“Dogs Go Homecoming in the Dark – The Collegian.”

Every football game at Valley Children's Stadium seems to be a big deal. With homecoming, halftime ceremonies, special uniforms and a drone show, Saturday's game against rival San Jose State sets the stage for the biggest home game of the season.

Reclaim the Valley Trophy?

In the final regular season game between San Jose State (5-2, 3-1) and Fresno State (4-3, 2-1) as Mountain West Conference (MWC) teammates, the winner of Saturday's game will be eliminated for bragging rights and the privilege of being the to raise the large “V” trophy in honor of the Central Valley and Silicon Valley.

While Fresno State holds the series lead with a record of 44-39-3, the Bulldogs and Spartans have split the last 10 contests since becoming MWC opponents.

The Spartans defeated the Dogs last season 42-18 at CEFCU Stadium. The result was devastating for Fresno State and marked the first of three straight losses that ended the Dogs' hopes of an MWC title.

Who are you looking for?

San Jose State has one of the best wideouts in the country Nick Nashwho leads the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) with 72 receptions and 11 touchdown catches. His 904 receiving yards this season rank second.

He will likely face the Bulldog corner Cam Lockridgewho has 31 total tackles and three interceptions this season.

Spartans run back Floyd Chalk IV was a threat in the red zone, scoring eight touchdowns in 2024. He has 425 yards on 83 carries.

After a slow start to the season, Fresno State was on the decline Elijah Gilliam has scored five rushing touchdowns in his last five games. His 120 rushing yards against Washington State on October 12 were a career high. He then scored two scores and totaled 140 yards “Dogs 24-21 Win against the Wolf Pack last Friday.

The Bulldogs' defense held Nevada scoreless in the second half for the first time in 2024. A big part of that was linebacker Malachi Langley who had 13 tackles and a pair of sacks.

Back in black

The Bulldogs will return home in AC-DC style, wearing all-black uniforms, against Utah on Saturday for the first time since Sept. 19, 2015.

This year's edition will consist of a solid black helmet with the wordmark “Bulldogs” in red. The jerseys will be black with red numbers and letters and will also have “Fresno State” written on the chest.

The pants will be black and will feature the Bulldog logo. Finally, there will be a green V symbol on the neckline of the jersey, denoting the valley roots.

The concept came about when the Bulldogs wore black jerseys against Nevada on November 2, 2013.

During Monday's press conference, Fresno State interim coach Tim Skipper said the power outage brings “juice” to the locker room.

Fans are excited about the return of Blackout

Fans across the valley have been looking forward to the return of the Blackout for years. Now that the return is finally approaching, locals are preparing for the big return as many are buying tickets to go to the game and experience the blackout for themselves.

For a fan like Ricky Oaks, the anticipation is palpable because it's a moment he's been waiting for for years.

“Even if it’s not our team’s colors, it’s always bad to have a blackout,” Oaks told The Collegian.

Oaks also mentioned that while there is a lot to be excited about the blackout, he is concerned that some people may not get the memo and show up to the game in black attire.

“The only thing that makes me nervous is whether the Red Wave will actually wear black,” Oaks said

He explained that the need to remind some family members of the power outage made him worried about the elderly who did not understand the news of the power outage.

Ron Cox

The team will welcome back-linebacker Ron Cox, who will be inducted into the team's Ring of Honor. He will be the twelfth member, the first exclusively defensive player among them.

Cox played at Fresno State from 1987 to 1989 and set program records for single-game (7), single-season (28) and career (50) sacks. His record-breaking season in 1989 brought him to the Purely American Team.

“I read his stats and I can’t believe they’re true,” Skipper said.

After the season, he was drafted 33rd overall (second round) to the Chicago Bears in the 1990 NFL Draft. Cox played in the league from 1990 to 1997 with the Bears and the Green Bay Packers, where he was a starter when they won the Super Bowl in 1996.

He will be recognized at halftime on Saturday.

Kick-off for this weekend's game is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. After the game ends, there will be a drone show, the first ever at Valley Children's Stadium.

If you can't attend the game, you can watch it on truTV/MAX.