FRESNO, Calif. – Having already secured a spot in the Mountain West championship game, No. 23 Fresno State aims for its 10th victory on Saturday against visiting San Jose State. The Bulldogs clinched the league’s West Division title for the second straight year with last Saturday’s 23-14 win over San Diego State and will visit either Utah State or Boise State for the championship game on Dec. 1.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPNU. LINE: Fresno State -31
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KeeSean Johnson had 10 receptions for 141 yards and Ronnie Rivers rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown against San Diego State, which was held to 57 yards of offense and no points in the second half. The Bulldogs bounced back from a 24-17 loss at Boise State by taking control after the half against the Aztecs and extending their streak of holding opponents under 30 points to 22 games. Linebacker Jeff Allison has a team-high 105 tackles while Tank Kelly and Mike Bell have three interceptions apiece to lead the stellar Fresno State defense, which is allowing 13.5 points per game. The Bulldogs should have little trouble with struggling San Jose State, which has gone 3-21 over the past two seasons and ranks near the bottom in most every Mountain West statistical category.
ABOUT SAN JOSE STATE (1-10, 1-6 Mountain West)
The Spartans have lost three in a row following a win over UNLV but had a few bright spots in last Saturday’s 21-12 loss to Nevada – including the play of linebacker Ethan Aguayo, who finished with a career-high 20 tackles and an interception. Michael Carrillo, the third quarterback to start for the Spartans this season, passed for 168 yards and two touchdowns against the Wolf Pack. San Jose State is rushing for just 61.6 yards per game and will need an improved effort to control the clock against the explosive Bulldogs.
ABOUT FRESNO STATE (9-2, 6-1)
Senior quarterback Marcus McMaryion has completed 70.6 percent of his passes with 22 touchdowns against three interceptions for the Bulldogs, who have only allowed 11 sacks this season. The team’s deep receiving corps include tight end Jared Rice (43 receptions) and Johnson (80 catches for 1,094 yards and seven scores), who has caught at least one pass in 47 straight games. Kicker Asa Fuller has missed seven of his 17 field-goal attempts, but punter Blake Cusick has placed 55.1 percent of his kicks inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Fresno State has won 18 of the past 23 meetings against San Jose State and holds a 41-37-3 lead in the all-time series.
2. San Jose State TE Josh Oliver has a team-high 54 receptions for 667 yards and four touchdowns.
3. Fresno State has outscored its opponents 133-21 in the third quarter.
PREDICTION: Fresno State 49, San Jose State 13