San Jose State to host Army at Levi’s Stadium on Saturday

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose State Spartans are set to host the Army Black Knights at Levi’s Stadium on Saturday afternoon at 12:30 pm PT on ESPNU and Watch ESPN.

In case you missed it, check out head coach Brent Brennan’s most recent press conference regarding the Spartans.

Here’s what you should know coming into Saturday’s matinee:

San Jose State’s record
0-5, 0-2 Mountain West. Most recently, the Spartans lost to Colorado State, 42-30, on October 6th.

Army West Point’s record
3-2. Most recently, the Black Knights defeated the Buffalo Bulls, 42-13, on September 29th.

What channels will the game be on?
ESPNU and WatchESPN will provide play-by-play coverage of the SJSU-Army game.  The live telecast is scheduled for 12:30 pm PT.

What stations will the game be broadcasted?
KLIV (1590 AM, San Jose) originates SJSU football broadcasts. Justin Allegri calls the play-by-play. Kevin Richardson provides commentary.

The Army broadcast begins at 12:00 pm PT with a pregame show.

SJSU’s network affiliate is KION (1460 AM/101.1 FM, Salinas).

For the first time
This will be the first meeting between the two teams. SJSU and Army are slated to play a home-and-home series through the 2021 season. The Black Knights would be the home team in 2019 and 2021.

38th school
SJSU will become the 38th school to play the three FBS service academy teams (Air Force, Army and Navy) with the completion of the Army game.

30 points
SJSU’s one of at least two teams to score 30 points in a quarter this season with its 30-point third quarter in its recent 42-30 loss to Colorado State.

North Texas scored 31 points in the second quarter of a 58-16 win over Incarnate Word on September 8th.

The last time SJSU scored 30 or more points in a quarter was a 35-point second quarter in a 69-41 win at UTEP on November 3, 2003.

Safety first
For the first time since playing in the 2012 Military Bowl, SJSU was credited with a two-point safety when Boogie Roberts tackled Colorado State running back Izzy Matthews in the Rams’ end zone on a first-down rushing attempt that started at the two-yard line.

National leader
Dakari Monroe’s the FBS national leader in passes defended with his 2.4 average. Monroe was credited with a personal single-game best four pass break-ups in the Colorado State game on October 6th.

For the season, Monroe has two pass interceptions and 10 pass break-ups.

The Josh Oliver factor
For the fifth consecutive week, Josh Oliver is the leading pass receiver among FBS tight ends. Oliver is averaging 6.20 receptions a game and has 31 catches for the season.

Oliver’s the only tight end listed among the FBS’ top-50 pass receivers in games played through October 6.

22 of Oliver’s 31 receptions this season resulted in a SJSU first down.

Oliver and Stanford’s Kaden Smith share the national lead for receiving yards by a listed tight end at 382 in games played through October 6th.

#22 is #2 again
For the second consecutive week, Thai Cottrell ranks second nationally in kickoff return average at 33.9 per return.

This season, Cottrell has returns of 96 at Oregon, 72 versus Hawaii and 44 yards versus Colorado State. Cottrell’s previous long return was 28 yards during the 2017 season.

Five-game streak in 2018
For the first time since the 2013 season, SJSU has a pass interception in five consecutive games in the same season.  With a pair of interceptions in the final game of the 2017 season, the Spartans have a six-game streak going intercepting a pass.

SJSU added two interceptions to its total versus Colorado State on October 6th. The Spartans have nine for the season–three more than in 2017–to rank seventh nationally among FBS schools.

Spartan nation, keep in mind that the Spartans have the heart, grit and energy. All the Spartans need to top off their actions is to put more than two wins in the win column this season.

Earthquakes hire new head coach Matias Almeyda

Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Earthquakes announced Monday that the club has hired Matias Almeyda as their latest head coach. Almeyda’s a former Argentina National Team midfielder who most recently led Mexican side Chivas de Guadalajara to the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League title. Interim head coach Steve Ralston will remain in his position for the final two matches of the 2018 MLS season before Almeyda takes over in 2019.

The assistants on Almedya’s coaching staff will be announced at a later date.

“What we saw in Matias was a coach that brought success by creating a culture we strive to emulate,” said Earthquakes general manager Jesse Fioranelli. “He has demonstrated leadership qualities in Argentina with River Plate and Banfield, as well as in Mexico with Chivas. He has always had a winning mentality, both as a player and a coach, and most importantly, he is someone that knows how to redirect a team in a difficult situation with a commitment to a distinct style of play and youth development.

“Matias came here because he welcomes the challenge of helping our organization open a new chapter after a grueling season. He had several other opportunities available to him from clubs and national teams around the world but made it very clear the Earthquakes were the one he wanted to lead.”

Almeyda, 44, comes to San Jose with an extensive background both as a player and manager. He most recently served as head coach of Chivas from September 2015 to June 2018, where he led the club to five trophies in his three seasons. During his tenure, Almeyda managed numerous Mexican National Team players, including Carlos Salcedo, Omar Bravo, Alan Pulido, Oswaldo Alanis, Rodolfo Pizarro, Miguel Angel Ponce and Isaac Brizuela.

Almeyda’s side won the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League with consecutive wins over MLS clubs Seattle Sounders FC (3-1 agg.), New York Red Bulls (1-0 agg.) and Toronto FC (3-3 agg.; 4-2 PKs). It marked the club’s first CONCACAF Champions League title since 1962, the first year of the competition’s existence, and secured Chivas’ first-ever qualification for the FIFA Club World Cup.

In addition to their international success, Chivas also performed well domestically under Almeyda. Chivas won the nation’s biannual tournament, Copa MX, in 2015 (Apertura) and 2017 (Clausura), as well as the 2016 Supercopa MX. The club also won the Clausura 2017 Liga MX championship, their first league title in more than 20 years. He was subsequently named Liga MX’s Best Coach after winning the league double.

Prior to joining Chivas in 2015, Almeyda was head coach for multiple clubs in his native Argentina.

In June 2011, Almeyda made the rare transition from player to head coach, where he was tasked with leading a River Plate side that had just suffered relegation. In his debut season as manager, Almeyda led the Argentine power to a commanding 20-5-13 record and promotion back to the nation’s top league. The team also reached the semifinals of Copa Argentina with five consecutive victories, in which they allowed one total goal, before bowing out to Racing in penalties.

Almeyda left River Plate in November 2012, joining Argentina’s Club Atletico Banfield a few months later. Banfield had also recently suffered relegation and turned to Almeyda to restore the club to the Primera División.

Banfield won the championship and earned promotion in his first season, finishing with a 22-8-12 record and +31 goal differential, scoring a league-best 71 goals in 42 games. Only one other team finished with more than 54 goals that season.

After avoiding relegation in 2014, Almeyda’s side surged ahead in 2015, finishing in eighth place in the 30-team league with a 14-8-8 record and earning qualification for the 2016 Copa Sudamericana. Almeyda departed for Chivas after the team’s successful 2015 season.

Almeyda became a head coach after a lengthy playing career that featured stints in five countries. The defensive midfielder played in nearly 300 club matches, including 129 in Italy’s top-flight Serie A, 63 in Argentina’s Primera División and 28 in Spain’s La Liga, also making 20 appearances in UEFA Champions League competition. He featured for some of the world’s most storied clubs, including Inter Milan, Lazio, Sevilla and River Plate.

Among the trophies he helped lift as a player are three Argentinian championships (’93, ’95, ’96), one Copa Libertadores (’96), one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (’99), one UEFA Super Cup (’00), three Italian Cups (‘98, ‘00, ’02) and one Italian championship (’00).

Almeyda started and ended his playing career at River Plate, retiring in 2011, and immediately taking the reins as head coach at age 37.

Internationally, Almeyda made 35 appearances for the Argentina National Team, scoring five goals. He represented his country at the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups.

San Jose State looks forward to Saturday’s game vs. Army at Levi’s Stadium

Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — This past weekend, San Jose State flipped the script by putting up 30 unanswered points versus Colorado State. While the Spartans saw a boost in their confidence levels, the “C” grade went to the Rams, who won last Saturday’s game 42-30 for a strange victory.

Fast forward to Monday afternoon, where head coach Brent Brennan gave his weekly press conference inside Simpkins Stadium Center at CEFCU Stadium.

Here’s my Q&A with Brennan:

1. It appears that the Spartans don’t have a strategy to close out football games. Has the coaching staff found a way to ensure the team won’t allow the next opponent to retake the lead and eventually win the game?
The goal is always to win the game. The hard part is closing out a game. I think everyone we play is good. It’s hard to beat anybody. So what it comes down to is being locked in and finding a way to either get a stop or move the football. We had multiple chances in the last two games to do that, so obviously that’s something that we’ve been talking about a lot.

2. The Spartans’ on-the-field confidence looks like it has increased. How can the team continue to ride high on its momentum coming into Saturday’s game vs. Army? Army most recently blew out Buffalo 42-13.
Army’s got a really good football team. I think everybody knows that. I think they have the total respect of everybody in this country. For us to continue to build some momentum, continue to develop as a football team, the biggest, most important thing is how we practice tomorrow. That’s the next chance for our players to get coached up and watch the film and get some comfort with what we’re doing, so tomorrow’s a really important day and the best way for us to build on our momentum is to continue to practice our tails off and continue to put in the work that’s necessary to win.

3. There’s a chance there will be an increase in fans and viewers for Saturday’s game at Levi’s Stadium. Do you think the extra crowd noise will be a positive factor for the Spartans?
Yes, absolutely!

Spartan nation, don’t miss out on the VIP-style events this week. The Spartans will be hosting Casino Night at Santana Row this Thursday. All proceeds will benefit the Spartan Athletic Fund. You can register through this link: . After that, San Jose State will take on Army at Levi’s Stadium for a Saturday matinee at 12:30 pm PT. If you can’t make it Saturday, you can watch the national stream on ESPNU or listen to the local broadcast on KLIV 1590 AM.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal looks to make amends against winless UCLA at home this Saturday

photo from 247sports.com file photo: Cal quarterback Brandon McIlwain is all smiles before a game against BYU on Sep 8th who threw against the Arizona Wildcats last Saturday

On the Cal podcast with Morris:

#1 The Bears (3-2) gave the Arizona Wildcats (3-3) two touchdowns in a 24-17 give away. How badly did the defense falter?

#2 Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said looking ahead Cal is going to play in some tough environments and Saturday’s game performance was unacceptable.

#3 Cal quarterback Brandon McIlvain became Cal’s third starting quarterback platooning with quarterback Chase Garbers the three previous games. When Cal got into their third quarterback, you knew there were problems on offense.

#4 McIlwain threw 43 times, 32 completions, 2 touchdowns, 20 carries for 107 yards and passed for 315 yards. He did it all.

#5 This Saturday, October 13th, Cal hosts UCLA (0-5). Do you see Cal, who started out 3-0–now 3-2, having a chance to get back into the win column against the Bruins?

Morris does the Cal Bears podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Chargers’ 26-10 win drops the Raiders to 1-4 on the season

Photo credit: @Raiders

By Jeremy Kahn

Once again, the Oakland Raiders are full of excuses after yet another loss to a division opponent, the Los Angeles Chargers, during the 2018 season.

Philip Rivers found Austin Ekeler for a 44-yard touchdown pass, as the Chargers broke a 3-3 tie on their way to a 26-10 victory over the Raiders at Stubhub Center on Sunday.

That touchdown from Rivers to Ekeler started a 19-0 run for the Chargers, as the Raiders fall to 1-4 on the season.

Ekeler’s touchdown reception began very strangely, as Rivers bobbled the snap on first-and-10; however, he was able to get rid of it, while getting away from three blitzing Raiders defenders. The running back got away from two Raiders at the 40 yard-line, and then got a key block from Keenan Allen on his way to the end zone to the give the Chargers the lead for good with just over four minutes remaining in the second quarter.

That was one of four plays of 25 yards or more for the Chargers, who have 29 plays of 20 yards or more on the season. Only the Chargers cross-town rival, the Los Angeles Rams and long-time rival, the Kansas City Chiefs have more with 30.

Rivers ended the afternoon with 339 yards, and it was the 59th career 300-yard game since he joined the NFL in 2004. It was also the eighth 300-yard game against the Raiders, as he went 22-for-27 on the afternoon.

Melvin Gordon rushed for 58 yards and was on the receiving end for 62 yards, as he extended the Chargers lead up to 17-3 at the half on a one-yard touchdown run.

The Gordon touchdown was setup when Martavis Bryant fumbled the ball, and Jahleel Addae recovered the fumble at the Raiders’ 45-yard line.

Derek Carr was sacked three times, and the Raiders turned the ball over twice, giving the Chargers 13 points.

It was a tough night for Marshawn Lynch, who entered the game fourth in the NFL in rushing was held to just nine carries for 31 yards.

Carr went 24-for-33 for 268 yards with a touchdown and an interception that of course brought another excuse from Jon Gruden.

With the ball on the Chargers one-yard line, Carr threw an ill-fated interception instead of handing the ball off to Lynch and was reminded people of the Pete Carroll call at the end of Super Bowl 49, when Russell Wilson threw an interception instead of handing the ball off to Lynch and ended costing the Seattle Seahawks a chance at their second consecutive Super Bowl Championship.

“We had bad plays today,” said Gruden. “I think we pressed a little bit. The play calling needs to improve. That’s my job. We’ve got to play better collectively than we did today.”

In all four of their losses, Gruden has made excuses and yet here is another one just five games into the season.

UP NEXT: After the short trip to Southern California, the Raiders return “HOME,” for their next home game on October 28th at 1:05 pm PT; however, the game against the Seattle Seahawks is in London next Sunday at 10:00 am PT.

This is the Raiders second trip to London, with their coming during the 2014 season, where the Raiders lost to the Miami Dolphins before a crowd of 83,436 at Wembley Stadium.

Overall, this the fourth game that the Raiders will have played since 2014, as they defeated the Houston Texans at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, by the final score of 27-20 in 2016 and then last season, the Raiders returned to Estadio Azteca, where they lost to the New England Patriots 33-8.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Three takeaways from San Jose State’s fifth straight loss

Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State Spartans aren’t going to have its own Cinderella story this season, but they have plenty of things to look back on, and hopefully, learn from. In case you missed it, San Jose State lost their fifth straight regular season game and second straight home game to Colorado State 42-30. The Spartans were clearly unhappy with the final result, but there was nothing they could do except for prepare for this Saturday’s game versus Army West Point.

Here are my three takeaways from SJSU’s second straight home game vs. CSU. As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for reading.

3. Tyler Nevens’ return
Sophomore running back Tyler Nevens wasn’t listed in the Spartans’ possible starters list, but Nevens got to see some action on the field. Nevens returned from an injury, wore the No. 28 instead of the usual No. 23 and scored a 6-yard rushing touchdown late in the third quarter to help SJSU cut the Rams’ lead in half 28-14.

Nevens finished the night with 20 attempts, 73 yards, 1 touchdown 17 long gains and a 3.7 average. Not too shabby for a star running back who fought fairly hard in his much-anticipated return.

2. Tre Hartley’s impact
Fifth-year wide receiver Tre Hartley apparently realized that SJSU had to get back into the game vs. CSU. Hartley scored two passing touchdowns, a 24-yard passing touchdown and 51-yard passing touchdown, off quality passes from senior quarterback Josh Love.

Hartley finished the night with 96 yards, 2 touchdowns, 51 long gains and a 24 average along with 8 targets. Hartley’s apparent persistence helped the Spartans avoid a shutout by the Rams.

1. Rams’ vanishing offense
The Rams were off to a fiery start and carried a 28-0 lead to the locker room at the end of the first half. But the Rams, who were nearly as bad as the Spartans, came undone for the majority of the second half.

We can’t help but wonder about the Rams’ vanishing offense up until a gutsy fourth quarter when CSU scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown and a 55-yard interception to outlast SJSU. The Rams’ offense sputtered after a strong start, which allowed the Spartans to score 30 unanswered points. The Spartans just couldn’t close out the game.

Spartan nation, don’t forget that this Saturday’s game will be held at Levi’s Stadium. If you haven’t already purchased your tickets, you can call or text (408) 924-7589.

NCAAFB podcast with Michelle Richardson: Longhorns’ kicker Dicker boots the go-ahead for the win; Ohio State’s Haskins has career day with 455 yards; Howard just out of the grasp for win

Photo credit: @bevobeat

On the NCAAFB podcast with Michelle:

#1 The Texas Longhorns got a scare from the Oklahoma Sooners in the fourth quarter. The Sooners scored 21 unanswered points, but the Longhorns kicker Cameron Dicker kicked a go-ahead field goal for the 48-45 win.

#2 Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins threw for a career-best 455 yards six touchdowns to beat Indiana 49-26.

#3 The North Carolina Central Eagles and the Howard Bison dueled it out in a close contest 40-35 a game that went down to the wire the Eagles came up a winner, but the Bison gave it everything they had,.

Michelle does the NCAAFB podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum: Things tightening up in playoffs; Oakland’s bullpenning failed against Yanks; Yuck! Sox Price struggles in postseason

Manny Machado #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a 2nd inning 2-run homer in game two of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday, Oct. 5, 2018. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum

1 AL and NL Division Series already interesting

2 Oakland’s pitching plan for the Wild Card game was sound, just didn’t work

3 David Price’s postseason woes continue

4 TBS announcer makes unfortunate gaffe about Masahiro Tanaka during broadcast

5 Twins fire Paul Molitor, bad move

Join Daniel for the MLB podcast each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utes down the Cardinal 40-21 at Stanford Stadium

Photo credit: @Utah_Football

By: London Donson

STANFORD, Calif. — Going into Saturday, the Stanford Cardinal had to be feeling pretty good. Ranked at #14, despite coming off a 38-17 loss to Notre Dame last week, they held a 4-1 record. Looking for a chance to make some serious noise this season against the unranked Utah Utes under the lights in primetime.

The Utes had other plans and came out swinging. After trading scoreless possessions in the first, the Utes made into the red zone where running back Zach Moss would take pitch from inside the Cardinal 10-yard line and score one of his two touchdowns of the night. Giving them the early 7-0 lead, putting Stanford on their heels in the final minute of the first quarter.

KJ Costello, who was in at quarterback for the Cardinal, would orchestrate a drive down the field, getting his team into the red zone. A poor throwing decision later and he was picked off in the end zone by Jaylon Johnson, who dashed it backed down the field for a 100-yard pick six, doubling the Utes’ advantage. Utah continued to dominate the game on both side of the ball, giving the offense fits as the sacked Costello four times and picked him off twice. They would go into the half with a two-touchdown advantage, 21-7.

The second half saw the Cardinal find their moxie. After giving up a score early in the third, running back Cameron Scarlett would leap his way into the end zone virtually untouched. The Cardinal continued to rally four minutes later as Costello would find Michael Wilson in the corner of the end zone from just beyond the Utah 30-yard line. This would narrow the gap, 27-21, in front of a raucous crowd.

But Utah remained resilient. Having pushed the lead to 30-21, Utah had the ball with seven minutes left in the game on their own 42. After escaping a sack, quarterback Tyler Huntley tossed up a prayer off his back foot. His prayer was answered as wideout Samuel Nacua was able locate the ball and get in for six. It was Huntley’s only touchdown off the game, and it dashed the Cardinal’s hope for a comeback.

The Utes held onto the ball to eventually beat the Cardinal 40-21.

The Cardinal have a much-needed bye week and then head to the desert to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils on Thursday, October 18 at 6:00 pm PT.

San Jose State set the expectation off the field, but not on the field in 42-30 loss to Rams

Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Spartans were ready to work in Saturday’s game versus the Colorado State Rams inside CEFCU Stadium on Saturday night. The Spartans hosted an equally bad Rams team on “Set the Expectation” night, but was it as great of an idea as it appeared on paper?

CSU opened the scoring with what turned out to be a five-yard passing touchdown by Preston Williams. SJSU’s pass interference penalty on JaQuan Blackwell was declined. Wyatt Bryant kicked in the extra point for a 7-0 Rams lead at the 10:57 mark of the first quarter.

Despite an apparent helmet-to-helmet injury to Jonathan Lenard, Jr., SJSU had some good looks midway through the first quarter like, say, Tyler Nevens’ 17-yard pickup.

CSU made it 14-0 with 3:04 left in the first. Williams scored a 16-yard passing touchdown and Bryan kicked in the extra point.

The Spartans trailed the Rams 14-0 at the end of the first. SJSU had to fine tune their offense in the next three quarters in order to pick up a win over CSU.

SJSU attracted some positive attention to themselves as Zamore Zigler intercepted K.J. Carta-Samuels’ pass intended for a CSU receiver midway through the second quarter.

CSU expanded its lead to 21-0 with 3:24 left in the second. Warren Jackson tallied a 16-yard passing touchdown and Bryan kicked in the extra point.

CSU extended its lead to 28-0, thanks to Jackson’s second touchdown on the night–a eight-yard passing touchdown–and Bryan’s kick for the extra point with 23 seconds left in the second.

The Spartans dug themselves into a larger deficit 28-0 at halftime.

SJSU, however, salvaged something in the third quarter. Josh Love completed a pass to Tre Hartley, who ran the ball for a 24-yard passing touchdown, and Bryce Crawford followed up with a successful kick for the extra point. The Spartans avoided a shutout, but were still down 28-7 with 7:47 left in the third.

SJSU cut the Rams’ lead in half with 5:17 left in the third. Tyler Nevens rushed for a six-yard rushing touchdown. Crawford kicked in the extra point to bring his team within 14 points, 28-14.

SJSU pulled within seven points just 3:09 later. Hartley scored his second touchdown on the night–a 51-yard passing touchdown off a pass from Love–and Crawford kicked in the extra point to pull closer to the Rams, 28-21.

It seemed like CSU wasn’t worried whatsoever, as SJSU tied the score 28-28 with 28 seconds left in the third. Thai Cottrell scored a one-yard passing touchdown and Crawford kicked in the game-tying, extra point. Just five seconds later, Boogie Roberts scored a safety to put the Spartans up 30-28.

The Spartans put up 30 unanswered points for a 30-28 lead at the end of the third.

CSU, however, refused to back down. Izzy Matthews rushed for a one-yard rushing touchdown and Bryan kicked in the extra point for a 35-30 Rams lead at the 11:26 mark of the fourth quarter. And, as if the confidence level wasn’t already high, CSU hurriedly capitalized on SJSU’s first turnover on the night for a 42-30 lead on Rashad Ajayi’s 55-yard interception and Bryan’s kick for the extra point.

The Spartans suffered their fifth straight loss, 42-30, to the Rams.

Notes
Spartans’ possible starters
Offense: Justin Holmes, Jackson Snyder, Troy Kowalski, Trevor Robbins, Jake Colman, Deano Motes, Josh Oliver, Josh Love, Malike Roberson, Thai Cottrell and JaQuan Blackwell.

Defense: Bryson Bridges, Boogie Roberts, Sailosi Latu, Jesse Osuna, Kyle Harmon, Ethan Aguayo, Jamal Scott, Dakari Monroe, John Touissaint, Tre Webb and Jonathan Lenard, Jr.

Up Next
The Spartans head to nearby Levi’s Stadium to face the Army Black Nights next Saturday at 12:30 pm PT on ESPNU.