Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Football Beat Reporter
Before the 2022 season started, SJSU football head coach Brent Brennan scribbled a simple goal on a flash card and taped it to a wall in his office.
“In 2022 we listen to Christmas music in Spartan Stadium during bowl practice …”
Evidenced by offensive lineman Jaime Navarro’s solo rendition of Feliz Navidad during a practice on Dec. 14, the resolution was accomplished.
“To make that actually happen, to fulfill his wish and dream it’s a beautiful thing to see,” said Navarro.
On Dec. 20, SJSU football (7-4, 5-3 MW) will face Eastern Michigan (8-4, 5-3 MAC) in the Famous Idaho Potato bowl.
The only other time the two squads played each other was the 1987 California Bowl which ended in a 30-27 EMU victory.
It also marked the last time the Spartans went to a bowl game twice in the span of three years (SJSU participated in the California Bowl in 1986.)
Brennan is the first coach in program history to lead SJSU football to two bowl games since Claude Gilbert in 1986 and 1987
However, Brennan’s first bowl bowl experience can’t look any different than the second.
In 2020, SJSU football accepted an invitation to face Ball State in the Arizona Bowl following an undefeated regular season and Mountain West title.
One exception: it was besieged and strangled by the unforgiving arm of COVID-19.
Stringent restrictions forced the Spartans to stay and practice in Las Vegas for an entire month, after playing its final two regular season games in the City of Sin.
“We were basically at the hotel the whole time and couldn’t go out or anything like that,” said fourth-year cornerback Nehemiah Shelton.
By kickoff, SJSU football was without 30-plus players and its offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven and defensive coordinator Derrick Odum, who all tested positive on gameday.
“Emotionally it just sucked,” said Shelton.
Fast-forward two years and the shackles of COVID-19 have been lifted.
“Practice does feel a little bit more free every morning,” said Shelton. “Not having to test and be like, ‘Oh do I got it?’ ‘Did I get contact traced?'”
The 2022 bowl experience is the proper sendoff for Shelton and other members of the defense who arrived in 2018.
When defensive ends Junior Fehoko and Cade Hall, linebacker Kyle Harmon and safety Tre Jenkins came to SJSU, the Spartans had just posted a 2-11 record in 2017, followed by a 1-11 showing in 2018. Spartans allowed 38 points per game during those two seasons.
The venerable crew will have its final test come via EMU running back Samson Evans, who has the third-most rushing yards (1,084) and second-most rushing touchdowns (13) in the MAC.
“We’ve seen this program from being at the bottom of its worst,” Shelton said. “The rise and the adversity we all went through together, it’s just remarkable.”
Production did slip at the end of the season.
SJSU allowed an average of 27 points in its final five games after allowing 14.5 in its first six. Nonetheless, Brennan’s first recruiting class will be remembered as one of the best in program history.
Tuesday afternoon will be one final showing for Fehoko, the reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and Hall, who was given the honor in 2020.
Fehoko had the third-most tackles for loss nationwide with 18.5 and his 10 sacks were ninth-most in the country.
“I’m not going to say I’ve seen it all, but I feel like we’ve definitely seen a lot and I wouldn’t want to do it with another group of guys,” said Shelton.
It’ll also be one final hurrah for a key member of SJSU football – All-Mountain West first team wide receiver Elijah Cooks.
The Nevada-transfer led the conference with 10 touchdown receptions and finished second in both receiving yards (983) and receiving yards per game (98.3).
He was SJSU’s best 2022 transfer portal addition. The second being the guy who threw all 10 touchdowns to him.
Chevan Cordeiro, a Hawaii-transfer, earned an All-Mountain West second team after leading each quarterback in the conference in passing (20) and rushing touchdowns (eight).
With the additions of Cordeiro, Cooks and his Nevada counterpart Justin Lockhart, the Spartans’ offense averaged the fourth-most points in the Mountain West (27.5) after averaging the second-lowest a year prior (20).
Standing in the way of SJSU football and offensive fireworks is EMU’s Jose Ramirez, the reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Year.
The defensive end leads the nation in tackles for loss (19.5), sacks per game (1.09) and is second in total sacks with 12.
Ramirez is a disruptive force who puts offensive lineman in a perm press water cycle and crushes quarterbacks into dust fine enough for an urn.
“We like to pass the ball a lot so we are going to get a lot of good looks at blocking him in the pass,” said Navarro. “I like to look at it as a little chess match.”
SJSU managed poorly the last time it faced a game-wrecker in Fresno State defensive end David Perales.
Perales earned five of his 10.5 sacks in 2022 during the clash, but it was a game that featured an an ankle injury taking Navarro out in the second quarter.
The Spartans could fare much better this go around with the offensive lineman being healthy.
“I’m lucky enough to finish off this season and go against great talent,” said Navarro.
SJSU clamping up Ramirez and keeping Cordeiro’s body off Boise’s blue turf, will prime the Spartans for payback from 1987.
Moreover, it’ll give Brennan the opportunity to win and be showered with french fries from a jug of gatorade. One of the most comical and prized traditions during the FBS bowl season.
The bath of carbs could be one final dollop of success for a season that’s given Spartan Nation hope and delight.
“Especially for this group of seniors, we really want to leave off on the right foot and put a stamp on our legacy that we left here,” said Shelton.