With 31 touchdown passes in his first year with San Jose State, Fales was the most accurate FBS quarterback for the 2012 season and was MVP of the 2012 Military Bowl.

[2] As a junior, Fales was named as the starting quarterback after the fourth game of 2007 after the regular starter suffered a severe concussion.

[2] In Palma's homecoming game on October 10, 2008, Fales completed 15 of 19 passes for 164 yards and ran for two touchdowns in a 21–14 victory over Seaside.

[2] Having attracted little attention from college recruiters, Fales accepted a scholarship from the University of Nevada, Reno, the first school to offer him one.

[8] At the University of Nevada, Fales redshirted his freshman year in 2009, behind starter and future NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

[1] For the 2011 season with Fales, Monterey Peninsula was 2011 Coast Conference co-champion and qualified for the Sierra Central Credit Union Bowl.

[1] On August 23, 2012, following summer training camps, coach Mike MacIntyre named Fales the starting quarterback.

In San Jose State's 20–17 loss, Fales completed 24 for 35 passes for 216 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

After SJSU trailed Stanford 17–3 at halftime, Fales capped a third quarter rally with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Noel Grigsby.

Fales's interception occurred with one minute and 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and Stanford ran out the clock to win the game.

[16] On September 22, in a 38–34 road victory over San Diego State, Fales completed 21 of 31 passes for 260 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception.

With 50 seconds left in the game, Fales capped a five-play, 65-yard drive with the winning 14-yard touchdown pass to Chandler Jones.

[18] Fales had a season-high completion percentage of 85.3 percent (29-for-34, 276 yards) in San Jose State's 12–0 road victory over Navy on September 29 but threw no touchdowns and one interception.

[16] After the Navy game, San Jose State was 4–1, the best start since its 2006 New Mexico Bowl championship season.

Fales also lost a fumble late in the game, and Utah State scored its final touchdown off that turnover.

[22] On November 17, San Jose State won its ninth game of the year and reached its first nine-win season since 2006.

In a game nationally televised on ESPN2, Fales completed 25 of 34 passes for 305 yards for three touchdowns and one interception in San Jose State's 20–14 win over BYU.

[23] San Jose State's next game, the season finale victory on November 24 against Louisiana Tech, again was nationally televised on ESPN2.

[25] With a completion rate of 72.1 percent, Fales was the most accurate passer and third in efficiency nationally among FBS starting quarterbacks.

[28][2] On November 25, San Jose State made the 24th spot in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Top 25 rankings.

[38] Fales again played well on September 24 with 29 of 43 passes completed for 216 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception, but San Jose State lost to Minnesota 43–24.

[44] Following the game, the NCAA ranked Colorado State next-to-last in pass defense efficiency among all FBS teams.

[45] With 5:36 left in the game, Fales threw the winning touchdown 62 yards to true freshman wide receiver Tyler Winston.

On fourth down with 2:35 left, Fales threw an interception, and San Diego State won after running out the clock.

[50] In San Jose State's loss to Nevada the following week, Fales completed 28 of 43 passes for 326 yards and a touchdown.

[59] Fales is the first San Jose State quarterback to be drafted since Mike Perez in 1988, and the fourth in school history since the AFL-NFL merger.

[61] Fales ended a 26-year drought for San Jose State quarterbacks being drafting in the NFL when he was selected by the Bears.

Fales is the school’s record holder in every significant passing category including career and single season marks in passing-yards and touchdowns.

[72] In Week 17, he made his NFL debut in the regular season finale, entering the game in the fourth quarter and completing 2-of-5 passes for 22 yards as the Bears lost to the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 38–10.