Spartans ready to make big strides
You’ve got to tip your cap to Brent Brennan. In two years as head coach at San Jose State, his record is 322. Yet he’s relentlessly upbeat.
Construction of a footballoperations center is under way. The east side of CEFCU Stadium is being revamped in a project that isn’t due to be finished until 2023.
“It’s going to be very impactful for us,” Brennan said, indicating he expects to be there for the long haul.
It has been nearly 30 years since the Spartans won a conference title, but there are reasons to think they could make a step forward from last year’s 111 team, which ranked last in the nation in rushing at 61.5 yards per game.
When the season starts Aug. 29 with a home game against Northern Colorado, senior Josh Love will become the school’s first quarterback to start three straight season openers since Adam Tafralis, 200507.
Love is “really accurate,” Brennan said. “He has matured and grown in his command of the offense. And he throws a great deep ball.”
Love won’t have AllMountain West tight end Josh Oliver, a thirdround pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, as a target, but wide receivers Tre Walker and Bailey Gaither each averaged more than 18 yards per catch last season. Gaither is coming back from an Achilles injury. “When he’s healthy, he’s as dynamic as anybody,” Brennan said.
Leading rusher Tyler Nevens returns, and Kairee Robinson, out of De La SalleConcord, is a promising freshman tailback. Quinn Oseland, a 6foot6, 330pound offensive tackle, arrived as a graduate transfer from Minnesota.
The defense should be much improved after surrendering 36.6 points per game — San Jose State ranked 115th nationally in that category. Linebackers Ethan Aguayo and Jesse Osuna combined for 199 tackles last year.
Finishing games strongly is a big push this time around.
“We were tied, leading or one possession behind in the fourth quarter,” Brennan said. “Those are the moves we have to make.”
Brennan thinks San Jose State can follow the model of San Diego State, which has won three Mountain West Conference titles in the past seven years. “We’re both urban campuses and have had the unpopular tag of commuter school,” he said. In the Aztecs’ case, he said, “There were all the reasons people gave as to why you couldn’t do it.”
Fortunately for the Spartans, the most difficult part of the schedule comes at the end: Boise State, Hawaii and Fresno State are in November, and the Broncos and Bulldogs come to San Jose.