These are the four players I’ll be keeping an eye on when Fresno State hosts San Jose State at Valley Children’s Stadium on Saturday.

Key Players to Watch for Fresno State

Offense: Senior center Mose Vavao, No. 51

The game is won in the trenches, and Vavao is the anchor of the offensive line and one of the unsung heroes of the team. He’s a preseason All-Mountain West selection and the most experienced offensive player.

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The Bulldogs rushing attack has gained momentum with running back Elijah Gilliam accumulating 120 rushing yards against Washington State. In last week’s win at Nevada, he and Bryson Donnelson combined for 118 rushing yards.

Fresno State is hoping to utilize the ground game again against the Spartans.

“We just got to communicate. We have to stay on the same page that we’ve been these last couple of weeks in the run game. Communication and violence off the ball will take care of it,” said Vavao.

Defense: Senior safety Kosi Agina, No. 10

He may only have a handful starts under his belt, but Agina is hyped to show what he can do. Senior safety Camryn Bracha is out with an injury, so the backups have had to step in.

Related Story: Fresno State Spoils Nevada’s Homecoming With Conference Victory

Against Nevada, senior safety Dean Clark was ejected for a targeting penalty. Agina and others did an admirable job by holding the Wolf Pack scoreless the second half. Agina has been a key contributor on special teams throughout his career and the impact he made by disrupting Nevada’s punt game helped swing the game in the Bulldogs’ favor.

The secondary will be matched up against a high-powered San Jose State offense with a top-notch receiving corps.

“We know they have good receivers. We respect their offense. We just got to practice and be prepared for them, and we will be on Saturday,” said Agina

Related Story: Will Fresno State Rebound Against Nevada or Continue Its Slide?

Key Players to Watch for San Jose State

Offense: Redshirt senior wide receiver Nick Nash, No. 3

Nash has 904 yards with 11 receiving touchdowns on the season. He is second in the FBS in total yards receiving and leads the country in receiving touchdowns. He was a preseason All-Moutain West selection and was named AP Midseason First-Team All-America.

Defense: Junior linebacker Jordan Pollard, No. 10

Pollard was voted to the preseason All-Mountain West team. He already has 67 total tackles this season, including two sacks and an interception.

Mountain West Football Matchups

All games will be played on Saturday, Oct. 12 (except Boise St. vs. UNLV) and broadcast times are Pacific.

Boise State (5-1) at UNLV (6-1)

The game is on Friday; Game Starts: 7:30 p.m.; Broadcast: CBSSN. Analysts predict the Broncos will beat the Rebels. Both teams are 2-0 in the MW, and Boise State is coming into the game ranked No. 17 in the country while UNLV is now bowl eligible in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history. The winner of this game could make the conference title game and the College Football Playoff.

New Mexico (3-4) at Colorado State (4-3)

Game Starts: 2 p.m.; Broadcast: MW Network/Altitude. Analysts predict the Rams will beat the Lobos. New Mexico has lost 12 straight to Colorado State, picking up their last win in 2009. UNM has not beaten CSU in Fort Collins since 2006.

Nevada (3-5) at Hawai‘i (2-5)

Game Starts: 9 p.m.; Broadcast: Spectrum Sports. Analysts predict the Wolf Pack will beat the Rainbow Warriors. Hawai‘i is looking for its third straight win over Nevada but has yet to beat an FBS school this season.

Washington State (6-1) at San Diego State (3-3)

Game Starts: 7:30 p.m.; Broadcast: CBSSN. Analysts predict the Cougars will beat the Aztecs. This will be only the third matchup between Washington State and San Diego State and each team has a victory. SDS is set to join holdover Washington State in the Pac-12 in 2026.

Utah State (1-6) at Wyoming (1-6)

Game Starts: 4 p.m.; Broadcast: CBSSN. Analysts predict the Cowboys will beat the Aggies. Utah State and Wyoming will be meeting for the 73rd time and USU leads the series 40-28-4.

(Analysts predictions are from Fox Sports and ESPN.)