Season opens with a slightly sloppy victory
SAN JOSE >> Beating the Southern Utah Thunderbirds is one thing. Playing USC is another, as San Jose State coach Brent Brennan is well aware.
“USC is that team that everybody grew up watching,” Brennan said after the Spartans’ season-opening 45-14 win Saturday night. “They’ve always been incredible, they’re well-coached, they have awesome personnel. They lost one game a
year ago, they lost in the conference championship. They have a firstround draft pick at quarterback, they’ve got draft picks at every position. So how do we get ready for that? For me, it’s day by day. We take it slow and we focus on the process.”
Encouraged by his team’s effort, Brennan knows it will take more to beat the 15th-ranked Trojans in their season opener next Saturday at the Los Angeles Coliseum (2 p.m., Pac12 Network)
“I think we have a lot to clean up,” Brennan said. “Obviously there were too many penalties.”
Penalties nullified two SJSU touchdowns. Another flag figured in
a Southern Utah touchdown. Quarterback NIck Starkel threw an interception — a pick-six, in fact.
In the overall, though, it was a wonderful night for Starkel and the Spartans.
A crowd of 16,204 turned out for the Spartans’ first home game in 637 days, the biggest crowd for a season opener since 2011. For more context, the Spartans drew a bigger crowd only twice in 2019, the last time gates were open, and Southern Utah isn’t exactly a big drawing card.
“It was a beautiful thing to see all the people come out to support,” said defensive lineman Cade Hall, last year’s Mountain West defensive player of the year. “And just to see people excited about football again. It just kind of showed the impact we had on the community last season and people are really excited to see us play, which was awesome.”
“Our student section was rocking,” Brennan said. “That’s one of those great things that we’re trying to build with our football program and with our athletic department, it’s to create a great football environment for people to enjoy. And I thought tonight was as good as it gets.”
The Spartans’ offense was as good as it gets in the first half, scoring on its first five possessions. Starkel passed for 348 yards — in the first half alone. The sixth-year senior’s final line: 16 of 27 for 394 yards and five touchdowns, the first of them coming on a 1-yard run.
“Definitely coming back for a sixth year has its advantages,” Starkel said, “but I’ve got to give huge credit to our coaches for getting us prepared for this game. It’s almost like cheating when you know what defense is going to be running.”
Starkel’s touchdown run was just the second of his collegiate career. The other came when he was a freshman at Texas A&M. Even Starkel was surprised.
“I was like, ‘Nobody had that on their bingo card, that’s for sure.’ I wouldn’t even have had that,” he said. “But the opportunity presented itself and I did what I was coached to do.”
“I would’ve preferred that he hand that ball off, but in the football sense of it he made a good decision,” Brennan said. “It was great to see him do that and get in. Obviously, Nick has been a great addition to our team, and him willing to sacrifice his body and pound it in like that was I think good for everyone to see.”
More important was Starkel’s passing. With his two go-to guys gone — Bailey Gaither graduated and Tre Walker transferred — Starkel targeted 11 receivers and connected with eight of them.
The four TD passes went to four different receivers: 23 yards to Jermaine Braddock; 70 yards to tight end Sam Olson; 65 yards to redshirt freshman Charles Ross, a transfer from Nevada; and 14 yards to Derrick Deese Jr.
“I really think that is kind of indicative of our offense,” Starkel said. “Our offense is built not around specific players, but around schemes. So being able to have 10 different guys that can catch the ball and more that you are trying to get the ball to is huge for this team.”
He added: “So spreading that love is something that we like to do.”
There was love all around CEFCU Stadium, flowing down from the grandstands for the first time since Nov. 30, 2019.
“I know we missed them last year,” safety Tre Jenkins said of the fans, “but they definitely brought the juice and really got our team going from the jump.”
“With me being a senior,” said running back Tyler Nevens, “going out there before the run-off was something mesmerizing to see. You love to see fans back out to watch Spartan football.”