Tag: San Jose State

Seven San Jose State Spartans named to All-Mountain West football team

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By: Ana Kieu

Look, this San Jose State Spartans’ season was far from glamorous, but Spartan nation had something to rejoice about Wednesday, as 7 Spartans were named to the All-Mountain West football team in Colorado Springs, Colo.

SJSU tight end Josh Oliver and defensive back Dakari Monroe were named first-team All-Mountain West football players for this season in a vote by the conference’s 12 head coaches.

In addition, defensive lineman Bryson Bridges was a second-team pick. Linebacker Ethan Aguayo, return specialist Thai Cottrell, punter Bryce Crawford and defensive lineman Boogie Roberts were honorable mention selections.

The 7 Spartans named to the All-Mountain West teams were 3 more than the 4 players honored in 2017.

Oliver, a senior from Paso Robles, Calif., was one of the top pass-catching tight ends in the FBS. He was the first tight end to catch 50 passes this season and finished with personal bests of 56 receptions, a team-best, for 709 yards and four touchdowns. Oliver’s 709 yards and 4 receiving touchdowns were second best on the team.

3 times, Oliver was recognized nationally through the John Mackey Tight End of the Week awards program. He was an honorable mention choice after the UC Davis (Aug. 30) and UNLV (Oct. 27) games and the National Tight End of the Week for matching his career-best of 8 catches for a personal high of 158 yards and a touchdown, Monroe, a senior from San Jose, Calif., was the team leader in interceptions for the second consecutive year with 4. He returned 1 of his 2 interceptions in the UNLV win for a 50-yard return for a touchdown. Throughout the season, Monroe was ranked nationally in the top 20 and often in the top 10 either for interceptions or passes defended. At the end of the regular season, he was tied for sixth nationally with his 19 passes defended in 12 games.

The versatile Monroe also was one of the team’s most effective special teams players. He had a knack of downing team punts inside the 10-yard line. In the last two games versus Nevada and against Fresno State, he downed a punt at the 1-yard line in each game.

Bridges, a senior from Temecula, Calif., was credited with more tackles than any Mountain West defensive lineman. His 69 tackles were sixth best on the team and a personal best in his four seasons in a San Jose State uniform. Bridges was credited with a single-game high of 15 stops in the Oct. 13 Army West Point game at Levi’s Stadium.

Oliver, Monroe and Bridges were three of the team’s four captains. Roberts, the fourth co-captain, was in the group of honorable mention award winners. The senior from Los Angeles, was second on the team with 8.5 tackles for loss and had 48 total tackles. He led the team with two forced fumbles and shared the team lead with four quarterback hurries.

Roberts was 1 of 4 Spartans to force a fumble and recover a fumble in the same game from his nose tackle position. At Hawaii, Roberts picked up a Rainbow Warriors’ fumble and returned it 9 yards. The following week versus Colorado State, he was credited with SJSU’s first safety in 5 years when he tackled Rams’ quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels in the end zone.

Since joining the Mountain West in 2013, the 2018 season marks the first time 2 SJSU defensive linemen were recognized as all-conference players in the same season. Overall, Bridges and Roberts are the second and third Spartan defensive linemen to be named an All-Conference Player in the program’s 6 seasons in the conference.

Aguayo, a junior from Mission Viejo, Calif., led the Spartans in total tackles with 106. He recorded his single-game personal best of 20 tackles in the Nov. 17 game versus Nevada. 5 more times during the season, he was credited with 10 or more stops.

Cottrell, a senior from Oceanside, Calif., presently ranks 19th in kickoff returns with his 25.8 yards per return average. He returned kickoffs for 96 yards at Oregon and 72 versus Hawaii early in the season.

Cottrell also was the Spartans’ primary punt returner. He returned 11 punts for a 9.4 yards per return average. Cottrell was ranked 12th nationally for combined return yardage at 670 yards.

Crawford, a senior from Frisco, Texas, handled all the kicking chores through the first 5 games of the season. He took over the punting duties when 2018 spring practice began and kept the job throughout the season. His 44.3 yards per punt average ranks 16th nationally for individual punting.

Based on available information, Crawford’s believed to be the first SJSU kicker to be named All-Conference in kicking and punting. Crawford was an Honorable Mention All-Mountain West pick as a placekicker in 2017.

San Jose State returns to the hardwood on Wednesday vs. Indiana State

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By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State men’s basketball returns to the hardwood on Wednesday evening to host the Indiana State in a nonconference game as the second of four straight home games played inside the Event Center. SJSU looks to snap a five-game losing skid, while Indiana State looks to make it four wins in a row.

Here’s what you need to know about San Jose State vs. Indiana State.

Game #7
Indiana State (3-1) vs. San Jose State (1-5)
Wednesday, Nov.28, 7:00 pm PT
Event Center (5,000)
San Jose, Calif.

Live Stats
Fans can view live stats of all SJSU men’s basketball games, home and away, by accessing the Live Stats feature at www.sjsuspartans.com. Click on the link on the women’s basketball schedule page to follow the action.

Video Streams
The Mountain West Network is your all-access passport to Spartan Athletics. For live and recorded video/audio of SJSU men’s basketball home and Mountain West road contests, the Mountain West Network is your home. Go to Mountain West Network logo at top of the Spartans Athletics home page or go to www.sjsuspartans.com/video.

New Look Spartans
SJSU’s top five scorers are all newcomers led by the junior transfer trio of Brae Ivey (13.5), Michael Steadman (13.3) and Craig LeCesne (11.8). Christian Anigwe (6.5) and Seneca Knight (6.0) round out the list.

Last Time Out
SJSU dropped their last game vs. Santa Clara by a final of 71-63. Although SJSU saw an improvement in rebounding margin (+15) and turnovers (11), they shot just 38.1 percent from the field and were unable to hold off the Broncos.

Success on the Boards
The Spartans rank second in the Mountain West in offensive rebounds (12.8) and fifth in defensive rebounds (27.3). Against Weber State (11/15), SJSU pulled down 48 total boards, the fourth-most in the Mountain West this season. The Spartans won the rebounding battle vs. Santa Clara 45-30.

Steady Steadman
JUCO transfer Michael Steadman is off to a hot start at his new home at SJSU. He currently ranks 3rd in the conference in total rebounds per game (9.8) and 28th nationally. He was named to the Junkanoo Jam All-Tournament team after averaging 11.7 points and 7 rebounds per game.

Steadman is coming off one of his best games of the season, dropping a career-high 21 points and 11 rebounds vs. Santa Clara. It is his second double-double of the season.

Full Offseason for Prioleau
Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau is entering his second season at the helm of SJSU men’s basketball and is coming off his first full offseason with the program. Prioleau was hired on August 4, 2017, and given just three months to prepare for his debut season. Now with a full offseason under his belt to prepare the team, Prioleau and staff are excited about the team’s potential.

Staff Shakeup
Jean Prioleau made some changes to his staff in the offseason as he brought in former NC State All-American Julius Hodge as an assistant coach. He also promoted director of basketball operations, Ryan Cooper, to assistant coach.

Scouting Indiana State
The Sycamores of Indiana State are currently 3-1 and on a 3-game win streak–Green Bay (78-74), McKendree (80-63) and Western Kentucky (63-54). They boast a pair of dynamic scorers in Jordan Barnes (20.3 ppg) and Tyreke Key (19.3 ppg). Indiana State is led by Greg Lansing in his ninth season at the helm.

Luck of LeCesne
Junior transfer Craig LeCesne currently boasts a five-game streak of double-digit scoring: Southern Utah (15), Weber State (10), CSU-Bakersfield (13), Central Michigan (13) and Santa Clara (13).

San Jose State had an awful season, but there’s always next year

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By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — You know what they always say: “There’s always next year.”

That’s what Spartan nation said last year after head coach Brent Brennan’s lowly 2-11 (1-7 MW) record in 2017. But this year wasn’t much better. In fact, it was numerically worse than 2017, as we saw a hapless 1-11 (1-7 MW) record in 2018.

So what’s next for the Spartans? Only time will tell if the coaches on the coaching staff will be on the hot seats and if any players on the roster will request trades to other colleges.

But for now, let’s shift our attention to Brennan’s final press conference of the season in Simpkins Stadium Center on Monday afternoon. Here’s my Q&A with Brennan.

1. Last week, you said that the Spartans had to win the turnover battle to have a chance to beat Fresno State. The Spartans did that in both halves, but they fell short in the end. What went wrong in the loss?
I think when you’re playing a team like Fresno State, who is playing at such a high level and so mature, your margin for error is very slim and I think we made just too many mistakes in both offensive and defensive situations.

We came out at halftime behind 3-0 and we got the ball, so I was feeling great about how our players responded in that first half–rivalry game on the road and all that. I was really feeling great about how we were playing on defense. I knew we had to get something going on offense, and you saw us insert Chance LaChappelle a little bit–trying to give us a little bit of a spark in his running.

But I think what we found was that the team we were playing was better than us and it was that simple. We got our work cut out for us coming into this offseason to get into a place where we can finish those games in the fourth quarter next year that we didn’t finish this year.

2. Michael Carrillo had his first 300-yard passing game at the major college level in his final game as a Spartan. That was an incredible feat that I’m sure he’ll remember for years to come, but now, the seniors will be replaced, so what are a couple of things that you’re going to look for in future quarterbacks on the NLI Signing Dates?
We’re going to recruit quarterbacks in this class.

I think the good news is that we have Josh Love coming back. He played really well at times this year and we all saw a lot of growth in him and I’m really encouraged by that. He was able to throw the ball effectively. I think he did a really nice job pushing the ball down the field with some of those big throws that he completed.

And then, Chance LaChappelle. We had him run around for a little bit, so Chance is learning; and with that new redshirt rule, he wasn’t able to get out there since he was still technically a redshirt even though he played in the game.

Then, obviously, Montel (Aaron). Montel was working through his family thing and getting locked back into school and the team and all that stuff.

We’re heavily recruiting five or six quarterbacks, so I think that’s going to be an important position as we get into the next three weeks.

3. There were many defining moments this season, but what were your top five most memorable moments?
My top five most memorable moments? That’s a big question!

I’d say my first favorite moment was the locker room after the UNLV game. It was just incredible in there and just that feeling of seeing how those players felt winning that game. I thought that was just really, really special.

I think that the blocked field goal at Oregon was a big moment. I think that game was kind of a big moment because of how we responded. We were on the road against one of the toughest environments in the country to play in and we had just gotten beaten badly by Washington State on the road, so how our team responded was exciting.

I thought it was special on Senior Day. I was disappointed we didn’t get the win, but just seeing those players and their families and letting them know how much they meant to us and how much we cared about them, that was really special.

I think after Army, we came in here and met at 6:00 AM as a team and that was a big moment for us. Everybody was here, everybody was locked in. We kind of talked about redefining what we want going forward because that game was really hard and it disintegrated so quickly. And then we came back and played the heck out of San Diego State the next week. We had another game where we were tied in the fourth quarter and just needed to make one more play or one more tackle or one more block to win against a really good opponent.

I can think of a million different things, but that’s four for you and that’s good enough, right?

Three takeaways from San Jose State’s 31-13 loss at Fresno State

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Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB

By: Ana Kieu 

After a dismal 2-11 season in 2017, the football shenanigans at San Jose State actually worsened to a depressing 1-11 season in 2018. Needless to say, San Jose State finished this season with a 31-13 loss at Fresno State and failed to capture the Valley Trophy for the second year in a row.

Here are my three takeaways from San Jose State’s loss at Fresno State. 

Stranger things 
What stood out to me was that Spartan linebacker Jesse Osuna was called for 2 unsportsmanlike penalties–one in the third quarter and the other in the fourth quarter. Yet, Osuna somehow managed to play another down for the Spartans. 

And, on the very next play, a Bulldog running back fumbled and Osuna recovered the ball. That was a rather odd sequence and there was a chance that none of the media knew why Osuna was still on the field. 

Osuna led the Spartans in tackles with 14 in the second half. 

Light that defense up 
Spartan wide receiver Tre Walker continued to light that defense up when he scored his first touchdown of the game–a 4-yarder off a pass from quarterback Michael Carrillo. 

Walker finished the game with 11 receiving yards, 116 yards and 1 touchdown. The Spartans weren’t red-hot, but Walker proved to be the real deal for the rebuilding Spartan team. 

Unlikely moment 
Spartan cornerback Nehemiah Shelton did something that probably no one saw coming. Shelton broke up a pass intended for Bulldog wide receiver KeeSean Jackson in the back of the end zone late in the second quarter. As a result, Shelton’s pass breakup forced a Bulldog field goal for a 3-0 lead to close out the first half of the game. 

Although it wasn’t a pretty sight that the Bulldogs got on the board first, you can’t deny that Shelton’s pass breakup was a really tough thing to do against a top 3 wide receiver in the nation. 

San Jose State unable to seize the Valley Trophy after 31-13 loss to Fresno State

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By: Ana Kieu 

San Jose State’s season is a lost cause, but there was one thing on their minds on Saturday and that was to bring the Valley Trophy back to San Jose, Calif. with a win over Fresno State at the Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, Calif. 

The Spartans were hyped for the rivalry game. Both their war huddle and locker room displayed the fact that the team was unable to contain their excitement on facing the Bulldogs in a nationally televised game on ESPNU.

The Spartans’ road jerseys against the Bulldogs were absolutely beauties. The blue and gold font on white were timeless ensembles that won’t go out of style anytime soon.

The first quarter was pretty much slow on both ends of the field. San Jose State, however, forced a fumble that was recovered by Tre White. 

The Spartan defense played lights out, while the Spartan offense struggled in the second quarter. Yet, Asa Fuller kicked in a 32-yard field goal to get the Bulldogs on the board 3-0 with only 3 seconds left in the first half. The Bulldogs carried a mere 3-0 lead to the locker room at the end of the half.

Yes, there was hope for the Spartans, who could’ve bounced back to seize the Valley Trophy, but that wish never came true. 

Sure, Tyler Nevens jumped up and over for the Spartan first down, but that astonishing moment was nothing compared to the Bulldogs’ 2 touchdowns in 4:58 for a 17-0 lead at the end of the third quarter. Jordan Mims ran for a 1-yard touchdown with 5:30 left in the third and Marcus McMaryion threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to KeeSean Johnson with 32 seconds left in the third. Fuller kicked in the extra points for both Bulldogs touchdowns.

The Spartans got a head start early in the fourth quarter. Michael Carrillo threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to Malike Roberson to reduce the Bulldogs’ lead to 17-7 at the 14:47 mark of the fourth.

But the Bulldogs refused to back down. McMaryion threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Ronnie Rivers and Fuller kicked in the extra point to expand the Bulldogs’ lead to 24-7 at the 11:59 mark of the fourth. 

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Carrillo’s pass was intercepted for a Bulldogs touchdown. Arron Mosby returned the pass for a 95-yard touchdown and Fuller kicked in the extra point to make it 31-7 Bulldogs with 4:08 left in the fourth. 

The Spartans pulled within 18 to cut the Bulldogs’ deficit to 31-13 with 1:24 left in regulation. Carrillo threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Tre Walker and the Spartans went for the 2-point conversion but failed in their attempt.

The Spartans lost to the Bulldogs 31-13. With the loss, San Jose State hasn’t captured the Valley Trophy since Nov. 26, 2016 at Fresno State under former head coach Ron Caragher, who was fired at the end of the 2016 season. 

The Spartans wrap up the 2018 season with a 1-11 record following a slightly better 2-11 season under head coach Brent Brennan.

San Jose State gets embarrassed at home as Santa Clara picks up first win of the season 71-63

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By: Ana Kieu 

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Just like the football program, the men’s basketball program for San Jose State Spartans hasn’t fared well. 

San Jose State got swept by all three of their opponents at the Junkanoo Jam in Bimini, The Bahamas and returned home to host Santa Clara inside the Event Center on Saturday afternoon. Santa Clara entered the game as a winless team, so this increased San Jose State’s chances of getting their second win of the season.

Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau announced his starting lineup, which consisted of Michael Steadman, Brae Ivey, Oumar Barry, Noah Baumann and Craig LeCesne–all of whom are talented big men. 

As expected, San Jose State won the tip and unleashed their power on Santa Clara. The Spartans went on a 10-2 run to open the first half. This led the Broncos to call a timeout.

Santa Clara refused to get stomped over and responded with a few 3-pointers to cut San Jose State’s lead to 4, 18-4, at the 10:59 mark of the half. The Broncos’ persistence didn’t stop there as they trailed by just 3, 23-20, at the media timeout with 7:49 left in the half. Spartan fans were thankful for Steadman and Ivey, who led the Spartans with 7 points apiece.  

Baumann hit a 3 and Steadman made 2 layups to help the Spartans get back on top with a 7-point lead, 30-23, with 4:19 left in the half. Still, the Broncos were persistent and quickly responded as Henrik Jadersten made a layup of his own to reduce the Spartans’ lead to 5, 30-25, just moments before the final media timeout of the half. The Spartans, however, held onto that 5-point advantage and Spartan fans thanked Steadman, who led the Spartans with 11 points and 6 rebounds, for keeping the home team in the game.

But the Spartans’ lead was short-lived as the Broncos went on a 6-0 run to end the half. The Broncos tied the game at 35 apiece, thanks to Tahj Eaddy’s game-tying 3. Not only that, Eaddy followed up with a layup and a free throw to put the Broncos up 38-35 at the half. 

Despite the 3-point deficit, San Jose State had some things to be proud of. Steadman had already tied his career-high with 15 points and 8 rebounds.
Ivey added 7 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds for the Spartans. 

At the first media timeout of the second half, the scoreboard showed that it was still a 3-point game for either team to rise above at the end of the game. LeCesne hit a 3 and the Spartans trailed the Broncos 45-42 at the 16:50 mark of the half.

The Broncos led by 5, 51-46, at the 11:58 mark of the half. Of course, the Spartans weren’t happy with the deficit, but Steadman continued to impress the Spartan fans by increasing his stats to 17 points and 9 rebounds. 

Both teams exchanged shots for crucial points that kept the game close throughout the half. The Spartans trailed by 8, 69-61, with 1:29 left in the half. The Broncos then extended their lead to 10, 71-61, with 47.6 seconds left on the clock. Steadman put in a jumper to give the Spartans an extra 2 points, but Steadman’s attempt made no difference. 

The Spartans lost to the Broncos 71-63. 

The Spartans host the Indiana State Sycamores on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7:00 pm PT.

San Jose State men’s basketball returns home to host Santa Clara

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By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — After four straight losses, San Jose State are desperate for some home cooking again. This time, against rival Santa Clara inside the Event Center on Saturday afternoon. By the way, this will be the back end of a doubleheader with the women’s basketball team. The women host CSU Bakersfield at 12:00 pm and the men will play at 3:00 pm.

Game No. 6
Santa Clara (0-4) vs. SJSU (1-4)
Saturday Nov. 23, 3:00 pm
Event Center (5,000)
San Jose, Calif.

Take Five with Brae Ivey
Before diving in to this weekend’s game details, take a minute to Take Five with junior guard Brae Ivey. Ivey transferred to SJSU from Riverside City College and is already making a huge impact on the Spartans’ program. Ivey currently leads the team in points per game at 14.4 and is coming off a big week in the Bahamas where he dropped a season-high 22 points vs. CSU Bakersfield.

Live Stats
Fans can view live stats of all SJSU men’s basketball games, home and away, by accessing the Live Stats feature at www.sjsuspartans.com. Click on the link on the women’s basketball schedule page to follow the action.

One Stop Source
The Mountain West Network is your all-access passport to Spartan Athletics. For live and recorded video/audio of SJSU men’s basketball home and Mountain West road contests, the Mountain West Network is your home. Go to Mountain West Network logo at top of the Spartans Athletics home page or go to www.sjsuspartans.com/video.

Trouble in Paradise
Although SJSU went 0-3 on their trip to Bimini for the Junkanoo Jam, the Spartans saw a lot on the court to encourage the team moving forward. They lost the three games by a combined 11 points and shot 46.9 percent while out-rebounding the opposition 38.3-35.0. The Spartans held double-digit leads in the second quarter of both the CSU Bakersfield and Central Michigan games; however, turnovers proved costly as the finished with 20.3 per game. If SJSU can limit the turnovers and finish games, big things lie ahead in 2018-19.

Success on the Boards
The Spartans rank second in the Mountain West in offensive rebounds (12.6) and sixth in defensive rebounds (26.6). Against Weber State (11/15), SJSU pulled down 48 total boards, the fourth most in the Mountain West this season.

Steady Steadman
JUCO transfer Michael Steadman is off to a hot start at his new home at SJSU. He currently ranks third in the conference in total rebounds per game (9.6) and 46th nationally. He was named to the Junkanoo Jam All-Tournament team after averaging 11.7 points and 7 rebounds per game.

Full Offseason for Jean Prioleau
Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau is entering his second season at the helm of SJSU men’s basketball and is coming off his first full offseason with the program. Prioleau was hired on August 4, 2017, and given just three months to prepare for his debut season. Now with a full offseason under his belt to prepare the team, Prioleau and company are excited about the team’s potential.

Staff Shakeup
Prioleau made some changes to his staff in the offseason as he brought in former NC State All-American Julius Hodge as an assistant coach. He also promoted director of basketball operations, Ryan Cooper, to assistant coach.

What About the Broncos?
Santa Clara enters Saturday’s contest 0-4 and are averaging just 61.8 points per game. They are coming off a pair of losses at the hands of Washington (82-68) and Minnesota (80-66) at the Vancouver Showcase in British Columbia. The Broncos are led by third-year head coach Herb Sendek.

Ivey on Fire 
Junior transfer Brae Ivey leads the Spartans with 14.4 points per game and is coming off a big week in the Bahamas, where he averaged 15 points, 6.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds in the Junkanoo Jam, including a season-high 22 points vs. CSU Bakersfield.

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

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

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Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB

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.