photo sfgate.com: Oakland Raiders wide receiver Tyrell Williams (16) is hit by Houston Texans defensive back Keion Crossen (35) after a catch during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, in Houston.
On the Headline Sports podcast with Barbara:
#1 The Oakland Raiders completed their five-game, six-week out of town road trip on Sunday to the tune of a 27-24 loss. The Raiders went 2-3 on the trip and are 3-4 in the AFC West.
#2 The San Francisco 49ers continue to pull it off with another shocker win, 51-13, over the Carolina Panthers. The 49ers remain perfect at 7-0.
#3 The Golden State Warriors are no longer three time World Champions and are the talk of the town but in a bad way are 1-3 and since they lost a core of who they were from last season including Kevin Durant the team is trying to find their way after a win past 0-4 New Orleans.
#4 The Cal Bears continue to be challenged dropping their fourth straight game. Now, Cal is a .500 team and play host to Washington State on Nov. 9th. The Cougars are struggling too. They’ve lost four of their last five.
#5 The San Jose Sharks faced off against Boston and dropped another one 5-1 on Tuesday night and lost their fifth of their last six games winning only one game on this concluded road trip.
BOSTON, Mass- The San Jose Sharks got into penalty trouble early and often and the Boston Bruins made them pay for their indiscretions in a 5-1 victory — that featured five different goal scorers — on Tuesday evening at TD Garden.
Boston is currently undefeated in their last eight games (6-0-2), while San Jose limps back home licking their wounds after a disappointing 1-3-1 Northeast road trip. Once again the Sharks’ defensive woes were the story of the game as the Bruins had numerous scoring chances during the game.
Boston (9-1-2) drew first blood on the power play just under eight minutes into the first period. A failed clearing attempt by Brenden Dillon found the stick of Patrice Bergeron who faked a shot and sent a cross ice pass over to David Pastrnak who was all alone on the left side when he buried a one-timer past Sharks goalie Martin Jones for his 12th goal of the season, which leads the NHL, at the 7:49 mark.
Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer challenged the call for offsides, but after the video review, the officials upheld the goal, which resulted in a minor penalty and second consecutive power play opportunity, which the Sharks were able to kill off.
The Bruins capitalized on their third power play opportunity late in the opening 20 minutes. Brad Marchand sent the puck back up to the point where Torey Krug touched pass it over to the David Krejci, who wristed a one-timer underneath the arm of Jones for his first goal of the season at the 17:51 mark.
“We’re definitely going through a tough time right now,” said captain Logan Couture. “You gotta go through some adversity at some point in the year. It’s been too long to stay in the rut. We gotta respond at some point.”
San Jose (4-8-1) opened up the second period with a power play goal of their own to cut the deficit to 2-1. After a faceoff win, Erik Karlsson fed the puck over to Brent Burns from the point. Burns made one move and lasered a wrist shot under the arm of Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask for his third goal of the season at the 1:31 mark. Burns leads the Sharks with 13 points.
Boston regained their two-goal lead seconds after a tripping penalty to Tomas Hertl had ended. Krejci gathered the puck after a deflection and sent a shot-pass over to Charlie Coyle, former Sharks draft pick, who had inside position on Marc-Edouard Vlasic and knocked it home from the crease for his second goal of the season less than four minutes later at the 5:21 mark.
Chris Wagner took advantage off a turnover by Tim Heed to give the Bruins a 4-1 lead. Heed’s attempted cross ice pass heeled off his stick over to of David Backes, who quickly outletted a pass up the ice that sent Wagner on a breakaway. Wagner made one move before sliding the puck past Jones’ five-hole for his first goal of the season at the 8:31 mark.
“It was a game of mistakes,” said Burns. “It’s tough (to get the offense going) when you’re playing in your own zone a lot against a team like that. They’re going to capitalize (on their chances).”
Boston scored its third unanswered goal of the period when Wagner won a battle along the boards and sent the puck back up to the point where Brando Carlo wristed a knuckle-ball of a shot that appeared to glance off a Sharks’ body and went over the left shoulder of Jones for his second goal of the season at the 16:50 mark.
Despite the goals scored, it could have been much worse in the second period if not for some incredible saves from Jones in a four-minute stretch where he faced numerous odd man rushes from Boston thanks to the pourous San Jose defense. Boston outshot San Jose 18-6 in the middle frame.
Things got chippy in the third period when Evander Kane went up high on Charlie McAvoy with Zdeno Chara going after Kane and Dillion coming to the aid of his forward. Both Chara and Dillon received minor penalties for roughing. Fights from Barclay Goodrow/Brett Richie and Couture/Marchand ended their nights early as they were all given game misconduct penalties after their scrums.
“We’re a little fragile right now,” said DeBoer. “You can see that. You’re at the end of a road trip and you take eight minor penalties, five in the first two periods, against the best power play in the league. We have to be smarter in helping ourselves.”
Rask finished the game with 16 saves on 17 shots to earn the win. Jones, who should have received a purple heart medal after the game, stopped 36 of the 41 shots he faced in the losing effort.
GAME NOTES: San Jose went 1/3 on the power play. Boston was 2/8. The Sharks came into the game with the number one penalty kill in the NHL and had killed off 14 penalty kills in a row before Pastrnak’s power play goal.
Bergeron recorded his 499th assist of his NHL career.
It was the first game in NHL history that featured three players (Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Chara) with an over combined 4700 career games played.
UP NEXT: The Sharks return home to host the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, November 1 at 7:30 pm in the SAP Center.
photo from sfgate.com: San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa runs with the ball after making an interception during the second half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019.
On the 49ers podcast with David:
#1 No doubt that the 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the offense killed it on Sunday 51-13 against Carolina Panthers to improve to 7-0.
#2 The defense just handled the Panthers allowing the only 13 points. It got to point where the 49ers bench had to get into the game.
photo from chron.com: Houston Astros left fielder Michael Brantley (23) is high-fived by members of the Astros coaching staff after the team’s 7-1 win of Game 5 of the World Series at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019.
On Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:
#1 With the Washington Nationals’ Max Scherzer out as a starter for Game 6 on Tuesday night in Houston and the Astros leading the series 3-2, the Nationals have their backs to the wall.
#2 In Game 2, the Nationals took a 12-3 win to take a 2-0 lead. At that point, it looked like the Nats could win the whole thing, but obviously, it would be almost miraculous if they could even keep up with Houston.
#3 On Sunday night, the Astros trounced the Nationals for a 7-1 to take the current 3-2 lead, and in Sunday’s game, the Nationals simply could not get any offense working to make any noise.
#4 The Houston Astros are granting permission to bench coach Joe Espada to talk with the San Francisco Giants for a second interview for the manager’s job. Espada met with Giants operations manager Farhan Zaidi and CEO Larry Baer for 4 1/2 hours last Thursday and at great length on Monday.
#5 The Astros became the fourth team in pro sports to lead in road victories. They’re undefeated in the series going 3-0 in Washington.
Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for the Oakland A’s on KIQI 1010 San Francisco and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
#1 Kings take a tough loss, their third straight, to remain 0-4. They did have a chance against Denver, but just couldn’t seal the deal.
#2 For the Nuggets, their top three scorers — Jamal Murray 18, Gary Harris 17 and Will Barton 13 — led the way for Denver.
#3 Close game in the first half, but the Kings struggled in the second half to seal the deal. Was the second half a matter of shutting off Denver’s offense or the Kings couldn’t quite get past Denver going down the stretch?
#4 Four guys in double figures for the Kings. Richaun Holmes 24, De’Aaron Fox 20, Harrison Barnes and Nemanja Bjelica — both with 12 points — good numbers. How did the Kings come up short?
#5 Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Hornets (1-3) come calling at Golden 1 Center on Wednesday as the Kings (0-4) look to get their first win of the season.
SACRAMENTO — A better effort? Yes. But after a second half Monday littered with missed shots, the Kings are still in search of their first win of the season.
The Kings missed 18 of their 21 3-point attempts after halftime and fell to the Denver Nuggets 101-94. The Nuggets overcame Nikola Jokic’s foul trouble and a brief, second quarter, nine-point deficit to remain undefeated at 3-0.
The Kings were more accountable than they were in road losses to the Suns and Jazz, but were doomed by a substandard third quarter in which they were outscored 30-17 and missed 16 of their 21 shots from the floor. The missed shots proliferated as the Nuggets increased their defensive effort in the second half. Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic were the biggest offenders, shooting a combined 4 for 25, 2 of 13 from three.
Even with Richaun Holmes (24 points, 13 rebounds) the Kings weren’t equipped to overcome an off shooting night from Bogdanovic and Hield.
The Kings fell to 0-4, one of three NBA teams (Pelicans, Pacers) still looking for their first win of the season.
The Kings played without Harry Giles and Marvin Bagley III, but got a break when De’Aaron Fox was cleared after his leg injury against Utah. Fox displayed his usual quickness leading the Kings to a 53-47 lead at the break. Fox finished with 20 points, nine assists.
The Kings couldn’t take full advantage of the Nuggets’ poor shooting before the half. Denver shot 32 percent in the first half, but they were still in position to take control defensively after the break.
“We didn’t change our game plan. We just changed how hard and how physical we were playing,” Denver coach Mike Malone said. “This was another night our offense struggled, but some guys stepped up and made big plays down the stretch.”
The Kings have struggled in all four third quarters so far, getting outscored by at least 10 points each time. Ironically, defense in the third was a bigger issue on Monday than offense, where the team had a gaping hole in the post without Bagley.
“We have to come in and just lock in, lock in to what we’re doing and lock in fast,” Holmes said.
The Kings continue their homestand Wednesday against the Hornets, who dropped games against the Lakers and Clippers Sunday and Monday.
Tavita Pritchard was not sure who his starting quarterback was going to be against Arizona until Saturday morning. He was hoping it would be senior K.J. Costello, who had missed the last three games due to injury.
When did Pritchard find out?
“When I showed up at the team hotel,” said Pritchard, the Andrew Luck Director of Offense and Kevin M. Hogan Quarterbacks Coach. “He didn’t know. I looked at him and said, ‘Yep, he’s going.'”
Costello was itching to get back on the field. He resumed practice this week on a limited basis, but was questionable until pregame warmups.
Once Costello got the go-ahead from Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, David Shaw, he jump-started the Cardinal offense. Costello’s experience, leadership, personality and right arm sparked Stanford to a 41-31 victory on Reunion Homecoming. Showing little rust, he connected on 30-of-43 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns in helping Stanford record a season high in points.
“It seems like it’s been an eternity,” Costello said. “Three, four weeks standing on the sideline, guys going down left and right. Being one of those guys, it doesn’t feel good. It feels awful, especially when you play this game because you want to do anything for your boys.”
Teammates loved having Costello back.
“He ran the ship today,” said junior offensive tackle Foster Sarell. “He’s fun to block for and I love playing with him. He’s got great energy.”
Added fifth-year senior running back Cameron Scarlett, who eclipsed 100 yards (102) for the second time this season and scored two touchdowns, “He’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around. I know it was hurting him not to play but having him back shows how dangerous he and our offense can be.”
Shaw gave Costello a game ball afterward in the raucous locker room.
“I can’t say enough about K.J. Costello, him coming back, and it wasn’t just him throwing the football,” Shaw said. “Two-time captain, senior leader, felt his energy, felt his passion, pushing guys, talking to them, giving us great feedback. Can’t say enough about the juice he gave us.”
Once Costello made it through warmups, Shaw knew he was ready.
“We got over the hump this week in practice,” Shaw said. “Last week, he tried to go, and he threw the ball extremely well on Monday night, and the next day he couldn’t throw it. This week, we got past Monday and crossed our fingers for Tuesday; got past Tuesday and crossed our fingers for Wednesday. It was just one of those weeks.”
Costello, however, isn’t 100 percent.
“We gave him that opportunity and he went out there and played one of the better games of his career,” said Shaw. “Really, really proud of him.”
TEAM EFFORT
Costello had plenty of help. After allowing seven sacks the previous week against UCLA, the young offensive line surrendered zero against the Wildcats and helped the Cardinal accumulate 222 yards on the ground.
“It was awesome,” said Sarell. “We ran the ball right down their throat until the game ended. It’s what you dream about.”
Freshmen Walter Rouse (left tackle), Barrett Miller (left guard) and Jake Hornibrook (right guard) continue to learn and improve with every snap.
“I think as a whole, the O-line did a great job,” Rouse said. “There are always little things we can get better at. I feel like we have come a long way and still have so far to go.”
Apparently, the young unit’s fight surprised the Wildcat defense.
“I guess we underestimated their line,” said Wildcat senior safety Tristan Cooper. “We didn’t think their line was going to be that good. They came out balling. They’re better on the field than they are on film.”
RECEIVER, RECEIVER
Eleven Stanford players caught passes — 12 if you count a deflection Costello caught. Sophomore wide receiver Simi Fehoko hauled in three for a career-high 97 yards and two went for scores.
Sophomore wide receiver Brycen Tremayne made a one-handed grab in the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown; junior Connor Wedington collected a team-high seven passes for 61 yards; sophomore wide receiver Michael Wilson caught six for 45; and junior tight end Colby Parkinson grabbed five for 68.
“I feel like it was just a long time coming,” Tremayne said. “We’ve been working so hard to make those plays and it’s finally clicking. Coach (Bobby) Kennedy said it was just a matter of time.”
It was the most downfield throws the Cardinal has attempted all season.
“Our guys knew it was a possibility and were ready for it,” said Pritchard, citing man-to-man and soft coverages they had seen on film. “We got those opportunities early and all of our guys capitalized.”
TWO PICKS
Junior cornerback Paulson Adebo intercepted two passes and is now tied for the Pac-12 lead with four on the season. He also ranks first in passes defended with 14.
“Big-time players make big-time plays,” said Shaw, who awarded Adebo a game ball.
Both of Adebo’s thefts came in the fourth quarter.
“It felt really good just to help my team and come out with a win,” he said. “It was fun to finish it at the end.”
TRIPLE DUTY
Freshman Ryan Sanborn joined a small club of Stanford players by doing all kicking duties against Arizona. He kicked off eight times, with six going for touchbacks; punted five times and averaged 43.8 yards; made both field goal attempts and all five extra points.
“The special thing is the game is not too big for him,” said special teams coordinator Pete Alamar. “You would hope a senior would handle it the way he handled it. He had one punt he’d like back, but everything else, he hit the ball pure.”
Sanborn’s role expanded when senior kicker Jet Toner was lost for the season against UCLA. Alamar limited Sanborn in practice and pregame warmups.
“We had to change everything we do just to keep him fresh,” Alamar said.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
UP NEXT
Stanford (4-4, 3-3 Pac-12) has a welcome bye next week and resumes play on November 9 at Colorado. The Buffaloes (3-5, 1-4 Pac-12) fell to USC on Friday night, despite stellar performances from senior quarterback Steven Montez and junior wide receiver Laviska Shenault. The scrappy Montez threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns, while the elusive Shenault caught nine for 172 yards, including a 71-yard score.
Colorado plays at UCLA on Saturday.
Blake Strenstrom, a redshirt freshman and the son of former Stanford quarterback Steve Stenstrom, spelled Montez briefly and ran once for 27 yards. Steve Stenstrom played five seasons in the NFL, including 1999 with the San Francisco 49ers. He was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.
REAL RECOGNIZE REAL
Members of the 1999 Pac-12 Championship Stanford football team and head coach Tyrone Willingham were recognized on the field in the second quarter. The upstart team was the first to play in the Rose Bowl in 28 years.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
NOTES
Senior inside linebacker Andrew Pryts led the Cardinal in tackles with eight, while junior strong safety Stuart Head added seven … Stanford produced seven tackles for loss — two by sophomore defensive end Thomas Booker — and three sacks … Fifth-year senior outside linebacker Casey Toohill had a sack and now ranks third in the conference with five and fifth in tackles for loss with 7.5 … Wedington had two nice kickoff returns and ranks first in the Pac-12, averaging 28.4 yards per attempt. He’s also fifth in all-purpose yards (114.1) and 10th in receiving with 39 catches … The Cardinal ranks second in the league in red zone scoring at 92.3 percent … Stanford ranks first in the conference in kickoff returns and kickoff coverage … Former Stanford great Paul Wiggin was recognized as part of the program’s 125-year celebration of football. A standout defensive tackle, he received All-America accolades in 1955 and 1956. Wiggin played for the Cleveland Browns from 1957-67, then turned to coaching. He was head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs from 1975-77 and returned to The Farm as head coach of the Cardinal from 1980-83. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005 … David Yankey, a stellar offensive guard/tackle for the Cardinal and a member of the 2013 and 2014 Rose Bowl teams, served as Stanford’s honorary captain. He started 40 games for the Cardinal and was a consensus All-American in 2012 and unanimous All-America in 2013.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
QUOTE
“It seems like an eternity.” — Freshman offensive tackle Walter Rouse on his progression since his first start against USC on September 7.
The Golden State Warriors won their first game of the new season as they routed the Pelicans 134-123. Head coach Steve Kerr made a couple of changes to the starting lineup. Kerr had Draymond Green start at the center position, and three guards, Jordan Poole, Steph Curry, and D’Angelo Russell, filled the other three slots. The changes worked as the Warriors led for the entire game.
The Warriors needed to get a win. They had been blown out in the first two games of the year by the LA Clippers and the OKC Thunder. Kerr had stated it would take a while for the team to come together. Many fans were beginning to think that the W’s were in for a tough season. While one game does not make a season, it shows that the reworked Warrior roster does have the talent to win games. People have to keep in mind that they won with two of their big men, Willie Cauley-Stein and Kevon Looney, unable to play.
Third-year player, Damion Lee, had the best night of his young career as he helped the W’s to the win. Lee had a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. He made four threes in six tries. Glenn Robinson III just missed a double-double with 12 points and 9 boards. Draymond Green had a triple-triple. Green was everywhere. His energy put a spark into the W’s offense. He recorded 16 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists. It was Green’s 23rd career triple-double. When that happens, the Warriors are 23-0. Steph Curry led the club with 26 points, 3 boards, and 11 assists. D’Angelo Russell contributed 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists. Omari Spellman and Eric Paschall played well. Spellman had 8 points and 8 rebounds. Paschall had 8 points, 2 boards, and 3 assists.
The Warriors raced out to 27-23 lead after the first quarter of play. Jordan Poole knocked down three threes in the period. They scored the first 11 points to start the second quarter. The Warriors were running on offense and had a twenty-point lead 50-30 about halfway through the period. The Pelicans had a 9-0 run to make it 58-47. The W’s responded behind Green, Russell, Curry, and Lee to finish the first half leading 72-53. They scored 45 points in the period.
The Warriors continued to play well in the third period. Steph Curry committed his fourth foul of the game with 6:09 left to play. The Warriors were leading 84-64 at the time. Damion Lee and D’Angelo Russell did not let the Pelicans get back in the game. The W’s finished the third quarter with a 24-point lead 103-79. It was more of the same in the last quarter. The Dubs led by 29 126-97 when the Pelicans went on a late 24-4 run to make it 132-123. Time was not on the Pelicans’ side when the clock ran out. The W’s win 134-123.
The Warriors are now 1-2 for the year. New Orleans remains winless at 0-4. The Warriors return home to face the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night at the Chase Center. The Suns are 2-1 for the season. They beat the LA Clippers last Saturday night. They are playing the Utah Jazz Monday night. They were leading in the third quarter. The game time will be played starting at 7:30 pm.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — After a horrendous win to Army last year, San Jose State bounced back with a 34-29 victory over the Black Knights this year. So what happens next? The Spartans will watch the tape and prepare for their next opponent, Boise State, this Saturday. The Broncos are currently ranked #21 in the AP Top 25 Poll.
Here’s what you need to know before Saturday’s game.
Game #9
San Jose State vs. #21 Boise State
CEFCU Stadium, San Jose, Calif.
Saturday, November 2, 2019, 7:30 p.m. PT
CBS Sports Network
SJSU record
4-4, 1-3 Mountain West. Most recently, San Jose ended a two-game losing streak with a 34-29 win at Army West Point.
#21 Boise State record
6-1, 3-0 Mountain West. Boise State lost their first game of the season to BYU, 28-25, on October 19. The Broncos had a bye the week ending October 26.
Radio coverage
KKSF (910 AM, Oakland), RealTalk 910, is the new flagship radio station for San Jose State Spartans football. Justin Allegri calls the play-by-play. Kevin Richardson provides commentary. The Boise State broadcast begins at 7:00 p.m. PT with a pregame show.
KSJS (90.5FM, San Jose) also will carry a play-by-play broadcast of the San Jose State vs. Boise State football game. Air time is 7:15 p.m. PT with a pregame show.
Television
CBS Sports Network will provide broadcast coverage. Carter Blackburn calls the play-by-play. Aaron Taylor provides commentary. Jenny Dell is the sideline reporter. The CBS Sports Network presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. PT.
Series history
Boise State leads the series, 13-0. The teams are meeting for the first time since the 2016 season when the Broncos won, 45-31, in Boise. Saturday’s game will be the seventh time the teams have played in CEFCU Stadium.
Of the 13 meetings, the 2004 and 2006 games in San Jose were the closest. In 2004, Boise State pulled out a 56-49 double overtime win. Both teams scored a touchdown in the first overtime. In 2006, Anthony Montgomery kicked a 37-yard field goal on the final play of the game for a 23-20 Boise State win.
.500 again in 2019
For the fourth time this season, San Jose State’s at the .500 plateau with a 4-4 win-loss record. The Spartans have been above .500 three times and below .500 once.
Playing ranked teams the first weekend in November
Two of the biggest wins in San Jose State football history occurred on the first full weekend in November. The Spartans are 2-5 against nationally-ranked teams the first full weekend in November. Two of the five losses are to Boise State.
November 4, 2000 at San Jose State 27, #9/#9 TCU 24
November 1, 1980 San Jose State 30 at #10/#11 Baylor 22
Next opportunity for a winning streak
San Jose State has its 17th opportunity since the 2014 season to have a two-game winning streak when it hosts Boise State. The last Spartan two-game winning streak was a pair of victories hosting UNLV, 33-10, on October 4, and at Wyoming, 27-20, in overtime, on October 18, 2014.
2019 season win total matches 2016
The 34-29 win at Army West Point on October 26 gave San Jose State its fourth win of the season matching the win total of the 2016 season with four regular season games remaining. The last time the Spartans won five games in a regular season was in 2015 with a 5-7 record before capturing the inaugural AutoNation Cure Bowl over Georgia State, 27-16.
Victories in three time zones
For the first time since 2015, San Jose State has victories in three time zones. The Spartans have two home field wins in CEFCU Stadium in the Pacific Time Zone, a 31-24 win over Arkansas in the Central Time Zone, and a 34-29 win at Army West Point in the Eastern Time Zone.
In 2015, the Spartans won regular-season games in the Pacific Time Zone, won at Hawaii, and defeated Georgia State in the AutoNation Cure Bowl in Orlando, Fla.
The win over Army West Point gave San Jose State three wins in its last four games and 3-7 overall playing in the Eastern Time Zone.
30-point games in 2019
San Jose State has scored 30 or more points in five of its eight games this season compared to four a year ago. The Spartans are 4-1 in games the team scored 30 or more points this season. The one loss was a 41-38 defeat at Nevada on October 12.
Points off of turnovers
After eight games, San Jose State has scored 58 points off of opponent turnovers compared to the opponent’s seven. Seven of the Spartan points came in the win at Army West Point in a 34-29 decision. The first opponent points off a Spartan turnover came in the October 12 Nevada victory on an interception return for a touchdown.
Penalty countdown
In San Jose State’s last three games, the Spartans were assessed nine penalties — five at Nevada, one versus San Diego State, and three at Army West Point. In the first five games, San Jose State was charged with 33 penalties. The Spartans enter the Boise State game ranked 23rd nationally in fewest penalties per game at 5.25 per game.
Finding the quarterback
Despite just 12 quarterback sacks on the season, San Jose State has seven of them in the two most recent games prior to the Boise State contest.
The Spartans had two against San Diego State on October 19 and a season-high five in the win at Army West Point on October 26.
Five possessions lead to five first-half scores
For the first time this season, San Jose State scored every time it was on offense in the first half of a game. Against Army West Point, the Spartans scored two touchdowns and kicked three field goals to build a 23-10 halftime lead.
Adding a two-point play to the scoring column
For the first time since the 2016 season, San Jose State successfully converted a two-point PAT when quarterback Josh Love completed a pass to wide receiver Tre Walker in the October 26 win at Army West Point. The Spartans are 1-for-2 on the season on two-point conversations.
It should not be a surprise to anybody that Bruce Bochy might want to manage again. The future Hall of Fame manager who began his career as the San Diego Padres manager (1995-06) and continued as San Francisco Giants Manager (2007-19) seems to be leaning that way.
“I’d love to have one more shot,” Bochy said Thursday in an interview with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on SiriusXM.
Bochy can call his own shots when it comes to where he wants to manage. His reputation is impeccable — players love to play for him, they respect his knowledge and leadership. However, he might want to end his managerial career with a winning record. After those 25 years divided between the Padres and the Giants his record is 2,003 games won and 2,029 games lost for a .497 winning percentage.
Today, Bochy is #11 among the top managers with over 2,000 wins. However, of those 11, only two ended their careers with an under .500 winning percentage — Connie Mack and Bucky Harris. If Bochy doesn’t manage again, he will be the third among the top 11 managers win under .500 winning record.
The San Francisco Giants gave Bochy a great sendoff, where many of his players — past and present — spoke, where Bochy’s family was present, where he spoke in front of a sellout Oracle Park, and at that time, one would think that was it “no más” or “no more” for Bochy, but those people could be wrong.
Bochy wants to take a year off and then look at the possibilities available to him. Who is going to tell him otherwise? Last week, the Padres named Jayce Tingler, who was a Texas Rangers’ major league field coordinator, as their new field manager. The ex-Padres and ex-Giants manager lives in the San Diego area, and there were rumors that if he came back from “retirement,” it would be with his first team, the Padres. The only one that knows if Bochy is coming back to manage, is him, his wife, and his family; and I am sure he will make a good decision.
So, for those that have said “No,he is not coming back,” you better wait until the whole Bochy story is complete and his book is out.
