Second-half miseries continue for Spartans in loss at BSU
San Jose State running back Kairee Robinson was talking about one game, but he could have been talking about any of the last three.
“It's a four-quarter game,” Robinson said Saturday night after a 35-27 loss at Boise State. “I guess we got complacent. We came out doing our thing in the first half, but in the second half we weren't striking on all cylinders.”
In the past three games, all losses, the Spartans have been outscored 56-7 in the second half. Their only second-half points came three weeks ago at Toledo. They led this game 27-7 in the second quarter.
“I don't have an answer for what happened to us in the second half tonight, but we didn't help ourselves at all,” coach Brent Brennan said. “We didn't score any points and we didn't stop them. And that is just heartbreaking.”
The Spartans (1-5) will need to win five of their six remaining games to qualify
for a bowl game. The first step is to win next Saturday on the road against New Mexico (2-3), a team whose only wins are against Tennessee Tech (1-4) and Massachusetts (1-6).
Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro has been central to the second-half problems. He has thrown three interceptions (and no touchdowns) in the second half of the past three games, The latest interception came with 3:30 left and the Spartans in a one-score game down 35-27.
Given one last chance after
Boise State failed on a 54-yard field goal, Cordeiro threw incomplete passes and then was sacked.
Boise State came into the game with the eighth-worst passing defense in the country. Cordeiro amassed 325 yards on 23 completions in 38 attempts.
SIGNS OF LIFE FROM A STRUGGLING DEFENSE >> SJSU's defense has been the team's Achilles heel all year, but the group did show improvement in the first half of Saturday's game.
One of the big reasons the Spartans were able to
take a 20-point lead in the second quarter was because the defense forced three turnovers which led to 21 points. The linebacker tandem of Bryun Parham and Jordan Cobbs combined for 19 tackles, two forced fumbles and an interception.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was a nonfactor in the first half. The 5-foot-9 back, who's second in the nation in all-purpose yards, was held to 40 yards in the first half and fumbled twice. Unlike the Spartans, his second half was much better as he finished with 167 yards on 24 carries.
SPARTANS' SHINING STAR >>
Robinson, the fifth-year senior from Concord and De La Salle, had 134 all-purpose yards (73 rushing and 61 receiving) and a touchdown. He has scored a touchdown in each of the five games he has played this season.