By Abel Tariku (@AT_SJSU) – Managing Editor – Redshirt senior quarterback Walker Eget stepping back to pass while senior offensive lineman Peseti Lapuaho protects him (Photo by Mohammad Najimi – Spear Photographer)
SJSU football has many questions and narratives surrounding it after the loss against No. 7 ranked Texas on Saturday. Now with an 0-2 record, that game showed some hope for the future and a glaring weakness that can hinder the Spartans long term.
One positive takeaway from the game is that the defense looked spectacular despite the scoreline. The team passed the eye test as they looked so much more angry and hungry compared to last week.
“I was proud of the effort that our guys had,” head coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “They battled to the end and didn’t quit.”
That effort was extremely visible as the Spartans would be giving sophomore quarterback Arch Manning a lot of pressure throughout the game despite also throwing for four touchdowns.
Three of those touchdowns came from turnovers from the offense, which gave the Longhorns better field position. The defense took what they had and stayed strong and even held the Longhorns scoreless for the entire fourth quarter.
That pressure also led to key defensive plays such as redshirt junior Vili Taufatofua recording a strip sack which almost resulted in a safety and redshirt senior Jalen Apalit-Williams would intercept Manning at the one yard line in a previous drive.
“This is nothing new to us. We’ve always been doing this under this defense,” Apalit-Williams said. “We’ve always been grimy and that’s just always been our mentality and we’re gonna take this all the way through season.”
While the defense showed out and flashed potential of greatness to come, the same can not be said for the kicking unit.
Redshirt senior Dennis Lynch has had a rough start to the year as he would miss two field goal attempts this game which puts his total to four straight missed field goals without a make.
Not having a reliable kicker has essentially halted the Spartans as a whole. That eventually leads to the offense being on the field for fourth down more often which can also lead to a higher chance of turnover on downs.
“You gotta make those,” Niumatalolo said. “You can’t miss opportunities they’re too good to miss.”
The Spartans now enter their bye week with a ton of expectations of improvement. It will be time to address all of their current issues with the team.
SJSU’s next matchup is against the Idaho Vandals at 2 p.m on Saturday Sept. 20 back at home.
