Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Vincent Rizzo Sports, College Football Preview "San Jose State Spartans 2011"

 2010 Season Breakdown
Final record (overall, conference): 1-12, 0-8
Bowl game: None
Final ranking (AP, Coaches’): NR, NR
Conference finish: 9th
Offensive rank: 101st
Defensive rank: 117th
2010 Individual Statistics Leaders
Rushing: Brandon Rutley, 461 yards, 4 TD
Passing: Joran La Secla, 2,860 yards, 16 TD, 16 INT
Receiving: Jalal Beauchman, 835 yards, 6 TD
Tackles: Keith Smith, 116 tackles
Sacks: Travis Johnson, 7.5 sacks
Interceptions: James Orth, 3 INT
2011 Schedule (all games Saturday unless noted)
*denotes conference game
September 3 @ Stanford
September 10 @ UCLA
September 17 vs. Nevada* [4:00 PM ET]
September 24 vs. New Mexico State* [4:00 PM ET]
October 1 @ Colorado State [4:00 PM ET]
October 8 @ BYU
October 14 (Fri) vs. Hawaii [9:00 PM ET, ESPN]
October 29 @ Louisiana Tech* [4:00 PM ET]
November 5 vs. Idaho* [4:00 PM ET]
November 12 @ Utah State* [3:00 PM ET]
November 19 vs. Navy [4:00 PM ET]
November 26 @ Fresno State* [8:00 PM ET]
Key Matchups
September 17 vs. New Mexico State: After opening the season against Stanford, UCLA and Nevada, this is a game the Spartans need to grab.
October 14 vs. Hawaii: Originally scheduled for Saturday, October 15, this game will now be played on Friday, October 14 on national television. It’s a great opportunity to show the nation that the Spartans are moving in the right direction. Even if they don’t win, staying competitive will be important.
Key Departed Players
Jordan La Secla, QB; Jalal Beauchman, WR; Ailao Eliapo, C; Isaac Leatiota, G
Key Returning Players
Brandon Rutley, RB; Noel Grigsby, WR; Chandler Jones, WR; Ryan Otten, TE; David Quessenberry, OT; Andres Vargas, OT; Nicholas Kasper, G; Travis Johnson, DE; Vince Abbott, DE; Keith Smith, LB; Kyler O’Neal, LB; Vince Buhagier, LB; Peyton Thompson, CB; Ronnie Yell, CB; Bene Benwikere, CB; Alex Germany, CB; James Orth, S; Duke Ihenacho, S; Harrison Waid, P/K
Offensive Overview
The biggest challenge for this Spartans offense will be finding a new quarterback. Jordan La Secla graduated and now sophomore Dasmen Stewart and senior Matt Faulkner are at the forefront of the competition for his old job. Redshirt freshman Blake Jurich and true freshman Joe Gray—who arrives in the fall—will also compete. Head coach Mike MacIntyre has expressed pleasure with the quarterback battle and said that the team would “tweak the offense” to the strengths of whoever wins the job. Faulkner is the only quarterback on the roster with any significant collegiate experience. Protecting the new quarterback will be an offensive line that returns three starters and is reportedly making improvements from a season ago. They lose All-WAC Second Team center Ailao Eliapo, however.
If the Spartans hope to get better on offense, it will start by improving what was the second worst rushing offense in the country in 2010 when the running game averaged just 78.5 yards per game. Leading rusher Brandon Rutley is back, but this offense will improve by finding a playmaker to move the ball. Wide receiver is an area of strength despite the loss of Jalal Beauchman, last year’s leading receiver. Noel Grigsby and Chandler Jones are rising stars and will be vital parts of the offense moving forward. Tight end Ryan Otten also returns, as do several other top receivers from a year ago.
Defensive Overview
The defense returns virtually everybody and the experience better turn into improvement and greater production or the Spartans are in trouble. Last year’s defense ranked 117th out of 120 FBS programs, but was very young. San Jose State also returns two experienced defenders in safety Duke Ihenacho—a two-time All-WAC First Teamer—and linebacker Pompey Festejo, a starter in 2009 who missed all of last season with a foot injury. With a lot of experience returning, there are no excuses for another lackluster defensive performance. The Spartans will have enough talented defensive linemen to create a nice rotation to keep fresh bodies on the line of scrimmage. Travis Johnson, who recorded 7.5 sacks a year ago, is the most significant piece returning up front.
At the second level of defense, Kyler O’Neal will return after his season was cut short due to injury last season. He’ll compete for playing time as Vince Buhagier, Tiuke Tuipulotu and Keith Smith each return after starting a year ago. The defensive backfield will return plenty of experience as upperclassmen Peyton Thompson, Ronnie Yell and Alex Germany return at cornerback with James Orth and Ihenacho likely seeing plenty of time at the safety spots. A freshman a season ago, cornerback Bene Benwikere will see significant playing time after finishing fourth on the team with 74 tackles.
Top 2012 Draft Prospects
Peyton Thompson, CB; Brandon Driver, CB
Season Prediction
7th WAC
The experience is absolutely there for the Spartans to see vast improvement from last season when they failed to win a single WAC game and finished the year with only one win. They were in their fair share of close matchups, losing four of their last five by one score or less with the lone exception being the 41-7 loss to the high-flying Hawaii Warriors. If SJSU is able to find a capable quarterback on its roster—and don’t assume it’ll automatically be the senior, Faulkner—this team could surprise a few people and finish with multiple wins even if they don’t take that next step to bowl eligibility this season. One thing is for certain—this team has a good core of experienced players and the program is headed in the right direction.
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