Seeking title: SJSU’s strength is its cohesion
Spartans can clinch a spot in Mountain West title game by beating Nevada
Last weekend, all logic pointed to a San Jose State loss.
The undefeated Spartans’ previous two games had been canceled. They couldn’t practice or play at home because of new county restrictions. They had to travel from the brisk Bay Area to hot and humid Honolulu to play Hawaii, which had just beaten the only other Mountain West team without a loss this season, Nevada.
What happened in the middle of the Pacific spoke volumes about San Jose State football in 2020. Under circumstances that would’ve caused most teams to wilt, the Spartans didn’t miss a beat. They scored the first 21 points, all in the first quarter, and went on to a double- digit victory that kept them in a prime position to play in the Mountain West championship game next weekend.
If San Jose State beats Nevada tonight in Las Vegas — the team’s home this week because of Santa Clara County restrictions — the Spartans are in.
“Things have not changed,” coach Brent Brennan told his players Monday in Las Vegas, captured on video by the team. “We are still in the eye of the hurricane. The adversity is everywhere. We got finals week, we’re on the road, different venue, all that stuff, but this is where we get to play.”
San Jose State’s official slogan is, “Climb the mountain.” Given all the Spartans have endured, and how they’ve responded, BYU’s might be more appropriate.
“Any time. Any place.”
So how is this possible? How has San Jose State started 5-0 for the first time in 81 years?
“If we didn’t have a tightknit group,” said Trevor Robbins, a senior offensive lineman, “I think it really would’ve affected us negatively.”
Much of San Jose State’s success derives from its cohesion, a strength sharpened in the weeks leading up to the season. When the Mountain West reversed course and announced in late September that it would play football this fall, San Jose State had nowhere to prepare because Santa Clara County had put a ban on 11- on-11 contact practices.
So the Spartans boarded busses and traveled 320 miles north to Arcata.
In the 10 days that they spent at Humboldt State, the players had a regimented routine. Treatment, lifting and practice in the morning. School by video conference in the afternoon. Meetings and study hall at night.
Running backs coach Alonzo Carter said the structure enabled the players to form bonds and perfect their craft.
“There was little free time,” Carter said. “I think they took appreciation to that, just the effort that was put into making it as convenient as possible for them.”
San Jose State effectively created a bubble amid the redwoods. The team lived in dorms, a short walk from the Redwood Bowl, Humboldt State’s football stadium.
Players weren’t allowed to leave campus. The only people they interacted with in-person were teammates and coaches.
The short time at Humboldt State was challenging, but the shared struggle allowed the Spartans to grow closer.
“We were able to bond over the fact that we’re grinding through this together,” Robbins said. “No one’s alone.”
The bonds have only tightened since the team’s Humboldt State experience as the Spartans have successfully navigated through the pandemic without a COVID outbreak that has affected so many other college programs.
San Jose State’s two canceled games were because of coronavirus issues within the Fresno State and Boise State programs.
Brennan has noted multiple times throughout the season that everyone has sacrificed for the sake of the group.
The culture of connectedness starts with Brennan.
“There’s a saying in football: ‘ You are a reflection of your head coach,” Carter said. “If he cares, then that’s what we’re all about. We all care. That’s how the staff was put together. That’s how this team was put together. They care about each other. We care about each other. That’s not an accident.”
On the night of the Spartans’ biggest victory thus far, an upset of San Diego State last month, a television audience got a glimpse of the culture Brennan has created. During a postgame interview with the coach, defensive lineman E.J. Ane could be seen jogging off the field telling Brennan he loved him. The coach returned the compliment.
The scene was not an isolated incident.
Quar terback Nick Starkel, a graduate transfer from Arkansas, had enough trust in Brennan and his staff to sign with San Jose State after last season without taking an official visit to the school.
Offensive lineman Jack Snyder noted that the coaching staff is down-to- earth and in conversations that he’s had with coaches off the field, it’s as if he’s talking with one of his friends.
Linebacker Kyle Harmon described Brennan as more than a coach and remembered a team meal when the head coach sat kid-style — “criss-cross applesauce” — on the grass with a group of freshmen
Robbins said that while Brennan is competitive, he cares about his players beyond football.
“Obviously, he wants us to win, but he wants us to be men,” Robbins said. “He wants us to be good husbands, he wants us to be good friends and he wants us to be good overall people.”