By Ernie Gonzalez (@superego1012):
San Jose State will welcome the nineteenth best team in the college football to CEFCU Stadium this afternoon as it will take on Charlie Strong’s South Florida Bulls.
It’s the first time since 1999 the Bulls will play in the state of California.
Many college experts are predicting the AAC team’s season to be cinderella-like, some are even picking them to win out, while others, a trip to the college football playoff as a dark horse.
South Florida’s running back D’Ernest Johnson and his team aren’t underestimating the Spartans though.
“San Jose, overall, they’re pretty good you know, we can’t look past them at all. We got to take this game like it’s the last game,” Johnson said during a press conference earlier this week.
Game day will pose an interesting matchup against a similarly schemed Spartan squad.
With only five games slated nationwide this weekend, SJSU has a chance to peekaboo the college football world.
The 2017 season will be just the fifth time in school history the Spartans will play thirteen games.
Head coach Brent Brennan has been open about how he feels about starting the season one week in advance, saying that if he had the option, he wouldn’t. The fact that game one is at home against a top 20 team does slightly heal the wound though, Brennan worded.
“I think any time you get to go up against a team as good as they are, you get excited because it gives you a chance to prove yourself against one of the best teams in the country, ” Brennan said.
He’s right. The University of South Florida is no team to feather.
The Bulls are led by quarterback Quinton Flowers, who has done something in the state of Florida that no other DI QB has ever done. That is pass for at least 2,000 yards and run for at least 1,000 yards in a single season. He did that in 2016 and yep, not even Tim Tebow did that.
Flowers had a record-breaking 2016 season, winning the 2016 CFPA National Performer of the year and the 2016 AAO Offensive Player of the year, stamping his name on five pre-season award watch lists heading into 2017.
The dual-threat QB ranked second to Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma in QBR (86.3) and second to Lamar Jackson from Louisville in rushing yards from a QB (1,530) last season.
With a USF team that is leaning on the shoulders of its star QB, SJSU has been tight-lipped about who their guy under center will be week one, well – at least Brennan has been.
“I anticipate a decision at about 4:32 Saturday afternoon, ” Brennan said smilingly at a press conference on Monday.
The QB battle has been closely monitored by Brennan and his staff and the head coach feels confident that come Saturday, he will start the guy that gives the Spartans the best chance to compete on offense.
For now, it’s looking like a two man fight for QB1
“Josh had a good camp… [Montel] Aaron has played really well also,” Brennan said Monday. “It will be exciting to see how this week battles out.”
Speaking of Battles, Brennan and Strong will meet for the first time. Brennan had some high praise for the footprint Strong has indented in college football.
“I don’t know him, I’ve never met him, but just have a lot of respect for him, watching his teams play and how they’ve played over the years,” Brennan said.
The two will be 53 yards apart Saturday evening as they both will make their head coaching debuts for their respective schools.
Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
