San Jose State gets its home opener Saturday night at CEFCU Stadium, and the matchup brings a Cal Poly team that has opened 2-0 and a Spartans squad trying to build on last week’s road win.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., with the game airing on MW+. San Jose State enters at 1-1 overall and 0-0 in the Mountain West, while Cal Poly is 2-0 and 0-0 in the Big Sky.
The Spartans have owned this series so far. San Jose State leads 2-0, with both previous meetings coming at CEFCU Stadium. The most recent one was a 59-3 blowout in 2023, and the first was a 34-13 win in 2017.
There’s plenty of momentum on the San Jose State side. The Spartans have won their last six games against FCS opponents, and they’ve been especially sharp through the air.
Quarterback Luke Weaver tops the Mountain West in passing touchdowns and is third nationally with five through two games. He also ranks second nationally with 550 passing yards.
Special teams also gave San Jose State a boost last week. Kicker Trajan Sinatra earned Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week honors after drilling field goals from 49 and 45 yards in the win at Eastern Michigan.
The Spartans’ offense has gotten help on the ground, too. Running back Jabari Bates is coming off his second career 100-yard rushing performance, and junior receiver Cooper Hoch leads the team with 139 receiving yards on seven catches, including two touchdowns.
Cal Poly comes in with its own storylines. The Mustangs are chasing a 3-0 start for the first time since 2012, and that same year was also the last time they beat an FBS team. Cal Poly has lost its last 11 games against FBS opponents and owns four such wins in program history.
Fifth-year quarterback Anthony Grigsby Jr. picked up Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week honors after throwing three touchdowns in Cal Poly’s 24-17 win over Central Washington. He has seven touchdown passes and 523 passing yards this season. Fifth-year receiver Ray Hall also delivered in that game, finishing with 125 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
A few numbers stand out heading into Saturday. San Jose State is 25-3 all time against FCS schools.
The Spartans gave up just 295 total yards at Eastern Michigan last week, while Cal Poly allowed 430 total yards against Central Washington, a Division II school. Cal Poly has not turned the ball over this season, while San Jose State had no turnovers against USC but committed two at Eastern Michigan, including one interception and one fumble.
San Jose State is also 6-2 in its last eight home openers.
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That tribute centered on Mark Bingham, the Cal graduate and United Airlines Flight 93 passenger who died 25 years ago during the 9/11 attacks after helping lead the struggle against the hijackers. It was the kind of reminder that cuts through any early-season noise, putting the programs place in college football in a larger, more human frame. Results and rankings will keep changing, but the story attached to Cal still reaches far beyond the standings. [Read more 🡒]
Cal's Offense Is Putting Early Pressure On The Bears Again
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The injury picture is the part worth watching most closely for the Bears, especially with some uncertainty hanging over the backfield after the UCLA game. On the other side, Syracuse has already shown what its offense can look like with key pieces back in the lineup, and the historical series context only adds a little more edge to a matchup that already feels like an early measuring stick for Cal in its new conference home. [Read more 🡒]