Photo by Brandon Nicolas
It hasn’t been the ideal start for San José State as the team sits at 1-4 going into its Oct. 7 matchup against Boise State.
The Spartans have played a gauntlet of a schedule with consecutive losses to two Top-20 teams (USC and Oregon State), a reigning conference champion (Toledo) and an undefeated conference foe (Air Force).
The rest of their schedule doesn’t get any easier with games against San Diego State and Fresno State in late October.
With the team on a bye week, here are some grades for each position group:
Quarterback: B
Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro has dealt with a lot this season. From injuries to the offense to a difficult schedule, he has really had to put the team on his back.
The 2023 Mountain West Preseason Offensive Player of the Year has passed career milestones while also being one of the only offensive playmakers on the roster. He has thrown for 1,022 yards and 6 touchdowns this season.
However, he threw interceptions in back-to-back games including the game-losing pick-six against Toledo and struggled to find a rhythm in the Spartans’ 45-20 loss to Air Force on Friday. It’ll be interesting to see if the bye week will help him get out of his interception slump.
Running backs: B+
Surprisingly, this position group has been one of the more consistent groups this season.
Kairee Robinson is on track to have a career year. He has scored a touchdown in every game he’s played and is living up to the Doak Walker Watch List award that he received back in August.
Freshman running back Jabari Bates has been a pleasant surprise this season, playing a vital role in the Spartans’ passing game. Junior transfer Quali Conley has been up-and-down this season, but has played well in short-distance situations.
The running backs have not been able to get the ball consistently because the team has been playing from behind for a majority of the season. With the carries the group has taken, they have done a formidable job establishing a good rushing attack.
Wide receivers: D+
To be fair, SJSU has been without Preseason All-Mountain West Conference receiver Justin Lockhart all season because of an undisclosed injury and won’t be getting him back.
But, the wide receiver group has been one of the reasons that this offense has regressed. Aside from junior wide receiver Nick Nash, there hasn’t been a wide receiver that has consistently played well this season.
Juniors Malikhi Miller and Charles Ross have combined for 26 catches for 322 yards in 5 games and 1 touchdown. Nash has 25 catches for 234 yards and 3 touchdowns in the same amount of games.
If the Spartans’ offense is going to get out of this slump, SJSU will need another playmaker on the outside to stretch the defense.
Offensive line: A-
After being one of the team’s weak points last season, SJSU’s offensive line has been strong up to this point. Led by veterans Jaime Navarro and Anthony Pardue, the Spartans have allowed just 6 sacks.
In the first five games last season, SJSU’s offensive line gave up 17 sacks.
Tight ends: C+
When SJSU’s tight ends have played, the group has been very effective in both the run and passing game. But the problem is the Spartans haven’t really played that often.
Tight end Dominick Mazotti missed a game because of injury. Starting tight end Sam Olson injured his knee against Toledo and is still questionable to start next week’s game against Boise State.
If SJSU can get back to full strength at the tight end spot, the group can help win games down the stretch.
Defensive line: F
SJSU’s defensive line has been the group that has struggled the most thus far. After losing all-conference defensive tackles Junior Fehoko and Cade Hall, the D-line has struggled to sack the quarterback and stop the run.
The Spartans have just 6 sacks and have allowed 216 average rushing yards a game. What was the team’s biggest strength last season has now turned into the team’s biggest weakness.
Linebackers: D
SJSU’s defensive line has held this defense back, but the linebackers are also culpable in the team’s failures in stopping the run.
Against Air Force, the Spartans gave up 400 yards rushing. A lot of the Falcons’ scheme attacked the second level of the defense where linebackers had to make open field tackles.
Juniors Bryun Parham and Jordan Cobbs have kept this group steady, but the Spartans need other linebackers to help in coverage and stop the run.
Defensive backs: C+
SJSU’s defensive backs struggled to start the season, partly because it had to face USC and Oregon State.
But lately they have been a lot better. Spartan defensive backs shut down Toledo quarterback Dequan Finn as SJSU allowed just 92 yards passing and intercepted Finn once.
Special teams: A+
By far the best group SJSU has is its special teams unit.
The Spartans rank first in the Mountain West and fourth in the nation in special teams efficiency. SJSU recovered three onside kicks this season, all of which came in critical moments of the game.
Senior punter Alex Weir currently ranks fourth in the Mountain West in net punt yards. Junior kicker Kyler Halvorsen has been one of the most efficient kickers in the conference and has not missed a field goal this season.
Coaching Staff: D
With two bowl appearances, Brent Brennan has been the reason that SJSU has had success in the past four seasons.
But even he will tell you he has to be better.
“I need to do a better job coaching this team,” Brennan said after the loss to Air Force Friday. “I’m as disappointed and as crushed as all the fans.”
In their last two games, the Spartans’ have been outscored 42-7 in the second half and is a big reason why the team sits at 1-4. The offense has looked anemic and the defense can’t stop a nosebleed.
For the Spartans to finish the season strong, they will have to start with better coaching.