Oct. 2, 2017
October 2 weekly news conference
Upcoming game: San José State vs. Fresno State (Homecoming - Game #7)
Saturday, October 7, 2017
CEFCU (Citizens Equity First Credit Union) Stadium
San José, Calif., 4:30 p.m. (PT)
ESPN3
San José State record: 1-5, 0-2 Mountain West. The Spartans lost at UNLV, 41-13, on September 30.
Fresno State record: 2-2, 1-0 Mountain West. The Bulldogs won their Mountain West opener with a 41-21 win over Nevada at home on September 30.
For tickets: Visit www.sjsuspartans.com/tickets, ticketmaster.com or call (408) 924-SJTX. Ticket prices start at $15.00 per ticket. San Jose State students are admitted free with a valid student ID.
Play-by-Play Radio Coverage: KLIV (1590 AM, San José) originates San José State football broadcasts. Justin Allegri calls the play-by-play. Kevin Richardson provides commentary. The Fresno State broadcast begins at 4:00 p.m. (PT) with a pregame show.
San José State has two network affiliates. KION (1460 AM/101.1 FM, Salinas), ESPN Desportes (910 AM, San Francisco)
Television: ESPN3 will provide play-by-play coverage of the San José State-Fresno State game. Drew Fellios calls the play-by-play. Forrest Conoly provides analysis. The ESPN3 telecast begins at 4:30 p.m. (PT).
Series history: Fresno State leads the series, 40-37-3. The two teams first played in 1921 and San José State went home with a 14-2 victory. The Spartans' have more games against the Bulldogs (80) than any other opponent. San José State has wins in four of the last five games including a 16-13 victory in San José last season. The Bulldogs' last win in the series was a 38-24 triumph in Fresno on November 8, 2014.
San José State and Fresno State still hold the NCAA record for most penalties in a game by two teams, 36 (24 by the Spartans and 12 by the Bulldogs), during the 1986 contest won by San Jose State, 45-41. The Spartans' 24 penalties for 199 yards also remains a Football Bowl Subdivision record for most penalties in a game by one team.
Homecoming: This year's San Jose State-Fresno State game is the annual Homecoming contest for the Spartans. Since 1933, San Jose State is 47-31-2 in Homecoming contests. The Spartans are looking for their first Homecoming win since 2014 when they defeated UNLV, 33-10. This year's game marks the ninth time Fresno State is San Jose State's Homecoming foe and the first since 1997. The Spartans are 6-2 in the previous eight Homecoming games with the Bulldogs as the opponent.
For San Jose State fans, the best known Homecoming game vs. Fresno State was in 1986 when the Bulldogs came into Spartan Stadium undefeated and ranked #19 in the Associated Press poll. After leading 24-0 in the second quarter and trailing 41-31 with 1:10 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Spartans came back for an improbable 45-41 triumph. The game was named Sports Illustrated's Most Exciting Game of the Year.
Valley Trophy: Since 2013, San José State and Fresno State play for the Valley Trophy. San José State is the metropolitan capital of the high-tech Silicon Valley. Fresno State is the largest city in the agriculturally-rich San Joaquin Valley. The two schools are separated by approximately 150 driving miles.
San José State participating in Extra Yards For Teachers Program: San José State is one of the eight Mountain West schools participating in the College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation's Extra Yard for Teachers Week honoring the contributions teachers make in the lives of children of all ages. Teachers from Cadwaller, Carolyn Clark, Arbuckle, Dorsa, Ernesto Galarza, Horace Cureton, Linda Vista, Lnydale, O.B. Whaley, Russo/McEntee Academy and Tipton elementary schools; Fischer, Joseph George, Mathson, Renaissance Academy and Sheppard middle schools; and Gunderson, Richmond and San Benito high schools are being honored at the San Jose State-Fresno State game.
One teacher from these schools will be honored with a $1,000 grant from San José State and the Mountain West to help support the teacher's classroom project listed in DonorsChoose.org.
First to 40, 50, 60, 70 and now 80: Linebacker Frank Ginda is the first Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) player this season to be credited with 40 tackles and now 50, 60, 70 and tackles. Ginda has 87 tackles in six games after a game-high 14 at UNLV on September 30. He heads into the Fresno State game the national leader in number of tackles and total tackles per game at 14.5.
Sack count increasing: The San José State defense has six quarterback sacks in the last two games and 10 for the season after a season-high four against Utah State (9/23) and two at UNLV (9/30). Seven Spartans have a sack to their credit in 2017. Protecting the quarterback: The September 30 UNLV game marked the first time this season San Jose State's quarterbacks were not sacked in a game. This season, the Spartans have allowed 12 sacks in six games.
Protection leads to production: With protection in and around the pocket and no quarterback sacks, San Jose State had its first 300-plus passing yardage game of the season at UNLV with a season-best 315 yards on 49 pass attempts. The Spartans previous season best was 278 in the opener vs. #19/#21-USF.
Offense showing signs: San Jose State gained more than 400 yards of total offense, 462 at UNLV, for the first time since a season-high 482 against Cal Poly on September 2. In the games at Texas, at Utah and home vs. Utah State, the Spartans averaged just 189.7 yards of total offense against those three opponents.
30 pass completions: The San Jose State-UNLV game marked the first time since the 2015 season opener at home vs. New Hampshire on September 3 that the Spartans had at least 30 pass completions in a game. San Jose State was 30-of-49 with two interceptions for 315 yards and a touchdown against UNLV.
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