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Dogs win back Valley Trophy

Fresno State defeats San Jose State 40-9 in its Thanksgiving Day matchup

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Fresno State defeated San Jose State 40-9 in the regular season finale at CEFCU Stadium on Thanksgiving Day. The Bulldogs improve to 9-3 (6-2 MW) on the year with the possibility of a Mountain West Championship appearance still in reach.

The Bulldogs' offense was led by Jake Haener with 343 yards passing and four touchdowns, while throwing no interceptions. All four of Haener's touchdown passes were caught by different Bulldogs.

Defensively, the 'Dogs were led by Evan Williams with eight tackles. Defensive end David Perales had a powerful game, finishing with four tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one broken up pass and a quarterback hurry.

How It Happened - San Jose State scored on its first possession, but the Bulldog defense held to only a field goal from 31-yards out. Fresno State responded with a successful scoring drive of its own, capping a 10-play drive with a two-yard touchdown rush by Jalen Cropper.

The Bulldogs quickly got the ball back as Perales forced a fumble by Nick Starkel, and fellow defensive lineman Ryan Boehm was there to recover. Fresno State was unable to capitalize on the turnover, but Carson King punted the ball down to the SJSU two yard line to set up good field position for the defense.

The Bulldog defense put points on the scoreboard with a safety by Boehm, increasing Fresno State's lead to 9-3 with 10:23 left in the half.

San Jose State tacked on another field goal with 8:36 left in the half to close the gap, 9-6. The Bulldog offense gave itself some more cushion, this time scoring on a 6-yard touchdown catch by Juan Rodriguez.

The defense stayed firing, forcing another Spartan turnover - this time on the force by Arron Mosby and recovery by Levelle Bailey. Fresno State was able to turn that turnover into points, using just two plays to break into the end zone. Haener found a wide open Jordan Mims for the 45-yard touchdown reception and a 23-6 Bulldog lead.

SJSU added its third field goal of the afternoon just before the half, making it 23-9 in favor of Fresno State at the half.

The Bulldogs received the second half opening kickoff, and added three points on a 43-yard field goal by Cesar Silva. Fresno State scored again on a trick play, putting the 'Dogs up 33-9 with another touchdown by Cropper.

Haener found Ronnie Rivers on a 13-yard pass for touchdown number five of the game, putting the Bulldogs up 40-9 with 11:43 remaining. The Bulldogs' defense kept at it, holding the Spartans to two turnovers on downs. As the Spartans made the move into the red zone with 7:02 left in the game, it was husky Rian Fields who recorded a pivotal broken up pass in the end zone to keep the Spartans from scoring a touchdown.

Up Next - Fresno State still has hopes of making the 2021 Mountain West Championship, but will need a result from the Boise State at San Diego State game on Friday morning. With a Boise State win, Fresno State will clinch the West Division and will face either Air Force or Boise State in the championship game set to be played on Dec. 4 - host site still to be determined.

Notable

The Bulldogs won back the Valley Trophy for the first time since 2018.

Fresno State picked up its first win over the Spartans on the road since 2017.

Fresno State recorded its first safety since 2019, coincidentally at San Jose State the last time (Justin Rice, 11/30/2019)

Fresno State had three different touchdown scorers in the first half, alone. 

Fresno State had four touchdown scorers for the second time this season. 

Fresno State held its opponent without a touchdown for the third time this season. 

Fresno State shutout its opponent for two consecutive quarters for the sixth time this season.

Fresno State did not allow a sack. 

Fresno State had its largest margin of victory over San Jose State since a 45-7 win in 2005.

Quotes: 

Head Coach Kalen DeBoer

"San Jose State is a good football team, and we came out and played a complete football game. The defense did some really good things and got stops in the red zone to hold them to field goals. We were able to score on the first drive which is something we've been talking about all year long. We kept playing our game through the second quarter, which put us in a good spot going into the third quarter and we were able to put points on the board during the first couple drives and put the game away. We did what we needed to going into the fourth quarter to get out of here with the win. The team was great with the preparation this week. This team is all about character and they showed that. They don't take anything for granted and they enjoy the opportunities that they get to play together."


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