#106 San Jose St. Spartans Preview

  #106 – San Jose St. Spartans 3-8 SU; 3-7 ATS   

 Fargo’s Take  San Jose St. made some key improvements last season and could be the surprise of the WAC. The Spartans don’t have a chance of winning the conference and likely won’t even finish with a winning record but this team will once again be competitive. They won only three games last season but two of those wins came in the final two games and that momentum can carry over this season. What doesn’t show up in that win/loss record is the fact that three of the eight losses were by a touchdown while a defeat at Boise St. was by just two scores. The offense was good and should be just as good if not better. Looking at the defense, only two starters return but that could be a blessing as the Spartans finished 102nd in scoring defense and 104th in total defense in 2005. Head coach Dick Tomey is in his second season and even though it may not jump out at first glance, this is an improving team and will once again get better as the season goes on. Seven of San Jose St.’s 12 games are at Spartan Stadium and that alone could be worth an extra win or two seeing that it went 3-2 at home last year with the two losses coming by just 14 points combined.

 Returning Starters on Offense – 7  The running game was the strength last season and that will be the case once again in 2006. It took some time to come together last year but when it did, it was extremely effective. After surpassing 100 yards on the ground only twice in its first six games, the Spartans went over 160 yards in each of their last five games, averaging 200.4 ypg over that span. Yonus Davis was 7th in the country in ypc and the junior could be even better running behind a big and experienced offensive line. The quarterback job is still up in the air as returning starter Adam Tafralis has some competition heading into fall camp. Sean Flynn is a JUCO transfer who averaged 292.1 ypg of total offense for one of California Community College’s top-15 offensive teams in 2005.

 Returning Starters on Defense – 2  Only two starters are back and those two players are actually at different positions this season so the defense will have a completely different look in 2006. Linebacker Matt Costello and strong safety Chris Vedder are the leaders and both are big time playmakers. The rushing defense finished 54th in the country last season but the entire defensive line is new so expect a digression from that standpoint. The reports out of spring camp were very favorable as the defense showed a lot of team speed and actually played better than the offense in the annual spring game. The Spartans allowed 38 or more points five times last season so it will be up to the more experienced offense and it’s solid rushing attack to eat up minutes and keep the defense off the field as much as possible.

 Schedule  As mentioned earlier, the schedule features seven home games and based on last year’s success, teams coming in no longer have a sure thing. The home conference schedule includes games against Louisiana Tech, Boise St. and Fresno St. Those three are all sure losses if played on the road but with those being at home, a surprise is not out of the question. The difficult home slate makes for an easier road schedule with games at New Mexico St. and Idaho, both of which can be had. The non-conference schedule is tough but it’s not a killer with games against Washington and Stanford to start the season followed by a 1-AA game against Cal-Poly and then a third straight home game against a rebuilding San Diego St. squad.

 You can bet on…  The Spartans will play hard week in and week out and that is a guarantee. Last season, San Jose St. was mired in an eight-game losing streak and while calling it a season was an option, it instead went out and won its final two games to give some hope for the future. A finish like that can be huge for a young team and don’t be surprised if Washington and Stanford have a difficult time putting the Spartans away. San Jose St. started last season with four straight ATS losses before finishing with a respectable 3-4 mark against the number. Because of the three SU wins last year, the Spartans will be getting some substantial points early on.

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