The San José State football team took home the Valley Trophy for the first time since 2019 against Mountain West Conference rival Fresno State 42-18 at CEFCU Stadium on Saturday.
SJSU (5-5, 4-2 MWC) running back Kairee Robinson ran all over the Bulldogs’ (8-2, 4-2 MWC) defense, recording a career-high 200 yards rushing to go along with 2 touchdowns.
“We were firing in all three phases, guys were making plays and having fun doing it. In my opinion, this was the best win since I’ve been coaching here.” SJSU head coach Brent Brennan said.
Robinson became the first Spartan since 2015 (Tyler Ervin) to rush for 200 yards in a single game.
The Spartans unleashed a vicious rushing attack against Fresno State’s defense, posting over
300 yards on the ground. Junior running back Quali Conley joined the attack, rushing for 98 yards on 15 carries.
“On film, Fresno State looked good, but we knew we could capitalize a little bit on some blocking schemes,” Robinson said. “Sometimes I feel like I can stick it in there between the tackles and sometimes I feel like I can bounce it outside. With each carry is a little bit of a different feel.”
The Spartans marched down the field and scored on their first four drives of the game. SJSU quarterback Chevan Cordeiro completed 7 of 10 passes for 123 yards and 3 touchdowns during the Spartans’ first four drives. Cordeiro ended the game completing 9 of 18 passes for 146 yards and 3 touchdowns.
“COVID year was the first time I played against Fresno State, but tonight’s win feels a lot better," Cordeiro said.
As the Bulldogs started to catch a rhythm on offense, sophomore cornerback Michael Dansby took an interception 98 yards for a touchdown to put the game out of reach, 41-18.
Senior linebacker Matthew Tago said the preparation by the defense during the week was a huge reason they were able to make game-changing turnovers and shut down the Bulldogs
fast-paced offense.
“We were coming off a bye week, so we had two weeks to prepare for Fresno and we took advantage,” Tago said. Just focusing on the little things throughout the week is what I feel like is keeping our defense going right now.”
SJSU looks to clinch bowl eligibility as the Spartans are scheduled to face off against San Diego State University at 7:30 p.m. at CEFCU Stadium on Saturday.
