SB Nation - Kevin Jurovich

Boise State hammers San Jose State, 45-7; Broncos move to 8-0 on the season

Kevan Lee — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:17:47 -0000

Boise State started slowly but finished strong, hammering San Jose State with timely takeaways and Kellen Moore TDs for the 45-7 win. Moore had three passing TDs and a rushing TD, Kyle Wilson took a pick for a score, and the Bronco defense confused and confounded SJSU QBs all afternoon long.

What stood out for you in the Broncos' big win? Who was your MVP? Vote in the poll below and leave your thoughts in the comments. Analysis coming.

The five minutes that changed everything

Late in the first half, Boise State led only 10-7. And then San Jose State's world caved in.

Q2 1:15 Kellen Moore completes a 3rd and 10 pass for 12 yards to Matt Kaiserman down to the San Jose State 18.
Q2 0:44 Kellen Moore to Mitch Burroughs for an 18-yard TD. Broncos lead 17-7.
Q2 0:35 With first and 10 from their own 23, SJSU's Lamon Muldrow is stripped by Jason Robinson who recovers the fumble and gives Boise State the ball at the 22.
Q2 0:20 On third and 10, Kellen Moore completes a 21-yard pass to Tyler Shoemaker for a first down at the SJSU 1.
Q2 0:03 Kellen Moore scores on QB sneak. Broncos lead 24-7.
Q3 San Jose State goes three-and-out on first possession.
Q3 Boise State goes 62 yards in 8 plays and 2:26, capped by an Austin Pettis TD catch. Broncos lead 31-7.
Q3 9:26 On the second play of San Jose State's next possession, Jordan La Secla is picked off by Kyle Wilson who returns the pick 27 yards for a TD. Broncos lead 38-7.

In less than five minutes of actual game time, the Broncos score 28 unanswered points. And that was all she wrote.

Kellen Moore's Heisman invite gaining legs

Moore was clutch against San Jose, converting some important third downs and making some pretty throws. He finished with typical Moore numbers: 21-for-33, 278 yards, 3 TDs, no picks. And he's going to get better in his junior and senior years? I can hardly imagine that at this point.

The Kirby Moore era will undoubtedly be a good one

Kellen's brother had his best day as a collegian, catching 4 passes for 80 yards and a beautiful TD catch from older brother Kellen. Moore got extra playing time with the half-benching of Titus Young who was left out of several packages thanks to his celebration antics in last week's Hawaii game. With Moore seeming to hit his stride, could regular playing time be in store regardless of who's half-benched?

Kyle Wilson gets what he deserves

Wilson got both his first INT and his first TD out of the way on the same play early in the second half with a pick-six of Jordan La Secla. Wilson stepped in front of SJSU's Kevin Jurovich and took the pass 27 yards to the end zone. Wilson was oh-so-close on a couple of completions to Jurovich in the first half, and he finally got the extra step he needed on the INT.

Good for him. Wilson was due, and it could be the first of many big plays that Wilson records as the season winds down.

Did anyone get the number of the truck that hit San Jose State's offense?

Take away 77 yards on San Jose State's lone touchdown drive, and the Spartans finished the afternoon with less than 150 yards of total offense. Credit the Bronco defense, which played fundamentally sound all afternoon. The fact that the defense might get overlooked for its performance in today's game just goes to show how far this defense has come that we fans expect performances like this week in and week out.

Fortunately, Kellen Moore had plans to dress up as a giant bruise for the post-game Halloween party

Saturday may have been the roughest game for Kellen Moore since last season's P-Bowl. Moore took several heavy hits, including a crushing blow on the sack-fumble in the first quarter that seriously hindered his double high-fiving for the rest of the game. As noted in the game comments, was the offensive line mad at Kellen Moore? The pass blocking was as leaky as ever, and for the first time all season I mentally prepared myself for Michael Coughlin taking meaningful first half snaps. I then wept softly for a few minutes.

The Mitch Burroughs Experience finding new ways to shock and awe

Burroughs scored his first collegiate touchdown on a blown assignment to end all blown assignments by the San Jose secondary. At least it wasn't a bubble screen. Am I right, people?

Did Burroughs' TD catch raise his profile in your eyes? My jury is still out.

Garrett Pendergast and Co. with the biggest turnaround since San Jose State in pass coverage

Pendergast was the goat of the first half with his blown block on Kellen's sack-fumble. He struggled to contain Adonis Davis on nearly every snap for the first quarter-and-a-half, as did much of the rest of the line with whoever they were supposed to block.

Credit the Bronco coaching staff and the offensive line for making adjustments and making it work from late second quarter and on. That was a different game once the Broncos flipped the switch. It was a game I could watch without sweating every drop back.

Doug Martin makes it a real blowout again

Martin worked some more last drive magic to add seven more points to the Broncos' total and make the final score even worse than it would have been.

Was 38-7 going to look that hot? Like I say every night before I go to bed, "Thank God for Doug Martin."

Other notes

Is Winston Venable on the blitz the scariest thing you can imagine?
Only one fumbled snap is probably a moral victory at this point for the Broncos.
Was that the worst drop of Austin Pettis' career? Same for Tyler Shoemaker?
Crowd of 31,000 was lowest in a long time. Is there really that much else to do in Boise on a Saturday afternoon?
Pettis should trademark that jump back move he does in the open field. 60 percent of the time it works every time.
Aaron Tevis has been coming on strong as of late, and it's good to see Derrell Acrey back in the lineup again.
Kaiserman continued to get carries over Doug Martin. I'm not sure how this makes me feel.
Defensive tackle update: J.P. Nisby had his knee scoped and will miss a couple weeks, and Michael Atkinson's balky ankle kept him out against SJSU. Billy Winn was out temporarily with an injury, but he appeared fine.

Poll

Who was Boise State's player of the game versus San Jose State?

Kellen Moore

166 votes

Kyle Wilson

24 votes

Kirby Moore

34 votes

Jason Robinson

12 votes

236 votes | Poll has closed

Opponent preview: Can San Jose State slow the Broncos' running game?

Kevan Lee — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:20:08 -0000

The San Jose State - Boise State matchup typically is one of the better WAC tests for the Broncos, but this season's affair has "blah" written all over it. What will it take for SJSU to make a game of it? What has gone wrong for the Spartans in 2009? Is San Jose underrated and possibly dangerous?

Join me after the jump as I answer some of these questions and take a look at the SJSU run defense versus Boise State's rush offense. What factors do you think will be important on Saturday? Make yourself heard in the comments.

1-5, (0-2)

No. 7 Boise State at Hawaii

Kickoff: Saturday, 1:00pm MT, TV: KTVB, Radio: 580 KIDO

Weather forecast: 40 percent chance of showers, high of 54

Spread: Boise State by 35

7-0, (2-0)

San Jose State last week

Bye

The Spartans will have had 13 days to recuperate, plan, and prepare for the Broncos by the time gametime rolls around on Saturday afternoon. Will it make a difference? It certainly won't hurt. One thing's for sure, San Jose State is better than a 1-5 team, and you can bet they'll be motivated and ready to prove it on Saturday against the Broncos. Boise State's reaction? Get in line. Teams have been singing the same tune all season long.

San Jose State season-to-date

Safe to say that the Spartans did not see their season going this way. A brutal opening schedule really did a number on San Jose State, kicking them into an 0-3 hole after games against Utah, USC, and Stanford. A gimme win against Cal Poly followed (and by "gimme," I mean "19-9") and then the WAC schedule came aboard. SJSU dropped a winnable game at home against Idaho - a game that saw Nathan Enderle get pulled and the Vandals slip away with a four-point win following a final minute TD plunge by Demaundray Woolridge. The week after, Ryan Mathews and the Fighting Pat Hills scored 34 unanswered points after falling behind 14-7 and cruised to an easy 41-21 win over Sparta.

San Jose has had a hard time of it. Starting QB Kyle Reed found his way to the bench about a month ago. Rumors have swirled about the financial misery surrounding the athletic department. Dick Tomey could be out once the year is done.

At least they haven't had a Jason Street episode.

"I'm just going to emotionally stare at this ground for 10 or 15 minutes." via featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com

San Jose State offense

OT Fred Koloto
OG Isaac Leatiota
C Ronnie Castillo
OG Steve Lightsy
OT John Konye
TE Ryan Otten
QB Jordan La Secla
RB Lamon Muldrow
RB Brandon Rutley
WR Kevin Jurovich
WR Jala Beauchman

The San Jose offense had the slightest glimmer of hope of being spectacular this offseason, but only a complete fool would have believed that was possible. Kyle Reed's benching has improved the offense; La Secla is at least middle of the pack when it comes to WAC quarterbacks.

The huge disappointment has been the San Jose running game. Going into Saturday, the Spartans have rushed for only 466 yards in six games, which is way, way behind the production of every other WAC team. Under a new offensive coordinator, SJSU just hasn't run the ball as much, logging the second fewest carries in the conference. Muldrow averages a solid 5.5 yards per rush, but he's only carried the ball 56 times. A different gameplan might be needed if the Spartans hope to hang with the Broncos.

One other note: Kevin Jurovich no longer has mono, so he's catching lots of passes again.

San Jose State defense

DE Joe Nigos
DT Justin Willis
DT Pablo Garcia
DE Carl Ihenacho
LB Travis Jones
LB Ryno Gonzalez
LB Justin Cole
CB Peyton Thompson
CB Devin Newsome
S Duke Ihenacho
S Tanner Burns

San Jose's defense is traditionally the team's calling card. Not so much this year, though.

SJSU ranks dead last in yards per game and points per game in the WAC, allowing well over 400 and 30, respectively. Part of that has to do with their daunting nonconference schedule. Part of it has to do with their just not being good.

Star players Duke and Carl Ihenacho have lived up to their billing, but there have been few other bright spots. Bronco fans might not recognize this Spartan defense when it takes the field on Saturday.

San Jose State special teams

P Philip Zavala
K Tyler Cope
KR Brandon Rutley
PR Michael Avila

Rutley was the RB who broke the long TD run against the Broncos last season, making that game a whole lot closer than it needed to be. Collectively, the Spartan special teams are average.

San Jose State's run defense in 2009

In a word, "disastrous." San Jose has been a RB freeway so far this year, giving up an average of 260 rushing yards per game. That's right. 260. Surprisingly, this is not dead last in the country, but third to dead last behind the ~~Valure~~ Velour Curtains of Western Kentucky and Eastern Michigan and just ahead of several vaunted Florida directional schools.

What gives? Well, the loss of DT Jarron Gilbert, the WAC's co-defensive POY in 2008, has been huge. Among the SJSU front seven, only DE Carl Ihenacho and LB Justin Cole have any name recognition inside the WAC. The personnel just hasn't been nearly as good as recent years.

Again, part of it is facing daunting running games like USC and Utah. Another part of it is San Jose State just being undisciplined, out-physicaled, and bad. You don't give up 260 yards per game in six games without having some major problems. Bring in the fail whale.

via www.inquisitr.com

Boise State's rush offense in 2009

The Broncos have been vastly improved in the running game this season, as Jeremy Avery, D.J. Harper, Doug Martin, and Matt Kaiserman have each taken turns running through and around opposing defenses. Boise State's style can still sometimes be feast or famine, but when the feasting is on, times are good.

Consistency, really, is the only thing that the running game has lacked. There are times (UC Davis, for instance) when things just weren't clicking. There were games (Fresno State, for one) where big runs made the end result look a lot better than it was. Here are Boise State's rush averages in all seven of the games so far this season:

vs. Oregon 2..8
vs. Miami (OH) 4.4
vs. Fresno 10.3
vs. Bowling Green 7.6
vs. UC Davis 3.1
vs. Tulsa 4.4
vs. Hawaii 4.8

What game do you think had the most consistent Bronco rushing performance?

I'd have to point to Doug Martin's second half against Tulsa and last week's grind-it-out affair in Hawaii. The Broncos looked unstoppable at times in the running game, and they were doing it with big gains on virtually every carry.

Part two: Why do you think the Broncos are better in the running game this year?

I think it's a combination of running backs being more decisive to the hole and a cohesive offensive line that is owning the line of scrimmage. Anybody else?

Irresistible force meets very movable object?

So what will happen when the strong Bronco running game meets the underwhelming SJSU run defense? Are we in store for another big rushing day from the Broncos?

There will be several factors that will play a role in just how big the ground game is for Boise State For instance:

Will the Broncos focus on the run? The gameplan could be to let Kellen Moore beat the Spartans, which would not be a bad gameplan in the least bit.
Are Bronco running backs healthy? Doug Martin was dinged up last week, but you'd have to believe that between a healthy Avery, Kaiserman, and Hodge that Boise State has the horses to put up a big day.
Will the game be a runaway? The bigger margin the Broncos lead by, the more the running backs will get to carry the ball. It is doubtful Kaiserman would have had 100 yards if the Broncos weren't ahead by 40 points at the end of the game.

What other circumstances can you think of? Expecting a big rushing day for the Broncos?

Other factors

So many different aspects could come into play on Saturday afternoon. Here are a couple more that I'll be watching. Which ones are you keying on?

Big plays. The Broncos avoided the big play bug against Hawaii, but they were not so lucky last time they faced the Spartans. A pick-six and a long TD run were all SJSU needed to keep the game uncomfortably close. Eliminate big plays, and the Broncos will have an easier time of it on Saturday.
Fumbled snaps. I don't think I need to explain this one.
Weather. It looks like we're in store for a wet, cold afternoon on Saturday. Reminiscent of UC Davis? I hope not.
Third down conversions. Keeping the ball away from Boise State will be huge for SJSU, and keeping the chains moving for the Broncos will help put the game away.

Your Turn

What are you looking for when the Spartans come to town on Saturday? What's your over/under on how many yards the Broncos will get on the ground? Nervous about facing a typically tough SJSU team? Let's hear it in the comments.

Utah Utes at San Jose State Spartans Preview

Michael Rueckert — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:42:41 -0000

Next Game

Utah Utes
@ San Jose St. Spartans

Saturday, Sep 12, 2009, 7:30 PM PDT
Spartan Stadium

TV: ESPNU

Radio: KALL 700 Sports

Complete Coverage >

The #17 Utah Utes will be looking to extend the nation's longest winning streak on Saturday September, 12th when they visit Spartan Stadium to play the San Jose State Spartans at 8:30 PM MT. Utah who was has won 15 straight games will be looking for their 16th win in a row, which would be their second longest win streak in school history. Utah looked well in its season debut when they beat the Utah State Aggies 35-17 at home. Their opener as expected wasn't perfect; however they showed us that they are still a very good team.

Terrance Cain looked impressive in his quarterback debut for the Utes completing 20-30 of his passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns. Utah had a very conservative game plan as Cain rarely took shots down the field. Expect the Utes to take more shots down the field in this game. Matt Asiata led the Utes in rushing against Utah State with 36 carries for 156 yards. Look for Asiata to run the ball less, and for guys like Eddie Wide and Sausan Shakerin to get more touches.

San Jose State opened their season in Los Angeles and was given a 56-3 beatdown by #3 USC Trojans. They led USC 3-0 at the end of the first quarter after a 41 yard field goal by Tyler Cope, however by the games end USC had put up 620 yards of total offense against the Spartan defense. Their offense was just as bad only rushing for 9 yards all game and passing for 112 yards with their two quarterback system using Kyle Reed and Jordan La Secla. San Jose State expects to bounce back and be more competitive throughout the entire game against the Utes.

The Ute defense held Utah State to 0-13 on third down conversions. USC held the Spartans to 1-16 on third down conversions. San Jose State should have trouble moving the ball against the Utah defense that held Utah State to 342 yards of total offense, 96 coming from a Robert Turbin run. Utah's defense did play a bit sloppy last week but with some game film to work on they should be ready to play this weekend.

Utah is expected to have DE Koa Misi back after he injured his back in fall camp, and missed the Utah State game. Misi is one of their defensive leaders and help out in his return. Expect him to play maybe a half or more to ease him back in before the Oregon game.

The Utes should not over look Dick Tomey who is a great defensive coach, and he did show it for a half against USC. He may use some different looks to try to confuse Terrance Cain and the offensive line. Also San Jose State has a pretty good receiver in Kevin Jurovich who had a decent game against USC with five catches and 64 yards. The Utah corners will have their hands full when covering Jurovich, and since San Jose State does not really have any other threat so a safety and lineback can cheat in their coverage.

Utah is coming into this game 14 point favorites against San Jose State. The two teams have met five times in the past. Utah leads the series 4-1 with the last game being played in 1998 when the Utes defeated the Spartans 49-17. This will be San Jose State's first game at home this season with their new field turf that they received in the off season in a stadium that holds 30,456.

Boise State 2009 opponent preview: San Jose State

Kevan Lee — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:12:31 -0000

Projected Record: 6-6 overall, 5-3 conference
At-a-glance: San Jose State might have one of the best teams that no one is talking about. Or they might have a 3-9 squad that isn't very good. The pressure lies on the quarterback position, a shaky offensive line, and unproven CBs. The rest is in pleosaur Dick Tomey's hands.

A lot of people in the know and one ESPN non-BCS blogger in particular very much not in the know all thought that the San Jose State Spartans' time had come last season. SJSU, behind a solid defense and yeoman offense, was on a three-game winning streak coming into the matchup with the Broncos. The Spartans were undefeated in conference, 5-2 overall on the season, and a virtual lock for a bowl berth.

Then the Boise State game happened.

San Jose State's offense was exposed as a sham. Its defense, while solid by all accounts, couldn't handle the pressure of doing it all. The Spartans finished the year on a 1-4 plunge and missed a bowl game. It was San Jose State at its most San Jose State-y, unable to take that next step when it mattered most.

And that's where the Spartans find themselves heading into 2009, standing at the base of that next step, wondering if it's worth the effort to lift that leg and move on up. Well, can you make up your mind already?! Dick Tomey isn't getting any younger!

Or is he?

Wins in 2008:	6
Pythagorean Wins in 2008:	5
Translation:	SJSU wasn't really as good as its six wins
Returning starters:	Offense: 8, Defense: 7
Strength of Schedule:	65
Recruiting ranking 2005-2009:	82, 83, 92, 86, 73 (nat'l ranking from Scout.com)
WAC recruiting ranking 2005-2009:	8, 4, 6, 9, 5, 7

Five Questions

Was San Jose State's offensive line last year the worst offensive line in the history of college football?

Some Spartan fans might think so. No matter how you measure it, blocking was awful at SJSU last season. I'll choose to measure it two ways: rushing yards per game was 86 and passing per game was 196. That will not win football games, unless they are football games against New Mexico State.

Is Pat Hill jealous of San Jose State's nonconference schedule?

The Spartans certainly seem to have fully embraced the anyone, anywhere, any time attitude of past Fresno teams. Their nonconference opponents are USC and Utah to open the season followed by a date against Stanford. The only reprieve is UC Davis, which nearly beat the Spartans last season and ended up going to the 1-AA playoffs.

Thank goodness Jarron Gilbert is playing on Sundays now and not in Boise State's backfield.

Gilbert was indeed a terror last season. So, too, were cornerbacks Coye Francies and Christopher Owens. The threesome were all drafted to NFL teams in April, leaving some holes to fill in the San Jose State defense.

The D-line should be fine. DE Carl Ihenacho anchors a decent bunch. Linebacker is in good hands, too, with Justin Cole and S/LB hybrid Duke Ihenacho. The biggest issue will be replacing pretty much the entire secondary, including two all-WAC performers.

I heard a rumor that San Jose State is decent at the offensive skill positions. That can't be true. Can it?

Believe it or not, the Spartans have good-to-great players at both running back and wide receiver. Let's start at running back, where the Spartan backfield was finally able to get rid of 32-year-old Yonus Davis. In his wake are quite a number of capable backs, and the one that Bronco fans might remember best is Brandon Rutley, who broke the 60-yard TD against BSU last fall. However, he's stuck as deep as third or fourth on certain versions of the depth chart. No. 1 is Lamon Muldrow, a JC transfer who had nearly 3000 rushing yards at Sierra JC. Patrick Perry returns from two years lost to injury to backup Muldrow, and Chris Reese is around just for kicks and giggles.

WR Kevin Jurovich returns to the team this fall after a year off with mono. Yes, the mono. He was one of the WAC's best receivers before his "injury," so he will add a good dimension to the SJSU passing attack. He's joined by JC transfer WR Marquis Avery, and the two are expected to form one of the better receiving duos in the WAC.

What is San Jose State's greatest weakness? Besides sarcopenia?

The offense is unquestionably the biggest question mark. San Jose State was abysmal in the running game last season. I'm talking two yards in their last three games COMBINED. I blame injuries, but if it's that bad again, I'll probably blame offensive linemen sucking.

Let's assume that they figure out how to the run the ball for positive yards. The only problem with that is QB Kyle Reed is still their QB. He had 1500 yards and nine TDs last season, which is about one-third of Kellen Moore's season. Granted, Reed had only eight starts to accumulate those numbers, but man he looked bad sometimes. Fifty yards versus NMSU. 79 versus LaTech. Those are not good. Reed could be better in 2009, or he could be usurped by junior Jordan La Secla, or Muldrow and Perry could just take direct snaps on every down.

And if the QB thing doesn't work out for Kyle Reed, at least he's got that singing thing to fall back on.

Oops. Sorry. Wrong Kyle Reed.

Schedule around the Boise State game

10/17 @ Fresno State
10/24 Bye
10/31 @ Boise State
11/8 vs. Nevada (Sunday)

By the Numbers

(minus)-23 - rushing yards San Jose State gained against Nevada last year
170.2, 15, 1 - the number of passing yards per game allowed by San Jose State, the national ranking for SJSU's pass defense, the number of yards per completion that opponents still averaged greater than what the SJSU offense averaged

Tom Scott made the comment in a recent Scott Slant that San Jose State seems to be making moves to save their football program. Might I suggest one of them be not starting Kyle Reed?

SJSU has the potential to be a very good team this fall. Their killer nonconference schedule won't do them any favors, but by the time that conference play rolls around, SJSU could cause teams a lot of trouble. I stress the word "could" because San Jose State's offense is going to have to show something, anything, for the Spartans to have hope of making a bowl game.

(Note: San Jose State went out and hired themselves an Arena Football coach to coach the offense. Arena Football! You can't say they're not trying.)

Experts will point to the horrendous offensive line last season and the project of replacing two star cornerbacks as the biggest obstacles to a successful 2009. I will point to Kyle Reed. The onus will be on his shoulders this season to improve a disappointing passing game and keep defenses honest. I think Jordan La Secla might be the answer. But I'm not going to tell Dick Tomey what to do. He is literally one billion years older than I am.

In the end, there is enough talent in enough places for the Spartans to be a very dangerous opponent in 2009. Utah should look out. Fresno should be careful. Boise State should just go about business as usual.

I mean, the Spartans aren't going to be that good. That's a little too much to ask.

Perfect situation:
San Jose State wins one of its three killer D1-A nonconference games, the offense becomes one of the nation's most improved, SJSU challenges Boise State for the WAC title, Spartans go to a bowl that people recognize by name, Dick Tomey stays up until 9:30 to celebrate

Reality:
SJSU starts the season at 1-3, muddles its way to an above average WAC record, surprises a few people who had forgotten that the Spartans still had a team, benches Kyle Reed midseason, sneaks into the New Mexico Bowl mostly undetected

Final record:
6-6 overall, 5-3 conference

Previous previews of 2009 opponents: Oregon. Miami (Ohio). Bowling Green. UC Davis. Tulsa. Still to come: the rest of the WAC.

Nebraska versus San Jose State Preview

Jon Johnston — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:00:07 -0000

The upcoming game against San Jose State isn’t all that interesting when you look at the two teams, so instead of doing a regular preview, I sat down with our new mascot Cobby to discuss the upcoming game. (I wouldn’t consider this so much as talking to myself as I would another voice in my head. And yes, he answers back, so just go with it, eh?)

Who are we playing this week?

The San Jose State Spartans.

The Spartans!? You mean like in the movie "300"? Will they have swords?
No, they won’t have swords, but it might make it more interesting if they did.
They’re not any good?

No. It’s hard to get excited about this one, everything appears that it should be an old-fashioned Nebraska butt-kicking where the Huskers win 72-3. If we don’t there’s something wrong.

What’s so bad about 72-3?

Well, it’s not much of a challenge is it? Kind of like setting the PS2 to the easy level and squashing the crap out of an already bad team.

And what’s so bad about that?

(Realizing there is no winning this one) Let’s move on, shall we? San Jose State is the third largest city in California, 10th largest in the country. It’s a ways north of Los Angeles, just south of San Francisco. It’s actually not too far from Yosemite National Park. There was an old song - "Do you know the way to San Jose?" - we could look it up in iTunes if you want.

No.

Why not?

You said it’s old. Is there anything interesting about the San Jose State football team?

They run the spread.

What’s that?

It’s the offense of today, the latest fad. Michigan paid millions of dollars to get a coach who knows how it works. Teams that run it automatically have a huge advantage over those that don’t, so everyone worries about defending it and everyone wants to be running it or they appear out of fashion.

What do you think of the spread?

I think it’s just another term for margarine.

You created me so you could torture me with bad jokes? That’s really cruel.

(Thinking maybe I did create him for that purpose....) Let’s continue. San Jose State had to come from behind for their win last week. They had to score a touchdown with eight seconds left to beat UC-Davis.

Who’s UC-Davis?

Exactly. San Jose State has a fairly respectable coach, Dick Tomey. He’s fourth on the active wins category behind Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno, and Mack Brown. I’m not 100% sure if that’s because he’s really good, or just that he’s been around for a long time. Still, if you’re a head coach for a long time, you can’t be all bad.

Do they have any good players? Or what about statistics? People love those.

Well, against UC Davis, the Spartans rushed for 42 net yards, 28 of those coming from their new starting quarterback Kyle Reed, and 20 of that on one play. They threw for 231 yards, Reed after coming in the second half was 14 of 18 for 132 yards and two touchdowns and he finished with a 176 passing rating. Reed was at Cal, but transferred. Then there’s a guy named Kevin Jurovich who caught 11 balls last week, including the game winner.

On defense there’s defensive back Christopher Owens who returns this year whose 12 career interceptions are tied for second most amongst returning players this season. He picked off #13 last week. He’s a projected NFL draft pick, too.

That doesn’t sound too bad.

You can almost always make numbers sound good. The most important statistic about San Jose State is the number 15,465. That was the average attendance at their games last season. Given they have a large number of young players, it’s going to be 14-0 before they stop thinking "Sea of Red" and start thinking about playing football.

Is there anything good about this game?

Two things I can think of. It’s a chance to see a whole bunch of young guys play for Nebraska and how they look on the field. That’s not so bad. The other thing to remember is that the previous regime would have served this plate of poop up and asked us to pretend it’s a steak dinner. At least there’s not the pretense this time around, which is rather refreshing.

It's on pay per view for $29.95, which is a lot for this kind of game.

So, if it costs too much and it’s going to be a bad game then why are you going to watch it anyway?

Because I can’t bare not watching it.

Did you ever stop to think you may have a dependency problem?

…