Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Football Beat Reporter
Prepare for all SJSU football tailgates and watch parties with Matt Weiner’s “Get Smart” column. If you bring up any of these topics and no one’s intrigued, find some new company to keep.
The Moose is loose
Spartan fans will bear witness to one of the most captivating storylines this season:
SDSU starting quarterback Jalen “Moose” Mayden began 2022 as a safety, but made the switch back to quarterback four games ago and has shined. He’s thrown for 985 yards and has amassed eight touchdowns on his way to a 3-1 record as the starter.
Illustrated by the clip above, Mayden can tap dance in the pocket and has slippery hips.
Mayden, a 2021 transfer from Mississippi State, stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs a bulky 230 pounds. Which makes complete sense why his nickname is Moose.
Moose are six-feet tall at the shoulder, pretty close to Mayden, and can travel up to 35 MPH.
When Mayden hits top gear, he’s not that far off. Also comparable, moose are unpredictable and give little warning of attacking a perceived threat.
Unpredictable … don’t let you know when they’ll strike … sounds like a perfect dual-threat quarterback to me.
What doesn’t completely add up, is that Moose aren’t found in his home state of Texas and certainly not in San Diego’s blistering heat.
I spent 25 minutes looking for the origin, but came away with nothing. That’s information I have to know ASAP. Won’t sleep until I can find it. Will report it once I get my hands on it.
Also, saying the “Moose is Loose” is so much fun. Glad we have a new nickname to rhyme “loose” with instead of “juice.”
The sack attack
The MO for SJSU football to beat SDSU and take control of the Mountain West West division is containing the Moose.
As touched on before, moose don’t fare well in warm climates, as they’re only found in colder climates like Alaska, Canada, Russia, etc.
Perfect for a Spartan defense that loves to turn the heat up on quarterbacks.
In the last two weeks, they have amassed 17 sacks, eight against Nevada and nine against Colorado State.
Defensive ends Cade Hall and Junior Fehoko have been at the forefront of the attack, combining for eight of them.
Hall had four against Nevada and Fehoko compiled two against CSU and Nevada.
Similar to birds flying in a V-formation, the effort SJSU’s defensive line produces upfront allows for the Spartans lined up behind them to fly right through the offensive lines and harass quarterbacks.
Last week, linebacker Alii Matau notched a career-high three sacks, and Kyle Harmon and Matthew Tago pitched in one as well. One week prior, both Matau and Bryun Parham had one, too.
If Hall and Fehoko crumple SDSU’s offensive line to pieces, expect SJSU football to leave brand new Snapdragon Stadium with a win.
Get it while it’s hot?
This past Monday, Dan Patrick reported that a source told him San Diego State will be moving to the PAC-12 as early as this week. As of this Friday morning the report has been debunked by a crop of credible reporters.
Within five days, Patrick’s report has been debunked and added to a lowlight reel of sources giving him bad intel.
However, it doesn’t mean that the Aztecs won’t be squaring off against Arizona or Oregon State in the cinematic glory that is Pac-12 After Dark.
The Pac-12 has two holes to fill with USC and UCLA going to the Big-10 next year (I still can’t comprehend that fact but the Aztecs look like a perfect replacement).
Perhaps not next season nor the season after, but there’s a great chance SDSU will move and SJSU won’t see them once a year.
A blessing by all means. SDSU is a perennial powerhouse. The personification of carnage. A blood-thirsty coalition that will stop at nothing to rule the Mountain West.
While SJSU has lost eight of the last nine matchups, leaving with a win would negate all previous losses.
What can I say? I’m a ‘What have you done for me lately’ kind of guy.
(Can’t hyperlink Eddie Murphy’s ‘What have you done for me lately’ bit from his special “Raw” for obvious reasons, so look it up if you’re so inclined.)
Matt Weiner hope’s, but can’t guarantee this provided any real substance. If your stomach is growling for more SJSU football fodder, check out this week’s Water Cooler Talk and Coach’s Corner.