Ryan Mathews ran for 220 yards and Ryan Colburn threw two touchdown passes as Fresno State defeated San Jose State 41-21 on Saturday night.
Mathews' night, which ended after three quarters, included a 59-yard touchdown that highlighted the Bulldogs' 24-point second quarter. It was the junior's sixth straight game with 100 or more yards.
Fresno State (3-3, 2-1 Western Athletic Conference) scored 34 unanswered points after San Jose State (1-5, 0-2) took an early 14-7 lead.
Lamon Muldrow had 73 rushing yards for the Spartans, and quarterback Jordan La Secla completed 17 of 27 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown.
Bolstered by a strong ground game, Colburn completed 7 of 12 passes for 117 yards before giving way to backups Ebahn Feathers and Derek Carr.
Colburn's 23-yard touchdown pass to Marlon Moore with 5:21 left in the second quarter gave Fresno State its first lead. Moore added a second touchdown on a 4-yard pass from Feathers.
The Bulldogs finished with 426 yards of total offense, including 302 on the ground, compared to 345 for San Jose State.
Josh Harrison led the Spartans with 80 receiving yards, including a 59-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
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Fresno State forged a 31-14 lead at halftime by scoring two touchdowns and a field goal in the final 5:21 of the second quarter.
Mathews had 194 rushing yards on 13 carries at halftime.
Mathews' 59-yard touchdown run put the Bulldogs ahead 28-14. The 5-foot-11, 220-pounder had seven runs of 10 yards or longer in the first half.
Colburn threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Devon Wylie in the first quarter before Robbie Rouse's 3-yard touchdown run tied the score at 14-14.
The Spartans took advantage of an early turnover to go ahead 7-0. After Seyi Ajirotutu fumbled on Fresno State's first offensive play, La Secla threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jalal Beauchman.
