BERKELEY, Calif. — Well, we knew coming in that previously ranked Washington State and Cal are pretty good football teams except when they aren’t.
The Cougs look bad when they can’t stop anybody, and when the Bears struggle they can’t score. Those two storylines grew old in Pullman and Berkeley with all the losing. Since late September when WSU and Cal were both undefeated and nationally ranked, the two clubs combined for a 1-8 record.
So Saturday’s matchup offered redemption for one of the two teams, and more of the same for the other.
Who gained the upper hand?
Cal did, winning 33-20, as they welcomed back injured, offensive starters Michael Saffell, Kekoa Crawford and Devon Modster, three big reasons the Bears put up a season-best 33 points, one game after they were shutout in Salt Lake City.
“It just shows a lot of grit, coming off of a four-game losing streak,” said Modster, who threw for three scores and ran for another. “Our spirits didn’t die. We came out to work every day, and I think it showed tonight.”
The Bears scored just 24 points total in their previous three losses, but needed all of 45 seconds to find the end zone on Saturday night. Jaylinn Hawkins picked off Anthony Gordon’s first pass attempt of the game, and Christopher Brown Jr. covered 27 yards on a touchdown run one play later.
Any illusions that Cal was going to erase all its ills immediately were wiped out on the extra-point attempt when WSU’s George Hicks III scooped up a blocked kick and raced the length of the field for two points for the Cougars.
When is a touchdown not worth seven points on the scoreboard? In this case, when the Bears’ faulty place-kicking game gets involved. In that case, seven points is effectively reduced to four.
Defensively, the Bears were on point from the start, not only with Hawkins interception, but by getting off the field in a timely matter on Washington State’s next two possessions. But after tight end Gavin Reinwald fumbled trying to get extra yardage after a catch, WSU had a short field, and drew within a point on Drew Mazza’s 30-yard field goal.
Giving away points to a normally prolific WSU offense could have spelled disaster. Trailing only 6-5 after a lackluster beginning may have been the Cougars signal to bury Cal offensively, but it wasn’t. WSU committed too many penalties (10), couldn’t run the ball (16 yards on just 14 attempts) and didn’t do enough in the pass game despite racking up 407 yards passing on Gordon’s 58 pass attempts.
Instead, Cal limited WSU’s receivers after the catch, came up with Hawkins’ pick and a fumble recovery, along with a key stop early in the fourth quarter that preserved Cal’s 20-14 lead.
Meanwhile, the Bears took after halftime, as the Cougs imploded, building on their 13-11 lead at the break with a couple of big plays, most significantly, Makai Polk’s 52-yard catch-and-run that put Cal up 26-14 with 6:15 remaining. Polk, the freshman from Richmond, had just three catches all season prior to his touchdown, a moment of brilliance that saw Modster recognize the defense pre-snap, then have Polk take advantage after catching a simple screen pass.
“They were (in) cover zero and I knew it was going to be a big gain, but I didn’t know if it was going to be a touchdown or not,” Modster recalled. “But right when I threw it I saw a huge hole and Makai just did all the rest.”
The Bears are back in the postseason mix if they can gain at least one more win in their final three games. USC comes to Berkeley on Saturday, then the Bears visit Stanford. Both teams have been vulnerable at points this season, and Cal could benefit greatly if that resurfaces for either opponent. Bringing to an end the nine consecutive losses to Stanford probably is especially enticing to the Bears.
San Jose State football looked for a two-game winning streak in the islands against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Aloha Stadium on Saturday night. Unfortunately, the Spartans’ wish didn’t come true, but the road team put up a good fight in Honolulu.
Matt Mercurio opened the scoring with a 28-yard field goal with 9:06 left in the first quarter. The Rainbow Warriors responded with a touchdown as Chevan Cordeiro threw a 5-yard pass to JoJo Ward for a 7-3 lead with just 27 seconds left in the first.
The Spartans lead 7-3 at the end of the first.
The Spartans scored first to start the second quarter. DeJon Packer ran for a 6-yard touchdown to put SJSU on top 10-7 at 11:15 of the second. Mercurio hit a 43-yard field goal to make it 13-10 Spartans with 9:59 left in the second.
The Rainbow Warriors made it a 1-point game, 14-13, as Cordeiro threw a 71-yard pass to Ward just 51 seconds later. But the Spartans quickly responded as Packer ran for a 20-yard touchdown to extend SJSU’s lead to 20-14 with 6:26 left in the second.
The Rainbow Warriors went ahead 21-20 as Miles Reed ran for a 4-yard touchdown with 2:37 left in the second. But the Spartans ended up taking a 23-21 lead to the locker room at the halftime break, thanks to Mercurio’s 43-yard field goal with just 44 seconds left in the second.
The Rainbow Warriors struck first in the third quarter. Cordeiro ran for a 3-yard touchdown for a 28-23 lead with 9:30 left in the third. The Spartans made it a 2-point game after Mercurio hit a 25-yard field goal with 1:21 left in the third.
The Spartans led 28-26 at the end of the third.
Cordeiro threw a 5-yard pass to Jared Smart for a touchdown to give the Rainbow Warriors a 35-26 lead at 12:13 of the fourth quarter. But the Spartans pulled within two as Josh Love threw a 40-yard pass to Bailey Gaither with 9:53 left in the fourth.
However, Hawaii went ahead 42-33 with 4:23 left in the fourth as Cordiero ran for a 2-yard touchdown.
SJSU seemed to have had the “never say die” attitude when Love threw a 19-yard pass to Isaiah Holiness for a touchdown that brought the Spartans within two with 1:51 left in the fourth.
The Spartans lost to the Rainbow Warriors 42-40. With the loss, SJSU fell to 6-4, 1-5 Mountain West, while Hawaii improved to 6-4, 3-3 Mountain West.
The Spartans have a bye week, then head to Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas to face the UNLV Rebels on Saturday, November 23 at 1 pm PT.
By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Stanford’s slim chances of playing in a bowl game decreased Saturday, when Colorado kicker Even Price make a 37-yard field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter, giving the Buffaloes a 16-13 victory in Boulder.
Colorado need to win its final two games to become bowl eligible. The Cardinal (4-5 overall, 3-4 Pac-12) must win two of its final three games to extend its consecutive bowl streak to 11 seasons.
Both teams are already eliminated from Pac-12 championship possibilities.
Price, a freshman, was promoted this week with regular kicker James Stefanou out with an injury. His game-winner was the Buffs’ first as time expired since Sept. 29, 2007, against Oklahoma.
Colorado (4-6 overall, 2-5 conference) opened the scoring at 11:14 of the first quarter on a 13-yard touchdown run by Steven Montez. The Cardinal answered with a Ryan Sanborn 40-yard field goal at 5:58, as the Buffaloes held a 7-3 lead after one quarter.
The teams swapped field goals in the second quarter. Sanborn kicked a 36-yarder and Price hit from 34, giving the Buffs a 10-6 halftime lead.
Stanford surged ahead one minute into the second half when quarterback K.J. Costello connected with Simi Fehoko for a 79-yard scoring pass, putting the Cardinal up 13-10.
Price booted a 23-yard field goal with 7:34 remaining in the third quarter. That completed the scoring until Price’s game-winning field goal.
Costello completed 18 of 29 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown with one interception and two sacks. Cameron Scarlett led the Cardinal rushers with 63 yards on 13 carries.
Fehoko caught two passes for 95 yards, and Colby Parkinson had five receptions for 54 yards. Michael Wilson and Conor Wedington each caught three passes.
The Buffaloes leaders included Laviska Shenault Jr., who caught eight passes for 91 yards, and Alex Fontenot rushed for 95 yards on 18 attempts.
The Cardinal travel to Washington State next Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
During the Stanford Cardinal bye week, Casey Toohill received a book from his girlfriend called “Trillion Dollar Coach” by Eric Schmidt. The fifth-year senior outside linebacker dug in immediately.
A New York Times and Wall Street Journal #1 bestseller, the book chronicles the life of late Bay Area businessman Bill Campbell, who played football at Columbia and came west to become VP of Marketing and board director for Apple Inc. and CEO of Claris, Intuit and GO Corporation.
A mentor to many CEO’s in Silicon Valley, Campbell also became chairman of the board at Columbia and cherished character, leadership and academics. In 1990, the NFF recognized the first William V. Campbell Trophy recipient, awarded to the top student-athlete in college football. Nominees must be seniors in their final year of eligibility and maintain at least a 3.20 GPA.
Last week, Toohill was selected one of 12 NFF National Scholar-Athlete finalists from an initial list of 185 semifinalists. The San Diego native carries a 3.71 GPA in political science and will earn his degree in December. He’s a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic honoree and was selected CoSIDA Academic All-District in 2017.
As a finalist, Toohill will earn an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, and travel to New York on December 10 for the NFF Awards Dinner, when the overall winner will be announced and receive a $25,000 scholarship.
“Obviously, Mr. Campbell was a legend,” said Toohill. “Hearing people’s stories about their interaction with him and what he meant to them makes me honored to even be considered for the award. He made such an impact on so many lives, and it’s something I strive to do.”
In August, the annual Campbell Summit was held at Stanford, bringing together finalists from previous years for lectures, group discussions and visits to Bay Area companies. Toohill attended several functions after practice.
“The number of thoughtful and successful individuals there really stood out to me,” Toohill said. “I sat in on a few of the lectures and it was all these impressive people from the business world. I was just blown away.”
Toohill quickly realized the significance of the award.
“The amount of respect and admiration people had for Mr. Campbell struck me from the start,” he said.
Toohill leads the Cardinal in tackles (45), sacks (5.0), tackles for loss (7.5), quarterback hurries (9) and has forced one fumble. His sack total ranks third in the Pac-12 and he’s tied for fifth in tackles for loss.
Voted a team captain, Toohill hopes to play pro football and attend business school, with an eye on nonprofit work.
“From the moment he got here, he’s been a high-effort, try-to-do-everything-right, pour-himself-into-everything-he-does guy,” said David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football. “That’s how he was raised and who he is. So, it’s not a surprise he’s on that list.”
Shaw believes strongly that every student-athlete in the country should strive for excellence in sports and academics. Toohill has done that and developed into a respected team leader.
“This recognition is very significant and very well deserved,” Shaw said. “Casey is energetic, positive and focused. Nothing would make us happier than for him to win that award.”
INJURY UPDATE
Senior quarterback K.J. Costello has looked good in practice this week and will start for the second consecutive game on Saturday, when Stanford (4-4, 3-3 Pac-12) travels to Colorado (3-6, 1-5 Pac-12) for a 12 pm PT kickoff. Junior backup Davis Mills practiced Tuesday and Wednesday and will make the trip, but his availability has yet to be determined. Senior inside linebacker Curtis Robinson is doubtful, but could return next week against Washington State.
WELCOME WEEK
Stanford coaches and players said the bye week came at a good time.
“It was more a shutoff and recovery time,” said senior defensive tackle Michael Williams. “At the end of the week, we started watching Colorado film and a little bit of us. It was more relax, recover and get ready for this last four-game stretch.”
The coaching staff also got a break, but most, including Shaw, hit the recruiting trail.
RESILIENCE
Shaw’s biggest takeaways on the season so far are the number of injuries his team has sustained, but also the justification of the program’s recruiting.
“I say that because a lot of teams would not be able to handle what we’ve had to handle this year,” Shaw said. “Whether it’s a depth standpoint and to be able to put three freshmen on the offensive line and start a freshman at nickel and corner and be able to perform. To be able to have 105 players pulling in the same direction when you lose three games in a row and still come together.”
Shaw praised his players for hanging tough through tough times.
“There’s going to be times when things are difficult,” Shaw said. “I can’t say enough about the people we have in our locker room that are fiery, energetic, passionate and want to go out and play together and win. They have each other’s backs.”
SCOUTING COLORADO
Colorado enters with a five-game losing streak but is talented on both sides of the ball and tough at home.
Offensively, the Buffaloes mix pass and run and have a heady and mobile quarterback in senior Steven Montez.
“He doesn’t panic,” said Shaw.
Montez has explosive wide receivers in junior Laviska Shenault and senior Tony Brown, who have combined for 85 catches for 1,154 yards and eight touchdowns.
Shaw called Shenault one of the top receivers in the country.
“Everybody in the secondary has to know where that guy is on every play,” said Shaw. “He’s one of the best in America at what he does. We have to recognize that and make sure we keep him in front of us and bring as many guys to the party as possible and try to get him on the ground.”
IMPROVEMENT
Williams credits more depth up front for the line’s continued improvement.
“The past couple years, we only had three or four guys to put on the field,” he said. “This year, we throw everybody out there. It’s more being able to throw waves at people and we have more interchangeable parts.”
Williams said a player to watch is senior defensive end Thomas Schaffer, who was born in Vienna, Austria. He is one of six Stanford players who stands 6-foot-7.
“Thomas has gotten very big and very fast,” said Williams. “That’s a grown man out there. His strength and his length … Nobody can deal with that. When he puts his mind to it, he can do anything he wants.”
ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENT
Boulder is 5,328 feet above sea level and the higher elevation is an adjustment for most visiting teams.
“There’s really not much you can do,” said Shaw. “Usually, it takes about a quarter-and-a-half.”
Shaw said the most important factor is being mentally prepared. He will substitute as needed to keep players fresh.
“I played at Utah two years ago,” said Williams said. “You get used to it. It’s just football at the end of the day.”
Saturday’s forecast called for sunny skies with a high of 67 degrees and zero chance of rain.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
FAMILIAR FACE
Blake Stenstrom, a redshirt freshman and the backup quarterback for the Buffaloes, has close ties to Stanford. His father, Steve, was a standout quarterback for the Cardinal (1991-94) and still holds many records, including career passing yards (10,911), passing attempts (1,380) and completions (866). He also maintains single-season standards for pass attempts (455) and passing yards (3,627). Stenstrom was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.
Stenstrom’s wife, Lori, was an accomplished swimmer at Stanford. She was a multiple NCAA champion, an American record holder and swam for the U.S. National Team. Their daughter Brooke is currently a senior at Stanford and competes for the women’s swim team. A four-time team captain in high school and at Stanford, she was a member of the 2017, 2018 and 2019 NCAA title squads.
“Steve and I were here at the same time and became really good friends,” said Shaw, who played wide receiver for the Cardinal. “Actually, we met at Stanford Football Camp and came in as freshmen together and became friends. We lived together in suites on the back side of campus our sophomore year and we just had our 25th reunion.
“I remember the pictures when Blake was born. It’s still so weird. We’re at that age where we do doubletakes. When I printed out pictures of guys on the other team (Colorado), I thought, oh my gosh, I still can’t believe he’s in college.”
“Blake is an outstanding human being. He’s very, very smart, and a good football player. I look forward to giving him a hug before and after the game.”
NOTES
Stanford needs two wins to make it to the postseason. “I’m not even thinking about bowl games,” said Shaw. “Our charge is to play our best football.” … Through eight games, 35 Stanford players have started at least one contest … 15 true freshmen have played and seven have started. The latter is the second-most nationally behind Alabama (9) … The Cardinal has utilized five different starting offensive line combinations. Only twice — Oregon State and Washington — has Stanford used the same starting five in consecutive games … Junior cornerback Paulson Adebo is tied for fifth in the FBS with 14 total passes defended. In three October games, he intercepted three passes, had five pass breakups and collected nine tackles … Costello now has 5,906 career passing yards, the ninth-most in school history, and 5,997 yards of total offense, the ninth-most in Stanford history. His 48 career touchdown passes are tied for sixth, and his 477 career completions and 762 attempts are tied for 10th.
QUOTE
“Be calm in the midst of chaos.” — K.J. Costello on playing quarterback.
Nationally-ranked San Jose State quarterback Josh Love is one of 83 players nominated for the 2019 Burlsworth Trophy.
The award honors the most outstanding NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) player who began his career as a walk-on and shown outstanding performance on the field.
Love is the only quarterback among this year’s record-number of nominees for the award named after former University of Arkansas walk-on and All-American offensive lineman, the late Brandon Burlsworth.
A senior from Mission Viejo, Calif. and co-captain of this year’s Spartan team, Love is one of the country’s most prolific passers. Leading San Jose State to road wins at Arkansas on September 21 and Army West Point on October 26, he is among the top-20 nationally in passing yards per game (5th/310.3), completions per game (12th/22.58), total offense (12th/302.8) and passing yards per completion (20th/13.76).
The two-time Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week this season has thrown for single-season personal bests of 2,793 yards and 17 touchdowns in the Spartans’ first nine games. Love became just the second San Jose State quarterback in school history to record four 400-yard passing games in a season with his 438-yard, two touchdown performance against #21 Boise State on Nov. 2. His four interceptions in 346 pass attempts is a career-low and one of the best interception-to-pass attempt ratios in college football this season.
Love enrolled at San Jose State in 2015 as a non-scholarship player from Long Beach Poly High (Long Beach, Calif.). He was placed on scholarship in August 2016, started one game as a redshirt freshman, five as a sophomore, and eight last year as a junior. Love has started every game for San Jose State in 2019.
“This award is about the journey, the incredibly challenging journey that all of these nominees have taken,” said Marty Burlsworth, CEO and Founder of the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation and older brother of Brandon.
“When you begin your college career as a Walk-On there are plenty of skeptics, those that think you can’t do it. This group of Burlsworth Trophy nominees have proven all the skeptics wrong. They have put in an immense about of work and overcame numerous obstacles to make their dreams come true.”
Without one D1 scholarship offer, Brandon Burlsworth walked on at the University of Arkansas in 1994. He became a three-year starter and was eventually named an All-American in 1998. Burlsworth was selected as the 63rd overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1999 NFL Draft, but was tragically killed in a car accident 11 days later. The Burlsworth Foundation was created in his memory and supports the physical and spiritual needs of children, in particular those children who have limited opportunities.
Previous San Jose State nominees include offensive lineman David Quessenberry, a 2012 Burlsworth Trophy finalist, wide receiver, current graduate assistant and school-record setting wide receiver Chandler Jones, wide receiver Tim Crawley, and All-America punter Michael Carrizosa.
Ten semifinalists will be announced on Nov. 12 and three finalists will be named on Nov. 19.
The Brandon Burlsworth Foundation, in conjunction with Springdale Rotary Club, will host an awards ceremony on Dec. 9, 2019 in Springdale, Ark. to honor the three finalists and to announce the 2019 winner.
The Burlsworth Trophy is one of 25 nationally-recognized annual football awards recognized by the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA).
On the Headline Sports podcast with Barbara Mason:
#1 Are the Warriors 2-5 just down on their luck or are they just outright a bad ball club since their offseason mass exodus?
#2 How much would would you allude to the Sacramento Kings’ struggle and their recent two straight wins? Were the wins looked at as encouraging for the Kings?
#3 The Cal Bears opened up their men’s basketball season against Pepperdine tonight at Haas Pavillion. The Bears are looking to have a much better season than they did last year.
#4 The San Francisco 49ers might be facing their toughest challenge this season yet when they host the Seattle Seahawks for Monday Night Football on Nov. 11th at Levis Stadium.
#5 The Oakland Raiders just got by the Detroit Lions with a 31-24 win on a Hunter Renfrow fourth quarter touchdown that help put the Lions away at the Oakland Coliseum.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State football shocked the general public with a narrow win over Army and a competitive game against #21 Boise State. So what’s next for the Spartans? The 4-5 team heads to the Aloha state to take on Hawaii on Saturday night.
Fun fact: Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich is from Daly City, Calif. Rolovich attended Marin Catholic High School (Kentfield, Calif.), where he won varsity letters in football and baseball; City College of San Francisco, where he led the Rams to a national championship in 1999; and University of Hawaii, where he served as a two-year letterman and replaced starter and future all-time NCAA career passing leader Timmy Chang in 2001. The 40-year-old was named one of two MVPs from the 2002 Hula Bowl.
Anyhow, here’s what you need to know before Saturday’s game.
Game #10
San Jose State vs. Hawaii
Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii
Saturday, November 9, 2019, 6:00 p.m. HT
Spectrum Sports/Facebook Live
San Jose State record
4-5, 1-4 Mountain West. Most recently, San Jose State lost to Boise State, 52-42, in a Mountain West game.
Hawaii record
5-4, 2-3 Mountain West. Hawaii lost to Fresno State 41-38, in a conference contest.
Radio
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 Hawaii broadcast begins at 7:30 p.m. PT with a pregame show.
Television
Spectrum Sports and Facebook will provide broadcast coverage. Robert Kekaula calls the play-by-play. Rich Miano provides commentary. Scott Robbs is the sideline reporter. Broadcast coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. PT.
Series history
Hawaii leads the series, 21-19-1 with one cancellation in 1941. The Rainbow Warriors have won the last three games between these teams including last year’s 44-41 game that lasted five overtimes and is the longest contest based on number of overtime periods for both schools. San Jose State’s last win in the series was a 42-23 victory in 2015 at Aloha Stadium.
Playing for the Dick Tomey Legacy Trophy
Though San Jose State and Hawaii have faced each other in football since 1936, this year’s game marks the first time the two schools are playing for the Dick Tomey Legacy Trophy, named after the late head coach of each team during a 29-year NCAA Division I head coaching career. He passed away on May 10, 2019 in Tucson at age 80.
Tomey’s head coaching record was 183-145-7. His first head coaching position was at Hawaii where his teams from 1977 through 1986 compiled a 63-46-3 win-loss record in 10 seasons. He departed Hawaii for the University of Arizona where his Wildcat teams had a 95-64-4 win-loss record from 1987 through 2000. His third and final head coaching position was at San Jose State during the 2005 through 2009 seasons. The Spartans were 25-35 in those five seasons.
Tomey was the winningest head coach in Hawaii football history at the time of his departure. When he retired from San Jose State, he had more coaching victories in five seasons than any of his predecessors since 1989.
In the San Jose State-Hawaii series as a head coach, Tomey had a 2-5 win-loss record. The Rainbow Warriors were 1-1 against the Spartans in 1977 and 1978. The Spartans were 1-4 during he 2005 through 2009 seasons winning 20-17 at Aloha Stadium in 2008. He also was an assistant coach at Hawaii when San Jose State posted a 28-27 triumph in the 2011 game in San Jose.
Entering the 2019 season, his 183 victories ranked 41st among all head coaches at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. His 335 games as a head coach ranks 19th among all NCAA Division I FBS head coaches.
Another .500 mark, maybe?
San Jose State can be at the .500 mark for the fifth time this season with a win at Hawaii on November 9. The Spartans missed out on going one game over .500 for the fourth time this season in a 52-42 loss to Boise State. San Jose State was 1-0 after defeating Northern Colorado in the season opener, 2-1, following a win at Arkansas and 3-2 after topping New Mexico in a home game at CEFCU Stadium.
Can there be three road wins?
San Jose State can pick up its third road win this season at Hawaii. Earlier this season, the Spartans won on the road at Arkansas (31-24) in the Central Time Zone and Army (34-29) in the Eastern Time Zone.
The last time San Jose State won three road games in a season was in 2013 when the Spartans were victorious at Hawai’i (37-27), at Colorado State (34-27) in the Mountain Time Zone and at UNLV (34-24) in the Pacific Time Zone.
Points all over the scoreboard
With three regular-season games remaining, San Jose State has scored 269 points in nine games. The current point total is the most by the Spartans in a season since 2016 when San Jose State scored 293 points.
The last time the Spartans scored 300 points in a season was in 2015 when the team won the AutoNation Cure Bowl in a 13-game season scoring 363 points.
30-point games
San Jose State has scored 30 or more points in six of its nine games this season compared to four a year ago. The Spartans are 4-2 in games the team scored 30 or more points this season. The two losses were a 41-38 defeat at Nevada on October 12 and the 52-42 loss to #21-Boise State on November 2.
Two 100-yard receivers
The November 2 Boise State game marked the first time since the October 29, 2016 win over UNLV that two San Jose State players had more than 100 pass receiving yards in the same game. Tre Walker led all players with nine receptions for 193 yards. Bailey Gaither tied a personal single-game best of eight catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.
In the 2016 UNLV win, wide receivers Tim Crawley caught eight passes for 114 yards and Tre Hartley had five receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns.
calbears.com: Cal Bears Bednarik Semifinalist Award candidate Evan Weaver (89) goes in for the tackle as Weaver and the Bears prepare for the Washington State Cougars Saturday, November 9th.
On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:
#1 The Bears (4-4) were dismantled in their last game on both sides of the ball in Utah (7-1) 35-0, a shutout, a beating the Bears haven’t experienced this season.
#2 In the game in Utah, Bears quarterback Spencer Brasch threw 7-19 for 47 yards and the Bears simply didn’t get any yardage in the game in Utah.
#3 On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears defense was like butter for the Utes, who scored five touchdowns on the Bears in the first three quarters.
#4 In the fourth quarter, the Utes didn’t score a touchdown and played the bench. Was it their version of the mercy rule since the score was already 35-0?
#5 The Bears host the Washington State Cougars (4-4). It could very well be the Bears best chance at getting back in the win column. They haven’t won since Sept 21st against Ole Miss.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State football left West Point, N.Y. with a win over the Army Black Knights. Fast forward to Saturday night, where the Spartans returned home to the South Bay to host the then #21 Boise State Broncos. The Broncos represented the Mountain Division in the 2018 Mountain West Championship Game in which they lost to the Fresno State Bulldogs.
The Spartans hosted Dick Tomey Night in honor of the late head coach Dick Tomey (1938-2019). Tomey was diagnosed with lung cancer in January 2019 and died from complications in May 2019. Tomey coached at San Jose State from 2005-09 and finished his tenure with a 25-35 record at SJSU.
Paying homage to the legend Dick Tomey at tonight's game. We play for the Tomey Trophy next weekend against Hawai'i. #SpartanUppic.twitter.com/RZIFyuo12X
San Jose State got on the board first, thanks to DeJon Packer. Packer ran for a 1-yard touchdown for an early 7-0 lead at 10:58. The Spartans followed up with a Josh Love 4-yard touchdown. Yes, Love ran for his own touchdown. Boise State, however, cut the lead in half with 15 seconds left. The Broncos came up with a huge stop on the third down, the Spartans punted for 49 yards and Avery Williams returned it for a 66-yard touchdown. The Spartans led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
San Jose State and Boise State exchanged scores in the second quarter. Matt Mercurio hit a 35-yard field goal to put the Spartans ahead 17-7 at 12:01. George Holani ran for a 1-yard touchdown to bring the Broncos within three with 7:58 left. Josh Love threw a pass to Isaiah Hamilton for a 16-yard touchdown and a 10-point lead with 1:13 left. Eric Sachse hit a 30-yard field goal to bring the Broncos within seven with 24 seconds left. The Spartans took a 24-17 lead to the locker room at the halftime break.
The exhilarating action ensued in the third quarter. San Jose State made the first score, once again. Matt Mercurio hit a 35-yard field goal to put the Spartans up by 10 at 10:27. Boise State scored two touchdowns to take a 31-27 lead. George Holani ran for a 6-yard touchdown to bring the Broncos within three with 9:13 left. Chase Cord ran for a 8-yard touchdown to put the Broncos ahead by four with 3:28 left. DeJon Packer ran for a 3-yard touchdown to put the Spartans up by three with 53 seconds left. The Spartans led 34-31 after three.
The fourth quarter was a thriller, but unfortunately, it was close, but it was “close, but no cigar” for the Spartans. George Holani ran for a 6-yard touchdown — his fourth rushing touchdown of the game — to put the Broncos ahead 38-34 at 11:31. Andrew Van Buren ran for a 32-yard touchdown to put the Broncos up by 11 with 6:24 left. Josh Love threw a pass to Bailey Gaither for a 9-yard touchdown and the Spartans’ two-point conversion was good, which brought them within three with 3:56 left.
However, the 3:56 turned out to be meaningless after Benton Wickersham intercepted a Josh Love pass with 1:25 left to seal the deal for the Broncos. The Spartans were competitive, but fell short in a 52-42 loss.
San Jose State fell to 4-5, 1-4 Mountain West. Boise State improved to 7-1, 4-0 Mountain West.
The Spartans head to Aloha Stadium to face the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors on Saturday, November 9 at 8:00 p.m. PST.
Sports Radio Service 