By Jacob Lee — Reporter
Football is back, but not for everyone.
San Jose State’s football program is watching from the sidelines this fall with the Mountain West’s postponement all fall sports.
Last month the conference joined other NCAA conferences, such as the Pac-12 and Big Ten, in cancelling their football season.
Meanwhile, college football elsewhere kicked off earlier this month as the Big-12, SEC, American, and other NCAA conferences begin their schedules.
Members of the Spartan football team have expressed mixed emotions as other teams around the nation begin their seasons.
“I was watching BYU play Navy yesterday, and I’m not going to lie, I’m a little envious and jealous of those guys,” SJSU kicker Matt Mecurio said.
Stand-out Spartan wide receiver Tre Walker also expressed his conflicting feelings about not being on the field this fall.
“It’s a blessing for those other conferences to go out and do what they love,” Walker said.
“Unfortunately, we have to take different measures of safety, and just try to keep trying to get better each day we get to practice.”
Although it is difficult for SJSU football players to watch other conferences get to play, there is underlying excitement surrounding the opportunity to get better during this prolonged offseason.
“It gives us a little more time to get bigger, stronger, and perfect our craft,” Mercurio said.
Sinjun Astani, one of the Spartans’ defensive ends, explained how he and his teammates are using this time to improve.
“My teammates and I are still training every day to prepare for our season, whenever it may be,” Astani said. “We have the mindset to stay ready and control what we can control. We’re going to use this time to our advantage.”
While there are understandable feelings of envy towards other conferences, SJSU football seems to respect and understand the Mountain West’s decision to postpone fall sports.
“They are taking the necessary steps to keep myself and my teammates safe,” Walker said.
With the chaos and uncertainty surrounding sports during this pandemic, the Spartans are staying optimistic.
Whenever it is that they get to play again, they will be ready.
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