Tag: College Football

San Jose State podcast with Ana Kieu: Football and men’s basketball try to look beyond the losses

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On the San Jose State podcast with Ana:

1. Football first! San Jose State lost to Nevada 21-12 on Senior Day last Saturday.

2. San Jose State gears up to take on rival Fresno State before a national ESPN television audience this Saturday.

3. Not much luck for men’s basketball. San Jose State went to Bimini, Bahamas for the Junkanoo Jam, only to lose to Weber State, CSU Bakersfield and Central Michigan. San Jose State has lost four in a row. What do they need to do to beat Santa Clara this Saturday like they did last year?

4. Women’s volleyball ended the season on a positive note. Thali Gee and and Luiza Andrade were named the Mountain West Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week.

Ana does the San Jose State podcasts each week for SportsRadioService.com

Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Joey Friedman: Cardinal get roughed up in the Bahamas in Battle 4 Atlantis tournament

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On the Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Joey:

#1 Wisconsin Badgers (5-0) held off a Stanford Cardinal (2-3) comeback on Wednesday as Wisconsin got a convincing 62-42 win in the first game of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas.

#2 Ethan Happ led the Badgers with 16 points and 12 rebounds, Nate Reuvers blocked 9 Cardinal shots, and Wisconsin earned a semifinal date with Oklahoma (4-1) on Thanksgiving Day.

#3 Wisconsin did not score a single 3-pointer until the final minute.  Stanford, meanwhile, fared much worse, hitting 27 percent from the field – 11 percent behind the 3-point arc (2 of 18). Happ did the job defensively, holding KZ Okpala to 2-of-12 field goal shooting and 11 points, well short of the 22.7 points per game he was averaging.

#4 The Cardinal struggled with the Florida Gators (3-2) on Thanksgiving, dropping behind the Gators at the half, traveling to the Bahamas and playing Wisconsin and Florida and struggling against both. Was it a matter of both teams dominating Stanford or was it the travel, time difference and exhaustion for the Cardinal?

Joey does the Cardinal podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsadioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal Football podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Cardinal well rested after a week off as they prepare for UCLA

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On the Stanford Cardinal football podcast with Jerry:

#1 After the Big Game in Berkeley was moved to December 1st, was this bye week that bought more rest for the Stanford Cardinal (6-4)?

#2 The Cardinal are in UCLA (3-8) this Saturday. The Cardinal are 6-0 when forcing at least one turnover and 0-4 when not forcing a turnover.

#3 The Cardinal’s four loses have come about in AP’s #3, #7, # 16, and #18 teams, which consist of Notre Dame, Washington State, Washington, Utah. The teams are 37-7 for the season.

#4 It’s been a long time since the Cardinal had seven-plus receptions going back to 2000 when DeRonnie Pitts carried that season, and for this season, Trent Irwin and JJ Arcega each had seven receptions.

#5 Stanford is at UCLA this Saturday. How do you match these teams up?

Jerry has your Stanford Cardinal podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportradioservice.com

Cardinal fly to the Southland to take on UCLA

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By: Ana Kieu 

After this year’s Big Game was rescheduled for Dec. 1, the Stanford Cardinal had no other option, but to focus on their soon-to-be opponent, the UCLA Bruins, whom they’ll take on this Saturday inside the Rose Bowl. 

Here’s what you need to know about Stanford-UCLA: 

Basics
Stanford Cardinal (6-4, 4-3)
UCLA Bruins (3-8, 3-5)
Nov. 24, 2018 at Noon PT
Rose Bowl (90,888) in Pasadena, Calif.

Television
Live national broadcast on Pac-12 Network with Ted Robinson (play-by-play), Yogi Roth (analyst) and Jill Savage (sideline).

Radio
Live coverage on Stanford’s flagship station–KNBR 1050 AM–with Scott Reiss ’93 (play-by-play), Todd Husak ’00 (analyst) and Troy Clardy ’97 (sideline). The broadcast begins one hour before kickoff with the Cardinal Tailgate Show and concludes with the postgame Cardinal Locker Room Report.

The game can be heard on Stanford student radio–KZSU 90.1 FM–and online at kzsulive.stanford.edu.

Internet
GoStanford.com 
UCLABruins.com
#GoStanford
What You Need to Know
  • 1 • Stanford is 6-0 this season when forcing at least one turnover, and 0-4 when not forcing a turnover.
  • 3 • Stanford football players have conducted interviews in three foreign languages this season—JJ Arcega-Whiteside (Spanish), Jesse Burkett (Japanese) and Osiris St. Brown (German). All other Stanford football interviews this year have been done in English. 
  • 3 • Kaden Smith is one of three finalists for the John Mackey Award, joining T.J. Hockenson (Iowa), Albert Okwuegbunam (Missouri). The winner will be announced on Dec. 5. 
  • 4 • Stanford’s four losses this season have come against the AP’s curent No. 3, No. 7, No. 16 and No. 18th-ranked teams in the nation (Notre Dame, Washington State, Washington, Utah). Those four teams have a combined record of 37-7 (.841) this season.
  • 4 • Colby Parkinson tied a school single-game record with four touchown receptions against Oregon State on Nov. 10. The only other Cardinal to pull off that feat was Ty Montgomery against Cal in 2013 and Ken Margerum against the Beavers in 1980. Parkinson is the first FBS tight end with four touchdown catches in a game since 2011 (Northwestern’s Drake Dunsmore), and just the fifth to do so since 1996. Parkinson also finished with a career-high six receptions and 166 receiving yards— the most receiving yards by a Cardinal tight end since Coby Fleener’s 173-yard game in the 2011 Orange Bowl.
  • 7 • The last time a Cardinal had seven-plus receptions in three straight games was DeRonnie Pitts in 2000. This season, Trent Irwin and JJ Arcega-Whiteside each had seven-plus receptions in the same three-game span (Utah, Arizona State and Washington).
  • 8 • Parkinson was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week after his four-touchdown performance against Oregon State. Since it was established in 1983, Parkinson is just the eighth tight end to win the conference’s weekly offensive award, and the first since Stanford’s Zach Ertz in 2012.
  • 10 • Stanford has won a series-record 10 consecutive games over the Bruins, dating back to 2009 and including the 2012 Pac-12 Championship Game. It is the all-time longest winning streak by any opponent against the Bruins.
  • 11 • Biletnikoff Award semifinalist JJ Arcega-Whiteside ranks fifth nationally–and first among Pac-12 players–with 11 receiving touchdowns. That’s the second-most in a season in Stanford history and the most receiving touchdowns for a Cardinal in 38 years–Ken Margerum had 11 in 1980, while James Lofton set the school record with 14 in 1978.
  • 13 • In addition to his 49 receptions and 754 receiving yards this season, Arcega-Whiteside has drawn 14 penalties this year–12 pass interference and two holding calls for 190 penalty yards (1.6 penalties/game and 21.1 penalty yards/game).
  • 15 • Paulson Adebo ranks second nationally with 16 pass breakups and sixth in the NCAA with 17 passes defended. He ranks atop the Pac-12 in both categories.
  • 20 • K.J. Costello ranks among the Top 20 nationally in completion percentage (12th), completions per game (15th), passing efficiency (18th), passing touchdowns (20th), passing yards (17th), passing yards per game (13th) and yards per attempt (17th). He leads the Pac-12 in efficiency (156.9) and is second in the conference in passing yards (2,854) and yards per attempt (8.65).
  • 21 • Stanford’s seniors finished their careers 20-5 (.800) at Stanford Stadium. In the last four years, the Cardinal has won 37 games, three Big Games, two Pac-12 North titles, a conference championship, and has played in the Rose Bowl, Sun Bowl and Alamo Bowl.
  • 25 • Don’t expect many points immediately after halftime. Stanford has allowed just one touchdown and never more than seven points in the third quarter this season. The Cardinal has only allowed 25 third-quarter points in its first 10 games (2.5/game). The only touchdown allowed was vs. Washington State. 
  • 37 • Trenton Irwin has at least one reception in 38 consecutive games, a streak that ranks seventh nationally.
  • 43.64 • Jake Bailey’s 43.64 career punting average ranks first in program history. Bailey posted the second-best punting season in school history last year, averaging 45.4 yards/punt. He led the Pac-12 and ranked seventh nationally. 
  • 121 • The 121st Big Game was rescheduled due to the poor air quality caused by the devastating wildfires in Butte County. The game will be played on Dec. 1 at noon on Pac-12 Network. Cal is Stanford’s most common opponent (next is USC with 98 all-time meetings). Stanford’s 63 wins over the Bears are also its most against any opponent.
  • 387 • Costello’s 387 yards of total offense (45 rush, 342 pass) vs. Oregon State on Nov. 10 were the most for a Cardinal since Josh Nunes had 393 against Arizona in 2012, and 14th-most in school history.

Brent Brennan press conference wrap: Commentary on San Jose State football

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By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — I know I sound like a broken record, but San Jose State has nothing to play for (and nothing to lose). However, SJSU has a game coming up against Fresno State inside Bulldog Stadium this Saturday at 4:00 pm PT on ESPNU. So the Spartans must prepare themselves in order to snatch the Valley Trophy away from the rival Bulldogs in the nationally televised game.

Here’s my Q&A with Spartans head coach Brent Brennan:

1. Why did you decide to punt at the 50 down on two possessions with five minutes left?
Because the down and distance was more than I thought. I think it was maybe fourth and nine or fourth and 11…I was ready. I told coach (Kevin) McGiven this is going to be fourth down, depending on what we get here and then we didn’t get enough on third…and then our defense was playing so well. I thought we would be able to get a stop there. That was why.

2. Christian Johnson picked up the fumble recovery in the second quarter for the first of his career. That was obviously a moment worth noting, but what else were you proud of when it came to the Spartan defense?
I thought the Spartan defense did a great job. I thought that coach (Derrick) Odum and the staff had the guys really prepared–multiple fourth down stops and we had the play where we got to run into the punter, so that gave them five yards, then gave them a fourth and short.

Ethan Aguayo, I believe, made a huge hit and we stopped them there. Also, we got good field position with our offense–multiple fourth down stops and two turnovers. Obviously, Ethan again with the tipped interception on the screen play. It was a really big moment in that game early on.

I thought our defense played really, really hard. There were a couple throws we’d like to contest a little better or finish a little better, but I thought against a really physical running attack and against a team that had really been playing really excellent offense the previous month, I thought our defense did a really good job holding them to 21 points and doing what we did against the run game and on third down and the turnover battle was four to one, maybe. So it’s just a lot of good stuff.

3. The US Open Trophy made a guest appearance at the game. Just how awesome was it to see the trophy and did you, the other coaches and the players touch the trophy or avoid it altogether?
You know what? I was unaware the US Open Trophy was at the game until I saw a picture of it. My brother-in-law is a big golfer and he showed me a picture of it, so I was unaware that it was there.

Obviously, it was really cool that it was, but we were so locked into Senior Day and making sure that that experience for our seniors and their families was something that they would remember and something that would be positive for them. So that’s kind of where I was at.

San Jose State to close out season at No. 23 Fresno State

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By: Ana Kieu

Here are two things you should know about San Jose State’s upcoming game at No. 23 Fresno State. First off, SJSU has its sights on the Valley Trophy. Second, Owen Roberts has a team-best 8.5 tackles for loss.

Here are some other things you should know about SJSU at No. 23 Fresno State.

Game No. 12
San Jose State at No. RV/No. 23 Fresno State    
Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018
Bulldog Stadium, Fresno, Calif., 4:00 pm PT
ESPNU

SJSU’s record
1-10, 1-6 Mountain West. Most recently, the Spartans lost to Nevada, 21-12, on Nov. 17.

Fresno State’s record
9-2, 6-1 Mountain West. The  Bulldogs won for the eighth time in their last nine contests, defeating San Diego State, 23-14, on Nov. 17.

Radio
KLIV (1590 AM, San Jose) originates SJSU football broadcasts. Justin Allegri calls the play-by-play. Kevin Richardson provides commentary. The Fresno State broadcast begins at 3:30 pm PT with a pregame show.

Television
ESPNU will provide play-by-play coverage of the SJSU-Fresno State game. Jay Alter calls the play-by-play. Ray Bentley offers analysis. The live telecast is scheduled for 4:00 pm PT.

Series history
Fresno State leads the series, 41-37-3. The two teams first played in 1921 and SJSU went home with a 14-2 victory. The Spartans’ have played more games against the Bulldogs (81) than any other opponent.

Fresno State won last year’s game, 27-10, ending SJSU’s two-game win streak in the series. The last Spartan win in the series was a 16-13 decision at Bulldog Stadium to close out the 2016 season.

SJSU and Fresno State still hold the NCAA record for most penalties in a game by two teams, 36 (24 by the Spartans and 12 by the Bulldogs), during the 1986 contest won by SJSU, 45-41. The Spartans’ 24 penalties for 199 yards also remains a FBS record for most penalties in a game by one team.

Valley Trophy
Since 2013, SjSU and Fresno State play for the Valley Trophy. SJSU is the metropolitan capital of the high-tech Silicon Valley. Fresno State is the largest city in the agriculturally-rich San Joaquin Valley. The two schools are separated by approximately 150 miles.

Returning to Fresno
SJSU offensive line coach Joe Bernardi played for Fresno State from 2006-2010 and was the Bulldogs’ tight ends coach in 2016.

Closing out a season
SJSU s 5-2 in its last seven regular-season finales. Three of those wins are against Fresno State–2011, 27-24, in Fresno; 2013, 62-52, in San Jose; and 2016, 16-13, in Fresno.

Top 20 in pass interceptions
SJSU has 13 interceptions for the season and is tied for 17th nationally in the category. The last time the Spartans had more than 13 interceptions in a season was in 2012 with 15 in a 13-game season. SJSU has a season-high three interceptions in its Washington State and UNLV games.

Tops in tight ends
Since the beginning of the season, Josh Oliver is the leading pass receiver among FBS tight ends. 36 of Oliver’s 54 receptions this season resulted in a SJSU first down. Oliver also is third in receiving yards by a listed tight end at 667 yards in games played through Nov. 17.

Time for credits
Linebacker Ethan Aguayo became the first Mountain West player this season to be credited with 20 tackles in a game with his Nov. 17 afternoon performance versus Nevada. Aguayo also added a 27-yard pass interception return that set up SJSU’s first touchdown of the game. His 20 tackles match the 12th best single-game total by a FBS player this season.

Spartan defense contains Nevada
SJSU kept Nevada scoreless longer than any 2018 opponent from the opening kickoff to the Wolf Pack’s first score of the game. Nevada’s first score was a two-yard run by quarterback Ty Gangi with 1:48 to go in the second quarter.

Earlier in the season, Nevada did not register its first points in its loss at Vanderbilt until the 5:41 mark of the second quarter.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Canceled games give Bears time to regroup; Cal Men’s BB in Brooklyn tonight; Women’s BB moved to Stanford

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On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 It’s been a week of cancellations for Cal sports. The Men’s basketball games were canceled Friday, the Big Game was canceled Saturday, and the Women’s basketball game was moved to Stanford on Sunday.

#2 The Women’s game on Sunday saw the Bears defeat Pacific 81-69 in a game that was free of admission courtesy of Cal and the site host Stanford

#3 The Men’s BB team are in Brooklyn facing St John’s for a 4 PM tipoff today in the Legends Classic. For one of the Bears’ first games away from smoke-filled Berkeley.

#4 The Bears beat Hampton Pirates 80-66 in their last game in Virginia. The Bears got on a 10-0 run thanks to scoring from Paris Austin, Darius McNeill, Conner Vanover in the first half.

#5 A look at Cal Football’s next game against Colorado. Cal looks to be the heavy favorites for this upcoming game as Colorado has lost six games straight as this one will be played Saturday at Cal.

Morris Phillips does the Cal Football podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NCAAFB podcast with Michelle Richardson: Big Game between Cal-Stanford smoked out; Harvard running back flips bird while scoring; Meyer doesn’t look right on sidelines

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On the NCAAFB podcast with Michelle:

#1 No surprises how the Big Game at Cal was called off on Saturday because the Air Quality Index was over 200 on Friday at 240. Berkeley was blanketed with smoke from the Northern California Paradise Camp Fires. Giving the Bay Area the worst air quality second to Bangladesh that was Friday. On Saturday the air quality actually improved dropping from 240 to 156 still unhealthy but breathing conditions much better. The Big Game has been rescheduled to Sat Dec 1st.

#2 Harvard running back Devin Darrington while running towards the end zone and being pursued by Yale defenders gave the bird to the nearest Yale defender before crossing the end zone. The officials disqualified the touchdown because of unsportsmanship like conduct. Harvard went onto win the game 45-27.

#3 Ohio State coach Urban Meyer’s health condition is in question after he was seen bent over hands on knees, palms pressed against his head. Meyer had surgery in 2014 for a cyst in the brain. Meyer’s doctor Dr. Andrew Thomas said that Meyer suffers from aggressive headaches. Meyer was suspended at the beginning of the season for four games when he was accused of having knowledge of former assistant coach Zach Smith had been abusing his wife and Meyer didn’t take any action to discipline Smith at the time.

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

Three takeaways from San Jose State’s 21-12 loss to Nevada on Senior Day

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By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State Spartans were fired up for Senior Day on Saturday afternoon versus the Nevada Wolf Pack inside CEFCU Stadium. Unfortunately, things weren’t that great, and Spartans head coach Brent Brennan was unable to let this year’s seniors leave the game with a win.

Here are my three takeaways from SJSU’s 21-12 loss to Nevada.

Missing you
The Spartans got on the board first, thanks to five-year quarterback Michael Carillo’s one-yard touchdown pass to Josh Oliver, who ran for the opening touchdown. But senior kicker Bryce Crawford’s extra point attempt failed, so the Spartans settled for an early 6-0 lead to start the game.

Fast forward to the third quarter, where the Spartans made an effort to cut the Wolf Pack’s lead to 14-12. Carrillo threw yet another touchdown pass, a 22-yarder, to senior running back DeJon Packer for the touchdown. But the Spartans’ two-point conversion attempt failed, so there’s that too.

Needless to say, SJSU has failed at two extra point opportunities to cap off their touchdowns, so that’s something that the Spartan coaching staff needs to address to the Spartan players.

For the first time
If there’s anything the Spartans could look back upon to crack a smile, it’d be the superb moment when Christian Johnson picked up the fumble recovery in the second quarter for the first of his career.

Johnson is far from a household name, but he drew some attention to his name Saturday. That’s a good start for the sophomore defensive end, who has been competing for playing time on the Spartan defensive line thus far.

Keep up the good work, Johnson!

West Coast
The Spartans lost to the Wolf Pack in their final home game of the season, but the Senior Day has showcased this year’s seniors, including senior tight end Josh Oliver, who’s a versatile tight end who gives the Spartans a target on pass plays. Oliver also proved to be a capable blocker.

Before the game, no tight end in the nation has risen higher than Oliver, a Paso Robles, Calif. native, per Reese’s Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy.

Nagy added that it seems like most, if not all, West Coast agents are on Oliver at the moment.

2018 Big Game between Stanford and Cal rescheduled for Dec. 1

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By: Ana Kieu

PALO ALTO–I know a lot of college football fans in the Bay Area were looking forward to the 2018 Big Game between the Stanford Cardinal and California Golden Bears at Memorial Stadium this Saturday, but that fun-filled day will have to wait as the heavy smoke from the devastating wildfires in Butte County has significantly worsened the air quality throughout Northern California. The game has been rescheduled for Dec. 1 at noon PT on the Pac-12 Network.

Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics, Bernard Muir, said in a statement: “The entire Stanford Athletics community recognizes this has been an extremely challenging time for so many people who have been affected by the wildfires, both in the Bay Area and throughout the state. Our thoughts are with them, first and foremost. We are thankful to the University of California for collaborating with us on the logistical challenges of rescheduling the Big Game, and are looking forward to playing the game on Dec. 1.”

The Big Game was originally scheduled for Saturday at 4:30 pm PT in Berkeley, Calif. However, after further consultation with campus medical and environmental experts, the Pac-12 Conference and Stanford, UC Berkeley’s Chancellor, Carol Christ, and Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton concluded that the game should be postponed due to concerns for the health and well-being of student-athletes, staff, the band, student groups, and fans.

While the initial intention was to wait until Saturday to make a final decision, current air quality conditions provided by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and forecasts for the weekend are indicating that AQI (Air Quality Index) levels are unlikely to improve by Saturday afternoon. The decision was consistent with guidelines established by the NCAA Sports Science Institute and the Pac-12’s Health and Well-Being Board.

All tickets to the Nov. 17 game will be honored on Dec. 1, and fans should bring the tickets they currently have to gain entrance on the rescheduled date. Fans with questions should call (800) STANFORD and press option 4.

Since 1892, Stanford and Cal have met 120 times, including each of the last 71 years dating back to a three-year gap during World War II (1943-45). The Cardinal holds the all-time series lead 63-46-11 in the Big Game, and has won a series-record eight in a row over the Bears.