10.24.2008
The Louisiana Tech game in two weeks ...
A quick note - I will be covering, liveblogging, and doing a post game report for the Louisiana Tech game on Nov. 8. Once I have the details for the liveblogging hammered out with William Cooley, the Spartan Daily's Web Editor, they will be posted here.
10.19.2008
Sloppiest. Game. Ever.
Helped by two interceptions returned for touchdowns, the San Jose State Spartans picked up its second road win of the season Saturday, defeating the Aggies of New Mexico State, 31-17.
It was one of the least pretty offensive games I've ever seen, and I've seen some bad college football. Fall 2006, I covered the end-of-season rivalry game for the community college I attended. American River College vs. Sacramento City College is a lot like when SJSU plays Stanford.
SJSU has a chance, but not much of one. Such was the case for ARC.
The Friday before had rained, and Hughes Stadium was a mess from a night of high school football before the game. The skies were daunting, and the field was still a sloppy mess.
The field affected the play. The only thing play that worked on the slip and slide field were running plays, of which only Sacramento City could run. ARC didn't actually gain a first down until there were less than two minutes left in the game. It was a sloppy 19-0 victory for the Sac City.
But anyways, that's what the Aggies-Spartans game was like. Neither the Aggies nor the Spartans had any luck moving the ball, the Spartans from sheer incompetence, the Aggies from poor decision making.
If the San Jose State Spartans play as badly as they did against New Mexico State, they won't even sniff a victory against the Broncos of Boise State. The Broncos have one of the top rated offenses in the country, and are also in the top 40 defensively too.
It was one of the least pretty offensive games I've ever seen, and I've seen some bad college football. Fall 2006, I covered the end-of-season rivalry game for the community college I attended. American River College vs. Sacramento City College is a lot like when SJSU plays Stanford.
SJSU has a chance, but not much of one. Such was the case for ARC.
The Friday before had rained, and Hughes Stadium was a mess from a night of high school football before the game. The skies were daunting, and the field was still a sloppy mess.
The field affected the play. The only thing play that worked on the slip and slide field were running plays, of which only Sacramento City could run. ARC didn't actually gain a first down until there were less than two minutes left in the game. It was a sloppy 19-0 victory for the Sac City.
But anyways, that's what the Aggies-Spartans game was like. Neither the Aggies nor the Spartans had any luck moving the ball, the Spartans from sheer incompetence, the Aggies from poor decision making.
If the San Jose State Spartans play as badly as they did against New Mexico State, they won't even sniff a victory against the Broncos of Boise State. The Broncos have one of the top rated offenses in the country, and are also in the top 40 defensively too.
10.18.2008
Mid-Game Report - NMSU and SJSU, 10/18
It's been one of the ugliest offensive games this season for SJSU, but its as predicted by other people - top defense topping top offense in the Western Athletic Conference.
The offense has been woeful on both sides, but the Spartans have been helped by interceptions by Kyle Flynn and Duke Ihenacho, who adds to his NCAA leading total.
The defense has hounded Aggie quarterback Chase Holbrook all game. At this point, all the Spartan offense needs to do is not suck worse, and the defense needs to keep holding.
The score at the half, 21-7 Spartans lead the Aggies.
10.15.2008
The Hot Seat - WAC Edition
Coaches on the hot seat:
Hal Mumme, New Mexico State - Hal Mumme had won a total of seven games in his three seasons in Las Cruces, and Aggies fans have to be getting antsy for some kind of winning season. Mumme joined the Aggies when the team joined the WAC, and so far it has been a stretch to justify whether or not he still deserves the job. An average year will buy Mumme another year, probably. A good one could score him an inordinate amount of good will.
Brent Guy, Utah State - Utah State is woeful again this season, and the fans in Logan can't take much more than this. USU should by all means be better than they have been, and all of the losing should be enough to indict Guy for poor work and fire him.
Rob Akey, Idaho - When Dennis Erickson left, the team fell to the hands of Rob Akey. The Vandals have shown improvement this year, and its first conference victory in two years shows it. The question arises whether or not Akey will continue to be around for it, considering the team's punchline status in the last three seasons.
Not going anywhere:
Greg MacMackin, Hawaii - As a new coach in a tough situation with a brutal non-conference schedule, the fact that the Warriors are even 3-3 right now is actually a miracle. The team didn't skip too much of a beat, but MacMackin's performance will only be acceptable for a little bit. The Warriors will need to return to the conference's elite in the next 18 months for MacMackin to stave off any suspicions. A good recruiting class and a strong finish this year will go a long way.
Dick Tomey, San Jose State - Tomey's too old to pull off another move. Hawaii wasn't in the cards at any point after June Jones left. If a team like Hawaii wasn't good enough to lure Tomey away, none of them will.
Pat Hill, Fresno State - If Pat Hill was leaving Fresno, he would have done it already. That's not to say that if the Bulldogs have a season like Hawaii did last year, he wouldn't take the first BCS job offered to him, but it's unlikely.
Hal Mumme, New Mexico State - Hal Mumme had won a total of seven games in his three seasons in Las Cruces, and Aggies fans have to be getting antsy for some kind of winning season. Mumme joined the Aggies when the team joined the WAC, and so far it has been a stretch to justify whether or not he still deserves the job. An average year will buy Mumme another year, probably. A good one could score him an inordinate amount of good will.
Brent Guy, Utah State - Utah State is woeful again this season, and the fans in Logan can't take much more than this. USU should by all means be better than they have been, and all of the losing should be enough to indict Guy for poor work and fire him.
Rob Akey, Idaho - When Dennis Erickson left, the team fell to the hands of Rob Akey. The Vandals have shown improvement this year, and its first conference victory in two years shows it. The question arises whether or not Akey will continue to be around for it, considering the team's punchline status in the last three seasons.
Not going anywhere:
Greg MacMackin, Hawaii - As a new coach in a tough situation with a brutal non-conference schedule, the fact that the Warriors are even 3-3 right now is actually a miracle. The team didn't skip too much of a beat, but MacMackin's performance will only be acceptable for a little bit. The Warriors will need to return to the conference's elite in the next 18 months for MacMackin to stave off any suspicions. A good recruiting class and a strong finish this year will go a long way.
Dick Tomey, San Jose State - Tomey's too old to pull off another move. Hawaii wasn't in the cards at any point after June Jones left. If a team like Hawaii wasn't good enough to lure Tomey away, none of them will.
Pat Hill, Fresno State - If Pat Hill was leaving Fresno, he would have done it already. That's not to say that if the Bulldogs have a season like Hawaii did last year, he wouldn't take the first BCS job offered to him, but it's unlikely.
10.13.2008
An Interesting look at this past weekends Utah State-San Jose State Match Up
Fox Sports featured this past weekends Aggies-Spartans match up in its online "Un-BCS Game of the Week."
The Un-BCS Game of the Week
Some of the comments made about this video are scathing, and I can't say I disagree with them. Among them, people talk about how much of pit Berkeley is right now (it is), and how nice San Jose and the campus is (which is true.) Other accusations include calling him a BCS Bigot and a BCS Harlot, both insults which appear to be true.
Although he takes a stab at the university's commuter status, which one commenter and I commend him on. San Jose State being unable to sell out Spartan Stadium is problematic, especially considering they are usually the only act in town on Saturday night (the Sharks rarely conflict schedule-wise.)
The problem I have with the feature? Ryan Sifferman, the host, is far too smug in putting down these two schools, and he obviously missed the boat on looking up SJSU's national ranking (67 in CBS Sports' Top 120, one behind UCLA and one in front of Hawaii.)
It's not fair. I want to be paid to be smug and condescending about average and bad football teams.
(Link was courtesy of Chris Bausinger, Spartan Daily Copy Editor.)
The Un-BCS Game of the Week
Some of the comments made about this video are scathing, and I can't say I disagree with them. Among them, people talk about how much of pit Berkeley is right now (it is), and how nice San Jose and the campus is (which is true.) Other accusations include calling him a BCS Bigot and a BCS Harlot, both insults which appear to be true.
Although he takes a stab at the university's commuter status, which one commenter and I commend him on. San Jose State being unable to sell out Spartan Stadium is problematic, especially considering they are usually the only act in town on Saturday night (the Sharks rarely conflict schedule-wise.)
The problem I have with the feature? Ryan Sifferman, the host, is far too smug in putting down these two schools, and he obviously missed the boat on looking up SJSU's national ranking (67 in CBS Sports' Top 120, one behind UCLA and one in front of Hawaii.)
It's not fair. I want to be paid to be smug and condescending about average and bad football teams.
(Link was courtesy of Chris Bausinger, Spartan Daily Copy Editor.)
10.12.2008
Musings: SJSU's next game, New Mexico State, Nevada and the other Middling Teams
San Jose State is now alone in first place in the Western Athletic Conference following its win against Utah State and Nevada's loss to New Mexico State this weekend.
This isn't to say the Wolf Pack aren't dangerous, but the Spartans have gained an advantage with Nevada and Fresno State both notching losses early in conference play. Yes, Boise State is still undefeated in conference play, and are still the odds-on favorite to win the WAC.
For now, San Jose State, for the first time probably in the team's 12 year time in the WAC, is the conference pacesetter. The Spartans still have a tough road ahead of them.
The San Jose State will play conference party crasher New Mexico State next weekend, who are suddenly 3-2 to open up the season. For the past three years, the Aggies had serves as one of many dogs in the conference.
Now, with quarterback Chase Holbrook at the helm, the offense is among the nation's best. The problem? New Mexico State's defense is still among the nation's worst. Giving up 45 points to anyone, win or lose, is shameful.
San Jose State is the reverse of New Mexico State, with one of the top-ranked defenses in the nation and toiling in the bottom quarter of teams for total offense.
The other knock against the Aggies comes from its schedule. New Mexico State has defeated lowly Texas-El Paso, FCS Alcorn State, and a Nevada team that has proven it can't actually stop anyone on the defensive side of the ball.
This is true across the WAC among its middling teams. Nevada's three wins this season are unimpressive for a team expected to compete for a bowl bid (FCS Grambling State, lowly Nevada-Las Vegas, and conference cupcake Idaho.) Louisiana Tech has had different problems, but with the same result - The Bulldogs have their signature win this season (BCS opponent Mississippi State, who defeated 13-ranked Vanderbilt this weekend), but have had problems against better competition this season.
San Jose State has a golden opportunity to graduate into the class of the division with Fresno, Hawaii, and Nevada all picking up conference losses early in conference play. The Spartans have to avoid a bad in-conference loss this season, and this includes New Mexico State. The Spartans offense is bad, but not that bad.
New Mexico State's offense is good, but not that good. It's defense is bad, and yes, it is that bad. Expect this match up to be an interesting one.
This isn't to say the Wolf Pack aren't dangerous, but the Spartans have gained an advantage with Nevada and Fresno State both notching losses early in conference play. Yes, Boise State is still undefeated in conference play, and are still the odds-on favorite to win the WAC.
For now, San Jose State, for the first time probably in the team's 12 year time in the WAC, is the conference pacesetter. The Spartans still have a tough road ahead of them.
The San Jose State will play conference party crasher New Mexico State next weekend, who are suddenly 3-2 to open up the season. For the past three years, the Aggies had serves as one of many dogs in the conference.
Now, with quarterback Chase Holbrook at the helm, the offense is among the nation's best. The problem? New Mexico State's defense is still among the nation's worst. Giving up 45 points to anyone, win or lose, is shameful.
San Jose State is the reverse of New Mexico State, with one of the top-ranked defenses in the nation and toiling in the bottom quarter of teams for total offense.
The other knock against the Aggies comes from its schedule. New Mexico State has defeated lowly Texas-El Paso, FCS Alcorn State, and a Nevada team that has proven it can't actually stop anyone on the defensive side of the ball.
This is true across the WAC among its middling teams. Nevada's three wins this season are unimpressive for a team expected to compete for a bowl bid (FCS Grambling State, lowly Nevada-Las Vegas, and conference cupcake Idaho.) Louisiana Tech has had different problems, but with the same result - The Bulldogs have their signature win this season (BCS opponent Mississippi State, who defeated 13-ranked Vanderbilt this weekend), but have had problems against better competition this season.
San Jose State has a golden opportunity to graduate into the class of the division with Fresno, Hawaii, and Nevada all picking up conference losses early in conference play. The Spartans have to avoid a bad in-conference loss this season, and this includes New Mexico State. The Spartans offense is bad, but not that bad.
New Mexico State's offense is good, but not that good. It's defense is bad, and yes, it is that bad. Expect this match up to be an interesting one.
10.06.2008
Patriots are better than Spartans
According to the San Jose Mercury News, there is reason to go down to the Spartan's practice field this week. The AFC Champion New England Patriots are practicing all week at San Jose State from now until its game in San Diego on Sunday.
Among the events will include a Bill Belichick interview and media time.
For an event that was kept under wraps by the university's athletics, word got out quickly (the Spartan Daily knew about it on Friday.)
Among the events will include a Bill Belichick interview and media time.
For an event that was kept under wraps by the university's athletics, word got out quickly (the Spartan Daily knew about it on Friday.)
9.30.2008
Strubeck and Cole named WAC Players of the Week
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.
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.
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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.
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