The 2001 Silicon Valley Football Classic was a post-season

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...

between the

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and wh ...

and the

Fresno State Bulldogs The Fresno State Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent California State University, Fresno (commonly referred to as Fresno State). The university is a member of NCAA Division I's Mountain West Conference (MW). It was a ...

on December 31, 2001, at Spartan Stadium in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

. It was the second time the

Silicon Valley Football Classic The Silicon Valley Football Classic (SVFC), sometimes referred to as the Silicon Valley Bowl or Silicon Valley Classic, was an National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA-certified Division I-A post-season college football bowl game that was ...

was played and the final game of the

2001 NCAA Division I-A football season The 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first college football season of the 21st century. It ended with the University of Miami winning the national title for the fifth time. The Hurricanes were led by Larry Coker, who was in his f ...

for both teams. Michigan State defeated Fresno State 44–35. Future NFL players David Carr,

Jeff Smoker Jeff Smoker (born June 13, 1981) is a former American football quarterback who played for, and drafted by, the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL) from 2004 to 2005. He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans. He ...

, Charles Rogers,

TJ Duckett Todd Jeffery Duckett (born February 17, 1981) is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons 18th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft and also played for the Washington Redskins, D ...

, and

Bernard Berrian Bernard Berrian (born December 27, 1980) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Fresno State. Berrian also played for the Minnes ...

all played in this game.

Scoring summary

First Quarter

*Fresno State – Stephen Spach 5 pass from David Carr (Asen Asparuhov kick), 14:01 left. *Michigan State – Charles Rogers 72 pass from Jeff Smoker (Dave Rayner kick), 6:16 left. *Michigan State – Monquiz Wedlow 0 fumble recovery (Dave Rayner kick), 5:54 left. *Fresno State – Rodney Wright 36 pass from David Carr (Asen Asparuhov kick), 3:20 left. *Michigan State – FG Dave Rayner 41, 0:05 left. Drive: 7 plays, 59 yards, TOP 3:15.

Second Quarter

*Michigan State – T.J. Duckett 5 run (Dave Rayner kick), 8:53 left. *Fresno State – Rodney Wright 79 pass from David Carr (Asen Asparuhov kick), 7:47 left. *Michigan State – T.J. Duckett 39 run (Dave Rayner kick), 5:05 left. *Michigan State – Charles Rogers 69 pass from Jeff Smoker (Dave Rayner kick failed), 3:05 left.

Third Quarter

*Fresno State – Paris Gaines 2 run (Asen Asparuhov kick), 6:54 left.

Fourth Quarter

*Fresno State – Paris Gaines 15 pass from David Carr (Asen Asparuhov kick), 6:04 left. *Michigan State – Ivory McCoy 5 pass from Jeff Smoker (Dave Rayner kick), 1:59 left.

Statistics

References

{{Michigan State Spartans bowl game navbox

Silicon Valley Classic The Silicon Valley Classic, sponsored by Mubadala Investment Company, is a week-long tennis tournament on the WTA Tour held on the campus of San Jose State University in San Jose, California, United States. Started in 1971, the tournament is the ol ...

Silicon Valley Football Classic Fresno State Bulldogs football bowl games Michigan State Spartans football bowl games