San Jose State
Spartans
Preview 2009
By
Pete Fiutak
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2009 CFN San Jose
State Preview |
2009 SJSU Offense
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2009 SJSU Defense |
2009 SJSU Depth
Chart
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2008 SJSU Preview |
2007 SJSU Preview |
2006 SJSU Preview
Interested in blogging about San Jose State football? Let
us know
Head coach: Dick Tomey
5th year: 23-25
28th year overall: 181-135-7
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 21, Def. 30, ST 2
Lettermen Lost: 17 |
Ten Best Spartan Players
1. DE Carl Ihenacho, Sr.
2. S/LB Duke
Ihenacho, Jr.
3. LB Justin Cole, Sr.
4. WR Kevin Jurovich,
Sr.
5. LB Travis Jones, Sr.
6. S Devin Newsome, Jr.
7 QB Kyle Reed, Sr.
8. WR Jalal Beauchman, Jr.
9. RB
Lamon Muldrow, Jr.
10. RB/KR Brandon Rutley, Soph. |
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2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
6-6
2009 Record:
0-0
9/5 at USC
9/12 Utah
9/19 at Stanford
9/26 Cal Poly
10/3 OPEN DATE
10/10 Idaho
10/17 at Fresno State
10/24 OPEN DATE
10/31 at Boise State
11/8 Nevada
11/14 at Utah State
11/21 Hawaii
11/28 New Mexico St
12/5 at Louisiana Tech |
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2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
5-7
2008 Record:
6-6
8/30
UC Davis
W 13-10
9/6 at Nebraska L 35-12
9/13
SDSU
W 35-10
9/20 at Stanford L 23-10
9/27 at Hawaii W 20-17
10/4 OPEN DATE
10/11
Utah
State W 30-7
10/18 at NMSU W 31-14
10/24
Boise St
L 33-16
11/1 at Idaho W 30-24
11/8
La Tech
L 21-0
11/15 at Nevada L 41-17
11/21 Fresno St L 24-10
11/29 OPEN DATE |
It's time to start
including what Dick Tomey is doing was San Jose State as one of the
great turnarounds college football has seen in a long time.
While he is going into his fifth year with the program, after
being cast off by Arizona (how's that working out for the Wildcats?), he
only has a 23-25 record, but that's with a 3-9 first season. Now he has
changed the culture of a program that was just this close to
being dumped a few years ago.
No longer just a haven for
castoffs and JUCO misfits, although there are a fair share of them on
this team, Tomey has actually build the team into a decent, consistent
winner even though his teams haven't exactly been decent or consistent
all the time. Last year there wasn't any offense. A few years ago there
wasn't any defense. There have been second half of the season gags when
a bowl game was in sight (the last two seasons), and there was a
stunning 9-4 2006 with a bowl victory that didn't get enough national
publicity. Now he has the team in place to truly do some big things.
The defense was a killer last season, with one of the nation's best
pass rushes and a pair of corners in Coye Francies and Christopher Owens
that could've played for anyone. This year's D has to replace the two
star corners and has to find a new interior pass rusher for Jarron
Gilbert, but there's talent in the back seven and Carl Ihenacho is a
playmaking end to lead the line. The defense will be fantastic again as
long as everyone stays healthy.
While the D will carry the team
from time to time, the offense should be night-and-day better now that
several key parts are back. All-star receiver Kevin Jurovich returns
after missing most of last year with mono, while RB Patrick Perry is
back after missing the last two years with a knee injury. Throw in the
expected emergence of jaw-dropping athletes Jalal Beauchman and Marquis
Avery at receiver, and the hope for Kyle Reed to grow even more into the
quarterback job, and the passing game is going to start pushing the ball
deep and it should be far more dangerous. It'll help that the line
returns healthy and deep after a horrendous year.
If you're
looking for the sleeper in the WAC race, this could be it. There are
trips to Boise State, Fresno State, and Louisiana Tech that could end
the dream to win the title, but thanks to the job that Tomey has done to
build up the athleticism and talent, this will be an interesting team to
watch out for.
What to watch for on offense: The passing game. With the addition
of offensive coordinator Terry Malley from the Arena League, after his
offenses put up record-setting numbers, there will be more firepower to
a passing attack that muddled along throughout last year. If Reed or
Jordan La Secla can be more consistent, and if they can get a little
time, the tremendous receiving corps will make big things happen. That
should open things up for the running game that struggled so much last
year.
What to watch for on defense: The pass rush. The Spartans were
among the best in the nation when it came to pressuring the quarterback
and coming up with tackles for loss. New Chicago Bear Jarron Gilbert had
a lot to do with that, making 9.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss, but the
rest of the defense found ways to get into the backfield as well. The
pressure will continue, and that's a must considering the corners are
green and need all the help they can get.
The team will be far better if … the offensive line shows
up. Injuries were a big problem, but it helped create depth and
experience coming into this season. Now, after finishing 104th in the
nation in sacks allowed and paving the way for the nation's fifth-worst
rushing game, the big, veteran line has to do far more. If the line is
merely average, the Spartans will go to a bowl.
The Schedule: The Spartans might not have a chance to beat USC in the
opener, but Utah could be ripe for the picking with so much
rebuilding needing to be done. Don't overlook the game against
Cal Poly, who might be missing some key pieces from last year,
including the head coach, but it was a FCS playoff team. There
isn't a painful stretch of road games, but three of the killer
conference games are away from home. The Fresno State and Boise
State away games are back-to-back, but there's a week off in
between, while the Louisiana Tech battle is the regular season
finale. On the plus side, there should be two built-in wins
against Idaho and New Mexico State at home, and the Spartans
should be able to take care of Hawaii in San Jose.
Best Offensive Player:
Senior WR Kevin Jurovich.
After shocking the WAC by catching 85 passes for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns
two years ago, he started out last season hot with 15 grabs for 183
yards and a touchdown in two games. And then he suffered a bout of mono
and was knocked out for the year. Now he's back to provide the offense
with a true No. 1 target for the offense to rely on.
Best Defensive Player:
Senior DE Carl Ihenacho.
His stats might not be as strong as last year with everyone double and
triple teaming him, but he'll have his moments when he comes up with
sacks and plays in the backfield in bunches. Extremely quick and 20
games of experience, he has the ability to get to the quarterback
whenever he's blocked by just one player. He'll set the tone and be the
anchor for a promising line.
Key player to a
successful season:
The entire offensive line. Again, the season will
revolve around the
front five and its ability to give the quarterbacks time to work and
pave the way for a revamped backfield. There are several position
battles with no job safe or secure, but it would be nice if Fred Koloto,
the emerging sophomore star who had back problems last year, could
become special at left tackle.
The season will be a
success if
... the Spartans go to a bowl game. There are just enough rough patches
in the schedule to ask for a conference title, the Spartans aren't going
to beat Boise State in Boise, but this is Tomey's best team yet and it
should be good enough to shoot for a top three finish in the WAC.
Key game:
Nov. 8 vs. Nevada. The
Spartans have a tough WAC road schedule and can't afford to give away
games at home. The battle with the Wolf Pack, a team good enough to win
the conference title, will be a tone-setter for the second half of the
season and a must-win considering it's the one home date stuck in
between three road games.
2008 Fun Stats:
- Fourth quarter
scoring. Opponents 100 - San Jose State 40
- Penalties: Opponents 104
for 960 yards - San Jose State 81 for 623 yards
- Sacks: San Jose
State 33 for 253 yards - Opponents 31 for 224 yards
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2009 CFN San Jose
State Preview |
2009 SJSU Offense
-
2009 SJSU Defense |
2009 SJSU Depth
Chart
-
2008 SJSU Preview |
2007 SJSU Preview |
2006 SJSU Preview
|