San Jose State on Saturday
Who: New Mexico ( 00) at San Jose State ( 10, 10 MWC)
When: 4 p. m.
Where: CEFCU Stadium
TV/ Radio: FS1/ 1220
Story line: This game had been set for Albuquerque, but because of the prevalence of the coronavirus in New Mexico’s Bernalillo County, the Mountain West Conference on Monday switched the game to CEFCU Stadium. This will be the Lobos’ first game of 2020; their scheduled opener at Colorado State last Saturday was canceled because of the virus issues in New Mexico. San Jose State knocked off visiting Air Force 176 last Saturday. The Spartans will try to go 20 for the first time since 1987.
What to watch for
1 For the second straight week, San Jose State’s depth chart lists Nick Starkel or Nick Nash as the starting quarterback. Starkel, a graduate transfer from Arkansas, got the bulk of the playing time against the Falcons. He went 22for29 for 226 yards, with two touchdowns — both to tight end Derrick Deese Jr. — and one interception. Nash did not attempt a pass; the sophomore carried the ball five times for 19 yards. 1 Nash wound up as the Spartans’ secondleading rusher last Saturday — and that’s a problem for San Jose State. Head coach Brent Brennan prioritized improving the running game this season, but Air Force limited the Spartans to 68 rushing yards on 30 carries. 1 Not only will Saturday’s game be the first for the Lobos, it will mark the headcoaching debut of Danny Gonzales, who played for New Mexico in the 1990s. Gonzales spent the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Arizona State. He replaced Bob Davie, who led the Lobos from 2012 through last season.