Tag: San Jose State

SJSU Spartans podcast with Ana Kieu: SJSU barely beats Army, preps for #21 Boise State; plus more

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On the SJSU Spartans podcast with Ana:

1. SJSU football beat Army 34-29 at Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y.

2. SJSU football will return home to host #21 Boise State this Saturday.

3. SJSU men’s soccer returned to SJ for final home matches against Utah Valley and Air Force.

4. SJSU women’s soccer unable to secure a spot in the 2019 Mountain West Tournament.

5. SJSU men’s water polo goalkeeper Yahav Fire was named the Golden Coast Conference men’s water polo “Player of the Week” for matches played from October 18-20.

Ana’s Final Thoughts

Ana does the SJSU Spartans podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

SJSU’s Gaither is back and as fast as ever

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By Ana Kieu

Bailey Gaither is fast.

Gaither runs fast. Gaither talks fast. One cut, one wiggle and Gaither’s a blur down the field.

The slow slog of injury rehab, however, made the senior wide receiver appreciate that speed even more.

Last year as a junior, Gaither was off to a quick start, with six catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns against UC Davis. He had two more catches against Washington State and grabbed six balls for 90 yards at Oregon. In the Mountain West opener against Hawaii, Gaither had already made a 42-yard catch in the first quarter. Then, in the second quarter, the Paso Robles, Calif., native took a Josh Love pass 55 yards to the house for a touchdown. It was his last play of the season.

“I was running and a guy clipped the back of my foot and I landed funny,” Gaither said. “I had to hop in to the endzone. That was that.”

Gaither tore his Achilles tendon on the play. Just as he was starting to take off as the Spartans’ go-to deep threat, Gaither faced surgery and a long rehabilitation process.

Almost every day for seven months, Gaither got up in the morning and headed to the training room in the Simpkins Stadium Center. He’d do exercises to strengthen his repaired Achilles. Exercises to get the range of motion and flexibility back. It was a lot of heat and ice and work.

With all that, Gaither still thinks the mental part of rehab was the most difficult.

“Trusting myself, telling myself that I’m going to be okay, that I’ll get through it,” Gaither said. “Dealing with myself mentally.”

The mental side of rehab for Gaither included dealing with the false alarms. A string of good days would be spoiled by a painful morning. But that’s all part of the process.

“It’s such a tedious injury,” Gaither said. “It’s hard to tell people that you feel better one day and then worse the next. I didn’t like having to tell people that I was hurting, I wanted to be better. But I needed to be honest with myself. You push it one day and the next day it hurts. Sometimes if you went too easy it would hurt the next day. Rehab is a jagged line, it’s not smooth.”

Eventually, the ins and outs of rehab started to level out. Seven months after surgery, Gaither was able to do the thing he does so well. Run.

Gaither wasn’t able to cut yet, but the straight-line speed that has made him a weapon for the Spartans was still there. He could still get up and go.

“That was definitely the worst injury I’ve had in my life,” Gaither said. “I had my family supporting me through it and all my close friends. The rehab was tough, but it made me stronger.”

Gaither’s family includes his mom, dad and younger brother. Growing up, Gaither used his speed to become a multi-sport star at Paso Robles High School. The 6’1″ wide receiver racked up 3,277 yards receiving and 41 touchdowns over three varsity seasons. He was also the San Luis Obispo Country Player of the Year as a shortstop, hitting .500 his junior year with 32 stolen bases. With colleges calling with offers for both sports, Gaither decided to follow his friend and high school football teammate, Josh Oliver, to San Jose State.

After a redshirt season and limited playing time as a freshman and sophomore, Gaither was enjoying his breakout junior year until going down against Hawaii. The adversity has made his standout senior season even sweeter.

Heading into Saturday’s showdown against No. 21 Boise State, Gaither has been on the receiving end of 27 passes from fellow fifth-year senior quarterback Josh Love for 491 yards and four touchdowns. Love has experienced his own sets of ups and downs during his career, something the pair has bonded over.

“Me and Josh have been friends through this whole process,” Gaither said. “Both a little overlooked when we first got here. Not really in the picture. Kudos to him, he worked really hard for this. He deserves this. A bunch of different coaches and staffs, we’ve been through it all together. New beginnings have been good to us.”

Throughout Gaither’s rehab process, one goal he had was to get back to where he left off. Not only figuratively — starting a season strong and becoming a go-to target — but literally as well. He wanted to get back into the endzone, the place where we was helped off the field a year earlier.

It took a little while, until the Spartans’ fifth game of the season. Against New Mexico on October 4, Gaither showed off his trademark speed with an 80-yard touchdown bomb from Love. Crossing the goal line, Gaither couldn’t help but soak in the moment.

“It just felt so good,” Gaither said. “It felt so good, like this is where I’m supposed to be.”

Back to blazing down the field. Back in the end zone. It took a long time to get back to that place, but Gaither has made quick work of reclaiming his role as the Spartans’ deep threat.

San Jose State prepares to host #21 Boise State this Saturday

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By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — After a horrendous win to Army last year, San Jose State bounced back with a 34-29 victory over the Black Knights this year. So what happens next? The Spartans will watch the tape and prepare for their next opponent, Boise State, this Saturday. The Broncos are currently ranked #21 in the AP Top 25 Poll.

Here’s what you need to know before Saturday’s game.

Game #9
San Jose State vs. #21 Boise State
CEFCU Stadium, San Jose, Calif.
Saturday, November 2, 2019, 7:30 p.m. PT
CBS Sports Network

SJSU record
4-4, 1-3 Mountain West. Most recently, San Jose ended a two-game losing streak with a 34-29 win at Army West Point.

#21 Boise State record
6-1, 3-0 Mountain West. Boise State lost their first game of the season to BYU, 28-25, on October 19. The Broncos had a bye the week ending October 26.

Radio coverage
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 Boise State broadcast begins at 7:00 p.m. PT with a pregame show.

Network affiliates are KION (1460 AM/101.1 FM, Salinas), KFIV (1360 AM, Modesto), KWSX (1280 AM, Stockton).

KSJS (90.5FM, San Jose) also will carry a play-by-play broadcast of the San Jose State vs. Boise State football game. Air time is 7:15 p.m. PT with a pregame show.

Television
CBS Sports Network will provide broadcast coverage. Carter Blackburn calls the play-by-play. Aaron Taylor provides commentary. Jenny Dell is the sideline reporter. The CBS Sports Network presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. PT.

Series history
Boise State leads the series, 13-0. The teams are meeting for the first time since the 2016 season when the Broncos won, 45-31, in Boise. Saturday’s game will be the seventh time the teams have played in CEFCU Stadium.

Of the 13 meetings, the 2004 and 2006 games in San Jose were the closest. In 2004, Boise State pulled out a 56-49 double overtime win. Both teams scored a touchdown in the first overtime. In 2006, Anthony Montgomery kicked a 37-yard field goal on the final play of the game for a 23-20 Boise State win.

.500 again in 2019
For the fourth time this season, San Jose State’s at the .500 plateau with a 4-4 win-loss record. The Spartans have been above .500 three times and below .500 once.

Playing ranked teams the first weekend in November
Two of the biggest wins in San Jose State football history occurred on the first full weekend in November. The Spartans are 2-5 against nationally-ranked teams the first full weekend in November. Two of the five losses are to Boise State.

November 4, 2000 at San Jose State 27, #9/#9 TCU 24

November 1, 1980 San Jose State 30 at #10/#11 Baylor 22

Next opportunity for a winning streak
San Jose State has its 17th opportunity since the 2014 season to have a two-game winning streak when it hosts Boise State. The last Spartan two-game winning streak was a pair of victories hosting UNLV, 33-10, on October 4, and at Wyoming, 27-20, in overtime, on October 18, 2014.

2019 season win total matches 2016
The 34-29 win at Army West Point on October 26 gave San Jose State its fourth win of the season matching the win total of the 2016 season with four regular season games remaining. The last time the Spartans won five games in a regular season was in 2015 with a 5-7 record before capturing the inaugural AutoNation Cure Bowl over Georgia State, 27-16.

Victories in three time zones
For the first time since 2015, San Jose State has victories in three time zones. The Spartans have two home field wins in CEFCU Stadium in the Pacific Time Zone, a 31-24 win over Arkansas in the Central Time Zone, and a 34-29 win at Army West Point in the Eastern Time Zone.

In 2015, the Spartans won regular-season games in the Pacific Time Zone, won at Hawaii, and defeated Georgia State in the AutoNation Cure Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

The win over Army West Point gave San Jose State three wins in its last four games and 3-7 overall playing in the Eastern Time Zone.

30-point games in 2019
San Jose State has scored 30 or more points in five of its eight games this season compared to four a year ago. The Spartans are 4-1 in games the team scored 30 or more points this season. The one loss was a 41-38 defeat at Nevada on October 12.

Points off of turnovers
After eight games, San Jose State has scored 58 points off of opponent turnovers compared to the opponent’s seven. Seven of the Spartan points came in the win at Army West Point in a 34-29 decision. The first opponent points off a Spartan turnover came in the October 12 Nevada victory on an interception return for a touchdown.

Penalty countdown
In San Jose State’s last three games, the Spartans were assessed nine penalties — five at Nevada, one versus San Diego State, and three at Army West Point. In the first five games, San Jose State was charged with 33 penalties. The Spartans enter the Boise State game ranked 23rd nationally in fewest penalties per game at 5.25 per game.

Finding the quarterback
Despite just 12 quarterback sacks on the season, San Jose State has seven of them in the two most recent games prior to the Boise State contest.

The Spartans had two against San Diego State on October 19 and a season-high five in the win at Army West Point on October 26.

Five possessions lead to five first-half scores
For the first time this season, San Jose State scored every time it was on offense in the first half of a game. Against Army West Point, the Spartans scored two touchdowns and kicked three field goals to build a 23-10 halftime lead.

Adding a two-point play to the scoring column
For the first time since the 2016 season, San Jose State successfully converted a two-point PAT when quarterback Josh Love completed a pass to wide receiver Tre Walker in the October 26 win at Army West Point. The Spartans are 1-for-2 on the season on two-point conversations.

SJSU Spartans podcast with Ana Kieu: SJSU unable to get past SDSU at Homecoming; plus more

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On the SJSU Spartans podcast with Ana:

1. Football: San Jose State lost its Homecoming game to San Diego State, 27-17, on October 19th.

2. Football: San Jose State travel to West Point, N.Y. to take on Army on October 26th.

3. Men’s soccer: San Jose State dropped a 2-1 decision to California Baptist on October 19th.

4. Women’s soccer: Spartans head coach Lauren Hanson broke the all-time wins record.

5. Women’s cross country: San Jose State was led by senior Jenny Sandoval at the Santa Clara Invitational on October 19th.

Ana does the SJSU Spartans podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose State heads east for Army West Point game

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By Ana Kieu

The San Jose State Spartans football team had lost two in a row. So what’s next for the 3-4 team? They’ll head to West Point, N.Y. for the Army Black Knights game this Saturday.

Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s game:

Game #8
San Jose State at Army West Point
Michie Stadium, West Point, N.Y.
Saturday, October 26, 2019, 12:00 p.m. ET
CBS Sports Network

SJSU record
3-4, 1-3 Mountain West. Most recently, San Jose State lost a Mountain West contest to San Diego State, 27-17, on October 19.

Army record
3-4. Army lost their third consecutive contest, 28-21, at Georgia State, on October 19.

Radio
KKSF (910 AM, Oakland), RealTalk 910, is the new flagship radio station for San Jose State football. Justin Allegri calls the play-by-play. Kevin Richardson provides commentary. The Army broadcast begins at 8:30 a.m. PT with a pregame show.

Network affiliates are KION (1460 AM/101.1 FM, Salinas), KFIV (1360 AM, Modesto), KWSX (1280 AM, Stockton).

Television
CBS Sports Network will provide broadcast coverage. Ben Holden calls the play-by-play. Ross Tucker provides commentary. Tina Cervasio is the sideline reporter. The CBS Sports Network presentation begins at 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT.

Series history
Army leads the series, 1-0. The Black Knights won the first meeting between these teams, 52-3, on October 13, 2018, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

First team trip to New York
The Army game will be the first time a San Jose State football team is playing a game in the state of New York and the tenth contest in the Eastern Time Zone. The Spartans’ last game in the Eastern Time Zone was their AutoNation Cure Bowl victory over Georgia State, 27-16, on December 19, 2015.

Hawaiian optics
San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan and Army head coach Jeff Moncken started their college coaching careers as a graduate assistant at the University of Hawaii. Brennan was there for the 1998 season when Fred von Appen was in his third season as the Rainbow Warriors’ head coach. Moncken was a graduate assistant in 1989 when Bob Wagner was in his third season as head coach at Hawaii.

#40 in 2018
In 2018, San Jose State became the 40th school in college football to play each of the three service academies that compete for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.

The 2019 season is the first time in school history the Spartans are playing two service academies, Air Force and Army West Point, in the same season.

Bid to become #20
Through the 2018 season, 19 schools have wins over Army, Navy and Air Force. San Jose State with wins over Air Force in 1997 and Navy in 2011 and 2012 can join the group by defeating Army on October 26.

Possible second road win in 2019
San Jose State has its second opportunity this season for a second road win in the same season. The Spartans picked up their first 2019 road victory at Arkansas, 31-24, on September 21.

The 2015 season was the last time San Jose State won two road games in the same season defeating Mountain West opponents UNLV, 33-27 in overtime in Las Vegas, and Hawaii, 42-23, in Honolulu.

The last time San Jose State won two non-conference road games was in back-to-back weeks in 2012 with victories at San Diego State, 38-34, and Navy, 12-0.

Tie for #2 nationally in turnover margin
For the third consecutive week, San Jose State is in the top-three nationally in turnover margin. The Spartans were the national leader in turnover margin in games played through October 5 and October 12.

After games played through October 19, San Jose State is tied for second with San Diego State at 1.57 per game or +11.

The Spartans have 13 interceptions, which leads the country, and five fumble recoveries.

San Jose State has lost the ball on four fumbles and three pass interceptions.

The next running back in 2019
After seven games, four Spartans have started a game at the running back position. The latest is freshman Kairee Robinson against San Diego State. Robinson’s modest rushing totals against San Diego State, 14 carries for 59 yards, are season bests by a Spartan running back this season.

Prior to Robinson receiving the starting call for the first time, senior DeJon Packer started four games; junior Tyler Nevens, one; and freshman Isaiah Holiness, one.

A 99-yard scoring drive
For the first time since 2011, San Jose State had a 99-yard touchdown drive in the recent San Diego State game with an 11-play, 99-yard touchdown drive capped by a Bailey Gaither 8-yard touchdown reception.

In the October 29, 2011 game at Louisiana Tech, San Jose State scored its final touchdown in a 38-28 loss on an 11-play, 99-yard drive that consumed 2:37 of game time. Quarterback Matt Faulkner connected on a 20-yard touchdown pass play to tight end Ryan Otten for the Spartan touchdown.

10 Spartans with a touchdown reception in 2019
Running back Kairee Robinson became the 10th San Jose State player this season with a touchdown catch, thanks to his 15-yard reception in the first quarter of the San Diego State game.

Of the 10 players with a touchdown catch, six are wide receivers, two are tight ends, and two are running backs.

The last time the Spartans had 10 players with a touchdown reception in the same season was in 2016.

San Jose State loses its homecoming game against San Diego State, 27-17

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By Ana Kieu

San Jose State was looking to stun San Diego State in their Homecoming game Saturday night. But the Spartans’ wish wasn’t granted as the Aztecs spoiled one of the liveliest games of the year at CEFCU Stadium.

Ultimately, a strong first half and a late comeback attempt against one of the nation’s top defenses wasn’t enough as San Diego State battled past San Jose State for a 27-17 win. The Aztecs improve to 6-1, while the Spartans fall to 3-4.

San Jose State quarterback Josh Love threw for 218 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but San Diego State dueled their way to a win.

“We just made a few too many mistakes to beat a team as good as them,” said Spartans head coach Brent Brennan after the game. “It was a little frustrating because I felt like there were moments where we had a chance to make it fun.”

San Jose State found themselves in an early deficit after the game’s opening kickoff was returned for a touchdown. However, the Spartans would promptly answer right back, going on a four play, 66-yard scoring drive to tie the score at 7-7 at 13:11 of the first quarter.

The quick-hitting scoring possession was capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Love to Spartan freshman running back Kairee Robinson. The play marked the first career reception and touchdown for Robinson.

Ranked #4 nationally in rushing defense heading into the afternoon, San Diego State was able to limit the Spartan ground attack for the majority of the night. San Jose State finished with 54 total yards on the ground and was led by a 59-yard performance for Robinson.

“I thought Kairee did a really nice job tonight,” Brennan said when asked about Robinson. “It was exciting to see him get in there. He’s a freshman and it’s always fun to see a freshman go in there and run the football against a good group like he did.”

San Jose State wideout Bailey Gaither also impressed and found the end zone on a late 8-yard touchdown reception. Gaither would end the day leading all players with four receptions for 75 yards.

After getting even at 7-7, San Diego State tallied 20 of the game’s next 23 points to take a 27-10 lead. The only interruption to the run came on a third quarter field goal off the foot of the Spartan kicker Matt Mercurio, a 25-yarder that was the freshman’s ninth of the season.

The scoring drive went an impressive 68 yards, spanning 14 plays that featured four Love completions and four Robinson carries.

The Aztecs tallied a pair of touchdown runs — one short (1 yard), one long (50 yards) — on their next two possessions but the hosts refused to go quietly into the night.

Starting from its own 1-yard line with just over nine minutes remaining, San Jose State marched 99 yards down the field to keep itself in the game. Highlighted by a huge 52-yard reception for Gaither, he would then snag a touchdown pass from Love three plays later to cut the deficit to 27-17.

The 99-yard touchdown drive marked the Spartans’ longest of the season.

A spirited Spartan defense got the ball back for its offense on the ensuing possession, pushing San Diego State back for negative three yards on five plays. The comeback attempt would soon be extinguished, however, as the Aztecs forced their first turnover of the night following yet another punt that pinned San Jose State on its own 1-yard line.

San Jose State ended the night with a 218-88 advantage in passing yards and were only flagged once to San Diego State’s 12 penalties. The Aztecs entered Saturday ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense (13.2 points per game) and the Spartans converted on all three of its trips inside the red zone before the night was over.

NOTES: For the first time this season, San Jose State is 1 game under .500 after the loss to San Diego State … The 348 yards San Jose State allowed in the San Diego State game was the second fewest allowed in a game this season … San Jose State allowed 287 yards in the season-opening Northern Colorado victory … San Jose State’s 99-yard touchdown scoring drive in the fourth quarter was its longest of the season and its second 90-plus yard touchdown drive in 2019 … The Spartans had a 93-yard, 7-play drive in the New Mexico win on October 4 … San Jose State’s two quarterback sacks are the most in a game since the four sacks in the Northern Colorado season opener … Kairee Robinson became the fourth different starting running back this season for San Jose State when he was on the field for the first Spartan offensive play of the San Diego State game. Robinson scored his first major college touchdown on a 15-yard reception. He led the Spartans in rushing with 59 yards on 14 carries, the most rushing yards in a game by a Spartan running back this season … The 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the game by San Diego State’s Kaegun Williams was the first kickoff return for a touchdown against San Jose State since Stanford’s Chad Owusu returned a kickoff 94 yards against the Spartans in 2009 … Matt Mercurio’s 25-yard third-quarter field goal was his sixth straight conversion since he missed a 41-yard try against New Mexico … Spartan linebacker Tysyn Parker shared game-high honors for tackles with 10 stops. It was the second time in his career he was credited with 10-plus tackles in a game. Both double figure tackle games were against San Diego State. As a freshman in 2016, he was in on 16 tackles … For the second straight game, San Jose State was 3-for-3 in red zone scoring opportunities … The San Diego State game marked the second time this season the Spartans didn’t come up with a fumble recovery or interception.

UP NEXT: The Spartans look ahead to their non-conference finale, where they’ll travel to New York to face the Army Black Knights on Saturday, October 26 at 9:00 a.m. PT at Michie Stadium.

Feature: SJSU’s Ezell flips to football after playing lacrosse

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By Ana Kieu

The ball rockets high into the sky off the foot of the opposing punter and Brandon Ezell’s mind starts to race. He finds the ball floating through the air, scans his surroundings and makes multiple split-second decisions all at once.

There are also 11 men racing down the field with the sole purpose of stopping his momentum and bringing him down.

This is the life of a punt returner, a role that Ezell cherishes, despite its difficulty and danger.

“You get used to it but it’s always a little nerve-wracking,” said Ezell when asked about the position. “You have your blockers but it’s up to you to make something happen. I love the adrenaline rush that comes with it.”

AN ALL-AROUND ATHLETE
For those that knew Ezell five years ago, it’s not a shock to see him succeeding out on the field. What may come as a surprise, however, is the sport he’s playing on that field.

Ezell didn’t begin playing football until his senior year of high school, shining instead for the Los Alamitos High School lacrosse team. The midfielder was a natural in lacrosse and was named as his team’s Offensive Player of the Year in his final two seasons in the sport.

Ezell made the switch prior to his final season with the Griffins and fell in love with his new one instantly.

“I would play pickup games with my friends on the weekends and they saw I had some potential,” Ezell recounts. “The coach said I could try out and I got my shot. I’ve been playing football ever since.”

ACKNOWLEDGES ADVERSITY
The challenge of switching focus to a new sport with just one year remaining until college may have been tough for some, but adversity is nothing new to Ezell.

Ezell grew up with divorced parents and was one of seven brothers in his family. A challenging living situation growing up required him to often take care of his three younger siblings, giving Ezell less time than he would have liked to focus on athletics.

“I am still the best athlete in the family though,” says Ezell.

Ezell took his talents through the junior college route after high school and it didn’t take long for him to produce on the next level. While still learning the game, he set his sights on a goal of becoming the first member from his father’s side of the family to go to a university.

Through extra drills and additional work in the weight room and classroom, Ezell turned the dream into a reality.

“Getting a scholarship at a D1 school, that was my way out,” Ezell said. “I had a couple of good seasons and San Jose State contacted me. I immediately liked what they were pitching and the direction the program was going in.”

A BRIGHT FUTURE
Now in his senior season, Ezell has helped lead the Spartans to their best start since he arrived in Silicon Valley.

Ezell is making a difference both defensively and on special teams, where his potential for electricity was displayed with a 25-yard punt return in San Jose State’s season opener.

Ezell tallied three tackles in each of his team’s first two games of the season, then made two interceptions helping San Jose State to a 32-21 Mountain West victory over New Mexico two weeks ago in CEFCU Stadium.

Ezell added one more interception and a season-high four tackles in last week’s game at Nevada. It was a tip-toe dance along the sideline to haul in the takeaway and share the team lead with Nehemiah Shelton and Bobby Brown II.

A business management major, Ezell is slated to graduate in December. He’ll pursue a career in football at the next level before going into real estate.

It’s safe to say the switch to football is looking good for the former lacrosse star.

Feature: SJSU’s Latu a commanding prescence

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By Ana Kieu

Off the eastern coast of Australia lies the Kingdom of Tonga, an archipelago consisting of 169 islands that covers just shy of 300 square miles in surface area. The islands are vibrant and rich with Polynesian culture from its small yet friendly population. It’s the kind of place you see in movies, where the people all know each other and care for one another. It’s also the unlikely birthplace of many famous athletes.

While Tonga’s national sport is rugby, American football players have rapidly emerged throughout the years, some even making it to the NFL. NFL defensive line stars Haloti Ngata and Star Lotulelei are just two examples of the type of athletes Tonga produces, and it just so happens that perhaps the next great Tongan NFL player currently starts at defensive tackle for the San Jose State Spartans.

Sailosi Latu was born and raised in Tonga, where he excelled at rugby. His large and athletic frame made it easy for him to excel at the sport and it soon led to an easy transition to American football. When he was 16, Latu moved with his family to the United States, and the decision was made for him upon arrival that he was going to play football, even if he was initially against the idea.

“When we left Tonga to come to America, my dad’s main goal was for us to get a better education, find better opportunities, and set ourselves up for a better life,” Latu said. “The first thing he said to me when we got here was ‘Are you ready to play football?’ and I was like, ‘Nope.’

“But we went to the high school that I was going to be playing for, and the coaches were telling us what positions I could play. They were asking me if I wanted to be a linebacker or on the defensive line, and I had no idea. I was like, ‘can I carry the ball?’ and at the time, I was like 6-foot-1 or so already and 230 pounds. In rugby, you get to both carry the ball and play defense, so that’s what I wanted to do here, but the coaches were like ‘You’re too tall for that’. They told me that the easiest position for a guy like me to play would be on the defensive line, and I was like, ‘What is that and how can I play that?’ They said, ‘Just chase the guy with the ball.’ That’s how I got started playing football.”

With his position decided, Latu quickly settled into his new role as the guy who chased down ball carriers. Playing at Los Osos High in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., it was clear that his natural talent would take him far. However, there were some kinks to workout at the beginning, primarily figuring out what to do and what not to do while on the field.

“I remember at our first practice, I was playing with the junior varsity/scout team and they threw us up against the starting offensive line,” Latu said. “I lined up and then just took off with my speed and just cleaned out the quarterback, and I did not know that you were supposed to stay away from him. I turned around and all of the offensive line and receivers were coming at me trying to fight me, and my coach came out screaming ‘Sailosi, you can’t do that!'”

“He pulled me off to the side, and in secret exclaimed, ‘That’s what I’m talking about! But you can’t do because the offense gets hurt about it.’ From there, I started to learn more about football and the concepts and started to fall in love with it.”

As Latu continued to play, the intricacies and technical aspects of the game clicked more and more, allowing him to become a well-rounded defensive tackle prospect entering his senior season. Latu attended Mt. San Antonio College and played two seasons at the junior college level before making the jump to Division I. In 2017, he signed with the Spartans and impressed the coaching staff immediately, especially his position coach, Joe Seumalo.

CREATIVE SOLUTIONS
“Coach Joe told me when I first got here that I was going to have to beat out anybody that was in front of me,” Latu said. “Coming in, I didn’t really know who they had here playing the nose technique. Boogie Roberts and Bryson Bridges were playing the ends, so I just knew that I was going to come in and take that spot in the middle. That was my competition level. I knew that I had to be the starter and there was no one that could start in front of me. It was a different talent level from playing at Mt. San Antonio to the Division I level, but if you’re competitive enough, that level doesn’t matter.”

Latu did just as he said he would do and became the starting nose tackle by the end of the 2017 fall camp. He started all 12 games of the season and finished with 43 tackles on the year. He entered his senior season in 2018 with high hopes of playing well enough to get a look from the NFL at season’s end, but unfortunately, his year was cut short after an upper body injury sidelined him for the team’s final eight games.

Determined to not let his football career end on a sour note, Latu worked hard to rehab himself in an attempt to play one last season in 2019. He did his part and was ready to put the pads back on at the start of fall camp. However, one hurdle remained that was out of his control — he had to be granted another season of eligibility by the NCAA. It was a long wait, but in the days leading up to the season-opener against Northern Colorado, he got his answer.

“On that day, I wasn’t sure if I had gotten the waiver or not,” Latu said. “Coach Joe texted the news that I had gotten it in our defensive line group chat, but I didn’t get it at first. He called me later and told me that I had gotten my sixth year.”

“So, I showed up to the team meeting that day to see everyone, but the coaches told me to wait because they had something planned. Coach Brennan announced to the team that he had just signed a brand new player, and when they opened the door I came out and was like, “Let’s go!” And, everyone was going crazy. They really got me, too. They told me to introduce my name and where I was from and what position I played, but the only thing I could get out was, ‘My name is Sailosi Latu and I play for San Jose State University.’ That was it.”

With his waiver granted and all the hard work now paying off, Latu is back in the starting lineup and back to doing what he does best — chasing the guy with the ball.

SJSU Spartans podcast with Ana Kieu: SJSU drops heartbreaker at Nevada, looks ahead to SDSU; plus more

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On the San Jose State Spartans podcast with Ana:

1. Football: San Jose State dropped a heartbreaker to Nevada 41-38 last Saturday.

2. Football: San Jose State to host San Diego State this Saturday.

3. Soccer: San Jose State earned its first road result of the season at Grand Canyon last Friday.

4. Soccer: San Jose State fell to UNLV 2-1 on Sunday.

5. Women’s golf: San Jose State finished ninth at Stanford Intercollegiate on Sunday.

Ana does the San Jose State Spartans podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Feature: Things are going well for SJSU’s Foley

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By Ana Kieu

In the classroom, everything has gone according to plan for fifth-year senior outside linebacker Brett Foley. It’s been the exact opposite on the football field.

This season, Foley started a MBA program at San Jose State, right on track with the plan he laid out as an 18-year-old. After graduating from Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., Foley knew he wanted to redshirt as a freshman so he could finish his undergraduate studies and start an MBA program while still playing football.

“Taking a redshirt and getting that fifth year to start a MBA was my plan from the beginning and it ended up working out,” said Foley, a 2019 San Jose State Dean’s Scholar and two-time Academic All-Mountain West honoree More recently, he was one of five Spartans recognized by the National Football Foundation as a college graduate continuing to play the game as a graduate student. “I’m very excited about that.”

Foley’s plan for football after finishing high school? That ended up being a little more complicated.

After his junior year of football at Archbishop Mitty, the high school quarterback and pitcher had surgery on his throwing shoulder. His arm was never quite the same. One season after being named the San Jose Mercury News’ Freshman of the Year in baseball, he was forced to give up pitching.

FOOTBALL STILL AN OPTION
But with the throwing motion of a football less straining than that of a baseball, Foley was still able to play quarterback. He was named first team All-West Catholic League as a senior after throwing for 904 yards and 10 touchdowns and running for 599 yards and 11 more scores.

Despite the accolades, Foley knew a position change was likely at the college level. Having played both sides of the ball for the Monarchs, he marketed himself to college recruiters as a defensive player.

Foley eventually chose to stay at home to play college football, signing with the Spartans in 2014. Foley redshirted the 2015 campaign before playing sparingly the next two seasons.

“With a couple coaching changes, we shifted our schemes a few times.” Foley said. “I went from outside linebacker to defensive end and then back to linebacker. I was moving all over the place.”

HIS BEST MOVE IN FOOTBALL
Prior to his junior season, one more change was proposed. This time to the offensive side of the ball.

“Moving to tight end was the best move I made at San Jose State, I love it so much more,” Foley said. “It suits me far better than linebacker ever did. Running in space, using my speed, my athleticism. I like having the ball in my hands, running around the field. In high school at quarterback, I ran a lot. I threw a lot. Making plays on offense was something I always loved.”

Foley played in all 12 games his junior season. He made his first career catch in a win against UNLV, a one-yard touchdown from Josh Love. This season, he tallied a career-high three catches in the game against New Mexico.

Foley believes being close to family is a big reason why he was able to navigate all the ups and downs of his collegiate career. It’s just an eight-mile drive from Foley’s high school stadium at Archbishop Mitty to his current home field, CEFCU Stadium.

“Growing up in the area, it was the best decision of my life to come to San Jose State,” Foley said. “Being close to my family has been amazing. They come to every game. My mom has about 30 people at her tailgate, all my family friends, everyone I grew with up has been here, supporting me all the way. It’s been the best time of my life.”

PURSUING A SAN JOSE STATE MBA
There’s yet another change on the horizon for Foley, the switch from student-athlete to a career in business. After this season, he’ll have one year left in the MBA program before moving on to a full-time job.

“Doing the MBA, I’m hoping to get as much experience as possible and meet as many people as possible to get my career started,” Foley said. “Playing football my whole life, I don’t really have much job experience. I’ve been pretty much a full-time athlete since the day I started walking. The MBA is helping me see what I like and don’t like. What areas I’m good in and what areas I might not be good in.”

Foley has also used his past three summers to gain experience and make valuable connections. He first worked with Ameriprise Financial in the summer of 2017, then the Xactly Corporation in 2018. Last summer, Foley worked at Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, Calif.

“They were all different types internships and that’s what I was looking for,” Foley said. “Broaden my perspective on what profession I might get into.”

“Coach Brennan really encouraged it too. I’m not sure about other programs but I think that’s pretty rare. He was all about me finding internships and getting experience that will help me the rest of my life.”

However the rest of Foley’s life unfolds, he’ll certainly have a plan and he’ll be able to roll with the punches.