San Jose State had to work for it again Saturday night, but the Spartans found a way to finish the job.
After spotting Cal Poly an early edge and going through another scoreless first quarter, San Jose State steadied itself and pulled away late for a 30-20 win. The Spartans, who were 20.5-point favorites, improved to 2-1 and picked up their first winning record since 2024.
Coach Ken Niumatalolo said the performance showed the kind of response he has been waiting to see.
“We did some things that normally are catastrophic, but our guys bounced back,” Niumatalolo said.
San Jose State’s offense piled up 493 total yards and leaned on a running game that keeps showing up as a real weapon. The Spartans ran for 255 yards, marking the third straight game they’ve topped 100 on the ground in Craig Stutzmann’s “spread and shred” system.
Jabari Bates was the headliner. The running back churned out a career-high 163 yards on 27 carries and broke loose for a 23-yard run. Coming off a 119-yard game against Eastern Michigan, Bates is quickly becoming a central piece of what San Jose State wants to do.
“I’m honored to just be the guy leading the way. Just work hard, work hard for it,” Bates said.
The Spartans also mixed in more help behind him. Junior Viliami Teu had three carries for 28 yards, Isaiah Carlson added four carries for 20, and quarterback Luke Weaver contributed 44 yards on 10 carries. That added dimension at quarterback gives San Jose State something it didn’t have last season.
Weaver did plenty through the air too, even in his first home start. He completed 22 of 34 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns.
His top answers were becoming clear. True freshman Carson Clark led the team with 81 receiving yards on eight catches and two touchdowns, while Cooper Hoch followed with 77 yards on seven receptions and a score. Clark, who also impressed in his collegiate debut against USC two weeks ago, kept giving Weaver a dependable big-play outlet.
Clark scored in the second quarter and then again on a 41-yard touchdown in the fourth to help put the game away. Weaver was quick to credit both of his top targets.
“Those guys are awesome,” Weaver said. “They’re so receptive and they’re not complaining about anything. They just know the ball’s going to end up coming their way with the right look.”
That pairing is starting to stand out even with San Jose State’s plan to rotate eight or nine receivers.
The defense had its own role in keeping the Spartans from slipping. Weaver opened the game with a turnover, but San Jose State answered by forcing two interceptions of Cal Poly quarterback Anthony Grigsby Jr. Greco Carrillo picked off one pass, and Caleb Womack came through with a late interception in the end zone.
Womack, who finished with nine tackles, said the defense stayed connected even after the rough start.
“It really is just a great overall play call by our coordinator,” Womack said of his interception. “We had the D-line pressuring the quarterback, made him just throw the ball up, and at that point it got back to the receiver and I just had to go up and get the ball.”
Grigsby went 24 of 40 for 249 yards as San Jose State kept forcing him into tough spots. The turnovers mattered most when the game tightened up late, especially Womack’s end-zone takeaway that helped protect the Spartans’ slim lead.
The game was tied 20-20 after Cal Poly scored early in the fourth quarter, but San Jose State answered with 10 straight points. Trajan Sinatra drilled a 23-yard field goal, and then Weaver hit Clark on that 41-yard touchdown to create some separation.
San Jose State now turns to Fresno State for the Battle of the Valley at 8 p.m. Saturday at CEFCU Stadium. It will be the first meeting in the rivalry since Fresno State left the Mountain West over the offseason.
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