Tag: San Jose State

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — An enthusiastic offseason led to an extraordinary season opener at CEFCU Stadium. San Jose State defeated Northern Colorado 35-18 on Retro Night, which meshed well with the existing Throwback Thursday trend.

San Jose State (1-0) beat Northern Colorado (0-1) and will continue to grind, despite the fact it’s Labor Day weekend.

After the game, I asked head coach Brent Brennan if he was going to emphasize anything to make sure the team was going to prepared and ready before next week’s game.

Brennan told me the team will have practices Friday and Sunday so there’s a chance for them to get ahead, put Thursday’s game to bed and get ready for Tulsa. The team will have Saturday off, but the coaches won’t have Saturday off as they’ll have to put a game plan together.

Brennan said: “Coaching college football, there’s no off days … It’s the season. It’s time to go.”

Let’s keep in mind the Spartan offense cruised, while the Spartan defense held things down finishing with four sacks and nine tackles for loss while turning over the Bears twice. The defense was the “bend, but don’t break” type and linebacker Ethan Aguayo had 20 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. Fellow linebacker Jesse Osuna had eight tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. However, Osuna was affected by a targeting penalty in the final minutes ejecting him from the game and disqualifying him for the first half of next week’s game.

If the Spartans want to make it two wins in a row, they’ll have to take the first lead of the game, jump start their offense and maintain an all-around persona going into next week’s game. After all, quarterback Josh Love said, “I think we need to not stay so high, keep an even-keel attitude … We’ve got Tulsa next week and we have to move on and keep going forward.”

Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB

By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Retro Night was a new event, but it drew a larger than usual crowd to CEFCU Stadium on Thursday night. Fans and media watched San Jose State host its first ever meeting against Northern Colorado.

SJSU got the party started as DeJon Packer ran for a 1-yard rushing touchdown and Matt Mercurio kicked in the extra point to put the Spartans up 7-0 at 10:09 of the first quarter.

Northern Colorado kicker Collin Root made a 52-yard field goal to cut SJSU’s lead 7-3 with 7:41 left in the first.

The Spartans scored their second touchdown of the night. Josh Love found Jermaine Braddock, who ran for a 7-yard passing touchdown, and Mercurio kicked in the extra point to make it a 14-3 game with 3:51 left in the first.

SJSU led 14-3 at the end of the first.

Northern Colorado gave SJSU fans a scare when Root kicked in a 36-yard field goal to cut the Spartans’ lead to 14-6 at 14:45 of the second quarter.

SJSU true freshman quarterback Nick Nash came into the game, ran for 59 yards on 3 rushes, but fumbled into the endzone for a touchdown. The Spartans had a “darn it” moment, but it was short-lived as they bounced back for a 21-6 lead with 7:33 left in the second. Nehemiah Shelton caught the interception, Love ran for a 3-yard rushing touchdown, and Mercurio kicked in the extra point.

SJSU led 21-6 at the halftime break.

A similar scare surfaced the Spartans in the second half. Jacob Knipp found Dontay Warren, who ran for a 7-yard passing touchdown, and Root kicked in the extra point for the Bears’ first touchdown of the game. Northern Colorado cut SJSU’s lead 21-13 with 7:56 left in the third quarter.

SJSU was back on top 28-13 just 1:51 later. Love found Derrick Deese, who ran for a 14-yard passing touchdown, and Mercurio kicked in the extra point.

An intentional ground in the endzone by SJSU led to a Northern Colorado safety, which added two points to cut SJSU’s lead to 28-15 with 3:05 left in the third.

SJSU led 28-15 at the end of the third.

The fourth quarter went off to a rough start. Root kicked a 36-yard field goal to make it a 10-point game, 28-18, at 13:30 of the fourth.

Tyler Nevens’ 8-yard rushing touchdown and Mercurio’s extra point made it 35-18 in favor of the Spartans with 5:21 left in the fourth. Nevens, coming off a major injury last season, redeemed himself in the home opener this season.

SJSU defeated Northern Colorado 35-18.

NOTES: The Spartans’ offense featured Tre Walker, Jackson Snyder, Troy Kowalski, Kyle Hoppe, Tyler Stevens, Quinn Oseland, Billy Humphreys, Josh Love, DeJon Packer, Sitaleki Nunn, and Bailey Gaither … The Spartans’ defense featured Nehemiah Shelton, Hadari Darden, Viliami Fehoko, Jamaar Hardy, Cade Hall, Tysyn Parker, Tre Webb, Jay Lenard, Ethan Aguayo, Jesse Osuna, and Tre White on defense … Josh Love was the Spartans’ nominee for the 2019 Campbell Trophy … Krazy George was in attendance … Former wide receiver and Super Bowl XLV champion as well as SJSU alum James Jones was in attendance.

UP NEXT: The Spartans host Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 6:00 p.m. Game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

San José State football seniors Brett Foley, Alex Galland, Chandler Hawkins, and Deano Motes, Quinn Oseland are among the 1,439 college football players from all NCAA and NAIA honored by the National Football Foundation as student-athletes with an undergraduate degree.

Foley, Hawkins and Motes earned their degrees from San Jose State. Foley and Motes are pursuing a MBA, while Hawkins is studying educational counseling.

Galland is a graduate transfer from Yale University who majored in mechanical engineering. Oseland is a graduate transfer from the University of Minnesota who majored in business and marketing education. Both are enrolled in San Jose State master’s of public administration program.

“The National Football Foundation takes great pride in its role as a leading voice in the promotion of the scholar-athlete,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “And highlighting the 1,439 student-athletes who have not only earned their undergraduate degrees but are now pursuing additional diplomas sends a powerful message about the doors that college football opens. This list allows us to showcase those individuals who have truly taken full advantage of the opportunities created by college football.”

“Today’s release allows us to recognize a truly exceptional group of college football players,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “And it expands our efforts to highlight the integral role that college football has played in the education of millions of student-athletes over the years. It is often said that college is not about the four years on campus but the next 40 years of your career. Clearly those on this list have made the most of their college experiences, and we are extremely pleased to shine a light on their accomplishments.”

These five Spartans were featured in this preseason article.

Photo credit: mwcconnection.com

By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State football is just around the corner. This means year three is likely going to be a crucial season for head coach Brent Brennan. If the third time isn’t the charm, the athletic directors, media and fans aren’t going to be as tolerant. It’s a decent season or bust.

SJSU has geared up for its football home opener vs. Northern Colorado, and yes, this includes the first press conference of the 2019 season. Check out my Q&A with Brennan in CECFU Stadium on Monday afternoon.

1. There’s a solid set of tight ends that will try to fill in the place left by Josh Oliver. Who do you think will stand out in the set?
That’s going to be interesting to watch. I think all those guys have a real place to contribute. It’s exciting to see Brett Foley who’s a guy, a local kid who played down the street at Mitty (Archbishop Mitty High School) as a high school quarterback and a linebacker when I first got him. We moved him to tight end and he’s starting to make a move last fall playing a little bit of tight end into some nice stuff. He really had an outstanding camp. Billy Humphreys has played a lot of football here. He’s a big body. He can run, he can catch, he can block. So he’s got a contribution to make. I think Derrick Deese, Jr. will be fun because he’s a great route runner and pass catcher. He does a nice job at the line of scrimmage for someone who is a converted wide receiver. The young guy, Dominick Mazzotti, has done some really good stuff in camp. So that’s a position group that we feel strongly about. Coach (Matt) Adkins did a fantastic job coaching them and coach (Kevin) McGiven has demonstrated when we have a tight end that can be effective, we’ll find a way to give them the ball like we did a year ago. So now we got three and four — if you count the freshmen — and I think you’ll see a contribution from all of them game-by-game.

2. What was the reason behind your creative playcalling late last season and will you continue to turn heads with such playcalling this season?
I think we’ll continue to be aggressive at what we do in terms of our playcalling. I think it’s really important that our players know we believe in them and believe they can execute at a high level and that we can call anything in the playbook and believe that we’ll get it done. I think that being in our second year of our scheme gives us a better chance to execute some of that stuff and I think Coach McGiven is doing a great job just kind of mixing up how we’re attacking people. Right now, we’re just going head-to-head with our defense, but I’m excited to see that play out on Thursday night.

3. What’s the status of the competition between Jay Lenard and Stan Livingstone Jr. for the free safety spot?
I think Jay Lenard over time has established himself as one of our better players on defense so Jay is ready to play. He looks great, he had a great offseason and summer. I feel really good about our defense, especially those two safeties. Tre Webb is definitely one of our leaders. Both those guys are now starters for two years, played a lot of football, so I’m excited to see them play on Thursday night.

Follow Ana Kieu on Twitter @AnaKieu.

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

New pregame and in-game experiences are in store for San Jose State football fans of all ages when they cheer on the Spartans in the Aug. 29 season opener all the through the regular season finale versus Fresno State on Nov. 30.

Many Spartan fans are aware of the biggest change to CEFCU Stadium, Home of the Spartans, which started in June 2019. A ceremonial groundbreaking for the Spartan Athletics Center (formerly Football Operations Center) will fit into the east side of the stadium as a completed project benefiting all San Jose State student-athletes and those affiliated with the football, women’s soccer and men’s soccer teams.

“Our goal is to create one of the best college football game-day experiences in the Mountain West,” said Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Relations Blake Sasaki.

“Our fans want more than action on the field and we are addressing that request primarily through the Spartan Village Fan Zone. We’ll have a Kids’ Area, a video game truck, inflatables, student and adult tailgating, an early pregame radio show, upgraded food and beverage and more.”

Here’s what’s new, improved and fun for fans at CEFCU Stadium this season:

Creative, environmentally friendly and traditional ways to reach CEFCU Stadium
-Standard parking spaces on the 7th and 10th street sides of CEFCU Stadium and at the Excite Ballpark lot on Alma Avenue
– Park on the main campus for $5.00 and ride a free shuttle round trip from the 7th Street garage to CEFCU Stadium – Use the Lyft Drop Zone, the Go Bike Station, or rent a scooter and park it in the new scooter parking area along 7th Street
– Ride VTA bus lines #25 or #73 to either 7th or 10th streets & Keyes and enjoy a short walk to CEFCU Stadium

Enter CEFCU Stadium from the new 7th & 10th Street game-day Stadium Way entrances or from the standard west and east gates of the stadium

Spartan Village Fan Zone — a new entertainment area for all ages north of CEFCU Stadium that opens three hours before kickoff and stays open throughout the game. The game ticket is the admission into the football game and the Spartan Village Fan Zone
– Look for the Kids’ Zone with inflatables, corn hole, a video games truck and more
– See the 60-minute broadcast show with hosts Justin Allegri and Kevin Richardson
– Visit the Powerhouse Food Truck, the world’s largest food truck measuring more than 70 feet, generously donated by SpartanEats — the university’s new food services provider — ready to serve great food and show college football games on its big screen.

Fun, freebies, honors and more
Thurs., Aug. 29 vs. Northern Colorado, 7:00 p.m.
“Retro Night” & Throwback Thursday
– “Retro t-shirt” giveaway
– Custom San Jose State fanny packs

Sat., Sept. 7 vs. Tulsa, 6:00 p.m.
First Responder Night presented by PG&E
– Free tickets to first responders, courtesy of PG&E
– High School Band Night
– Free San Jose State t-shirts to the first 1,000 students, courtesy of the Mountain West

Fri., Oct. 4 vs. New Mexico, 7:00 p.m.
Brew & Vine Night
– Parent & Family Weekend

Sat., Oct. 19, vs. San Diego State, 4:00 p.m.
Homecoming
– Ticket giveaway to the Oct. 19 Gryffin Concert at The Event Center
– Ring of Honor celebration

Sat., Nov. 2 vs. Boise State, 7:30 p.m.
Dick Tomey Night
– Dick Tomey Rally Towel giveaway
– San Jose Unified School District Night
– Youth Football Night

Sat., Nov. 30 vs. Fresno State, TBA
Valley Trophy Rivalry Game
– Senior Day

There will be new food choices for the hungry fans. The Smokin’ Pig makes its CEFCU Stadium debut this season serving tasty barbecued smoked meats, savory sides and delicious desserts.

“We believe we have something for every fan that comes to our football games this season. We plan to entertain our fans from the moment they arrive and then give them plenty to remember when our team takes the field this season,” Sasaki said.

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

At any San Jose State football practice from anywhere on the field, there’s the booming voice of the Spartans offensive line coach Joe Bernardi encouraging, leading, teaching and coaching his players. Perhaps, the bravado in voice springs from his dad, Gary Bernardi, the Spartans offensive line coach from 2010 to 2012, had a coarse richness to his voice from more than 30 years of college coaching.

If history repeats itself, or like father, like son, Joe Bernardi’s third year as the Spartans’ offensive line coach will be a good one. In 2012, San Jose State went 11-2, won the Military Bowl and finished nationally-ranked in the FBS with Gary Bernardi as the Spartans offensive line coach. The younger Bernardi won’t go that far right with a forecast right now.

Joe Bernardi has the biggest number of Spartans among the position groups in both size and number. There are the highly-experienced starters like senior Troy Kowalski, a three-year starter, and Jack Snyder, a two-year starter. And, he has a significant number of players who have red-shirted at some point in their college careers hoping this season is their time in the lineup in order to help the team shine.

“We have a lot of different levels of experience with our group. I really like the way the group has worked and its chemistry. We just have to keep plugging. The young guys have to get better. The ‘old’ guys have to keep pushing the young guys, but I like the way the group is coming together,” said Bernardi, who was a center at Fresno State.

“I’ve seen a lot of guys step up. Seen some young guys develop quickly. Seen some old guys kind of separate themselves. I really, really like this group. I think they’ve worked very hard. We’re going to find the best five by next week,” he said about the group.

The Spartans offensive line coach believes communication and finding ways to work together are important. He also counts on the play of the tight end position as part of the symphony concert of offense whether it’s running or passing the football.

“We want to do a good job of running the football better, our chemistry and communication at the line of scrimmage working with the tight ends and communicating our calls across the line of scrimmage. Obviously, we have to do a great job hitting movement, doing a good job in our ‘double-teams’, and a good job in our pass protection work as well,” said Bernardi, who assigned most of his players to learn multiple positions with the objective of position flexibility and keeping the best five linemen playing at all times.

With only a few days remaining before the August 29 season opener, Bernardi continues to emphasize communication as the Spartans turn their attention to Northern Colorado.

“(We’ve) got to make sure we are communicating on our assignments and understanding the game plan, understanding what Northern Colorado is going to give us on normal down-and-distance situational football, start to familiarize ourselves with their film. Everybody’s got to do a great job of preparing and understanding what their role is going into the game.”

Whether it’s at a practice or at a game, the passion Joe Bernardi has for his players and stellar offensive line play comes through loud and clear from the Spartan sideline.

Tickets for the San Jose State season opener with Northern Colorado on August 29 and all home games are available at www.sjsuspartans.com/tickets.

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

The offense found the end zone three times, the defense picked off two passes and the kicking game continued to shine in the second and final San Jose State Spartans football fall scrimmage at CEFCU Stadium on Saturday night.

The Spartans packed a lot of action in front of their beloved fans participating in the team’s annual FanFest. Following the scrimmage, a barbecue dinner and the movie “Spider-Man; Into the Spider Verse” wrapped up the activities on the practice field.

“It was an awesome day. We had a great turnout of fans, family and supporters. It was awesome,” said head coach Brent Brennan, who spent time thanking the fans that sat in the bleachers or in their lawn chairs or stood on the sidelines.

“It was a great kickoff to the season. It was great to look over to the sideline and see it full.”

In regards to the play on the field, Brennan gave props to the defense for its play for more than half the scrimmage before the offense began moving the ball in the 77-play scrimmage.

“The goal (of the scrimmage) was to play some of the younger guys a little more and give them ‘live’ football. A lot of them are pretty ‘green’ and need some opportunities to play and prove what they can do to be ‘blue line.'”

Brennan also commented on the importance of keeping the penalty count down. The offense was penalized three times, one wiping out a nice gain. To Brennan, penalties affect more than down and distance. How a drive progresses or regresses on either side of the ball can be affected by a penalty call.

“We have to play right up that edge and play with our hair on fire, but when the whistle blows, it (the play) has got to be over. That’s part of our discipline and that has to show up every week,” Brennan said.

Running back Romero Teu and quarterback Chance La Chapelle scored on runs of 7 and 2 yards, respectively. In between the two running scores, a pair of freshmen, quarterback Alec Trujillo and wide receiver Andre Crump, Jr., hooked up on a 5-yard touchdown pass.

The three scores followed 39-yard field goals without a miss, one each by community college transfer Chris Wood and redshirt freshman Matt Mercurio. A week earlier, Wood went 2-for-2, including one from 49 yards out, and Mercurio was 1-for-1 converting a 27-yard try.

“Fall camp is going pretty good. I’m a lot more consistent on my field goals. In spring ball, I was getting more line drives from my field goals,” said Wood who is battling Mercurio for the kick-scoring job and credits Coach Brennan for creating a greater sense of focus when he is on the field to kick.

“I’m encouraged by that group. Coach ‘G’ (Fred Guidici) does a great job with our special teams guys. There are some new guys in the mix. Obviously, Alex (Galland) is a great addition as a grad transfer. It’s been good to see the other guys get in there and mix it up. Chris has been striking the ball well and so has ‘Merc’ (Matt Mercurio),” Brennan said.

The defense had its moments in the 77-play scrimmage. Cornerback Nehemiah Shelton came up with a notable interception in the first half of the scrimmage. Defensive lineman Duane Tuitasi added to the defense’s takeaway count snaring a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage for a second interception. The defense came up with four quarterback sacks–one more than in the first scrimmage–and had six more plays with a tackle for loss.

“We had a lot of ‘blueline’ today. Everybody had a lot of energy,” said linebacker Ethan Aguayo, who shared with the assembled media contingent the importance of playing every play whether one is first or third string.

The Spartans ended the scrimmage singing the Spartan Fight Song to their fans. It’s been something they’ve done after each win and plan to do it often this season.

The Spartans return to practice on Sunday, August 18, at 11:50 a.m. They’ll begin turning their attention to the August 29 season opener against Northern Colorado, with their August 20 practice. With the start of the fall semester on August 21, practice time normally will be from 9:40 a.m. to noon.

NOTES: Among the former San Jose State football players in attendance were linebackers Mike Scialabba, Epie Sona and Alex Manigo; offensive linemen Nicholas Kaspar and Evan Sarver; defensive end Mohammad Marah; punter Michael Carrizosa; wide receiver Tim Crawley; and kicker Bryce Crawford, who finished representing the Spartans earlier in the day at the four-day Campbell Trophy Summit hosted by the National Football Foundation in Palo Alto, Calif.

Scoring
Chris Wood, 39-yard field goal
Matt Mercurio, 39-yard field goal
Romero Teu, 7,-yard run
Andre Crump, Jr., 5-yard pass from Alec Trujillo
Chance La Chapelle, 2-yard run

Rushing (40 carries — 83 yards, 2 TDs)
Nick Nash, 6-48; Romero Teu, 4-24, 1 TD; Lorenzo Burkes, 7-18; Tyler Nevens, 3-8; Jake Simmons, 1-7; Jamar Simpson, 1-5; Alec Trujillo, 4-2; Brendan Manigo, 6-(-1); Josh Love, 1-(-7); Chance La Chapelle, 7-(-21), 1 TD.

Passing (20-37-2 interceptions — 194 yards, 1 TD)
Josh Love, 1-3-0-12; Jake Simmons, 7-9-0-90; Alec Trujillo, 6-14-1-41, 1 TD; Nick Nash, 5-7-0-51; Chance La Chapelle, 1-4-1-0.

Receiving (20 receptions, 194 yards, 1 TD)
Andre Crump, Jr., 3-32, 1 TD; Lorenzo Burkes, 3-31; JaQuan Blackwell, 3-24; Tyler Nevens, 2-13; Brendan Manigo, 2-1; Steven Houston, 1-21; Sitaleki Nunn, 1-18; Malikhi Miller, 1-15; Isaiah Hamilton, 1-14; Tre Walker, 1-12; Austin Liles, 1-7; Jamar Simpson, 1-6.

Punting
Alex Galland, 7-35.0 avg.

Chris Wood, 3-32.7 avg.

Interceptions
Nehemiah Shelton, Duane Tuitasi, 1, each.

Quarterback sacks
Cade Hall, Jordan Cobbs, Christian Johnson, Josh Gomez, 1, each.

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

Former San Jose State kicker Bryce Crawford is among 214 previous nominees for the William V. Campbell Trophy planning to attend the third annual Campbell Trophy Summit sponsoered by Intuit, Inc., at Stanford University, August 14-17.

Former college football stars will have an opportunity to learn from and meet major entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley Chief Executive Officers and participate in a career expo. The goal of the summit is pass along insights for leadership and personal growth to the next generation.

“It’s a real big honor. There is a prestigious group of people I will get to meet and network with. It’s something that will be very valuable for me in the future,” said Crawford, who was San Jose State’s 2018 nominee for the Campbell Trophy, considered as the “Academic Heisman” award in college football. The former Spartan kicker hopes to participate in this event annually.

“Bill was absolutely passionate about football, and he believed deeply in what you learned from playing the game,” said National Football Foundation President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “He never, never took his foot off the accelerator in talking about the benefits of the game. So, we are really thankful that Intuit has stepped forward to fund the summit for a third year as a tribute to Bill’s legacy of mentoring. We received amazing feedback from the participants who attended the first two Summits, and more than 50 percent are coming back. The Summit has quickly become its own community, and it’s a great showcase for the impact college football has in creating educational opportunities for those who play our sport.”

The late Bill Campbell played and coached football at Columbia University before becoming chairman of Intuit and board member of Apple, Inc., and Google. He’s credited with mentoring Steve Jobs of Apple, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook, Sergey Brin of Google, and many more Silicon Valley icons.

Companies participating in the career expo include Altamont Capital, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Deloitte, Enjoy, EY, Google, Intuit, JMI Sports, McChrystal Group, SoFi, Sonim Technologies, WeDriveU and the XFL as well as professionals from the medical and real state fields and several entrepreneurs from a diverse range of emerging companies.