The San Jose State Spartans took on the New Mexico Lobos on Saturday. Thanks to Kairee Robinson’s hat trick, the Spartans snapped their three-game losing skid with a 52-24 win over the Lobos at University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M. San Jose State improved to 2-5, while New Mexico fell to 2-4.
The Spartans were in the house and on lock, but were unable to score first. The Lobos scored first. Luke Drzewiecki kicked a 41-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 5:06 left in the first quarter.
The Spartans trailed 3-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Spartans evened the score to start the second quarter. Justin Stearns scored on a seven-yard blocked punt return for a touchdown. Kyler Halvorsen kicked an extra point to tie the game 7-7 at 14:20 of the second.
The Lobos regained the lead. Jacory Croskey-Merritt ran for a seven-yard rushing touchdown. Luke Drzewiecki kicked an extra point to give the Lobos a 10-7 lead with 6:31 left in the second.
The Lobos’ lead was short-lived as the Spartans regained the lead. Kairee Robinson ran for a 35-yard rushing touchdown. Kyler Halvorsen kicked an extra point to help the Spartans to a 14-10 lead with 4:23 left in the second.
The Lobos regained the lead again. Jacory Croskey-Merritt ran for a four-yard rushing touchdown. Luke Drzewiecki kicked an extra point to make it a 17-14 game with just 31 seconds left in the second.
The Spartans trailed the Lobos 17-14 at the end of the first half.
The Spartans opened the second-half scoring. Spartans quarterback Chevan Cordeiro threw a touchdown pass to Kairee Robinson, who ran for a 55-yard rushing touchdown. Kyler Halvorsen kicked an extra point for a 21-17 lead at 14:41 of the third quarter.
The Spartans added to their lead. Chevan Cordeiro threw a touchdown pass to Nick Nash, who ran for a 54-yard rushing touchdown. Kyler Halvorsen kicked an extra point to make it 28-17 with 7:39 left in the third quarter. Halvorsen kicked a 39-yard field goal to extend the Spartans’ lead to 31-17 with 4:16 left in the third. Kairee Robinson ran for a 19-yard rushing touchdown to expand the Spartans’ lead to 38-17 with 3:05 left in the third.
The Spartans led 38-17 at the end of three quarters.
The Spartans scored first in the fourth quarter. Kairee Robinson ran for a 19-yard rushing touchdown. Kyler Halvorsen kicked an extra point to give the Spartans a commanding 45-17 lead at 14:03 of the fourth.
The Spartans widened their lead late in the fourth quarter. Quali Conley ran for a three-yard rushing touchdown. Kyler Halvorsen kicked an extra point to make it 52-17 Spartans with 6:05 left in the fourth.
The Lobos had the last word, but it was too little, too late. D.J. Washington scored a 21-yard rushing touchdown off a pass from Lobos quarterback Devon Dampier. Luke Drzewiecki kicked an extra point to cut the Spartans’ lead to 52-24 with 1:25 left in the fourth quarter.
The Spartans defeated the Lobos 52-24.
Notes A close-up of the Spartans’ Saturday uniforms can be found here.
Kairee Robinson’s 35-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter was his eighth of the regular-season and 21st of his career. Robinson has now scored in every game he has played in this season. Also, Robinson’s 19-yard rushing touchdown was his third of the game for the hat trick.
Up Next The Spartans will return home to host the Utah State Aggies on Saturday, October 21, at 4:00 p.m. Pacific.
The San Jose State Spartans were unable to snap a two-game losing skid with a win over the Boise State Broncos on Saturday. The Spartans lost 35-27 to the Broncos at Albertsons Stadium. San Jose State fell to 1-5, while Boise State improved to 3-3.
The Spartans opened the scoring with Kairee Robinson’s 11-yard rushing touchdown — his 20th career rushing touchdown — and Kyle Halvorsen’s extra point for a 7-0 lead at 18:13 of the first quarter. Shortly after, Chevan Cordeiro’s 11-yard rushing touchdown — his third rushing touchdown of the season — and Halvorsen’s extra point doubled the lead to 14-0 at 7:02 of the first.
The Spartans led 14-0 at the end of the first.
The Spartans struck first to open the second quarter. Kyler Halvorsen’s 33-yard field goal extended the Spartans’ lead to 17-0 at 14:55 of the second.
The Broncos finally got on the board and made it a ten-point game midway through the second quarter. Eric McAlister’s 83-yard passing touchdown from Broncos backup quarterback Maddux Madsen and Jonah Dalmas’ extra point cut the Spartans’ lead to 17-7 at 13:33 of the second.
The Spartans poured in the points midway and late in the second quarter. Kyler Halvorsen’s 27-yard field goal made it a 20-7 game at 11:20 of the second. Quali Conley’s six-yard rushing touchdown and Halvorsen’s extra point expanded the Spartans’ lead to 27-7 with 4:56 left in the second.
The Broncos scored late in the second quarter. Broncos backup quarterback Maddux Madsen ran for an eight-yard rushing touchdown, and Jonah Dalmas kicked an extra point to cut the Spartans’ lead to 27-14 with 42 seconds left in the second.
The Spartans held a 27-14 halftime lead over the Broncos.
The Broncos opened the second half scoring. Taylen Green ran for a one-yard rushing touchdown, and Jonas Dalmas kicked an extra point to cut the Spartans’ lead to 27-21 with 5:34 left in the third quarter.
The Spartans held onto a 27-21 lead at the end of the third.
The Broncos’ offense exploded in the fourth quarter. Taylen Green ran for an 11-yard rushing touchdown and Jonah Dalmas kicked an extra point to help the Broncos take a 28-27 lead at 14:25 of the fourth. Riley Smith caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Broncos starting quarterback Taylen Green, and Dalmas kicked an extra point for a 35-27 lead with 3:30 left in the fourth.
Notes Spartans freshman linebacker Jordan Pollard recorded his second career interception on Saturday, October 7.
Spartans sophomore tight end Joshua Scott celebrated his birthday on Thursday, October 5.
Up Next The Spartans will take on the New Mexico Lobos on Saturday, October 14, at 3:00 p.m. Pacific.
The Air Force Falcons running back Lee Eldridge (24) takes a leap over the San Jose State University Spartans linebacker Taniela Latu (41) at Spartan Stadium in San Jose on Fri Sep 22, 2023 (@AF_Football photo)
Friday, September 22nd, 2023
By Troy Ewers
San Jose, CA – CEFCU Stadium was the location for this Mountain West conference duel between the San Jose State Spartans and Air Force Falcons. This Friday night battle may have felt like being in high school and watching a game at your school, but the energy and competition was way more intense with more at stake. Air Force handled the San Jose State with a 45-20 win.
Spartans QB Chevan Cordeiro had his hands full against Air Force considering going into this game the Falcons with a conference leading defense. Air Force’s defense ranked first in the conference in seven categories (scoring defense, passing defense, rushing defense, total defense, opposing first downs, third down defense, and sacks for).
Air Force also was the conference leader in six offensive categories (pass yards/completions, rushing offense, passing efficiency, third down %, sacks against, and time of possession). How would SJSU head coach Brent Brennan prepare for this top ranked squad?
San Jose State’s opening drive showed that coach Brennan was very prepared for the Falcons. The first drive for the Spartans went 75 yards in eight plays and took only 4:17 off the clock, this efficient drive didn’t showcase Cordeiro’s efficiency with the offense, but he was able to score on his feet with a 10 yard run to give the Spartans the lead to start the game, but the extra point was missed, 6-0.
Air Force this season had only allowed seven points in the first half and SJSU had already done better essentially in the first quarter. Air Force’s opening drive wasn’t a quiet in and out drive, they went 62 yards, but could only collect three points off the field goal from Matthew Dapore. 6-3 game at this point in the first quarter. The Spartans next drive went nowhere as they were forced to punt and it was a better example of the Falcons defense that was advertised.
The second quarter started with Air Force with the ball around midfield and the rushing offense of the Falcons displayed why they were the leaders of the Mountain West. Not only did they control the pace of the game, but after going 65 yards on the drive, a rush by Emmanuel Michel for 17 yards through the defense into the end zone, the Falcons were able to take the lead including adding an extra point, 10-6 Air Force.
The shootout continued with SJSU moving the chains for a 60 yard drive and the exclamation point on the drive was a 29 yard touchdown run by Kairee Robinson, breaking tackles and finding holes, showing off great field vision and putting the Spartans over 13-10.
The momentum swayed largely in San Jose State’s favor after they completely stuffed Air Force as the Falcons tried to rush the ball and went absolutely nowhere and forced a punt. This was SJSU’s opportunity to possibly extend their lead going into halftime.
Cordeiro and this offense took full advantage of this opportunity and in four plays went 64 yards and pounded the ball into the end zone with another Robinson TD for SJSU. Cordeiro at this point in the game was throwing a perfect 11/11 so far as the Spartans were up 20-10.
Air Force’s response as the second quarter winded down was to go 75 yards and run the ball in for TD, but the attack was more balanced as Falcons QB Zac Larrier founds holes in the Spartans defense that made their attack feel easy and as the half ended the score was close, 20-17 with SJSU up.
The second half started with Air Force having the ball and their game plan was to take over possession time with their nation leading running game. Coming into the second half with 199 rushing yards, Air Force added 75 yards on that stat with a long drive that went 15 plays and took more than half of the quarter to execute, but they executed to perfection with a rushing touchdown by John Lee Eldridge III and on that drive it felt like every running back on Air Force’s roster touched the ball and the Falcons took the lead, 24-20.
Cordeiro’s first incompletion came in the first play of the opening drive for SJSU in the second half and he followed it up with a second incomplete and an eight yard run, but no first down and with 5:28 left in the third, the game was coming down to who can stick to their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.
Air Force’s run game was hitting on all cylinders. So far this season they average 320 yards a game and this game was no different for the Falcons as they hit 333 yards when the whistle blew for the end of the third quarter.
With the ball to start the fourth quarter and red zone field possession, Air Force had a chance to extend the lead the only way they knew how and they did exactly that. Converting on a fourth down for a touchdown, Michel jammed in a one yard run in the end zone and took an 11 point lead to start the final quarter, 31-20.
A real shift in momentum came when SJSU tried to convert on fourth down to mount a comeback, but that attempt failed as they were stuffed by the Air Force D-Line and the possession would change hands. The Spartans had been scoreless in the second half at this point and with Air Force having the ball after that turnover on downs, it was clear who had everything in their favor the second half.
The proverbial nail in the coffin for SJSU came when Eldrige III broke tackles and hurdled falling Spartans for a 34 yard TD, 38-20 Air Force. After that TD the fans were filing out to beat the traffic. Both Michel and Eldrige III had 100+ yards rushing and the total rushing yards at this point for Air Force were 380, upholding their average on the season.
Cordeiro would throw an interception to Air Force’s Trey Taylor in a routine pop up pick and by this point in the game, all Air Force had to do was run this clock down to zero. Air Force while running down this clock would score again, 45-20, but the damage was not only done, but the 16,124 in attendance dwindled to around 2,000 people with two minutes left.
When the final whistle blew it was clear who had won this game and it was clear Air Force was just as dominant as they were advertised. On defense they were a force and on offense they used a ground game that was classic old school smash mouth football.
For SJSU there’s a lot to learn from this game and with a bye week next week, they have time to reflect and learn from this game. Their next game would be in Idaho against Boise State on October 7th.
The San Jose State Spartans looked to win two in a row at the Toledo Rockets on Saturday, but they didn’t. San Jose State fell to Toledo 21-17 at Glass Bowl Stadium. SJSU’s record dropped to 1-3, while Toledo improved to 2-1.
After a scoreless first quarter, San Jose State took a second-quarter lead in only a minute. Kyler Halvorsen kicked a 37-yard field goal to make it 3-0 Spartans at 7:47. Spartans quarterback Chevan Cordeiro threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Dominick Mazotti, who scored his first of the season, and Halvorsen kicked an extra point to give the Spartans a 10-0 lead at 6:47.
The Rockets cut the Spartans’ lead to 10-7 with ten seconds left in the second quarter. Rockets quarterback Dequan Finn threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jerjuan Newton, who scored a touchdown, and Luke Pawlak kicked an extra point to make it a three-point game.
The Spartans took a 10-7 lead to the locker room at halftime.
The Spartans took a ten-point lead at 9:58 of the third quarter. Kairee Robinson ran for a 15-yard touchdown and Kyler Halvorson kicked in an extra point to put the Spartans up 17-7.
The Rockets made it a three-point game at 6:15 of the third quarter. Dequan Finn ran for an 18-yard touchdown and Luke Pawlak kicked in an extra point to cut the Spartans’ lead to 17-14.
The Rockets took their first lead of the game with 2:01 left in the third quarter. Chris McDonald scored a touchdown on a 25-yard interception return and Luke Pawlak kicked in an extra point to put the Rockets up 21-14.
Notes Spartans quarterback Chevan Cordeiro joined the 10,000-yard club Saturday.
Up Next The Spartans will return home to host the Air Force Falcons at CEFCU Stadium on Saturday, September 22, at 7:30 p.m. Pacific.
Photo taken by Titus Wilkinson. Quentin Conley rushes into the end zone for a touchdown.
By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)
SAN JOSE- The Spartans had a huge bounce back game against Cal Poly with a dominant win by a final of 59-3.
The whole game felt like a redemption arc after the dismantling they received from OSU on Sunday. As the Spartans offense scored the most points they have ever scored under head coach Brent Brennan.
The game started with SJSU kicking off and then immediately regaining possession as they forced a fumble and recovered it turning that into a field goal.
That play pretty much summed up the first half for Cal Poly as they totaled only 34 rushing yards and 58 passing yards. With Sam Huard only completing nine passes and throwing an interception.
San Jose State’s offense was potent as they totaled 132 passing yards and 178 rushing yards in the first half. Sam Olson got the first touchdown of the half with a 27 yard reception.
Of note was Quentin Conley who rushed for two touchdowns in the first half both for ten yards. Charles Ross also had a beautiful catch in the end zone on a 24 yard pass. By the end of the first half the score was 38-3.
During the second quarter there was a weather delay that lasted till 2:35 p.m.
Looking to keep up with Conley, Kairee Robinson rushed for two touchdowns in the third quarter. With one for 32 yards and the other for eight.
Then the Spartans did something they haven’t done since 2018 when Matthew Coleman returned a punt for a touchdown. The run was 75 yards and increased SJSU’s lead to 59-3.
With the lead so great SJSU put in Jay Butterfield at quarterback and Cal Poly did the same thing as well putting in Je’Kob Jones in the third quarter.
The 59-3 score would stand as SJSU totaled 205 passing yards and 268 rushing yards. Not to be overlooked was the Spartans defense which held Cal Poly to only 95 rushing and 74 passing yards.
If there is anything SJSU may want to improve on its penalties as they took six costing them 55 yards.
The win improves the Spartans record to 1-2 while Cal Poly’s record is at 1-1.
San Jose State will look to continue their momentum against Toledo when they play them on the 16th at 4 p.m. on the road.
Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (5) throws the ball as San Jose State defensive lineman Mata Hola (94) approaches in the first half at Spartan Stadium in San Jose on Sun Sep 3, 2023 (AP News photo)
Sunday, September 3rd, 2023
By Troy Ewers
San Jose, CA – In CEFCU stadium, the San Jose State Spartans face the Oregon State Beavers and SJSU is coming off a loss last week from USC. Even though the score of that game wasn’t close, it was a big moment for the Spartans to put up four touchdowns on a top 10 ranked team. This game being their first home game of the season in their beautiful revamped facility that would be sure to impress a lot of recruits. A packed house with both Oregon State fans and hometown Spartan fans as we prepared for kickoff.
The first drive for SJSU went the distance, but they were stopped trying to convert on 3rd & 8, but Oregon State had a completely different tune to it. The Beavers went 11 plays and 82 yards for a touchdown to take the first lead of the game plus an extra point, 7-0 Oregon State.
In his second drive SJSU QB Chevan Cordeiro faced pressure from Oregon State’s defense and was rattled as they couldn’t convert on another drive, but they pinned the Beavers with a great punt. The first quarter closed out with Oregon State in the lead 7-0.
SJSU’s opening second quarter drive was way better than anything they strung together in the first with Cordeiro getting yards in the air and on foot, but once they got to the red zone, a penalty and an incompletion caused them to attempt a field goal for their first points of the game and they got it, 7-3. Oregon State’s quarterback DJ Uiagalelei gets his second touchdown, this one in the air with a 14 yard pass play and Oregon State goes up 14-3.
SJSU followed it up with another drive that didn’t result in a touchdown, but another punt and the Beavers received the ball with two minutes left in the first half. In those two minutes, Oregon State scored again on six plays going 60+ yards, which ended the first half with the Beavers up 21-3 on the Spartans. SJSU only converted on one third down in the first half, but the positive for the Spartans was that they had zero turnovers.
The second half started with the Beavers with the ball and it looked like they picked up right where they left off, but even after trying to convert on fourth down, SJSU finally stopped them and took over possession.
Oregon State’s scoring was right back on schedule with six minutes left in the third quarter, when QB Uiagalelei completed a 31 yard pass in the end zone and after the extra point was converted, Oregon State was up 28-3.
The rest of the third quarter was a combination of solid defense and effective offense by SJSU, even utilizing the clock while they were on offense. The third quarter ended with SJSU having the ball in the red zone after stringing together 20 yards with four plays.
The fifth play of that drive was the opening play of the fourth quarter and Chevan Cordeiro ran 2 yards into the end zone making the score, 28-10. The Spartans needed to cool down this Oregon State offense or else this game would be over before the fourth was even halfway done and Oregon State wasn’t going to be stopped.
The Beavers scored again after seven plays and 65 yards with Uiagalelei throwing his third touchdown pass, this one received by Anthony Gould for 28 yards, 35-10 Oregon State. San Jose State found themselves in a terrible spot where on the drive in the fourth quarter that would be the part where they can strike a comeback, but Cordeiro was sacked and then with 6:26 left in the game, the Beavers had the ball, seemingly ending the chance of the Spartans coming back and stealing a win.
Oregon State wasn’t done yet, they scored another touchdown with 3:13 left making the score 42-10, but the cut was deep and the majority of fans left in CEFCU stadium were in black and orange representing Oregon State.
The Spartans didn’t want to end this game without one more touchdown for their own confidence and backup QB Jay Butterfield completed a 19 yard pass to Brandon Alvarez with four seconds left in the game. The final seconds ticked and the horn blew for the end of the game and the Spartans lost 42-17 in their home opener. Chevan Cordeiro went 18/32 for 143 yards, but no passing touchdowns.
The Spartans lose back to back games to PAC-12 teams and start off 0-2. The next game for SJSU will be at home against Cal Poly, September 9th and San Jose State is hoping they can get their first win of the season, especially against a non PAC-12 team.
The San Jose State Spartans suffered a 56-28 blowout loss to the No. 1 USC Trojans at the LA Memorial Coliseum on Saturday night. San Jose State fell to 0-1, while USC improved to 1-0 to start the NCAA college football season.
San Jose State quarterback Chevan Cordeiro went 21-38 for 198 yards and threw three touchdowns, while USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, went 18-25 for 278 yards and threw four touchdowns.
The Trojans got on the board first. Dorian Singer scored on a 13-yard pass from Caleb Williams, and Denis Lynch kicked in the extra point for a 7-0 lead at 6:32 of the first quarter.
The Spartans tied the game early in the second quarter. Kairee Robinson rushed for a 1-yard touchdown, and Kyler Halvorsen kicked in the extra point to tie the game 7-7 at 14:12 of the second quarter.
The Trojans responded with two touchdowns to take the lead minutes later. Tahj Washington scored on a 76-yard pass from Caleb Williams, and Denis Lynch kicked in the extra point for a 14-7 lead at 9:38. Austin Jones rushed for a 2-yard run, and Lynch kicked in the extra point to take a 21-7 lead at 3:31.
The Spartans made it a seven-point game in the final seconds of the second quarter. Nick Nash scored on a 28-yard pass from Chevan Cordeiro, and Kyler Halvorsen cut the Trojans’ lead to 21-14 with eight seconds left on the clock. The Trojans continued to lead 21-14 at the end of the first half.
The Trojans scored three of the four touchdowns in the third quarter. Austin Jones’ three-yard rushing touchdown and Denis Lynch’s extra-point kick made it a 28-14 game at 10:45, Zachariah Branch’s 25-yard passing touchdown and Lynch’s kick extended the Trojans’ lead to 35-14 at 6:00, and Branch’s 96-yard kick return touchdown and Lynch’s kick expanded the Trojans’ lead to 42-14 at 1:34.
The Spartans’ lone third-quarter touchdown came from Nick Nash, who collected a 32-yard pass from Chevan Cordeiro and scored to cut the Trojans’ lead to 35-21 at 1:50.
The Trojans continued their scoring clinic in the fourth quarter. Brenden Rice scored on a 12-yard pass from Caleb Williams, and Denis Lynch kicked in the extra point for a 49-21 lead at 12:28. Miller Moss rushed a 4-yard touchdown, and Lynch kicked in the extra point to make it a 56-21 game at 6:53.
The Spartans scored the game’s final touchdown, but it was too little, too late. Nick Nash scored a 2-yard passing touchdown from Chevan Cordeiro, and Kyler Halvorsen kicked in the extra point to cut the Trojans’ lead to 56-28 at 5:08.
The Spartans return home to host the No. 18 Oregon State Beavers on Sunday, September 3 at 12:30 pm Pacific.
Photos of San Jose State Spartans SID Lawrence Fan (left) holding up Fan Cakes and (right) addressing the news media at San Jose State University (file photos by San Jose State Spartans)
By Michael Duca and Ana Keiu
SAN JOSE–Lawrence Fan, the longtime SID for the San Jose State Spartans, has passed away at age 67, as announced by the Spartan Athletic Director Jeff Koyna Wednesday afternoon. The news of Lawrence’s passing was a shock to Spartan athletes, employees, members of the media, students and alumni, as many had just seen Lawrence at work Monday.
It was reported that Lawrence, who normally showed up to work like clockwork, didn’t call or show to work on Tuesday and the University became concerned and later learned of his passing on Wednesday as announced by Koyna.
Lawrence worked with thousands of student and student athletes over his illustrious 42 year career. Many can look back and thank Lawrence for his advice and helping them advance whether it was in athletics or in their media careers.
One of the highlights for Lawrence was in 2012 when he was elected to the CoSIDA Hall of Fame. Lawrence, started as an SID at SJSU in 1980, (that was the same year that the hit movie The Blues Brothers was a box office smash), never missed work and worked all the sports at the University.
Former Spartan football player Neil Perry suffered amputation of a leg, but returned to playing football for the Spartans in 2003 for eight games. Needless to say, this inspirational story drew national attention. A flood of press coverage at his first game was one of Lawrence’s many shining moments. Lawrence was inundated with media requests from all over the country, which at the time Lawrence said was the busiest period he had ever had at Spartans football.
Another highlight for Lawrence was the 2020 football team that went 7-1, an almost perfect season. That Spartan team took the Mountain West by storm finishing finishing ahead of second place Boise State by two games. We never got a chance to interview Lawrence about his long 42 year career but what stories he could have told.
Lawrence was also know for Fan cakes, which were served to the media during Spartans basketball games. It was a treat that everyone that covered Spartan games looked forward to.
The Spartan’s women basketball team were playing Air Force at SJSU in a 68-59 loss when officials learned of Lawrence’s passing. The Spartan women didn’t learn about the shocking news until 1:30 pm. All athletic staff and athletes were in a state of disbelief at the news.
SAN JOSE—It was not a good afternoon for the The San Jose Barracuda.
The Texas Stars scored five goals in the final two periods to route the ‘Cuda 7-3 on Saturday afternoon at SAP Center.
San Jose has lost three games in a row and fell under .500 for the first time this season. Texas snapped its three game losing streak.
Both teams used the first 10 minutes of the game as a feeling out process as there were only five combined shots on goal.
Texas (4-5-0-0) was almost gift wrapped a goal thanks to ‘Cuda goalie Alexei Melnichuk. The second year goalie misplayed the puck behind the net to Stars captain Curtis McKenzie but Melnichuk was able to slide back into the crease preventing the puck from going into the back of the net at the 7:55 mark.
San Jose (2-3-1-0) drew first blood just halfway through the first period. Joachim Blichfeld skated down the right side into the Stars zone. Blichfeld drew three Stars defenders toward him before finding Noah Gregor, who played his first game since being in Covid-19 protocol the past week, all alone in the slot. Gregor snapped home a wrist shot to the short side beating Stars goalie Jake Oettinger for his third goal of the season at the 12:30 mark.
Gregor led the ‘Cuda was involved in all three of the Barracuda’s goal on the afternoon.
“It was three points good,” said ‘Cuda head coach Roy Sommer when asked how good it was to Gregor back in the lineup. “But you can’t rely on one line to get all the points for us right now.”
The Stars answered back on the power play late in the opening frame. With San Jose in the sinbin for too many men on the ice, Anthony Louis fed a pass back up to the point where Andres Borgman fired a one-timer through a sea of traffic into the back of the net for his third goal of the season at the 14:50 mark.
Texas earned its first lead of the game with 63 seconds left in the period. Gregor turned the puck over inside his own defensive zone. Fredrick Karlstrom found Nicholas Caamano in the left slot. Caamano centered the puck over to Oskar Back whose shot deflected off Caamano for his second goal of the season.
The Stars struck early in the second period early after the ‘Cuda were guilty of another turnover trying to clear their own zone. Josh Melnick finished off a two-on-one when he buried a one-timer past Melnichuk after receiving a cross ice pass from Karlstrom. The Stars third unanswered goal was Melnick’s second goal of the season at the 3:28 mark.
San Jose cut the lead to a one a goal deficit with a power play goal of their own. Gregor found Scott Reedy below the net on the right side. Reedy fed a backhanded pass to Jayden Halbgewachs in the slot and the ‘Cuda left winger buried a one-timer to the far side past Oettinger for his third goal of the season at the 6:15 mark.
Texas regained a two-goal lead late in the middle frame. San Jose failed to clear the puck out its own zone when a shot from the point by Ben Gleason pinballed off a couple of ‘Cuda defenders out to the front of the crease. Karlstrom came in a lifted a backhander top shelf past Melnichuk for his second goal of the game at the 15:52 mark.
The Barracuda once again cut the lead down to one goal with just over a minute remaining in the period. Gregor slid a pass over to Mark Alt at the left point. Alt sent in a wrist shot that deflected off a Stars defender and pass Oettinger for his first goal of the season at the 18:51 mark.
Texas capped off a wild middle frame with its third goal of the period 27 seconds later. Joel L’Esperance threaded a nifty backhanded pass between two ‘Cuda defenders over to Riley Tufte whose quick wrist shot beat Melnichuk for his fourth goal of the season at the 19:18 mark.
‘Cuda goalie Zachary Emond, who was recently called up from the Orlando Solar Bears, made his AHL debut when he replaced Melnichuk to start the third period. Melnichuk made 13 saves on 18 shots in 40:00 of action.
The Stars scored a controversial goal just over three minutes into the third period. Caamano crashed into Emond as he came in on an coast-to-coast rush in what appeared to have been goalie interference. With Emond down and out of the net, Alex Petrovic fired the puck into an empty net. After deliberation from the officials on the ice, Petrovic was awarded the unassisted goal, his first of the season at the 3:09 mark.
“That was a bullsh*t goal. He (the referee) should’ve blew the whistle. He (Emond) was down for five seconds. He was ran over, that’s goalie interference and it’s a sh*t call,” Sommer said.
McKenzie capped off the scoring with a breakaway goal with 30 seconds left remaining for his second goal of the season. McKenzie’s leads the Stars in scoring with seven points on the season (2G,5A).
Oettinger finished the game with 16 saves on 19 shots to earn the victory. Emond stopped 10 of the 12 shots he faced in his first appearance of the season for the ‘Cuda.
GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-2 on the power play. Texas went 1-for-2.
San Jose is 13-7-1-2 all time against Texas. They went 4-2-0-0 against the Stars last season.
The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Karlstrom 2) Caamano 3) Gregor
UP NEXT: San Jose conclude their four-game homestand with another battle with Texas on Sunday 11/7 at 3:00pm at SAP Center.
The Tim Miles era has officially begun in San Jose, Calif. Miles spoke about his vision for the future of San Jose State men’s basketball in his introductory press conference on Tuesday.
Here’s the initial press release, which was released on Tuesday.
After a nationwide search, San Jose State University named Tim Miles head coach of the men’s basketball program. SJSU Director of Athletics Marie Tuite made the announcement on Tuesday.
“I am so thrilled to announce Tim Miles as our new head men’s basketball coach and welcome him and his wife, Kari, daughter Ava, son Gabe and “Sammy” (family dog) to the Spartan Family,” Tuite told the media. “Going into this national search, my top priorities were to find someone that not only had head coaching experience, but also had success in building programs. Coach Miles fits that description perfectly. If you look at the job he did at Colorado State and Nebraska, you will see that he completely changed the culture of those programs and elevated each program to new heights. I have full confidence that he is going to the same here at San José State.”
Miles, who re-enters to coaching ranks on the cusp of 400 career wins (399-334), brings over 24 years of head coaching experience with him to the South Bay, most recently at the University of Nebraska where he led the Cornhuskers from 2012-2019. During his time in Lincoln, Nebraska saw unprecedented success as they were guided to some of their most successful seasons in program history. In 2014, just two seasons after being hired, Miles led the team to their first NCAA Tournament in 16 seasons. He was named the Jim Phelan Award winner for national coach of the year and was also tabbed as the Big Ten Coach of the Year.
“I’m excited to join President Mary Papazian, Marie Tuite, Charlie Faas and the San Jose State Athletic Department,” Miles said. “I have been most impressed with their genuine enthusiasm and eagerness of the entire administration and staff to elevate the men’s basketball program. I’m ready to raise the bar and work arm and arm with Marie to make our basketball program a team that will compete at the highest level of the Mountain West Conference and beyond.
“I can’t wait to get on campus to meet the team, begin assembling our staff and recruiting the type of player that will match our expectations for winning basketball.”
The 2013-14 season made Nebraska the talk of college basketball after they reached the tournament, despite being selected to finish last in the Big Ten standings. They overcame a 1-5 start in conference play, won 10 out of their last 12 games, and finished in fourth place with an 11-7 record. Among those wins was a 60-51 victory over #9 Michigan State, the program’s first road win over a top-10 program since 1997, and a 77-68 win over Wisconsin, who later advanced to the 2014 Final Four.
Nebraska’s turnaround began immediately under Miles’ wing with the Cornhuskers seeing a three-win improvement from 12-15 wins in 2012-13. With just one returning starter, Miles and company defeated three NCAA Tournament teams and finished the year with a victory over Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament.
After the success of the Huskers’ NCAA Tournament appearance in 2013-14, the following season saw more firsts for the Nebraska program as they achieved a national ranking for the first time since 1995.
In 2017-18, Miles led the Cornhuskers to one of their most successful seasons in program history. Nebraska won 22 games, their most since 1990-91, with a school-record 13 wins in conference play. They earned a bid to the NIT for their first postseason appearance in four seasons.
In Miles’ final season at Nebraska, the Huskers won 19 games and earned another top-25 ranking in the Associated Press poll. They advanced to their second-straight NIT appearance.
In his seven seasons at the helm of Nebraska, Miles guided nine players to All-Big Ten accolades including two-time all-conference pick Terran Petteway, who became the first Husker in program history to win the Big Ten scoring title in 2013-14 with an average of 18.1 points per game.
In addition to being a premier talent at building programs, Miles demanded excellence from his student-athletes in the classroom. He guided 17 Nebraska players to Academic All-Big Ten honors, including a conference-best five selections in 2015. In 2014-15, Shamian Shields became the first player in program history to earn first-team Academic All-American honors.
Prior to his extended stint at Nebraska, Miles made a name for himself at Colorado State when he took the Rams to new heights and laid the foundation for what’s now one of the top teams in the Mountain West. In five seasons, he increased his win total in each season with his best year being 2011-12 where he saw CSU defeat a school-record three ranked teams to their first 20-plus win season since 1997-98. The Rams finished with a 20-12 record, put three players on the all-conference team, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nine years. For his efforts, Miles was named the District VIII Coach of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
The 2011-12 CSU team averaged 70.1 points per game and was the MW leader in field goal percentage (47.1), 3-point percentage (40.0), and free throw percentage (76.8). They also were one of just two programs nationwide to rank in the top 10 in both free throw and 3-point percentage. The Rams’ 20-win campaign was just the seventh in program history.
Similar to what he would eventually do at Nebraska, Miles quickly turned the CSU program around. His first two seasons saw the Rams battle through growing pains and injuries while continuing to make strides. CSU improved their win total in league play in his second season and finished the year off with a key victory over Wyoming in the MW Tournament.
Years three through five were some of the most successful for the Rams in recent history, culminating in CSU’s NCAA Tournament bid in 2011-12. In 2009-10, he led the Rams to their first postseason appearance in seven years after posting 16 regular-season wins. CSU was selected to participate in the CBI, and he was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year by CollegeInsider.com.
The 2010-11 team finished in fourth place in the MW after posting the program’s first winning record since 2007. The Rams finished the year 19-13 and earned a berth to the NIT for their second-straight postseason appearance. Miles and company won nine conference games that year, the most for the Rams since the formation of the MW in 1999-2000, and received votes in the top-25 national poll at the year’s end for the first time since 2005-06.
Before going to CSU, Miles was the head coach of the North Dakota State Bisons for six seasons, where he guided the program through their transition to Division I. The Bison reached at least 16 wins in each of Miles’ final five seasons. One of their biggest moments came in 2005-06 against 13th-ranked Wisconsin. NDSU handed the Badgers a 62-55 loss, snapping Wisconsin’s 27-game win streak against non-conference opponents. The loss was also just one of 10 non-conference home losses for the Badgers under hall of fame coach Bo Ryan. Miles was awarded the CBS Sportsline Division I Independent Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award.
Miles was also the catalyst for turning around Southwest Minnesota State University, who he guided for four seasons before joining NDSU. Prior to his arrival, the Mustangs had just one winning season in the previous decade. He changed all of that by posting a 78-39 four-year total, including a program-record 28-win season in 2001. The Mustangs won the 2001 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championship and the NCAA North Central Regional Championship before advancing to the Division II Elite Eight. He was named the NSIC and North Central Region Coach of the Year Awards for his unprecedented success.
Miles made his head coaching debut as the head man at Mayville (N.D.) State University. The program was just 4-44 in the previous two seasons before he took over. He was able to turn things around and led them to a 35-22 record over three seasons. Miles was inducted into the Mayville State Hall of Fame in 2016.
Before reaching the head coaching ranks, Miles made his coaching debut as an assistant at Northern State. He spent six seasons on staff from 1989-90 to 1994-95, helping lead the program to five NAIA playoff appearances and five regional titles. As the team’s recruiting coordinator, he brought in and molded five All-Americans and helped the Wolves advance to the NAIA National Championship in back-to-back seasons.
A Doland, S.D. native, Miles graduated from the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D., in 1989. He then earned his master’s degree in health and physical education from Northern State in 1990. In 2007, he was inducted into the University of Mary Hall of Fame.
Following his stint at Nebraska, Miles took a two-year break from coaching, turning in his whistle for a microphone. He worked for the Big Ten Network, Fox Sports, and FS1 as an analyst in 2019 and also took his talents to a podcast called “Inside the Mind of Miles” as part of the “Field of 68” college basketball media network.
Miles and his wife, Kari, have one daughter, Ava, and one son, Gabe. They have a yellow lab, who’s appropriately named Sammy.
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