By Gio Gaxiola — Reporter
Thanksgiving and football. What can make this tradition better? How about putting “The Battle Of The Valley Trophy” on the line against your biggest rival.
The San Jose State football team (5-6, 3-4 MW) plays host to rival Fresno State (8-3, 5-2 MW) on Thursday afternoon in a Thanksgiving showdown.
This is the last game of the regular season for both squads. The Spartans will need to win this game to become bowl eligible for the second straight year.
The last time the two teams played was on Nov. 30, 2019. SJSU was able to squeak out a come-from-behind 17-16 win. This led to then SJSU quarterback Josh Love taking the game winning kneel down and sprinting off the field to hoist “The Battle Of The Valley Trophy.” There was no game between the two schools last season as Fresno county was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fresno State currently leads the series 42-38-3.
“It’s an incredible challenge for us right now,” said SJSU head coach Brent Brennan in a press conference on Monday. “Coming off a disappointing loss to Utah State, we had to reassess everything we are doing and conversations we had about play calling to help us get ready for an excellent opponent on Thanksgiving.”
The Spartans have a huge task ahead of them as they face off against one of the best quarterbacks in the Mountain West Conference. Fresno State senior quarterback Jake Haener has been on a tear all season, ranking second in the MW in passing completions, yards and touchdowns. He ranks first in quarterback efficiency with 155.4. “He is fun to watch and is a really good player,” Brennan said. “When you combine that with a quality offensive line and their weapons outside, it makes it tough to defend.” The SJSU defense must find a way to keep Haener in check.
Luckily SJSU has senior linebacker Kyle Harmon, who leads the MW in tackles with 122. The team will also be relying on sophomore defensive lineman Viliami Fehoko, who ranks fifth in the MW with seven sacks.
The Spartans are in the midst of a two game losing streak. With the offense playing cool as ice as of late, the team only posted 150 total yards last game against Utah State.
Graduate quarterback Nick Starkel could be playing in his final NCAA game. The journeyman of the FBS from Argyle, Texas started his college football career back in 2017 with Texas A&M. Since then, he has transferred to two different schools, throwing for 6,673 yards with 48 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in his career.
Starkel is not the only Spartan who might be playing his final game. There are a plethora of seniors and graduates on the team this year including graduate right tackle Jack Snyder, who has played the most games in SJSU history with 56. The Spartans will have some big shoes to fill come recruiting season.
“I’m confident Spartan fans are going to rally for this one and show up wearing blue and gold,” Brennan said. “We have had an awesome turnout at our games this season with our students, fans and the city of San Jose. I am excited to see what it looks like on gameday.”
The game will take place on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. at CEFCU Stadium in San Jose, Calif. You can watch the game on FS1 and listen on the radio at KTRB 860.
Follow Gio on Twitter @GaxiolaGio