San Jose State 49, Fresno State 23

This means that Fresno State will be starting West Virginia transfer Ford Childress in their conference opening game against San Jose State in the conference opener for the Bulldogs.

MATCHUP TO WATCH: San Jose State’s tackles Wes Schweitzer and Nate Velichko will butt heads in the trenches with Bulldogs senior Claudell Louis, a 6-foot-5, 294-pound defensive end.

It’s too early to call the 79th edition of the Fresno State rivalry game Saturday night a make-or-break situation for the third-year coach.

Fresno State leads the series, 40-35-3, which dates back to 1921.

SJSU has an opportunity Saturday to end an eight-game losing streak to Football Bowl Subdivision opponents with the Bulldogs’ quarterback situation in worse shape than San Jose’s. The teams have split the last four meetings over a five-season span, with each team winning once at home and once on the road. Instead of biting on the fake, not one, but two San Jose State defenders snuffed out the play and were about to tackle Jamire Jordan nine yards behind the line of scrimmage.

STATS THAT MATTER: San Jose State is ranked second nationally in fewest passing yards allowed (73.0 per game) and passing efficiency defense (71.6 rating).

On the other hand, a victory over the Bulldogs (1-2, 0-0) could become the turning point as Caragher tries to elevate the Spartans from a history of mediocrity. In the past four games in the series, Fresno State has forced San Jose State to turn the ball over 10 times. In the past 10 years, the Spartans finished September with at least two wins and a.500 or better record.