Spartans return from redwoods, now set sights on season opener

SAN JOSE >> For senior linebacker Tysyn Parker, being back in San Jose means piling a lot on his plate.

As in food.

Parker, a 6-foot-1, 237-pound starter, reported servings were a little skimpy with coaches doling out meals to the San Jose State football team during a 1½-week stay in Humboldt County to prepare for the Oct. 24 season opener.

But having coaches moonlight as food servers also was an example of how the Spartans became a family heading into an abbreviated season that begins at CEFCU Stadium next weekend against Air Force.

“No job is too big or too little in our

program,” Parker said.

While the Spartans were ecstatic to start practicing on campus Friday, they also are grateful for the experience at Humboldt State University behind the socalled Redwood Curtain.

School officials worked out a deal with Humboldt State to temporarily relocate the team 320 miles to the north to avoid Santa Clara County restrictions that did not permit contact drills until this week.

The team took Thursday off to settle in after arriving home Wednesday night.

Starting Friday, the Spartans will increase the intensity with their eight-game season about to begin.

“This next week is going to be absolutely critical,” coach Brent Brennan said.

He added that Air Force has been practicing since Aug. 1 and already played Navy.

“They’ve been at it for months,” he said. “We’ve been at it for 10 days.”

But San Jose State’s team made the most of its time at a fellow California State University campus where a contingent of 141 people lived in the Redwood Hall dorms, a six-minute walk to the school’s athletic facilities.

Parker said living in a “bubble” environment was different.

“We’re so used to being able to get up and go and do what we want to,” he said.

Parker said coaches emphasized keeping a low profile at a school where 771 students are living in resident dorms during the fall semester. About 1,200 students out of a total enrollment of 6,431 are expected to attend fall classes on campus, Humboldt State reported.

“We showed we were serious about playing this year,” Parker said of staying to themselves.

SJSU is playing an eightgame Mountain West Conference schedule with the league championship slated for Dec. 19. The Spartans had planned to play at Penn State on Sept. 19 before schools adjusted their football seasons because of the novel coronavirus pandemic that began in March.

San Jose State’s relocation to Humboldt was one of college football’s more intriguing preseason developments. Stanford, for instance, started practicing last Friday in adjacent San Mateo County.

The Spartans said the unusual experience in Humboldt has helped get them ready for Air Force, which beat Navy 40-7 on Oct. 3.

“The previous six or seven months we were apart,” Brennan said. “Even when we were on campus with cohorts it was hard to get everybody together.”

SJSU teammates built a strong bond once living together.

“We’ve become one,” Parker said. “There are not a lot of egos we have to deal with.”

Perhaps they spent too much time together.

“If you’re quarantining you’re bound to get a little bit sick of the people around you,” said Tre Webb, a fifthyear safety.

But, he added, playing football released a lot of the tensions built-up over the new surroundings, dealing with virtual classes, COVID-19 and everything else that 2020 has wrought.

Brennan said the players showed commitment by attending virtual classes on the WiFi- enabled buses to and from Humboldt.

“Everybody is trying to do the best they can with an experience they have never dealt with before,” he said. “Millions of people are looking for excuses for why they can’t. I don’t want to hear that.”

Parker said the players know the drill for South Campus practices: A daily check-in 30 minutes before arriving at the facilities. Regular PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, testing. And wearing masks.

Mostly, Parker said, everyone needs to be ready. “Everybody needs to prepare like a starter,” he said.

None of the SJSU contingent tested positive for coronavirus during the Humboldt stay. The trip cost the athletic department between $100,000-$150,000, a school official said.

Humboldt State officials said they would welcome the Spartans back for practice and/or games should Santa Clara County tighten its restrictions again on outdoor activities.

“We would be happy to play anywhere,” Parker said. “The scenery at the Redwood Bowl is beautiful. The turf is so good, like ours.”

The situation has been a learning experience for almost everyone. In that perspective, college football players are not much different than fellow students, professors, parents or neighbors.

“Everyone has a challenge now,” Brennan said. “The people who come out of this best are those who choose to go forward.”