The Fresno State football team ended the regular season with a 41-14 road victory over the San Jose State Spartans.

Fittingly, the Bulldogs got the job done in their usual fashion — running the ball well while winning the turnover battle.

The ‘Dogs ran for 259 yards and three rushing touchdowns.

Longtime Bulldog running back Elijah Gilliam led the way with 92 rushing yards on nine carries, adding two rushing touchdowns.

It was a vintage performance for the Bulldogs’ leading rusher from last season. Gilliam, who has been used mostly as just a third-down back this season, shone when he was given the opportunity.

With the starter Bryson Donelson struggling to get much going after losing a fumble and Rayshon Luke exiting the game with an apparent injury, it was the guys deeper down the roster that sparked the offense.

Gilliam, Brandon Ramirez and Johnathan Arceneaux totalled 30 carries and flashed their talents when their number was called.

The Spartans struggled to come up with stops for all three, especially when Head Coach Matt Entz would rotate between the three backs on consecutive plays. Each running back provided something different for the offense.

Whether it was the Bulldogs’ north-south back in Ramirez or the speedy, yet physical Arceneaux, the ‘Dogs controlled the game on the ground.

As for the passing game, quarterback E.J. Warner had a solid night but turned the ball over twice, one of which wasn’t his fault.

Warner threw a ball down the middle to wideout Josiah Freeman, who slowed down when he got to the middle of the field. The ball went into a Spartan defender’s hands, who took it to the house for a pick-six.

The other turnover was a strip sack later in the game.

Warner didn’t do anything special, but he did complete 75% of his passes. With this team’s identity being centered around the run game, performances like this from Warner, or even Carson Conklin, should not be surprising at this point in the year.

Being a game manager wins football games, especially when the defense can hold opponents to just two scores.

Similar to many of the Bulldogs’ wins this season, the defense constantly came up with turnovers.

The ‘Dogs forced five turnovers on Saturday, also forcing three three-and-outs as well as two turnovers on downs.

The secondary didn’t let much of anything get by them, allowing just 114 passing yards, and they intercepted the Spartans’ quarterbacks five times.

In his first season as defensive coordinator for the Bulldogs, Nick Benedetto has helped turn this defense into a true threat in the Mountain West and will look to replicate his success in the Pac-12 next year.

While the win was a good finish for the ‘Dogs before bowl season, the Red Wave will still feel disappointed, especially knowing how the rest of the Mountain West teams finished.

UNLV, New Mexico, San Diego State and Boise State are all tied at the top of the conference with a 6-2 Mountain West record.

If the Bulldogs had taken care of business against Utah State, the ‘Dogs would have a true case for a final Mountain West title before moving to the Pac-12. Going even deeper, had the Bulldogs taken down the Colorado State Rams, like they should have, Valley Children’s Stadium could have been hosting the Mountain West Championship game with how the conference played out.

In Entz’s first year at Fresno State, an 8-4 overall record and a 5-3 conference record is respectable, especially considering how much the program changed. Last season, the Bulldogs weren’t able to come up with stops or scores in the second half of games. This season, the ‘Dogs found a way to take control of games and close them out.

The problem is that the losses to Colorado State and Utah State are going to be two large eye sores on an otherwise perfect first season.

A season-opening loss to Kansas was expected, and the loss to San Diego State wasn’t surprising.

This season wasn’t the prettiest to watch, but Entz and this team found ways to win games. While the Red Wave will continue to complain about quarterback play or the start times for games, they cannot take away from the fact that this season was a success.