The annual Battle for the Valley Trophy will be on the line when San José State hosts Mountain West Conference rival No. 25 Fresno State on Saturday night.
The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 44-38-3 and have won nine of the last 13 games.
This game will be big for the Spartans (4-5, 3-2 MWC) as bowl game implications are on the line. SJSU will need to win two of its remaining three games (Fresno State, San Diego State and University of Nevada, Las Vegas) in order to become bowl game eligible.
“This is an extremely good Fresno State team,” SJSU head coach Brent Brennan said. “They're extremely well coached and have veteran players everywhere that have played a ton of football. This is a huge challenge for us.”
The Spartans offense has morphed into a more run-heavy attack behind senior Kairee Robinson and junior Quali Conley. The Spartans are averaging 167.4 rushing yards per game and have scored 24 rushing touchdowns this season.
But the Bulldogs (8-1, 4-1 MWC) have a formidle rushing defense.
Fresno State has the fourth-best rushing defense in the Mountain West, allowing just 126 rushing yards per game. Senior defensive back Dean Clark leads Fresno State in tackles with 58.
“I think it's everything because you never know when your block is going to spring something loose,” said SJSU wide receiver Nick Nash about blocking against Fresno State. “Run blocking is all about effort. So all I'm doing is trying to get in front of somebody and make sure that's not my man that's making the plan.”
Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro could be in for a big game if the Bulldogs stifle the run. Cordeiro is 1-2 all time against Fresno State in his career with his only win coming in 2020 when he was the quarterback at the University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa.
On the other side of the ball, the Bulldogs have one of the most explosive offenses in the country.
Led by sophomore quarterback Mikey Keene and junior running back Malik Sherrod, Fresno State averages 34 points per game, third best in the Mountain West.
Last week against Boise State, Sherrod rushed for 132 yards and recorded a rushing and a kick return touchdown.
“When the run game is going well and you're trying to stop it, you're gonna be more aggressive but we can't do that against this team because they will see that and make you pay for it,” SJSU safety Tre Jenkins said.
The 86th annual Battle for the Valley game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at CEFCU Stadium.
