SAN JOSE -- San Jose State lost to Fresno State 41-14 in the Battle of the Valley on Saturday night at CEFCU Stadium.
Freshman Tama Amisone started at quarterback for the Spartans in place of injured Walker Eget but shared time with two others as nobody had a hot hand.
The trio went 11 for 34 for 114 yards with five interceptions and no touchdowns as Fresno State beat San Jose State for the second consecutive year.
It was rough from the outset as Amisone completed just one of his first six attempts for three yards and an interceptions over three possessions.
On San Jose State's fourth series, Amisone rolled outside the pocket and threw to Leland Smith, who had the ball ripped from his hands by cornerback Al'Zillion Hamilton for another interception. This one led to a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Brandon Ramirez, which stretched Fresno State's lead to 13-0.
The last pass Amisone threw was a screen that fell at the feet of Danny Scudero for an incompletion.
Another freshman, Robert McDaniel, replaced Amisone and went 1 for 4 for eight yards. Amisone was removed because he had limited power in his throws after being injured three plays into the game, coach Ken Niumatalolo said.
Senior Xavier Ward took over from there and remained the quarterback for the rest of the game. He finished 8 of 21 for 94 yards and three interceptions.
Ward started the second half by throwing an interception to safety Ethan Tierney, which led to Dylan Lynch's 41-yard field goal and a 24-7 Fresno State lead.
Linebacker Jordan Pollard provided one of the few highlights for San Jose State, returning an interception 58 yards for a touchdown that pulled the Spartans to within 13-7 in the second quarter.
The senior finished with 19 tackles, 12 solo.
The Spartans' only touchdown on offense came with 10:59 left when former St. Francis star Viliami Teu scored on a 1-yard run to cut the deficit to 24-14.
But the Bulldogs responded with a 2-yard touchdown run by Elijah Gilliam on their next possession.
San Jose State finished Year 2 under Niumatalolo 3-9 overall and 2-6 in the Mountain West.