been playing each other. You look forward to that game,” Skipper said at his Monday presser.
Beyond the rivalry, Saturday’s game could go a long way in determining the Mountain West conference race.
Entering this weekend there are four teams with perfect conference records, followed by SJSU, Fresno State and New Mexico with one MW loss. The loser on Saturday has an uphill battle to reach the conference championship game.
Eget gets the nod again at QB
There are no more questions about who will start at quarterback for the Spartans. Walker Eget was 20 of 38 for 318 yards and a touchdown in SJSU’s homecoming win over Wyoming.
“I thought he did a lot of good things in his first start,” Niumatalolo said. “Obviously some things that got to get cleaned up and he will. At this point, that’s what we’re going with.”
A surprise not many saw coming was Eget’s mobility. He rushed for 45 yards on three carries, one of which almost was a highlight play that was undone by a fumble before he could reach the end zone.
San Jose State’s Floyd Chalk IV #0 celebrates with quarterback Walker Eget his 39-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against Wyoming, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, at CEFCU Stadium in San Jose, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group
Eget has shown a tendency to turn the ball over with four turnovers and will have his hands full with the Bulldogs. They have forced 12 turnovers this season which is 27th best in the nation.
Whose special teams will prevail?
San Jose State has struggled all season with penalties, fumbles and missed assignments on special teams.
A blocked field goal and muffed punt nearly cost them the game last week against Wyoming.
The Spartans will now face a team that’s taken advantage of special teams errors.
Fresno State stopped Nevada’s punt unit from getting punts off twice last week and were inches away from blocking one.
“It’ll be a big challenge protecting our punter,” Niumatalolo said.
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But it’s not just when the punter is out there that they have to be alert.
Bulldogs punt returner Jalen Moss is one of the best in the nation averaging more than 16 yards per return. Moss is a multi-threat: last season he became the first Fresno State freshman since Davante Adams to have multiple 100-yard receiving games.
“We’re going to have to tackle that guy and that’s going to be a big challenge,” Niumatalolo said.
A battle in the trenches
Fresno State’s front seven has been one of the hottest groups in the nation.
The past two weeks the Bulldogs combined for eight sacks and 17 tackles for loss in a win over Nevada and a loss to Washington State
Linebacker Phoenix Jackson combined for three sacks and three tackles for loss.
SJSU has been rotating offensive linemen all season but have only allowed one sack in the past three games.
“We think there are some things we can take advantage of,” wide receiver Nick Nash said of the Bulldogs’ defense.
