The Fresno State Bulldogs defeated the San Jose State Spartans, 41-14, on Nov. 29 at CEFCU Stadium.
In their final game in the Mountain West Conference, the Bulldogs turned in a well-rounded performance that was powered by their running backs. Elijah Gilliam, Brandon Ramirez, Johnathan Arceneaux, Bryson Donelson and Rayshon Luke totaled 46 carries for 238 yards.
“We preach that the team is on our back,” Gilliam said. “We love that. We love — it gives us a little push each week.”
Gilliam has seen a reserved role in 2025 after being the main guy in 2024. Despite only getting 25 carries, Gilliam has made the most of his runs, averaging 4.9 yards per carry.
His 9-carry, 92-yard performance against the Spartans capped off an illustrious Bulldog career for the senior.
“It felt normal,” Gilliam said. “You know, I was excited, and I’m very thankful that I got the opportunity, that they trusted me, to go out there and make those plays more.”
The run game was a focal point for the offense in 2025. The Bulldogs totaled over 2,000 total rushing yards under first-year Head Coach Matt Entz.
Along with the run game, the Bulldogs’ defense was another strength in 2025. In their final game as a unit, they forced the Spartans to throw five interceptions — the most in a game for the Bulldogs since Sept. 16, 2023, in a 29-0 victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils.
The defense held the Spartans to under 200 yards of offense until the final two minutes, not letting Spartan wide receiver Danny Scudero burn them for chunk plays. He finished the game with just four catches and 57 yards.
The ‘Dogs hogged the ball for over 39 minutes. The run game and the defense suffocated the Spartan offense.
While the ‘Dogs fell just short of a Mountain West Conference championship game in 2025, Entz is still happy with his and his team’s performance in 2025.
“I’m sure there’s a lot of people out there that probably think I did a bad job,” Entz said. “So I’ll probably have a little bit of self-reflection this next week.”
The ‘Dogs await their bowl game selection, which will occur after all conference championship games have been played.
