By Max Bechtoldt — Graduate Assistant
The Spartans were blown out by the Utah State Aggies on Saturday night at CEFCU Stadium 48-17. In every facet of the game the Aggies were dominant, leading them to a prime spot to make the MW Championship, and the Spartans in need of an upset victory over Fresno State to become bowl eligible. Here are the grades for the Spartans against Utah State.
Offense: F
It’s been the story of the season for San Jose State. To say this team has been struggling on the offensive side of the ball is putting it lightly. The Spartans only gained 150 total yards and turned the ball over three times in the game. SJSU had just one drive that lasted 10 plays, its third of the game, which resulted in a turnover on downs. The one offensive touchdown of the game, a Tyler Nevens touchdown run at the start of the second quarter, was on a short field coming off a Utah State fumble. Of the Spartans’ 13 drives, 10 ended in three plays or less. Passing the ball was a struggle, as Nick Starkel and Nick Nash combined to go 19-32 for 138 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Running the ball was no better. The Spartans’ running back duo of Nevens and Kairee Robinson combined for 13 carries for 15 yards and one touchdown. Nash gave some spark with his feet, leading the team in rushing for 16 yards, which frankly isn’t much of an accomplishment. This unit has some major changes to make during the bye week.
Defense: C
I actually think the 48 points Utah State scored is a little misleading to how this Spartans’ defense played. Two of the touchdowns scored by Utah State were when it was gifted the ball inside of the ten yard line, hard to blame this defense for that. Despite the four touchdowns thrown, Utah State quarterback Logan Bonner was relatively kept in check for his standards, going 20-33 passing with 263 yards and an interception. Bonner tends to have huge numbers, especially as of late as this was his lowest yardage output in the last three games. Running the ball, the Aggies only averaged 3.1 yards per carry with two short touchdowns. The Spartans also forced two turnovers, which included a Kenyon Reed interception return for a touchdown in the first half. On the poor side, the Spartans’ defense could not get off the field, allowing Utah State to dominate the time of possession at 37:03 compared to 22:57 for San Jose State. Yes, SJSU could have forced more field goals or gotten more consistent pressure on the passer, but the defense in general is not to blame for this blowout.
Special Teams: B+
Pretty average showing for this unit, nothing too notable happened on returns for either team. Punter Will Hart performed well, he got plenty of chances to do so, averaging just a couple ticks under his season average in yards per punt. Kicker Matt Mercucio was only called on once for a field goal, but he hit a 44 yarder. You never want to lose a game because of because of special teams, and SJSU certainly did not in this one.
Overall: D
It was tempting to give this team an F for this performance as a whole, but Utah State is still one of the best teams in the MW. SJSU was up against a high powered offense that has tremendous run-pass balance, and performed well enough to keep it a game for the first half. The offensive struggles are glaring though, and one wonders if it is too late to fix them this season. If it is, it has to be the main point of emphasis for the Spartans’ coaching staff in the offseason.
Follow Max on Twitter @CavsMax13