Tag: San Jose State Spartans

Sep 27, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal linebacker Zach Johnson (38) celebrates with linebacker Tevarua Tafiti (11) during the second quarter against the San Jose State Spartans at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Stanford storms back, escapes with 1-point victory over San Jose State

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Sedrick Irvin scored on a 1-yard run with 19 seconds left to lift Stanford to a 30-29 win against visiting San Jose State on Saturday night in Stanford, Calif.

The Cardinal drove 80 yards in 12 plays on the final drive, getting a first down on fourth-and-10 on a 34-yard catch by Caden High with 1:12 remaining.

Stanford quarterback Ben Gulbranson recorded 444 yards and two touchdowns on 29-of-43 passing.

CJ Williams caught 12 passes for 138 yards, and High caught five passes for 110 yards for the Cardinal (2-3).

San Jose quarterback Walker Eget completed 36-of-58 passes for 481 yards and three touchdowns.

Three receivers went over 100 yards for the Spartans (1-3).

Kyri Shoels caught 10 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown, Danny Scudero caught 11 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns, and Leland Smith finished with six receptions for 101 yards.

Cole Tabb scored on an 8-yard run to cap an 11-play, 81-yard opening drive by Stanford and give it an early 7-0 lead.

Denis Lynch cut it to 7-3 with a 41-yard field on San Jose State’s opening drive.

The Spartans recovered a fumble at the Stanford 24 following a sack, leading to a 10-yard touchdown reception by Scudero, giving San Jose State a 10-7 lead with 55 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Lynch booted a 36-yarder to extend the lead to 13-7 with 7:59 remaining in the first half, but Stanford quickly answered with a seven-play, 77-yard drive and retook the lead, 14-13, on a 15-yard touchdown catch by Sam Roush with 4:06 left in the half.

The Spartans came back with a 29-yard touchdown grab by Shoels to move back in front 20-14 with 1:59 left in the half.

Lynch missed a 28-yarder with 59 seconds left in the half and a 29-yarder from the same right hash with 3:52 remaining in the third quarter, his sixth missed field goal of the season.

The Spartans didn’t rely on Lynch the next time they got close to the end zone, instead scoring on a 5-yard touchdown catch by Scudero. The two-point conversion try was no good, leaving the score at 26-14 with 14:15 left in the game.

Stanford then marched down the field and cut the deficit to 26-21 on a 14-yard touchdown catch by Myles Libman with 12:19 left.

Lynch came back out and nailed a 31-yard field goal from the same right hash marks to extend the lead to 29-21 with 7:50 left.

A 54-yard reception by Micah Ford helped lead Stanford to the San Jose State 18, but the Cardinal had to settle for a 36-yard field goal by Emmet Kenney that cut the deficit to 29-24 with 5:54 left.

–Field Level Media

Nov 29, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose State Spartans wide receiver Nick Nash (3) does a postgame interview after their win over the Stanford Cardinal at CEFCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

No Nick Nash, San Jose State sets sights on South Florida

Posted on | by Field Level Media

All those curious to see if San Jose State wideout Nick Nash is the real deal will have to wait.

Nash, a consensus All-American, has opted out of the Hawaii Bowl and won’t be suited up when the Spartans battle South Florida on Tuesday night at Honolulu.

Nash won the college receiver triple crown by leading the nation with 104 catches, 1,382 receiving yards and 16 touchdown receptions. He is San Jose State’s first consensus first-team All-American and was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award won by Colorado’s Travis Hunter.

On Wednesday, he ended the suspense by announcing he would skip the game.

“It has been an amazing ride,” Nash said on social media. “After much consideration, I have decided that it is best that I do not participate in the upcoming bowl game.”

Spartans coach Ken Niumatalolo said Nash will begin preparing for the NFL draft. He said he kept the door open for Nash to play as long as he could.

“He’s been our best player and he was thinking about things, but finally made a decision with his family after all the pros and cons that he was going to get ready for the next level,” Niumatalolo said.

“… Nick needs to do what’s best for him. I understand it. I definitely would love for him to play but he’s earned it.”

The Spartans (7-5) still figure to be able to move the ball through the air as quarterback Walker Eget topped 300 passing yards in four of his six starts.

Eget has passed for 2,224 yards and 11 touchdowns against nine interceptions. He replaced Emmett Brown as the starter for the game against Wyoming on Oct. 19.

Defensively, San Jose State leads the nation with 20 interceptions with safety Robert Rahimi (five) and cornerback DJ Harvey (four) leading the way. Harvey won’t be playing after entering the transfer portal and choosing Southern California.

Also, linebacker Jordan Pollard has a team-best 110 tackles.

South Florida (6-6) averaged 49.7 points in its victories and scored 51 total points in five of its six setbacks.

The Bulls traveled roughly 4,700 miles from Tampa to Honolulu and coach Alex Golesh and is focused on making sure his players get to enjoy the locale without compromising football preparations.

“When it’s time for ball, it’s time for ball. When we’re locked in, you make it about the football,” Golesh said. “When it’s time to get away, then you can make it about your teammates. I mean, I realize we’re going to one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’ll be the first time for just about everybody. I want them to enjoy and reap the rewards of earning the right to do this, while keeping the primary reason we’re out there at the forefront.”

South Florida kept its focus last season when it steamrolled Syracuse 45-0 in the Boca Raton Bowl.

Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown is close to a return after missing the past seven games due to a lower-leg injury sustained against Tulane on Sept. 28. Bryce Archie is expected to start and has thrown for 1,679 yards, nine touchdowns and nine interceptions.

“I don’t know if it (Brown’s potential return) will be truly an emotional lift,” Golesh said. “Obviously, the operation going back to what they’re used to would certainly be nice. But I think Bryce has really settled in nicely in terms of being able to function.

“I don’t want to overplay it or underplay it. That’s your starting quarterback and he certainly didn’t leave the way he wanted to, getting hurt in the middle of a game we were fighting to stay in.”

The Bulls also feature Sean Atkins, who holds the school record of 189 career receptions and ranks second with 2,063 receiving yards.

The teams have met once with South Florida notching a 42-22 victory at San Jose in 2017.

–Field Level Media

Aug 26, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Jose State Spartans wide receiver Nick Nash (3) catches a touchdown pass in front of Southern California Trojans cornerback Ceyair Wright (22) during the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Nick Nash, San Jose State take aim at Washington State

Posted on | by Field Level Media

San Jose State and Washington State both feature 3-0 records and standout offensive players entering Friday night’s game at Pullman, Wash.

Nick Nash, who is the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week, set the San Jose State record for receptions in a regular-season game with 17 in a 31-10 victory over visiting Kennesaw State last weekend.

He finished with 225 yards receiving and three touchdown receptions.

San Jose State’s Emmett Brown completed 26 of 38 pass attempts for 355 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions.

Nash leads the country in touchdown receptions (six), receiving yards (485), receiving yards per game (161.7), catches (34) and receptions per game (11.3).

Nash entered the transfer portal after coach Brent Brennan left for Arizona but decided to stay because he wanted to continue within offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann’s system.

“Coach Stutzmann is a very passionate guy, he loves this offense, it’s his baby,” Nash said. “That’s why I stayed, I could see the vision and I’m happier than ever that I did.”

San Jose State’s new coach Ken Niumatalolo said of Nash: “I’m just grateful he stayed. I tell him that after every win.”

Washington State is coming off a 24-19 win over rival Washington in the Apple Cup at Seattle, a game in which John Mateer completed 17 of 34 passes for 245 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

He also rushed for a team-high 62 yards with two scores. Mateer leads the country with 19.2 yards per completion.

“You know, he’s just getting started,” Cougars coach Jake Dickert said of Mateer, a sophomore. “This is his third start, and he’s passing and running. He’s just a warrior out there.”

Mateer became Washington State’s starting quarterback after Cam Ward transferred to Miami.

“I don’t know if it’s set in yet, but seeing all the guys super happy and excited feels good,” Mateer said after beating the rival Huskies. “I am super happy for all the coaches and myself, too. It means so much to these guys.”

–Field Level Media

Aug 26, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Jose State Spartans head coach Brent Brennan watches game action against the Southern California Trojans during the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Arizona tabs San Jose State’s Brent Brennan as coach

Posted on | by Field Level Media

San Jose State’s Brent Brennan agreed to a five-year contract to become the next head football coach at Arizona, ESPN reported on Tuesday.

Financial terms were not disclosed for Brennan, who will fill the vacancy left after Jedd Fisch departed to replace Kalen DeBoer at Washington on Sunday. DeBoer accepted a position at Alabama after Nick Saban retired last week.

Brennan, 50, previously was a finalist for the Arizona job in 2020 when Fisch was hired to replace the fired Kevin Sumlin.

Brennan has a 34-48 record as head coach of the Spartans, although he was 26-19 in the last four seasons. He guided San Jose State to its first Mountain West championship in 2020 as well as three bowl appearances (2020, 2022, 2023).

Fisch, 47, coached the Wildcats to a 10-3 record and a No. 11 final ranking in the AP poll this season.

Arizona finished the season with seven consecutive victories, including a 38-24 win over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl.

Overall, Fisch went 16-21 in three seasons with the Wildcats. His first team went 1-11 in 2021 before winning five games the following year and made another jump this season.

–Field Level Media

Oct 9, 2021; Carson, California, USA; San Diego State Aztecs running back Greg Bell (22) runs the ball against the New Mexico Lobos during the second half at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

No. 24 San Diego St. on upset alert against San Jose St.

Posted on | by Field Level Media

If coach Brady Hoke has his way, No. 24 San Diego State won’t take anything for granted Friday night at San Jose State.

“Look at Nevada, they beat Boise State last week and then Boise State beat BYU today,” Hoke said Saturday night after the Aztecs’ 31-7 win over New Mexico in Carson, Calif. “It tells you how good the Mountain West is and what kind of football teams we’re going to have to face in the future.”

What Saturday night also revealed is that the Aztecs (5-0, 1-0 MW) are equipped to win every game with a good running game and a solid defense but must go into each contest wondering just what they’ll get out of the quarterback position.

The Lobos, even with former San Diego State head coach Rocky Long as their defensive coordinator, don’t possess anything resembling top-ranked Georgia’s defense. However, for long stretches, New Mexico made the Aztecs’ offense look pedestrian.

Aztecs quarterback Jordon Brookshire is a capable runner but has completed just 28 of 57 passes for 389 yards in three games played. Backup Lucas Johnson is accurate (27 of 46) but doesn’t have a big arm (only 196 yards).

Brookshire was only 11 of 24 for 130 yards against New Mexico, and it took work to get there. He started the game 3 of 11.

“Jordon got himself out of a rut,” Hoke said. “He did a good job getting himself in a good place from a fundamental standpoint.”

A mediocre passing game hasn’t mattered yet. Greg Bell (520 rushing yards, five scores) would be welcome in a lot of Power 5 locker rooms as a starter, and San Diego State makes big plays on defense. The Aztecs have 18 sacks and seven interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.

Meanwhile, San Jose State (3-3, 1-1) hasn’t been able to follow up last year’s breakthrough with the kind of success it was hoping for, dropping to .500 with a 32-14 loss Saturday at Colorado State.

The Spartans have been hurt by a combination of injuries and turnovers. Quarterback Nick Starkel (left arm) has missed the past two games. Backup Nick Nash starred in a 37-31 win over New Mexico State and tossed three touchdown passes, but was just 11 of 22 for 154 passing yards with an interception last weekend against the Rams.

Starkel’s status for Friday night wasn’t known since coach Brent Brennan doesn’t discuss injuries, but it’s a certainty that Brennan would like to see his team come out on top in the turnover battle. The Spartans have coughed up 13 through six games and forced only three.

“We are still a work in progress,” Brennan said. “I guess you could say we are still very much like a Silicon Valley startup.”

If San Jose State can take care of the ball, it might have a chance to pull off the upset. The Spartans possess one of the top tight ends on the West Coast in Derrick Deese Jr., who has 11 catches and two touchdowns over the past two games.

The Aztecs own a 22-20-2 lead in the all-time series, although the Spartans’ 28-17 win last year in Carson snapped a seven-game losing streak.

–Field Level Media

Dec 18, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Kedon Slovis (9) throws the ball in the first quarter against the Oregon Ducks during the Pac-12 Championship at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

San Jose State takes on No. 15 Southern California

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Reigning Mountain West Conference champion San Jose State seeks a landmark win Saturday, traveling to Los Angeles to face a No. 15-ranked Southern California team with designs on a Pac-12 championship in 2021.

It is the season opener for USC, which is 4-0 against the Spartans all time. The Trojans will play in front of a home crowd for the first time since routing rival UCLA at the conclusion of the 2019 regular season more than 21 months ago.

Quarterback Kedon Slovis set a program record with 515 passing yards in that game, and returned as a sophomore in 2020 to guide USC to the Pac-12 title game.

Despite the Trojans’ perfect regular season, however, Slovis’ individual production regressed. He finished 2020 completing almost 5 percent fewer of his pass attempts, threw almost as many interceptions in six games (seven) as the previous season’s 13 games (nine) and his yards per attempt dipped from 8.9 to 7.3.

“Going through all those feelings and adversity and not feeling your best to now, feeling pretty good, the best I’ve felt in a long time,” Slovis told the Los Angeles Times of his efforts to get back to form after a slight sophomore slump. “It felt like a long journey. I’m just happy to be on the back end of that.”

Slovis is throwing to an outstanding wide receiving corps, including 6-foot-5 playmaker Drake London and veteran Colorado transfer K.D. Nixon. The running back rotation returns fifth-year contributor Vavae Malepeai and Kenan Christon, a promising change-of-pace back who showed flashes of brilliance in 2019.

But defense might be the central component to USC’s Pac-12 title chances.

Coordinator Todd Orlando has a talented rotation in his first full season with the Trojans, including defensive backs Chris Steele and Isaiah Pola-Mao, edge rusher Drake Jackson and the defensive line duo of Nick Figueroa and Tuli Tuipulotu.

The USC defense faces an immediate test from San Jose State (1-0). Veteran quarterback Nick Starkel led the Spartans to their first Mountain West championship a season ago, and opened the new season last Saturday with 394 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-14 blowout of Southern Utah.

“Our offense is built not around specific players, but around schemes,” Starkel told the San Jose Mercury News. “So being able to have 10 different guys that can catch the ball and more that you are trying to get the ball to is huge for this team.”

“(Offensive coordinator) Kevin McGiven is one of the best play callers in the country. He’s an incredible teacher, and I think Nick would agree with that,” San Jose State coach Brent Brennan said in his postgame press conference.

San Jose State held opponents to 19.9 points per game in 2020 thanks in part to an aggressive pass rush, and the Spartans return standout defensive ends Cade Hall and Viliami Fehoko. The duo combined for 16 sacks a season ago.

USC counters with an offensive line built around veteran All-Pac-12 honorees Jalen McKenzie and Andrew Vorhees. Saturday marks the 26th career start for Vorhees.

–Field Level Media

Dec 31, 2020; Tucson, AZ, USA; San Jose State Spartans tight end Derrick Deese Jr. (87) is upended against the Ball State Cardinals in the first half of the Arizona Bowl at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Ball State captures first bowl win in history vs. No. 22 San Jose State

Posted on | by Field Level Media

No. 22 San Jose State was in a bind before Thursday’s Arizona Bowl started with eight coaches and players not available for undisclosed reasons, which contributed to the Spartans’ 34-13 loss to Ball State in Tucson.

Behind Drew Plitt’s 217 yards on 12-of-19 passing, the Cardinals (7-1) achieved their first bowl victory in program history and are now 1-8-1.

A few minutes before kickoff, San Jose State (7-1) announced offensive and defensive coordinators — Kevin McGiven and Derrick Odum, respectively — and Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Cade Hall, a defensive end, were unavailable for the game.

Also not in Arizona Stadium were receiver Bailey Gaither, running back/kickoff returner Shamar Garrett, safety Tre Jenkins and offensive linemen Kyle Hoppe and Tyler Stevens.

Hall led San Jose State this season with 10 sacks and 12 tackles for loss and was named a first-team All-America this week by the Sporting News.

The Spartans also lost tight end Derrick Deese, who had a team-high five touchdown receptions entering the game, after he hurt his neck early in the first quarter while making a reception.

Ball State stunned San Jose State with a 27-0 lead in the first quarter, and it maintained that advantage at halftime.

Antonio Phillips started the scoring returning an interception 53 yards to the end zone with 12:47 left in the first quarter.

Nick Starkel, the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, threw the pick. He completed 25 of 42 passes for 268 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. He sat out a possession in the second quarter because of a knee injury.

Will Jones and Tye Evans each scored on 3-yard runs in Ball State’s first two offensive possessions and then Plitt rushed in from a yard on a quarterback sneak to put the Cardinals ahead 27-0 with 1:04 left in the first quarter.

His score occurred six plays after Ball State’s Nic Jones blocked a punt, giving the Cardinals the ball at the San Jose State 35.

Plitt’s 48-yard touchdown pass to Yo’Heinz Tyler with 9:42 left in the third quarter increased the lead to 34-0.

Charlie Bostic followed with a 99-yard kickoff return to put San Jose State on the board. A 2-point conversion pass failed.

Starkel’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Jermai Braddock with 1 second left in the third quarter completed the scoring.

–Field Level Media

Nov 14, 2020; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose State Spartans quarterback Nick Starkel (17) passes the football during the first quarter against the UNLV Rebels at CEFCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

No. 24 San Jose State finally bests Boise State to win MWC title

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Nick Starkel threw three touchdown passes and set a conference title game record with 453 passing yards to lead No. 24 San Jose State to a 34-20 victory over Boise State on Saturday in the Mountain West championship game at Las Vegas.

Tre Walker caught seven passes for 137 yards and a touchdown for the Spartans (7-0), who prevailed in the program’s first-ever championship game appearance. Isaiah Hamilton and Derrick Deese Jr. also caught touchdown passes from Starkel, who completed 32 of 52 passes and surpassed the conference title-game record of 404 yards set by former Fresno State star Derek Carr in 2013.

Matt Mercurio kicked four goals as San Jose State opened a season with seven straight wins for the first time since the school’s 1939 squad went unbeaten in 13 contests. The victory also marks San Jose State’s first win over the Broncos (5-2) in 15 all-time meetings.

Boise State’s Avery Williams returned a punt 69 yards for a score to match the FBS career return touchdowns record of nine that was held by Washington’s Dante Pettis.

Hank Bachmeier rushed for a touchdown and completed 20 of 41 passes for 221 yards for the Broncos.

San Jose State’s domination included a 498-233 edge in total offense. The Spartans held the Broncos to 12 rushing yards and received two sacks from Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Cade Hall.

Boise State trailed 19-6 late in the third quarter when Williams fielded a punt near the right sideline, maneuvered to his left and then jetted up field. He cruised down the sideline with only punter Elijah Fischer to beat and he dove toward the end zone with the ball scraping the pylon for a touchdown that brought the Broncos within 19-13 with 2:48 remaining in the period.

San Jose State answered with a nine-play, 75-yard drive in which Starkel threw a 30-yard scoring pass to Hamilton and a two-point conversion toss to Sam Olson to make it 27-13 with 14:17 left in the game.

Bachmeier scored on a 2-yard run on fourth-and-goal to pull Boise State within 27-20 with 10:51 left. The Spartans boosted their lead back to 14 when Starkel threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Deese with 3:48 remaining en route to finishing off perhaps the biggest win in school history.

Mercurio kicked all four of his field goals in the second quarter to help the Spartans take a 19-6 lead.

San Jose State struck first when Walker caught a short pass from Starkel and eluded Boise State safety JL Skinner and raced down the left sideline for a 55-yard touchdown with 8:36 left in the opening stanza.

Jonah Dalmas booted a 51-yard field goal with 3:31 left in the quarter. Mercurio connected from 24, 36, 26 and 32 yards to give the Spartans a 19-3 advantage before Dalmas kicked a 50-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.

–Field Level Media

Dec 17, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; A general view of Sam Boyd Stadium during the 25th Las Vegas Bowl between the San Diego State Aztecs and the Houston Cougars. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

San Jose State-Nevada moved to Las Vegas

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Because of a local ban prohibiting sports of any kind in their county, San Jose State will move its football game against Nevada on Friday to Las Vegas.

San Jose State is located in Santa Clara County, which implemented the ban last week. The restrictions also forced the San Francisco 49ers to relocate practices and at least two home games to the Phoenix area.

The Spartans (5-0) were scheduled to play host to Hawaii on Saturday, but that game was moved to Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. San Jose State stayed undefeated with a 35-24 victory.

Friday’s San Jose State-Nevada game will be played at Sam Boyd Stadium, the former home of the UNLV football program. New Mexico is also using the same facility for games after it was forced from home because of their own COVID-19 restrictions.

–Field Level Media