Jabari Bates carried nine times for 50 yards in the fourth quarter as San José State finished off a 30-20 win over Cal Poly. He ended with a career-high 163 yards on 27 attempts, following 119 yards on 20 carries at Eastern Michigan. The Spartans have now leaned on him through consecutive substantial workloads; against Fresno State, watch whether they can keep handing him the ball deep into another competitive game.
San José State hosts Fresno State on Saturday, September 19, at 8 p.m. Pacific on FS1. Fan Watch gives the Spartans a 37% chance to win. It would be an upset worth getting attached to, with Fresno still favored. Beating Fresno would also move the Spartans closer to returning to bowl eligibility after falling short in 2025. The interactive guide has the forecast, with the methodology behind it.
Craig Stutzmann’s Spread-and-Shred offense led the Mountain West in passing in 2024 and ranked second in 2025. Against Cal Poly, San José State rushed for 255 yards and threw for 238, the first time under Ken Niumatalolo that its rushing yardage exceeded its passing yardage. That gives the familiar passing system a developing complement. Bates can help sustain possessions without requiring Weaver to throw for every first down.
Luke Weaver completed 22 of 34 passes for three touchdowns without an interception or sack against Cal Poly. Carson Clark and Cooper Hoch combined for 15 catches and all three receiving touchdowns. San José State has allowed only two sacks through three games. Keeping Weaver protected while Bates remains productive would let the Spartans keep both parts of the offense available against Fresno.
The previous meeting explains why that matters. Fresno retained the Valley Trophy with a 41-14 win in San José last November, intercepting five passes and rushing for 259 yards on 53 attempts. San José State needs to finish its own possessions without giveaways and get Fresno’s offense off the field before the Bulldogs can pile up another afternoon’s worth of carries.
Cal Poly also showed how much work remains. The FCS opponent was still level with 14:29 left. Dominique McKenzie answered the tying score with a 54-yard kickoff return, and Trajan Sinatra kicked a 40-yard field goal. Caleb Womack then intercepted Anthony Grigsby Jr. in the end zone; the Spartans followed with an 80-yard drive capped by Weaver’s 41-yard touchdown pass to Clark. Aizik Mahuka recorded a sack on Cal Poly’s next possession, which ended on downs. San José State earned its separation through contributions from all three phases, but needed the fourth quarter to do it.
Womack credited Bojay Filimoeatu’s deep-half coverage call and the defensive line’s pressure for his interception. Filimoeatu’s defense allowed 91 net rushing yards and produced four sacks and two interceptions. He was the interim coordinator for last year’s Fresno game before receiving the permanent job. Filimoeatu’s defense needs to stop Fresno’s running game on early downs so its coverage and pass rush can go to work on longer passing downs.
Discipline could still erase those gains. Weaver lost an opening-drive fumble against Cal Poly, and Dylan Lee’s third-down unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty extended the drive that tied the game. Niumatalolo called the repeated mistakes a discipline issue and warned of their cost in close games. Against Fresno, protecting the ball and leaving the field after a third-down stop are essential to giving Bates and Weaver more possessions to work with.
The schools preserved this rivalry with a six-game nonconference agreement beginning Saturday at CEFCU Stadium. A win therefore would not count in the Mountain West standings. It would bring the Valley Trophy back at the same stadium where Fresno retained it last year. Bates’s sustained work gives San José State a concrete way to pursue that reversal. Keep drives alive on the ground, protect Weaver, and make Fresno defend both.