By Ernie Gonzalez — Football beat writer
The San Jose State Spartans welcome the high-flying offense of the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors to CEFCU Stadium for its homecoming game.
Here are three keys to victory come Saturday …
1. Win time of possession; keep Cole and John off the field
Considering the departure of three senior defensive backs last season, it comes off as a bit of a surprise that the Spartans stand sixth in the nation in the interception category after four weeks of college football. Winning the TOP translates hand-in-hand with turnovers. But this week will be the toughest test yet, as arguably the Mountain West Player of the Year so far in Cole McDonald visits CEFCU Stadium. The 6-foot-4 junior quarterback has thrown for an astounding 20 touchdowns this season. Combine that with his dual-threat abilities and his inability to turnover the football with just one interception this season, and things can turn downhill really quick for the Spartans. But I’m not done with combinations. The best quarterback-receiver punch in the nation also is on Nick Rolovich’s roster. Junior wideout John Ursua already has caught more touchdowns this season (9) than in his freshman and sophomore seasons combined (8), and is on pace for a 1500 receiving-yard season. It almost seems like if the Spartans just keep running into bad luck by colliding with hot opponents, but out-timing the Rainbow Warriors will be crucial for a multitude of reasons come Saturday
2. Force McDonald into bad choices, just like Herbert
Two Saturdays ago in Eugene, the Spartan defensive line did to Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert what not a lot of people thought it could. There were even talks after the game that maybe the whole Herbert-Heisman storyline was just a fluke. Pressure the quarterback. It’s not an easy task, but slipping through that Hawaiian offensive line half a second quicker than McDonald thinks you can, can make an enormous difference. Three quarterback sacks in three games don’t say much for the Spartans, but proving that they can win the battle in the trenches, rack up those tackle for loss numbers, and making McDonald hesitate and think twice about the little things can turn the momentum wheel just enough for the defense and replicate a little bit of what was seen in Oregon, but at home.
3. Feed the Paso Robles Boys
Junior wide receiver Bailey Gaither and senior tight end Josh Oliver, both products of Paso Robles High School have accounted for over half (55 percent) of the Spartans’ 732 total passing yards through three games. Gaither and Oliver’s combination of speed, strength, size and maturity is an art when its working, and so far this season, it has. Oliver is someone every team across the country right now can benefit from and Gaither’s open-field speed is something that not many Mountain West programs can equal, at least on paper. Keeping the pair hot only parachutes the possibilities of the Spartans, so keep feeding the bear and the rest will sort itself out.
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