San José State closed out its regular season with a 41–14 loss to Fresno State in the Battle for the Valley on Saturday, ending the year on a four-game skid and finishing with its fewest wins since 2018.
The Spartans wrapped up the season 3–9 overall and 2–6 in Mountain West Play, placing second-to-last in 11th place in the Mountain West Conference.
SJSU entered the game without senior quarterback Walker Eget, who suffered a knee injury in last week’s loss to San Diego State, forcing freshman Tama Amisone into his first career start. But his debut lasted only a few plays, as Amisone went 2 for 9 for 12 yards and two interceptions before exiting in the second quarter.
SJSU head coach Ken Niumatalolo said the early setback immediately altered the offensive plan.
“I was excited to see Tama, but he gets hurt on the third play,” Niumatalolo said. “One of his superpowers is being able to run, and now he’s limping. The kids are devastated right now. I thought they played hard until the very end, but the defense got put in so many bad positions time after time.”
Freshman Robert McDaniel relieved Amisone and went 1-for-4 for eight yards before the Spartans turned to senior Xavier Ward, who threw for 94 yards on 8-of-21 passing with three interceptions.
In total, San José State gave up five turnovers, while Fresno State finished with three.
The Spartans’ first touchdown came from the defense, as senior linebacker Jordan Pollard jumped a route for a pick-six off Bulldogs quarterback E.J. Warner, cutting Fresno State’s lead to 13–7.
It was SJSU’s first pick-six since November 2024 and the fifth interception of Pollard’s career. He also recorded 19 tackles in his final home game.
Pollard said he recognized the play unfolding before making the break.
“I had four flow on my side, backswing, three receivers out wide,” Pollard said. “One went in, another came by, number 5 came by. I read the quarterback a little bit and broke on it. Touchdown.”
SJSU briefly found momentum on the ground, as freshman Steve Chavez-Soto rushed for 50 yards on nine carries before leaving with an injury in the third quarter. Sophomore Viliami Teu replaced him and scored the first touchdown of his career, a one-yard run that pulled the Spartans within 24–14 with 10:59 to play.
But Fresno State answered quickly. Senior running back Elijah Gilliam punched in a two-yard touchdown, his second of the game, to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 31–14 and halt any comeback hopes.
Warner finished with 138 yards on 15-of-20 passing, with one touchdown and one interception.
Niumatalolo said his defense held strong early but was worn down by the offensive mistakes.
“I thought our defense played well at the beginning and they fought in there,” Niumatalolo said. “But when you have that many turnovers, it’s hard to keep playing.”
Fresno State junior nickelback Simeon Harris added two interceptions to cap a strong defensive performance for the Bulldogs.
Despite managing just 114 receiving yards, the Spartans ended the night with a major individual milestone. Sophomore receiver Danny Scudero led the team with 57 yards, securing the national receiving title with 1,291 yards. Scudero said the coaching staff’s belief in him fueled his season.
“Coach Ken and Coach Stutz are guys I want to play every snap for,” Scudero said. “It’s easy when you have coaches who motivate you, and you just want to play harder for them.”
With the loss, SJSU opens its offseason early saying goodbye to 24 seniors as the program continues to rebuild under Niumatalolo after missing bowl eligibility.
