By Austin Turner — Staff Writer
In a matchup marked on the calendars of many San Jose State football fans, the Spartans flashed some of their potential when they fell to the No. 20 Oregon Ducks 35-22 at Autzen Stadium on Saturday.
Coming into the game as 41.5-point underdogs, SJSU beat the spread and held its own in its biggest test of the season.
The Spartan defense had a brilliant first half – however, three massive mistakes from the team turned into three Oregon touchdowns before halftime.
After SJSU forced a Oregon three-and-out to start the game, junior starting quarterback Josh Love, who shared reps with sophomore Montel Aaron for much of the game, threw a costly interception that gave the Ducks possession at the SJSU 23 yard-line.
True freshman running back Cyrus Habibi-Likio was able to punch in a 3-yard touchdown that gave the Ducks a 7-0 lead less than 4 minutes into the game.
On Oregon’s next drive, junior quarterback Justin Herbert capitalized on a blown coverage from the SJSU secondary and threw a dart to junior tight end Jacob Breeland, who took it to the house for a 66-yard score.
After the Ducks jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead, the Spartan defensive line took over the game. Oregon simply could not get its running game going, as its ball-carriers were often met in the backfield by Spartan defenders.
Graduate student defensive tackle Boogie Roberts was a major force. He was able to get in the back field to disrupt the Oregon rushing attack and put pressure on Herbert throughout the game.
After forcing the Ducks to punt three drives in a row and using its power in the trenches to block a field goal, SJSU was able to trim the deficit to eight off of two field goals from senior kicker Bryce Crawford.
Oregon added another field goal and threatened to score again right before the half, but senior corner Dakari Monroe grabbed an interception off a tip in the end-zone. The Spartans went into the locker room at the half down 21-6.
The second half featured more scoring from the Spartans.
In the third quarter, Oregon capitalized on a big punt return and Habibi-Likio was able to rush for his second touchdown in as many carries, making the score 28-6.
A few drives later, the Spartans responded with a big 52-yard completion from love to standout junior wide receiver Bailey Gaither to Oregon’s 30 yard line. Six plays later, Love connected with senior TE Josh Oliver on an end-zone fade featuring a spectacular grab from Oliver.
Oregon tacked on another seven points with a touchdown pass from Herbert, who finished 16-of-34 with 309 yards, along with three scores and two interceptions.
The Spartans finished the game with ten-unanswered points to bring the final score to 35-22. Malike Roberson scored with a 1-yard rush with under five minutes to go. SJSU was unable to recover the ensuing onside kick.
The Spartan defense had a solid performance against the high-powered Oregon offense, and the kicking game looked fantastic.
The special teams unit stood out as well. In addition to the blocked field goal, senior wide receiver Thai Cotrell stood out in the return game, with two kick returns for 121 yards, including a 96-yard near touchdown return in the fourth quarter.
Crawford, who is taking on punting duties as well as being a spectacular field-goal kicker, had a great day punting, pinning the Ducks inside their own 10-yard line twice.
While the defensive and special teams units stood out for the Spartans, their offense left a lot to be desired.
With head coach Brent Brennan still looking for a quarterback to stand out, both Love and Aaron had extensive playing time in the first half, with neither able to find any success.
Aaron was injured on the first series of the third quarter did not return to the action. He finished the game completing 5-of-10 passes for just 29 yards.
He struggled with decision-making by opting to rely on his legs against the superb Oregon athletes, rather than throwing the ball away or dumping the ball off for a short completion.
Love was able to put on his best performance of the season, but still struggled with accuracy and decision-making.
He was 15-of-31 for 238 yards and a touchdown, but his two interceptions were costly and unnecessary.
Quarterback struggles were far from being SJSU’s only problems on offense. The receiving corps, aside from Oliver and Gaither, were bullied by the physical secondary of Oregon. The Ducks’ fierce pass rush was too much for the offensive line to handle.
The Spartans were down to their third-string running back after injuries to both Tyler Nevens and Dejon Packer forced senior Malike Roberson to be the workhorse. Roberson struggled to get past the line finishing with 25 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
Aside from offensive struggles, the Spartans have a lot to be happy with in this performance. They showed that their defense is improving massively from an abysmal performance in the opener against UC Davis.
SJSU will have a bye next week to tune up their offense before opening Mountain West Conference play at home against Hawaii on September 29.
Follow Austin on Twitter @AustinTurnt