Tag: NCAA

Three takeaways from Stanford vs. USC

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Photo credit: @StanfordFball

By: Ana Kieu

The Stanford Cardinal downed the USC Trojans by a final score of 17-3 at Stanford Stadium on Saturday night. The majority of folks believed that these two teams would’ve fought each other until the very end, but that wasn’t the case, as Stanford took an early lead and never looked back. USC’s lone score came in the middle of the third quarter on Chase McGrath’s 35-yard field goal to reduce the deficit to 14-3, but the Trojans were unable to mount a comeback on the road.

With the win, the Cardinal climbed its way back to No. 9 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll. Not only that, freshman offensive center Branson Bragg tweeted a shoutout to his current team and wrote, “I chose the right place to spend the next 4-5 years of my life.” In case you need a refresher, Bragg is a four-star center from Texas who committed to Stanford this summer. The Cardinal also chose the right center to be a great blocker up front.

Here are three takeaways from Stanford vs. USC. As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for reading.

3. The early bird gets the worm
As I’ve mentioned in the introduction, Stanford took an early lead and never looked back.

Prior to the game, @gostanfordnotes tweeted that Stanford has won 18 of its last 21 games when scoring first. After the game, @gostanfordnotes tweeted that Stanford has won 19 of its last 22 games when scoring first. Do you see a pattern here?

Trojans quarterback JT Daniels was arguably the more talented quarterback coming into Saturday’s game, but the Cardinal tormented Daniels for most of the night. It’s obvious that Daniels needs help from the his backfield.

This was the first time the Cardinal held the Trojans under 10 points since 1992 when the Cardinal prevailed over the No. 11 Trojans in a 23-9 rout under head coach Bill Walsh.

2. The Bryce Love factor
Cardinal running back Bryce Love had himself a night with 136 rushing yards and 1 touchdown–a 6-yard rushing touchdown–that gave his team a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter to kick off the rivalry matchup. Love also averaged more than 6 yards per carry versus the Trojans.

Love, a front-runner in the Heisman Trophy race, bounced back after a dismal start in the Cardinal’s season opener against the San Diego State Aztecs. Love rushed for just 29 yards in the opener.

Love may not be the ideal size as he stands at 5-foot-11 and weighs 202 lbs, but his explosiveness and visions likely will make him one of the first-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft.

1. The dominant Cardinal defense
The Cardinal defense stifled the Trojans in the 17-3 rout on Saturday. Every time the Trojans terrorized, the Cardinal defense responded in a big way. Moreover, the Cardinal defense to less than three points in this series since a 13-0 shutout at the Coliseum in 1941.

If you need a refresher, you catch watch the video below.

The Cardinal will host the UC Davis Aggies on Saturday, September 15 at 11:00 am PDT on Pac-12 Network.

Three takeaways from SJSU at Washington State

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Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB

By: Ana Kieu

In case you missed it, the San Jose State Spartans were shutout by the Washington Cougars 31-0. Okay, you didn’t miss much, unless if you were a Cougar fan. But seriously, the Spartan fans deserve better; and it doesn’t even have to be a pretty Cinderella story. It just has to be more than two wins this season.

Here are three takeaways from SJSU at WSU. As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for reading.

3. Vanishing offense
If you follow SJSU, you should already know that the Spartan defense was there. Inside linebacker Jesse Osuna was one of the few bright spots for the Spartans, as he led their defense with 7 tackles and 1 interception at the half.

But where was the Spartan offense? That’s a question that may never receive a concrete answer. The offense was nowhere to be found in the first half and it certainly didn’t show signs of life in the second half. Moreover, quarterback Montel Aaron looked nervous during parts of the game and threw off his back foot countless times. Aaron just didn’t look like he was able to handle the inevitable pressure.

2. Lack of yards from scrimmage
The Spartans had just 109 total yards, as opposed to the Cougars’ 544 total yards. For the Spartans, 9 of those 109 yards were rushing. For the Cougars, 124 of those 544 yards were rushing. Those were major differences among the two teams, and SJSU has nowhere to go but onward.

1. No power of interceptions
The Spartans caught three interceptions, but were unable to capitalize on any of them. Sure, it was awesome freshman linebacker Kyle Harmon came away with an interception for his first career interception and third interception of the game, but the Freedom High School alum was unable to capitalize on it.

SJSU will take on No. 15 Oregon on Saturday, September 15 at 2:00 pm PDT on the Pac-12 Network along with KLIV 1590 AM and KSJS 90.5 FM.

San Jose State gets blanked 31-0 by Washington State

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Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB

By: Ana Kieu

Following a depressing 44-38 loss to the UC Davis Aggies, the San Jose State Spartans were looking to flip the script at Martin Stadium against the Washington State Cougars on Saturday night.

The Spartans traveled to the Pacific Northwest in Blue and Gold gear. According to @SJSUSpartanFB, there was only one thing on the Spartans’ minds Saturday and that was to beat WSU. Most things, if not everything, had to go right for SJSU tonight.

Unfortunately, WSU got on the board first. Tay Martin scored a 15-yard passing touchdown off a throw by Gardner Minshew. Blake Mazza’s PAT kick was good. The Cougars led 7-0 at the 12:55 mark of the first quarter.

Just when you think it couldn’t get any worse, Martin scored his second touchdown of the game–a 36-yard passing touchdown off a throw by Minshew–and Mazza’s PAT kick was good. The Cougars led 14-0 with 5:45 left in the first quarter.

The Cougars continued to get it their way, as Mazza’s 36-yard field goal kick put themselves ahead 17-0 with 5:48 left in the second quarter.

The Cougars got a down-to-the-wire touchdown–a 1-year rushing touchdown by Minshew–and Mazza’s PAT kick was good. WSU took a 24-0 lead to the locker room at the end of the first half. While the Spartans’ offense was nonexistent, the Spartans’ defense was a bright spot, as Jesse Osuna led with 7 tackles and 1 interception at the half.

Neither team scored in the third quarter, but the Cougars capped off the scoring with a late touchdown with 4:39 left in the fourth quarter. James Williams caught a 3-yard passing touchdown off a throw by Minshew and then Mazza worked his magic one last time with a successful PAT kick. The Cougars blanked the Spartans 31-0.

Notes
Prior to the kickoff, the Cougars led the series with the Spartans 7-4-1. These two teams met for the first time since 1996, where the Cougars routed the Spartans 52-16 behind four touchdown passes from Ryan Leaf, who currently works as a program ambassador for the Transcend Recovery Community, a group of sober living homes in Los Angeles, Houston and New York. The Spartans won the previous meeting 20-13 over the Cougars in 1986.

Cougars head coach Mike Leake is in his seventh season at WSU, while Spartans head coach Brent Brennan is just in his second season at SJSU. Despite the wide gap in experience, both head coaches did whatever they could to make things interesting for their respective fanbases.

Up Next 
The Spartans head to Autzen Stadium to take on the No. 23 Oregon Ducks on Saturday, September 15 at 2:00 pm PDT on the Pac-12 Network.

Stanford routed USC 17-3 at Stanford Stadium on Saturday night

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Photo credit: @StanfordFball

By: Ana Kieu

STANFORD, Calif. — The No. 10 Stanford Cardinal invited the No. 17 USC Trojans to Stanford Stadium for a Pac-12 showdown on Saturday night. The two teams were certainly ready to go head-to-head, but only one team managed to prevail in the end.

Like most other rivalries, the Stanford vs. USC rivalry is quite a ferocious battle. Seven of the past 12 meetings have been decided by eight points or less. Moreover, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman showed some love to his alma mater, Stanford University, on Twitter. Sherman is a Compton, Calif. native who played college football at Stanford from 2006-2010. Sherman also graduated with a degree in communications in 2010.

USC won the coin toss and deferred for the second half. The Trojans kicked the ball to start the first half.

The Cardinal got on the board first, thanks to Bryce Love’s 6-yard rushing touchdown. Jet Toner’s kick for the extra point was good. Stanford took a 7-0 lead at the 10:26 mark of the first quarter.

The Cardinal led the Trojans 7-0 after the first quarter.

Bobby Okereke was a bad man during the second quarter. Okereke helped the Cardinal’s defense spin around and forced a punt. Also, Trenton Irwin made his third catch of the night–the 100th of his career–and kept doing his thing.

Things got interesting late in the second quarter. K.J. Costello threw a pass to Colby Parkinson, who scored what looked like a 9-yard passing touchdown. The Trojans challenged the Cardinal’s play, but the call on the field stood. Toner kicked in the extra point. Stanford took a 14-0 lead with just 34 seconds left in the quarter.

The Cardinal led the Trojans 14-0 at the end of the first half. This was the first time Stanford pitched a first half shutout since Aug. 26, 2017 against Rice in Sydney, Australia. Moreover, Stanford allowed just 82 combined passing yards in the first half this season.

The Trojans finally got on the board early in the second half. Chase McGrath kicked in a 35-yard field goal to reduce the Cardinal’s lead to 14-3 at the 11:24 mark of the third quarter. Stanford threatened USC in the redzone prior to that eye-opening play.

Thanks to Toner’s 30-yard field goal, Stanford extended its lead to 17-3 with 6:04 left in the quarter.

The Cardinal’s strong safety, Ben Edwards, went down due to an apparent trip, but managed to get up off the ground. The game resumed its regular action after a delay that lasted for a couple of minutes.

The Cardinal defeated the Trojans by a final score of 17-3. Stanford has now won 19 of its last 22 games when scoring first. In addition, Stanford improved to 15-5 in games in which Love found the end zone.

Notes
On the Cardinal’s offensive line, A.T. Hall made his 27th career start and Nate Herbig made his 21st career start.

Red shirts were handed out to all fans in attendance, courtesy of Stanford Medicine.

Kailee Wong served as the Cardinal’s honorary captain for #BeatSC week. Wong was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame Friday night.

JJ Arcega-Whiteside, the third-best receiving game in Cardinal history, shared his Stanford story for the masses on Labor Day.

Up Next 
The Cardinal host the UC Davis Aggies on Saturday, September 15 at 11:00 am PDT on the Pac-12 Network.

It’s one thing after another: SJSU continues to make headlines, despite tons of losses

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Photo credit: sites.google.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State, as the headline suggests, has been a recent victim of what appears to be a media circus surrounding the school’s athletic program.

Just hours after SJSU lost to UC Davis 44-38, a columnist at the Reno Gazette-Journal suggested that the Mountain West Conference should get rid of SJSU.

More recently, SJSU baseball was placed on a two-year probation by the NCAA for practice time violations under former head coach Jason Hawkins, who was also given a one-year show cause penalty. Hawkins was accused of asking players to participate in voluntary activities before and after practices. Hawkins then listed those activities on the daily practice schedules, which led players to believe their presences were mandatory. Other coaches observed some of those activities and held practices that ran longer than their scheduled times.

Hawkins, as you may already know, resigned in February after being placed on administrative leave.

SJSU athletics director Marie Tuite issued a statement Thursday.

Tuite said, “We are committed to adhering to NCAA and conference rules and self-reporting when we learn of violations. We have a comprehensive rules education program, and we emphasize the importance of having a culture of compliance in our program at all times. … The violations were isolated to our baseball program and occurred under the previous coaching staffs during the 2017 and 2018 academic years. The violations were discovered and self-reported by the institution.”

Tuite added, “We will continue to emphasize rules education, compliance and self-reporting of violations in our program. Compliance will always be at the core and a guiding principle of everything we do in our athletics program.”

The NCAA Committee of Infractions reportedly commended SJSU for immediately acknowledging and accepting responsibility and imposing meaningful corrective measures.

While I’m glad SJSU acknowledged and accepted responsibility, things like this should’ve have happened in the first place. As a SJSU alumna, I’ll always stand by the Blue and Gold, but enough is enough. I hate to say it, but it’s starting to become more clear as time passes by. And, it’s not really about the wins and championship seasons right now; but the culture–especially within the sports teams–has to change sooner than later.

Former men’s basketball coach Dave Wojcik also resigned just months after the 2016-17 season following an investigation along with a lawsuit filed by a former player.

In case you need a refresher, Jean Prioleau is the current head coach for SJSU men’s basketball. Prioleau, however, isn’t much better. Prioleau just racked up a 4-26 (1-17 MW) record last season, and will enter his second season as a head coach this coming November. Like Wojcik, Prioleau’s abilities aren’t just limited to the court.

According to an inside source, Prioleau has attracted tons of haters, but for the wrong reasons. Last year, SJSU star Ryan Welage (now with the Xavier Musketeers) wasn’t introduced during a sports-related banquet, and Welage was never properly acknowledged, despite receiving a phone call.

I don’t think the MWC is going to part ways with SJSU anytime soon, but I do think the Spartans should focus on picking up wins and positively shifting core values in all men’s and women’s sports.

Stanford to host USC for Pac-12 showdown on Saturday

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Photo credit: @StanfordFball

By: Ana Kieu

The Stanford Cardinal look to continue their dominance on home field after last Saturday’s 31-10 rout of the San Diego State Aztecs at Stanford Stadium. SDSU has a chance versus Sacramento State this Saturday, but let’s focus on the Cardinal’s upcoming game versus USC, who is currently ranked No. 17. Stanford, on the other hand, is currently ranked No. 10. That being said, Stanford looks like they got the upper hand, but this is college football, and anything could happen.

It’s #BeatUSC week in the Palo Alto area, and the Cardinal appear to be confident coming into Saturday’s home game. A couple of things happened on the Stanford campus this Monday. First, head coach David Shaw, defensive end Dylan Jackson, and wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside held a press conference to address the media members on Stanford’s top-25 matchup with rival USC. Secondly, Arcega-Whiteside earned the Pac-12 Player of the Week with 3 touchdowns, 6 catches, and 226 yards. It was a well-deserved honor for Arcega-Whiteside, who’s on fire (or en fuego) as a Spanish-born WR with a 34-inch vertical leap along with hands that can catch passes for touchdowns.

Arcega-Whiteside told GoStanford.com, “As a receiver, that’s what you want, all you can ask for.”

Let’s not forget that running back Bryce Love had a 75-yard touchdown against USC at the Coliseum last year. I don’t know if Love will repeat that play, but it’s likely that he’ll do something on the field.

Since the Pac-12 Network is at Stanford all this week for Saturday’s The Pregame, so they decided to let placekicker Jet Toner take over their Snapchat @pac12conference. So if you’re on Snapchat, give the Pac-12 a follow if you haven’t already done so.

The Cardinal host the Trojans on Saturday at 5:30 pm PDT on FOX.

SJSU to take on Washington State on Saturday night

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Not only did the San Jose State Spartans suffer a heartbreaking 44-38 loss to the UC Davis Aggies this past Saturday, the Spartans–along with everyone else inside CEFCU Stadium–witnessed the top running back, Tyler Nevens, suffer a gruesome injury on the field. Nevens had been resting following his release from a local hospital, but it’s unclear as to when he’ll return to the lineup.

SJSU’s record is 0-1 (0-0 MW). The Spartans lost their season opener to UC Davis, 44-38, on August 30.

WSU’s record is 1-0 (0-0 Pac-12). The Cougars defeated Wyoming, 41-19, on September 1.

The Cougars lead the series, 7-4-1. These two teams are playing each other for the first time in the 21st century, resuming a series that began on November 12, 1955 when the two teams tied, 13-13, in what was later called “The Refrigerator Bowl.”

More recently, WSU won the last meeting between these teams, 52-16, on September 28, 1996.

All four SJSU wins in the series occurred in the state of Washington.

In each of the last six seasons, SJSU had a 1-1 win-loss record after two games. The Spartans needed wins over UC Davis (2012), Portland State (2016) and Cal Poly (2017) for their 1-1 win-loss record in those seasons.

The Spartans seek their first win over a current Pac-12 Conference member in 12 years. SJSU is 0-11 since defeating Stanford, 35-34, on September 9, 2006 in CEFCU Stadium. Since then, the Spartans lost to Stanford six times; Utah, twice; USC, UCLA and Oregon State, once each. The Pac-12 team was nationally ranked in five of those losses.

SJSU’s Josh Oliver was the leading pass receiver among FBS tight ends for the opening week of the season. Oliver caught a single-game career-best eight passes for 86 yards. Six of his eight receptions resulted in a first down. The John Mackey Award candidate came into the UC Davis game with 42 receptions in his first three seasons.

For the second consecutive season, Bailey Gaither’s opening game resulted in at least 100 receiving yards on six catches and two touchdowns. Gaither heads into the WSU game ninth nationally in all-purpose running with 213.0 yards per game.

SJSU is looking to get into the win column in this Saturday’s game against the Washington State Cougars at 8:00 pm PDT on Pac-12 Networks. The Spartans’ players and coaches were utterly disappointed after their home opener versus UC Davis, who pulled off the first FCS over FBS upset of the 2018 season.

San Jose sports podcast with Ana Kieu and Jerry Feitelberg: Do the Quakes really have home field advantage?; Is it time to throw in the towel on SJSU football?

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

On the San Jose sports podcast with Ana:

1. The Quakes took on the WhiteCaps at BC Place in Vancouver on September 1st. What were your three takeaways from this match and how did it compare to the August 25th match at Avaya Stadium?

2. The Wondo watch remains in full effect as Chris Wondolowski is just four goals away from making history. Right now, Wondo has 142 goals.

3. Vako is the other Quakes player that fans should be talking about whether or not they’re a diehard or a casual fan.

4. Quakes attacking midfielder and Loomis, Calif. native Tommy Thompson is grateful for the amazing fans.

5. The Quakes will host a Beer Fest at Avaya Stadium on September 15th versus Sporting Kansas City. All proceeds will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

6. Flipping the script to San Jose State football. The Spartans lost to the UC Davis Aggies 44-38 and that was a game that they were supposed to win, according to most Spartans’ media members and fans and even some college football odds in Las Vegas.

7. A lot of people have contacted you through email, phone and social media that it’s time to throw in the towel on SJSU football. Do you still stand by your prediction of 5-7 and do you think that head coach Brent Brennan should get fired?

Ana does the San Jose sports podcast each week at sportsradioservice.com

SJSU’s Josh Oliver named to John Mackey Tight End of the Week program

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State senior Josh Oliver was one of three FBS tight ends named in the weekly John Mackey Tight End of the Week program for games played through September 2.

Oliver and Utah State’s Dax Raymond were awarded the honorable mention statuses. Texas A&M’s Jace Sternberger received the top honor for the week.

In the SJSU season opener against UC Davis on August 30, Oliver caught a personal single-game-high eight passes for 86 yards. Though he did not score any touchdowns in the contest, six of his eight receptions resulted in Spartan first downs.

Oliver was the top pass-catching tight end among FBS players the first week of the season. He enters the September 8 SJSU at Washington State game ranked tied for 13th nationally in pass receptions per game at 8.00.

The John Mackey Award recognizes the top tight end in college football. Eight semifinalists will be named on November 15. Three finalists will be announced on November 22. The 2018 winner be revealed on December 5 and presented on December 6 at the Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show on ESPNU.

Tuesday presser thoughts: Where do the SJSU Spartans go from here?

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State Spartans had a much-needed day off, thanks to Labor Day. The Spartans’ football activities resumed Tuesday afternoon, as head coach Brent Brennan addressed the media members in his weekly press conference at the Simpkins Stadium Center.

As you should already know, SJSU has a lot of things which they must do this season. And, I mean a lot of things. In fact, multiple sources have blasted the Spartans’ football team for everything from Brennan’s lack of experience to Tyler Nevens’ injury. While both arguments may be true, things have gone overboard.

Chris Murray, a columnist at the Reno-Gazette Journal, recently published a 1,000 word column on how the Mountain West Conference should do something about San Jose State. Murray wrote, “I’VE COME CLOSE TO WRITING about his topic before but haven’t pulled the trigger. It felt a bit too soon and perhaps a touch mean. But the time has come. The Mountain West needs to seriously consider San Jose State’s future in its conference. Like I said, I’ve thought about this in the past but haven’t broached the subject. But after SJSU’s 44-38 season-opening loss to FCS school UC Davis–a team picked to finish ninth in the 13-team Big Sky–in which the Spartans allowed 589 yards and was flagged 12 times for 125 yards while turning it over three times, does SJSU really belong in the conference anymore?”

Murray has brought up some valid points, but I thought his opinion that SJSU should’ve never been invited to the MWC in the first place was a tad bit harsh, as the Spartans have upgraded their facilities–CEFCU Stadium and Simpkins Stadium Center–and commercialized its features to attract the younger generation.

But, right now, I’m going to focus on the question, “Where do the Spartans go from here?” and I promise you that I won’t be a jerk about it.

SJSU is 45-152 in games against the Pac-12 Conference. SJSU’s winning percentage against the Washington State Cougars is 36.6 and tied for the best, but it has been 12 years since SJSU has picked up a Pac-12 win. As a head coach, Brent Brennan is going to ensure the Spartans will run away with a win in Pullman by not doing the same things they did versus UCD.

Brennan told me, “First and foremost, we need to win the turnover battle, which we didn’t do last Thursday. Secondly, we gotta do a great job just being sound. I felt like we settled down in the second half and we played well offensively and defensively and we need to take a deep breath, walk out on that stage, and execute at a high level. Third, we just need to play in order to have a chance to win.”

The Spartan defense has given up 40 points or more in 10 of its last 14 games and 39.9 per game since the 2017 season opener. In Brennan’s opinion, there are a couple of guys who can take on larger roles this coming Saturday for the Spartan defense.

“I think there’s a couple of guys,” Brennan said. “I think the biggest part would be just upfront–how we handle it. Washington State has a big offensive line and their quarterback does a great job getting the ball out of his hands and they’re doing a nice job–they got some running backs who are mixing in some of the run game.”

“I think our defensive front has to show up. They need to be the ones that give us a chance to play sound defense and be able to be a little bit disruptive and get them off the field.”

It was pointed out that the Spartans haven’t put together a winning season in any of the major sports, including football, in Murray’s recent column for the Reno Gazette-Journal. Moreover, SJSU’s most recent winning season came in 2012 when they went 11-2 and defeated Bowling Green 29-20 in the Military Bowl. The past can’t be changed, but there are some things that the 2018 Spartans could do in order to prove the critics wrong.

“Well, I think we’re doing a lot of those things right now,” Brennan said. “And I think the process takes time. There’s a significant push from our institution to upgrade our facilities here, to increase our recruiting base, and to continue to raise the profile of our program. And that’s what we’re doing. As we do those things, we’ll continue to improve our football products on the field…The players are working really hard with that. Me and my coaching staff are working very hard with that. And I believe this can be a great place. I really do. And, even though the results aren’t instant, they never really are in situations like these. It takes time…As frustrating as that is for me, our fans, our students, our alumni, our faculty, all that–I promise you that lots of pieces are coming together and give us a chance to build a great program here.”

The Spartans take on the Cougars this Saturday at 8:00 pm PDT on the Pac-12 Network.