Place kicker Jared Strubeck and linebacker Justin Cole were named as WAC Players of the Week at their respective positions. Joining them was Colin Kaepernick, quarterback for the Nevada Wolfpack.
Cole stepped up in a big way against Hawaii, accumulating four tackles, two and a half for a losses, and two sacks.
Strubeck went from zero after missing a 47 yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, to hero over the course of an hour on this blog after hitting two more field goals - from 47 yards and the game winner from 50 yards.
9.28.2008
First WAC Power Rankings
Since power rankings are en vogue, particularly with other sports, it would benefit this blog to do the same with the Western Athletic Conference. Few newspapers give credence to the conference since it's not a Bowl Championship Conference and filled with cupcakes (only two other conferences have more weaker teams - the Sunbelt and the Mid-American.)
So, how these ratings are going to work:
San Jose State is commonly referred to as "middle of the pack" in the Western Athletic Conference when it comes to football. The team since the Dick Tomey era began has neither been terrible, nor has it been great. The Spartans have finished slightly worse than a fifth place out of nine teams since 2005.
It makes them a nice barometer for the conference. Thus we have essentially three categories:
Better than the Spartans - The potential BCS contenders, and the class of the division. Wins against these teams are considered a monumental achievement, like Hawaii would have been last year.
Equal with the Spartans - Teams that are on the same level as the Spartans on a year-in-year-out basis. It's a 50-50 shot to beat them, and on any given Saturday the game is a coin flip. The final game of the season against the Wolfpack last year is an example of this.
Worse than the Spartans - The divisional cupcakes that rarely have a shot against the rest of the conference. Idaho on a regular basis is an example.
So, now that we've established how these teams will be ranked, lets get to it:
BETTER THAN THE SPARTANS
Fresno State Bulldogs - Fresno doesn't need to play a conference game to prove its worth. Schooling Rutgers, and beating UCLA is proof enough, although the Bulldogs are far from the BCS busters everyone thought it would be.
Boise State Broncos - The last undefeated team in the conference, the Broncos are only second place because there is still a question of whether or not they can beat Fresno. Boise State beat Oregon in Eugene, which counts for something.
EVEN WITH THE SPARTANS
Nevada Wolfpack - Nevada has been both impressive and terrible in the last few years, and so far this year hasn't been much different. Led by Colin Kaepernick at quarterback, the Wolfpack will have to prove themselves in WAC play after dumping two games to two ranked teams, and defeating two teams that are essentially cupcakes.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs - The Bulldogs are trending upward once with WAC play beginning. Louisiana Tech upset Mississippi State in week one, but were shut out against ranked University of Kansas. The Bulldogs will probably drop its opening game of conference play when the team travels to Boise State, but could finish above .500 in the WAC.
WORSE THAN THE SPARTANS
The Western Athletic Conference as a whole is trending way down, because one team that was the class of the division has dropped a long distance in terms of talent. Normally, the division balances 3-3-3 (3 Class, 3 Middle of the Road, 3 Cupcakes). This year, it's unbalanced 2-3-4.
Hawaii Warriors - People thought the Warriors were going to be way worse with head Coach June Jones moving on, and virtually the entire offense going pro. A loss to Florida was expected, and it's difficult to judge whether or not a loss to Oregon State, in light of the Beavers win over the number one ranked team in the country on Thursday, should have been expected. But a loss to San Jose State at Aloha Stadium is cause for concern. Hawaii went from BCS Party Crasher to No-Bowl really quickly.
New Mexico State Aggies - The Aggies have been trending upward in talent, but history is not in New Mexico State's corner. Since joining the WAC in 2005, the Aggies have never passed four wins total during a season, and haven't won more than two conference games. I would expect that to change this year considering Hawaii's down year, but that's still open for debate. But the Aggies have one knock against them so far - NMSU has the NCAA's worst run defense through last week, an issue that will cause problems for the Aggies throughout the season considering Boise's, San Jose's, and Nevada's running games.
Utah State Aggies - The Aggies, unlike NMSU, are not trending upward, but the only legitimate indicator of that was a loss to Nevada-Las Vegas in the first week. The other indicator the team hasn't gotten any better - Utah State has the 108th-ranked run defense. Although, once the rankings update for this week, this number will improve after their destruction of the Vandals this week.
Idaho Vandals - The San Francisco 49ers weren't the only team Dennis Erickson screwed. One year after being canned by San Francisco, Erickson thought he would help revive the team that gave him his first coaching break. While the Vandals were only 4-8 in 2006, Idaho won three conference games and looked like they were getting better. Then the wheels came off - Erickson followed the money and went to Arizona State, leaving the Vandals high and dry. Now on year two of the after Erickson era, the Vandals are among NCAA footballs worst. They haven't won a conference game since the 2006 team beat Louisiana Tech mid-season, which was also the last non-FCS team the Vandals beat. This year isn't going to change anything. They are still the worst team in the conference. among the worst in NCAA football, and the odds the team will win a division game is low.
----
That's the rankings for this week. More rankings in two weeks, after the homecoming game and conference play gets going in earnest.
So, how these ratings are going to work:
San Jose State is commonly referred to as "middle of the pack" in the Western Athletic Conference when it comes to football. The team since the Dick Tomey era began has neither been terrible, nor has it been great. The Spartans have finished slightly worse than a fifth place out of nine teams since 2005.
It makes them a nice barometer for the conference. Thus we have essentially three categories:
Better than the Spartans - The potential BCS contenders, and the class of the division. Wins against these teams are considered a monumental achievement, like Hawaii would have been last year.
Equal with the Spartans - Teams that are on the same level as the Spartans on a year-in-year-out basis. It's a 50-50 shot to beat them, and on any given Saturday the game is a coin flip. The final game of the season against the Wolfpack last year is an example of this.
Worse than the Spartans - The divisional cupcakes that rarely have a shot against the rest of the conference. Idaho on a regular basis is an example.
So, now that we've established how these teams will be ranked, lets get to it:
BETTER THAN THE SPARTANS
Fresno State Bulldogs - Fresno doesn't need to play a conference game to prove its worth. Schooling Rutgers, and beating UCLA is proof enough, although the Bulldogs are far from the BCS busters everyone thought it would be.
Boise State Broncos - The last undefeated team in the conference, the Broncos are only second place because there is still a question of whether or not they can beat Fresno. Boise State beat Oregon in Eugene, which counts for something.
EVEN WITH THE SPARTANS
Nevada Wolfpack - Nevada has been both impressive and terrible in the last few years, and so far this year hasn't been much different. Led by Colin Kaepernick at quarterback, the Wolfpack will have to prove themselves in WAC play after dumping two games to two ranked teams, and defeating two teams that are essentially cupcakes.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs - The Bulldogs are trending upward once with WAC play beginning. Louisiana Tech upset Mississippi State in week one, but were shut out against ranked University of Kansas. The Bulldogs will probably drop its opening game of conference play when the team travels to Boise State, but could finish above .500 in the WAC.
WORSE THAN THE SPARTANS
The Western Athletic Conference as a whole is trending way down, because one team that was the class of the division has dropped a long distance in terms of talent. Normally, the division balances 3-3-3 (3 Class, 3 Middle of the Road, 3 Cupcakes). This year, it's unbalanced 2-3-4.
Hawaii Warriors - People thought the Warriors were going to be way worse with head Coach June Jones moving on, and virtually the entire offense going pro. A loss to Florida was expected, and it's difficult to judge whether or not a loss to Oregon State, in light of the Beavers win over the number one ranked team in the country on Thursday, should have been expected. But a loss to San Jose State at Aloha Stadium is cause for concern. Hawaii went from BCS Party Crasher to No-Bowl really quickly.
New Mexico State Aggies - The Aggies have been trending upward in talent, but history is not in New Mexico State's corner. Since joining the WAC in 2005, the Aggies have never passed four wins total during a season, and haven't won more than two conference games. I would expect that to change this year considering Hawaii's down year, but that's still open for debate. But the Aggies have one knock against them so far - NMSU has the NCAA's worst run defense through last week, an issue that will cause problems for the Aggies throughout the season considering Boise's, San Jose's, and Nevada's running games.
Utah State Aggies - The Aggies, unlike NMSU, are not trending upward, but the only legitimate indicator of that was a loss to Nevada-Las Vegas in the first week. The other indicator the team hasn't gotten any better - Utah State has the 108th-ranked run defense. Although, once the rankings update for this week, this number will improve after their destruction of the Vandals this week.
Idaho Vandals - The San Francisco 49ers weren't the only team Dennis Erickson screwed. One year after being canned by San Francisco, Erickson thought he would help revive the team that gave him his first coaching break. While the Vandals were only 4-8 in 2006, Idaho won three conference games and looked like they were getting better. Then the wheels came off - Erickson followed the money and went to Arizona State, leaving the Vandals high and dry. Now on year two of the after Erickson era, the Vandals are among NCAA footballs worst. They haven't won a conference game since the 2006 team beat Louisiana Tech mid-season, which was also the last non-FCS team the Vandals beat. This year isn't going to change anything. They are still the worst team in the conference. among the worst in NCAA football, and the odds the team will win a division game is low.
----
That's the rankings for this week. More rankings in two weeks, after the homecoming game and conference play gets going in earnest.
Thoughts on the Hawaii Game
Aside from ESPN, you heard it hear first:
San Jose State has ended its eight-game losing streak to the Warriors of Hawaii by forcing five turnovers, winning 20-17.
Remember all the bad things I said about Jared Strubeck? I recant them for now. He hit field goals of 47 and 50 yards to tie and give the Spartans a lead. Hawaii's offense turned the ball over twice in the fourth quarter, and a missed field goal gave San Jose State the win.
The play calling was still bad. The Spartans couldn't move the ball for beans, and if it wasn't for Strubeck finding his groove and nailing two tough field goals and the defense hounding both Inoke Funaki and Tyler Graunke, the Spartans would have lost road game number three.
But it's something, and it's about time.
San Jose State has ended its eight-game losing streak to the Warriors of Hawaii by forcing five turnovers, winning 20-17.
Remember all the bad things I said about Jared Strubeck? I recant them for now. He hit field goals of 47 and 50 yards to tie and give the Spartans a lead. Hawaii's offense turned the ball over twice in the fourth quarter, and a missed field goal gave San Jose State the win.
The play calling was still bad. The Spartans couldn't move the ball for beans, and if it wasn't for Strubeck finding his groove and nailing two tough field goals and the defense hounding both Inoke Funaki and Tyler Graunke, the Spartans would have lost road game number three.
But it's something, and it's about time.
9.27.2008
Mid Game Post - On the Road Against Hawaii
Mid game post, with stats screen shot from the box score on ESPN.com. What has struck me so far is the ineptitude of the Spartan offense. The defense, like last week, has not let anyone down. Holding the Warriors to 17 points is good, and forcing so far four turnovers is better.But losing by three with time winding down is not good. Maybe it's time to rethink Kyle Reed's starting job, or time to get Kevin Jurovich, who has been stricken with a case of mononucleosis, back on the field. The receivers are bad, and teams learned quickly to stack the line to stop Yonus Davis and Brandon Rutley.
The playcalling, which thus far is based on ESPN's Play-by-Play listing, still looks unoriginal. Keep in mind - if I can tell what is going to be called, so can the opposing defense.
Kicker Jared Strubeck has been bad. While setting up any kicker on a hash mark is a bad idea, there's no excuse for Strubeck to shank everything. Especially since we know he can do it (he was an All-Conference kicker in his freshman year.) It's just more frustrating when you put that in your mind and watch him miss from inside 35 yards.
Hopefully, the Spartans can overcome the three-point deficit in front of them, and pick up its first win against the Warriors in eight years, and its first road win of the season.
9.20.2008
Thoughts on the Stanford Game
First, I do have one dirty little secret I must reveal before I go on with this post:
I'm a Stanford fan. I'm one of those people who roots for two teams almost equally. Eleven games each year, I root for the Cardinal. That one remaining game? I betray my favorite college team for the one I attend.
When I bought this shirt at the game today, this was the excuse I gave the man at the counter when he asked me if I would be putting the new one on over the one I was wearing (the shirt I'm pictured wearing.)
This being said, the play calling must change if the Spartans are going to have a shot against any of its tougher opponents the rest of this season.
Hand off to Yonus Davis. Quarterback sneak up the middle. Bubble screen to one of the wide receivers on third and long. Punt the ball and pray for rain. Repeat on the next offensive drive.
If I can follow the play calls and tell my friend Nate what's coming up, Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff can too. The game was lost at half time when Stanford made defensive adjustments, and San Jose didn't make changes to its offensive calls to match.
Fans of the San Francisco 49ers can vouch for awful play calling derailing a team. Yes, the personnel last year for San Francisco was bad, but the anemic offense could have at least put some points on the board if it wasn't for conservative running call after conservative running call. Marcus Arroyo's choices were reminiscent of the same bad calls the 49ers made last year.
Something needs to change in advance of the Hawaii game, because San Jose State can't go to Aloha Stadium and play a team as down as the Warriors are with this strategy.
I'm a Stanford fan. I'm one of those people who roots for two teams almost equally. Eleven games each year, I root for the Cardinal. That one remaining game? I betray my favorite college team for the one I attend.
When I bought this shirt at the game today, this was the excuse I gave the man at the counter when he asked me if I would be putting the new one on over the one I was wearing (the shirt I'm pictured wearing.)
This being said, the play calling must change if the Spartans are going to have a shot against any of its tougher opponents the rest of this season.
Hand off to Yonus Davis. Quarterback sneak up the middle. Bubble screen to one of the wide receivers on third and long. Punt the ball and pray for rain. Repeat on the next offensive drive.
If I can follow the play calls and tell my friend Nate what's coming up, Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff can too. The game was lost at half time when Stanford made defensive adjustments, and San Jose didn't make changes to its offensive calls to match.
Fans of the San Francisco 49ers can vouch for awful play calling derailing a team. Yes, the personnel last year for San Francisco was bad, but the anemic offense could have at least put some points on the board if it wasn't for conservative running call after conservative running call. Marcus Arroyo's choices were reminiscent of the same bad calls the 49ers made last year.
Something needs to change in advance of the Hawaii game, because San Jose State can't go to Aloha Stadium and play a team as down as the Warriors are with this strategy.
When a road game isn't really a road game
The Mercury News has been really into the Walsh rivalry game. College football columnist Jon Wilner compared ripe golden delicious apples to moldy granny smiths in terms of quarterbacks earlier this week. Mark Purdy also wrote about the game, wondered out loud why Stanford Stadium is only half full usually for the annual match up between the Spartans and the Cardinal.
Neither columnist really mentioned it, although Purdy danced around the subject, but there is no road team for this game. The projected attendance is around 30,000 fans, and a considerable number of those people will be rooting for the Blue and Gold.
The two schools are, as Spartan Daily sports reporter Joey Akeley said, about 30 miles apart. That means no time zone changes for the Spartans. No hours logged on the plane. No climate changes. No legions of unfriendly fans without the Spartan Squad to drown them out.
This is a road game on the Spartan’s schedule that isn’t really a road game. The team needs to remember that the only difference in the scenery are the miles of empty red seats and the word “Stanford” spray painted in each end zone.
The Spartans have been far better at home than on the road in the Dick Tomey era, and have been just short of awful on the road during that same timeframe. The team hasn’t been this consistently average since the 1980s, and its refreshing to know we as fans can be guaranteed the team will show up and play week in and week out.
But taking advantage of these types of games is key to taking the next step from team in the gutter to potential division winner.
Neither columnist really mentioned it, although Purdy danced around the subject, but there is no road team for this game. The projected attendance is around 30,000 fans, and a considerable number of those people will be rooting for the Blue and Gold.
The two schools are, as Spartan Daily sports reporter Joey Akeley said, about 30 miles apart. That means no time zone changes for the Spartans. No hours logged on the plane. No climate changes. No legions of unfriendly fans without the Spartan Squad to drown them out.
This is a road game on the Spartan’s schedule that isn’t really a road game. The team needs to remember that the only difference in the scenery are the miles of empty red seats and the word “Stanford” spray painted in each end zone.
The Spartans have been far better at home than on the road in the Dick Tomey era, and have been just short of awful on the road during that same timeframe. The team hasn’t been this consistently average since the 1980s, and its refreshing to know we as fans can be guaranteed the team will show up and play week in and week out.
But taking advantage of these types of games is key to taking the next step from team in the gutter to potential division winner.
9.18.2008
Spartan defense's first real test - Stanford
Last year, Stanford halfback Toby Gerhart tore up the Spartan running defense before he tore up his knee in the same game, accumulating 140 yards and averaging more than a 11 yards per run before ending his season with a torn ACL in the third quarter.
This year could be different.
San Jose State’s run defense is ranked 10th nationally after three games, a stat that is a combination of reality and aberration. The team’s two starting defensive ends – senior USC transfer Jeff Schweiger and junior Carl Ihenacho – have filled in the gaping hole the Spartans’ defense had last year with run defense (which ranked 77th in 2007 and 108th in tackles for loss of yards), and pass rush (96th in sacks.)
Ihenacho is already close to tying all of his numbers from last year just three games into the season. Schweiger’s numbers are equally impressive this year.
Both will be put to the test by Gerhart and Cardinal back up halfback Anthony Kimble, who picked up an additional 80 yards on 19 carries in last year’s game. Both players are under the radar for the Cardinal, since neither one completed the season healthy.
The big indicator that this defense is legitimate could be based on its performance against Nebraska. The Spartans held the Cornhuskers rushing attack to 99 yards total, a small number for a team that is moving back to a traditional running based offense.
Keep in mind, Nebraska put up 138 yards against Western Michigan the week before, and a week later would tally more than 300 rushing yards against New Mexico State the following week.
The doubt of the Spartans' defense comes from the competition. UC Davis is an FCS (formerly Division 1-AA) team with a pass-centered attack. The team’s running back, Joe Trombetta, didn’t achieve 100 yards rushing for the season until the third week of the season.
San Diego State is a woeful team. The team’s rushing attack is weak, achieving just 98 yards in the season’s first two games on 38 rushing attempts.
There is something to be said, though, that the Spartans handed San Diego State its worse loss so far this season, which is worth noting because the Aztecs played Notre Dame close the week before.
The Aztec's freshman quarterback, Ryan Lindley, was hounded all day, and his offensive line and back field did him no favors. The Spartan defense was merely exploiting an already bad offense when it embarrassed the Aztecs on Sunday. There’s a reason San Diego State has been on ESPN’s Bottom 10 list every week this year.
This week will be the first challenge for the Spartans’ defense. Toby Gerhart is ranked in the top 50 nationally in average rushing yards. We will know whether or not the tenth overall ranking is earned.
(This post originally made for the Spartan Daily's Sports Blog for today.)
This year could be different.
San Jose State’s run defense is ranked 10th nationally after three games, a stat that is a combination of reality and aberration. The team’s two starting defensive ends – senior USC transfer Jeff Schweiger and junior Carl Ihenacho – have filled in the gaping hole the Spartans’ defense had last year with run defense (which ranked 77th in 2007 and 108th in tackles for loss of yards), and pass rush (96th in sacks.)
Ihenacho is already close to tying all of his numbers from last year just three games into the season. Schweiger’s numbers are equally impressive this year.
Both will be put to the test by Gerhart and Cardinal back up halfback Anthony Kimble, who picked up an additional 80 yards on 19 carries in last year’s game. Both players are under the radar for the Cardinal, since neither one completed the season healthy.
The big indicator that this defense is legitimate could be based on its performance against Nebraska. The Spartans held the Cornhuskers rushing attack to 99 yards total, a small number for a team that is moving back to a traditional running based offense.
Keep in mind, Nebraska put up 138 yards against Western Michigan the week before, and a week later would tally more than 300 rushing yards against New Mexico State the following week.
The doubt of the Spartans' defense comes from the competition. UC Davis is an FCS (formerly Division 1-AA) team with a pass-centered attack. The team’s running back, Joe Trombetta, didn’t achieve 100 yards rushing for the season until the third week of the season.
San Diego State is a woeful team. The team’s rushing attack is weak, achieving just 98 yards in the season’s first two games on 38 rushing attempts.
There is something to be said, though, that the Spartans handed San Diego State its worse loss so far this season, which is worth noting because the Aztecs played Notre Dame close the week before.
The Aztec's freshman quarterback, Ryan Lindley, was hounded all day, and his offensive line and back field did him no favors. The Spartan defense was merely exploiting an already bad offense when it embarrassed the Aztecs on Sunday. There’s a reason San Diego State has been on ESPN’s Bottom 10 list every week this year.
This week will be the first challenge for the Spartans’ defense. Toby Gerhart is ranked in the top 50 nationally in average rushing yards. We will know whether or not the tenth overall ranking is earned.
(This post originally made for the Spartan Daily's Sports Blog for today.)
9.09.2008
QB Kyle Reed Questionable for Week 3 Against SDSU
Quarterback Kyle Reed is expected to play, but his status after Saturday's loss at Nebraska is still up in the air, Coach Dick Tomey told representatives of the media on Monday. Junior Myles Eden, who started the season opener at home against UC Davis, is ready to start if Reed can't.
"If for some reason Kyle can’t go, Myles will do fine," Tomey said. "In fact, Myles (Eden) came into to practice yesterday and threw some terrific balls."
"If for some reason Kyle can’t go, Myles will do fine," Tomey said. "In fact, Myles (Eden) came into to practice yesterday and threw some terrific balls."
The offense has struggled mightily in the first two weeks of the season, and against UC Davis in the first week looked lost until Kyle Reed came into the game at the start of the second half. Losing him could doom the season at this point.
San Diego State didn't embarrass itself against Notre Dame last week, which would either suggest the Aztecs are better than their 0-2 and record, and last-second loss to Div-1AA Cal Poly at home. The stats from the Notre Dame game last weekend would suggest that the Aztecs are much better than their record would suggest.
Friday: Previewing the SDSU @ SJSU game, and the keys to the game.
San Diego State didn't embarrass itself against Notre Dame last week, which would either suggest the Aztecs are better than their 0-2 and record, and last-second loss to Div-1AA Cal Poly at home. The stats from the Notre Dame game last weekend would suggest that the Aztecs are much better than their record would suggest.
Friday: Previewing the SDSU @ SJSU game, and the keys to the game.
What it means to author a blog
Often, I get told when it comes to this kind of thing, "Write what you know."
Sports blogs, for credibility's sake, have moved to the forefront of sports because they support vogue movements and ideals in sports, like sabermetrics and fantasy sports. They provide alternate outlets for analysis of sporting events and team performances, and give coverage to teams that don't recieve nearly enough of a look from other outlets.
In terms of coverage, many teams -- Spartan football being one of them -- receives minimal coverage from local and national media outlets. Its two nationally televised games are the only ones for the team that locals will see without being there in person. The universities exposure for its athletics outside of its own 34,000 students and alumni is relatively low. While a few nationally televised games should help the universities exposure,
You're obligated to get your facts right, but like a television analyst, you can have an opinion on the matters of the day.
Blogging also brings credibility to the authors, particularly as the world dives headlong into Web 2.0. More and more, people are turning to different Web 2.0 outlets, like Facebook, Twitter, and an assortment of blogs, for news and current events. Several bloggers, Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos, becomes a source as well as a producer for a lot of content.
So, I decided to focus on sports, since its a passion of mine and I might be able to fill a void by providing some analysis and coverage for the SJSU Spartans football team.
Several sports blogs have gained major notoriety. Athletics Nation, which covers the Oakland A's, is frequently cited as one of the best in coverage for a sports blog. U.S.S. Mariner, which talks about the Seattle Mariners, often crunches statistics and numbers that are pertinent to the teams performance and can't be found in other, more traditional media outlets.
As an author, blogging allows anyone to become their own beat writer. Sure, there's almost no money involved, but it puts event and subject coverage in the hands of people who feel passionately about it, rather than a dispassionate and overworked reporter for a metro daily. Blogging doesn't confine you to complete journalistic objectivity either, since I would argue that the job of a blogger is to take a stand or cheer for the home team as much as it is to report the facts about it.
Blogging also brings credibility to the authors, particularly as the world dives headlong into Web 2.0. More and more, people are turning to different Web 2.0 outlets, like Facebook, Twitter, and an assortment of blogs, for news and current events. Several bloggers, Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos, becomes a source as well as a producer for a lot of content.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)