Rivalry highlights 2002 — Fresno State 19, San Jose State 16:
Here’s a look at some of the significant games in the San Jose State-Fresno State rivalry over the past 35 years.
1986— San Jose State 45, Fresno State 41: Mike Perez outdueled Heisman hopeful Kevin Sweeney, throwing for 433 yards. The teams scored 38 points in the fourth quarter and combined for 1,072 yards of offense in the game. SJSU went on to the California Bowl and routed Miami (Ohio) 37-7.
1987— San Jose State 20, Fresno State 16: For the second year in a row, the Spartans rallied with less than two minutes left to beat the Bulldogs. This time, it was Kenny Jackson who scored on a 14-yard run off a trap play with 1:34 left. This was SJSU’s last 10-win season before the Spartans went 11-2 in 2012.
1990— San Jose State 42, Fresno State 7: Fresno State was going for its third straight conference title, but two TD runs by Leon Hawthorne and Paul Franklin’s 24-yard interception return for a TD put this one away by halftime. SJSU then beat Central Michigan 48-24 in the California Bowl.
1991 — Fresno State 31, San Jose State 28: SJSU came into the game with a 14-game conference winning streak, but Fresno State overcame a 13-10 halftime deficit with 21 consecutive points. SJSU nearly made another remarkable comeback when Jeff Garcia threw two TD passes 19 seconds apart late in the fourth quarter.
1999 — Fresno State 63, San Jose State 12: The Bulldogs’ 51-point win still stands as the largest margin of victory in the series’ 83-game history. After the game, amid rumors that he would be dismissed, thenSpartans coach Dave Baldwin said, “It’s the coach’s fault when we’re not tackling and stopping people. I’ve still got another year on my contract, so we’ll have to see what happens.” 2000— Fresno State 37, San Jose State 6: With an invitation to the inaugural Silicon Valley Classic on the line, Fresno State got the bowl bid. The Spartans had beaten then-No. 9 TCU earlier in the season, but lost their last two games and missed an opportunity to play in the postseason for the first time since 1990. Less than two weeks after the Fresno State game, Baldwin was out of a job, as he and SJSU’s administration could not come to terms on a new contract.
Kicker Asen Asparuhov made four field goals, including the 27yard game-winner with just more than six minutes left, as the Bulldogs earned their third consecutive trip to the Silicon Valley Classic. Nick Gilliam kicked three field goals for San Jose State, which went 6-7 and was again denied its first bowl bid since 1990. “We’re all hurting right now,” then-Spartans coach Fitz Hill said. “We had an opportunity and let it slip away.”
2006 — San Jose State 24, Fresno State 14: The Spartans ended a 12-game losing streak to the Bulldogs that dated back to 1991. Christopher Owens, a future Atlanta Falcons draft pick, had two of SJSU’s four interceptions. Spartans quarterback Adam Tafralis threw three touchdown passes.
2009 — Fresno State 41, San Jose State 21: SJSU quarterback Jordan La Secla completed 17 of 27 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown, but the Spartans lost to the Bulldogs for the 15th time in 16meetings. The game was Dick Tomey’s last as a head coach, as he had announced his retirement three weeks earlier.
2013— San Jose State 62, Fresno State 52: Quarterbacks David Fales and Derek Carr went toe-to-toe in the highest- scoring game in the series’ history. San Jose State led then-No. 16 Fresno State 42- 41 at halftime, and went on to notch its first win over a ranked opponent in 13 years. Fales threw for a school-record 547 yards and six scores. Carr threw for 519 yards and six touchdowns, and Davante Adams caught 13 passes for 264 yards and three scores, but the loss ended the Bulldogs’ hopes of playing in a BCS bowl game.
2016 — San Jose State 16, Fresno State 14: Kicker Bryce Crawford made three second-half field goals, including a 23-yarder with 6:25 left in the fourth quarter, as the Spartans beat the Bulldogs for the fourth time in five years. Still, coach Ron Caragher, who went 19-30 in four seasons at San Jose State, was fired the next day.
2019— San Jose State 17, Fresno State 16: DeJon Packer’s 10-yard touchdown run with 2:11 left in the fourth quarter capped an impressive comeback by the Spartans, who rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat Fresno State for the first time in the Brent Brennan era. Josh Love completed 23 of 34 passes for 290 yards, and Tre Walker caught eight passes for 132 yards.