Spartans win at Nevada would make them eligible for a bowl
San Jose State coach Brent Brennan is well aware of the benefits of qualifying for a bowl game after achieving the feat last season for the first time in four tries as the Mountain West champion.
“It’s comparable to having an extra spring ball,” Brennan said. “In the month of December, they get two, three, four weeks of extra practice and then they get to play a game. That’s why, in my opinion, you see a lot of those teams are able to sustain a high level that way is because you get that extra work.”
The Spartans (5-4, 3-2 Mountain West) are unlikely to defend their title considering they sit in fourth place in the Mountain Division.
SJSU trails three teams in the standings:
• No. 23 Fresno State (72, 4-1), which it hosts on Thanksgiving Day in the regular-season finale.
• San Diego State (7-1, 3-1), who prevailed 19-13 in double overtime at CEFCU Stadium in mid-October.
• Nevada (6-2, 3-1), the team the Spartans travel to face today.
Even if back-to-back conference titles don’t materialize, though, the Spartans can almost taste the postseason with a .500 record securing bowl eligibility.
“We’ve got to win one more, right?” Brennan said. “And we’ve got three games to do it. None of them are more important than the one we’ve got to play this week.”
What must San Jose State accomplish to win in Reno? Here are two keys to victory to the last road game left on the schedule:
STRONG ARM THE WOLF PACK >> Nevada quarterback Carson Strong fuels the most potent offense in the Mountain West, which is averaging 37.6 points per game.
The NFL prospect is not very mobile, but has a cannon
for an arm. The 6-foot4, 215-pound junior out of Vacaville has thrown for 2,883 yards — fifth in the nation — with 24 touchdowns and five interceptions.
“I don’t think there’s any question that Carson Strong is an NFL player,” Brennan said. “He has an ability to diagnose and deliver the ball quickly and accurately. They’ve done a fantastic job of surrounding him with playmakers and combining that with a really effective and powerful downhill running game.
“When you put all those things together along with his decision-making and his accuracy, they’re incredibly hard to defend.”
The Spartans’ pass rush has come to life in recent weeks and must make Strong uncomfortable dropping back. Defensive end Cade Hall, last year’s Mountain West defensive player of the year, recorded consecutive sacks in the final two minutes to close out Wyoming in Saturday’s 27-21 victory, while fellow bookend Junior Fehoko leads the team with six sacks.
KEEP QB UPRIGHT >> The Wolf Pack’s pass rush is on another level, ranking second in the nation with 33 quarterback sacks.
The pace setter is defensive tackle Tristan Nichols, a 6-4, 245-pound senior who is No. 1 in the country with 9½ sacks.
“They get after the quarterback,” Brennan said. “Their back end is long and active. This is a fantastic defense. … They’re incredibly stingy on third down.”
San Jose State is likely to turn to backup QB Nick Nash for a sixth straight game. Nick Starkel has been sidelined by an undisclosed upper-body injury he suffered during the 23-3 loss at Western Michigan on Sept. 25.