Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs Hold on to Defeat San Jose State
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
November 21, 1998
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Jamie Kimbrough rushed for 212 yards and returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown Saturday, leading Fresno State to a 24-21 victory over San Jose State.
Fresno (5-6 overall, 5-3 Western Athletic Conference) took a 17-0 lead, but had to hold off a late rally by San Jose (4-7, 3-5).
San Jose's Oliver Newell returned a punt 88 yards for a touchdown, cutting Fresno's lead to 17-14 with 6:13 left in the game. But on the ensuing kickoff, Kimbrough, who had 366 all-purpose yards, returned the kick for the touchdown.
San Jose cut the margin to three again on a 1-yard run by Deonce Whitaker with 2:49 remaining. The Spartans had the ball a final time with less than a minute to go, but the Bulldogs' Vernon Fox intercepted a pass by Brian Vye.
Fresno took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter on a 32-yard field goal by Jeff Hanna. Kimbrough scored on a 2-yard run in the second quarter.
Paris Gaines' 14-yard scoring run made it 17-0 at the half. Gaines had 80 yards on just 10 carries backing up Kimbrough.
Vye replaced starter Chris Kasteler at quarterback in the second half and led San Jose State on its first scoring drive. Vye hit Brandon Knapp on a 15 -yard scoring play to finish off the drive.
Kimbrough who came into the game needing just 44 yards to become Fresno's 10th 1,000-yard rusher. He got that one on his first carry, going 53 yards to set up the opening field goal. Kimbrough finished with 1,158 yards for the season.
Whitaker finished with 176 yards rushing for the Spartans.
