Receiver Bailey Gaither celebrates his 69-yard touchdown reception with running back Kairee Robinson (32) in SJSU’s victory over New Mexico Saturday at CEFCU Stadium. Photo Courtesy of SJSU Athletics.
After months of uncertainty surrounding the Mountain West Conference season because of the coronavirus pandemic, San Jose State football is back and on a two-game winning streak.
Santa Clara County health department announced Oct. 13 that it moved to the orange tier, which is considered moderate
COVID-19 risk, in California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy tier system, a metric for which activities are allowed in which counties. This means the team is approved to play the season.
The new eight-game season began with SJSU defeating Air Force 17-6 and the University of New Mexico 38-21 at CEFCU Stadium.
Despite not being able to practice for this season sooner because of COVID-19 concerns, the Spartans are performing like a championship-caliber team.
The Spartans made good first impressions with both of their wins as the defense shined against the Falcons while the offense exploded against the Lobos. “I think we did a nice job in recruiting . . . there’s a couple pieces that we added to that front
that are going to make us a little more stout up front, which really helps,” head coach Brent Brennan said in the postgame news conference Oct. 24.
Punter Elijah Fischer said that the offseason for the team was very hectic, but that everyone stayed strong, worked hard and built-in their ability to win.
“We just have to keep improving on all three phases of the game during the week . . . offense, defense and special teams,” Fischer said. “There are always things we can improve upon during the week to polish up before our next game.”
Brennan said the win against New Mexico showed the team’s growth.
“I’m just so, just really excited about what our defense did tonight against that group from Air Force,” Brennan said. “I mean, what a special effort across the board.”
SJSU also began the season with a 2-0 record which is a first for the team since 1987.
Quarterback Nick Starkel, who transferred from the University of Arkansas, led the team on offense during both wins and was named Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week.
“It was really fun to see our team play like that,” Brennan said. “I think our defense did a great job handling the unknown of what New Mexico was going to be.”
In a Nov. 2 Zoom meeting, Brennan said that in order to keep the momentum and beat San Diego State this Friday, the team needs to run the ball more effectively.
“[You have to do this] especially if you’re going to win games against good teams and closed out those games,” he said. “I felt like we found some of that [running the ball] late in the game the other night, which I was excited about.”
The Aztecs will put the Spartans to the test on Friday as both teams are going into the game with undefeated records.
San Diego State is going into the game as the favorite, according to ESPN’s matchup predictor, with an estimated 82% chance
of winning.
This game will most likely come down to Starkel’s ability to move the ball down the field against the Aztecs defense.
Running back coach Alonzo Carter said that he’s seen immense growth from the team’s seniors since their freshman year.
“I think we’ve seen the maturation of a fourth year under coach Brennan,” Carter said. “The fourth year of those seniors taking over and having enough confidence to say, ‘We have each other’s back.’ ”
SJSU is set to play the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Fresno State, Boise State, Hawaii State and the University of Nevada in the upcoming weeks.
The Spartans are proving to be a force to reckon with after their two wins, but getting far in this shortened season all depends on whether the team stays consistent.
If SJSU stays consistent, then a championship game appearance doesn’t seem so far fetched.