Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Football Beat Reporter
After an hour-long meeting, you walk over to the water cooler for a little chit-chat with coworkers. Immediately, you find yourself waterboarded with drivel and personal tragedies.
I present to you: Water Cooler Talk. A column that supplies you with three (hopefully interesting) topics about SJSU’s 35-28 win over Nevada for the optimal shuck and jiving experience.
Moment Of Loud
Earlier this week, I applauded Tina and Cleve McWright, parents of the late Camdan McWright, for their candor and vulnerability.
Now, I’m applauding them for greenlighting this incredible moment:
Lil Jon’s crunkalicious yawps was the last thing I expected to hear. In fact, I wasn’t expecting to hear anything. It was supposed to be a moment of silence after all.
But they flipped the script and it changed the entire atmosphere and outlook of the game.
Best of all, it pumped some much needed electricity through CEFCU Stadium. Honoring Camdan doesn’t always have to be solemn. Which is why I really value Brent Brenann’s response when I asked him about.
“We didn’t need any more solemn. We needed to celebrate that young man and what an awesome human being he was. We talked with the parents and they liked it. What would you rather do? Would you rather feel bad and sad and crappy or would you rather celebrate this awesome kid who tragically lost his life a week ago.”
Also, let’s not ignore the excellent advice the King of Crunk doled out.
‘Get out of your mind’ is another way to say ‘free yourself from perpetually ruminating.’ Not sure if that’s what Lil Jon intended, but music is a subjective and pliable artform.
And at its best, it can connect and unite.
Absolute chills. SJSU football at it’s finest.
A Tale Of Two Entrees
In the first half, SJSU’s offense resembled a poorly executed meatloaf.
The dry Spartan attack only scored seven points and contained little flavor. The running game also went for a stale -14 rushing yards.
Chevan Cordeiro was the gravy or ketchup you flood the meatloaf with to make it edible, throwing for 161 yards and found Dominick Mazotti wide open in the end zone for a touchdown. Besides that, it was a steady stream of the ineptitudes shown against Fresno State.
The dismal run game and porous offensive line from SJSU football constructed third and forever situations that led to a 1-for-8 showing on third down.
But in the second half, the offense went from a salivary gland-dehydrating entree to a Marie Calendar’s chicken pot pie.
It was flavorful, filling and nothing short of perfection. And perfection was required after SJSU backed themselves into a wall, trailing 21-7 with 12:58 left in the third quarter.
They scored touchdowns on their next four possessions on long, calculated drives. The biggest gain was a 17-yard reception from Elijah Cooks that later setup Shamar Garrett to reel in a 14-yard receiving touchdown to tie the game, 21-21.
The second biggest? A 15-yard pass interference forced by Cooks.
When Nevada retook the lead 28-21 in the fourth quarter, Cordeiro was calm as a 911 operator.
He responded by leading a 12 play, 75-yard drive that ended with a Kairee Robinson two-yard touchdown.
Robinson claimed the game-winning touchdown, capping off an efficient six play 42-yard drive for the Spartans.
No single play in the second half made a position coach want to punch a hole through a window.
Cordeiro, who ended with a season-high 340 passing yards, just kept swinging an ax at the bark of the deficit and it eventually fell down.
The Wolf Pack’s lead wasn’t the only tree that got chopped down this weekend …
Canary In A Coal Mine?
If there’s a religiously fiery and reactionary fan at your workplace, they’d probably storm in and say:
‘The Spartans’ defense will never recover after Nevada.’
Obviously they are incorrect. But a chronically wrong, freewheeling hot take machine could spice up the monotony of a 9-5 life.
One poor performance from the defense doesn’t decide the future. Moreover, SJSU football slammed the door on Nevada on the final two drives of the game.
They still pinned their ears back and got stops when needed most.
As a touching tribute to Leonardo Dicaprio and Tom Hanks, Junior Fehoko and Cade Hall said, ‘Catch Me If You Can’ to Nevada’s offensive line all night long, combining for seven sacks.
They might counter with some of the stats I mentioned in last week’s Get Smart.
‘But Nevada’s offense was ranked 112th among FBS schools in scoring offense, 117th in passing offense and 111th in rushing offense. All were the worst the Spartans had seen.’
You will counter their argument by listing how 14 of the Wolf Pack’s 28 points came on bad breaks.
The first touchdown allotted was a result of starting on SJSU’s 21-yard line after Cordeiro fumbled. The second comes after a defensive holding penalty was waived off on a missed field goal and extended the Nevada drive.
Some mistakes, like the 53-yard touchdown to BJ Casteel are inexcusable. But when looking back, SJSU football was far from catastrophic.
Now get back to work before your boss notices you’ve done diddly squat for the past 15 minutes.