Brent Brennan returns to his old alumni to take on the daunting task of turning the Spartan’s football program in the right direction. San Jose State found them themselves in the win column just four times last year. Unfortunately, this year’s squad could be hard-pressed to match that. A lot of question marks are surrounding the roster in 2017.
The offense has some skill position players returning, but the quarterback position is still unsettled. On a positive note, the offensive line brings back plenty of experience but they have not pass protected well.
San Jose State is switching up their defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4. There will be plenty of players learning new spots on the fly. Positively, the Spartans have a solid secondary that will be required to stop opponents from gashing them through the air.
The team’s opening month has them squaring off in non-conference games against Texas, Utah and South Florida. San Jose State does get the FCS’s Cal Poly, but even Cal Poly is one of the better Division II teams. It looks like coach Brett Brennen will be digging himself out of the hole, right out of the gate.
Offense
There are four quarterbacks vying to be the Spartan’s starting signal-caller for their 2017 opener. Sophomore Josh Love got plenty of action in the first two opening games in 2016. In those affairs, he completed 31 of 60 balls for almost 400 yards with two touchdowns and five picks.
The other remaining three quarterbacks redshirted. Montel Aaron and Sam Allen are dual threats, while Michael Carrillo ran the scout team last season and showed enough to compete for the starting job.
At the skilled positions, the Spartans will receive a little returning experience. Leading rusher Malik Roberson and Zamore Zigler will both be back. Together, the two tail backs galloped for almost 1,000 yards on over 175 carries and five touchdowns. Both athletes have track speed and could break away on any carry.
The receiving duo of Justin Holmes and Tre Hartley is solid. Holmes had just under 40 catches for over 600 yards and three scores. Hartley pitched in another 33 grabs for 572 yards and four touchdowns.
The lion’s share of the offensive line is returning and has been together for the past two seasons. Unfortunately, they have ranked last in the Mountain West over that span with 88 sacks allowed. That being said, the group averaged 4.9 yards per rush last season so the unit has proven it can push people around in the run game.
Defense
The Spartans couldn’t stop you or me in the running game last year. As a result, they ranked near the very bottom of the nation against the run (122nd). Obviously, that is the reason the staff has decided to switch from the 4-3 to the 3-4 scheme. The San Jose State front seven is up in the air.
Junior defensive tackle Bryson Bridges will start for Sparty. While their leading tackler Frank Ginda is back to fill the gaps at inside linebacker. Beyond that, there will be some patch working to be done to fill in the gaps. Owen Roberts made the most tackles of any defensive lineman last season. Because of the switch, he will have to move from nose tackle to defensive end.
The secondary is where the San Jose State Spartans shine. Last year, the back half finished 19th in the country in pass defense. All four of the starters are back for another go, including the team’s best player.
Corner Andre Chachere is a future NFL player. The back field force was a first-team All-Mountain West performer a year ago. Jermaine Kelly held down the other side, after beating Dakari Monroe out for the other corner spot. Now, both are back and give the Spartans depth and speed in the secondary. At safety, Maurice McKnight was third in tackles for the Spartans. He is another All-Mountain West preseason candidate.
Prediction
Brett Brennan faces many challenges in his first season as the head coach. He has to get the quarterback position nailed down and find transfers to help solidify the defensive line. That’s a lot to ask of a first-year coach of the Spartans.
Realistically, it is hard for me to see a season in which the San Jose Spartans reach more than four victories. Their non-conference schedule is tough, but they don’t face their nemesis Air Force or Boise State.
Professional prognosticators have the Spartan’s team win total at 3.5, with the over going for even money (+100). Flip a coin on this one. If they do get there, it will be at the very end of the season. They also have San Jose State at 66 to 1 (+6600) to do the impossible and win the Mountain West.
Schedule
Aug. 26: USF
Sept. 2: Cal Poly
Sept. 9: at Texas
Sept. 16: at Utah
Sept. 23: Utah State
Sept. 30: at UNLV
Oct. 7: Fresno State
Oct. 14: at Hawaii
Oct. 21: OPEN DATE
Oct. 28: at BYU
Nov. 4: San Diego State
Nov. 11: at Nevada
Nov. 18: at Colorado State
Nov. 25: Wyoming
The getmoresports.com NCAA College Football Throwdown Podcast will be returning to the air on August 24th. We will be highlighting the first five games on August 26th of the 2017 NCAA College Football season. That will be the first of three installments leading into the first week of the season. We also we will be covering our expectations for the Heisman Trophy front runners as well as predictions for conference winners and team totals.
Our second NCAA College Football Throwdown is penciled in for August 29th. In that installment, we will be discussing all the games that will be played on August 31st and the 1st of September.
Our third segment will officially be airing on August 31st. In this edition of the NCAA College Football Throwdown, we will be covering all the relevant games for Sept 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.
Keeping with tradition, EJ the Rainmaker and Erik the Hun will give their predictions for the contests. On top of that, we will be providing our dog play of the podcast as well as cash money plays for the week. Join us for all three opening episodes and improve your college football knowledge while increasing the size of your sports book betting account. Come join us and help everyone make it rain. #moneytreesgrow
