Scouting Report: San Jose State struggling, but Spartans have some offensive weapons

San Diego State’s matchup this week with San Jose State brings together two programs headed in opposite directions.

SDSU (8-2, 5-1 MW) is closing in on a Mountain West championship game berth, while San Jose State (3-7, 2-4) is coming off an embarrassing 55-10 loss to Nevada that eliminated the Spartans from potential bowl eligibility.

But, SDSU coach Sean Lewis cautioned: “Don’t get caught in the trap of that.”

“They’re a really dangerous team,” he said. “Really dynamic offense. Really potent passing attack. They have a really solid front, dynamic kick returner/punt returner that has done some dangerous things. They found a way to score in a lot of different ways.”

The series dates back 90 years, when San Jose State started things off in 1935 with a 24-9 win at Spartan Stadium. SDSU leads the all-time series by a narrow 24-21-2 margin, although the Aztecs have dominated in recent years.

SDSU has won nine of the past 11 meetings since San Jose State joined the Mountain West in 2013, though the Spartans managed a 24-13 home victory when the teams last met two years ago.

Here’s what you need to know about the San Jose State:

About the Spartans

Former San Jose State coach Brent Brennan, who in 2020 led the Spartans to their only conference championship in the past 35 years, was hired away by Arizona two years ago.

Longtime Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo replaced Brennan last year and surprised many observers by leading the Spartans to another bowl appearance. They won seven games in the regular season and then played in a thrilling Hawaii Bowl, losing 41-39 to South Florida in five overtimes.

The follow-up has been disappointing, to say the least.

San Jose State opened the season with a narrow defeat to Central Michigan (16-14) before a lopsided loss to then-No. 6 Texas (38-7). A win over Idaho (31-28) followed by a one-point loss to Stanford (30-29) left the Spartans 1-3 heading into conference play.

The conference results have been similarly disappointing, despite starting with a win over much-improved New Mexico (35-28). The only other win was over similarly improved Hawaii (45-38). In between have been losses to Wyoming (35-28), Utah State (30-25), Air Force (26-16) and Nevada (55-10).

The repercussions for the last loss came Monday, when Niumatalolo relieved defensive coordinator Derrick Odum and special teams coordinator Joe Placic of their duties. Inside linebackers coach Bojay Filimoeatu, who was SDSU’s defensive line coach in 2023, has been named interim defensive coordinator.

The offense

San Jose State has an Offensive Player of the Year candidate in quarterback Walker Eget, who ranks second in the nation with 301.5 passing yards a game. Eget has completed 228 of 385 passes (59.2 %) for 17 touchdowns with eight interceptions.

His favorite target is sophomore wide receiver Danny Scudero, who leads the nation in receiving yards (1,155), is tied for third in touchdowns (10) and is fifth in receptions (72). Juniors Kyri Shoels (55 catches, 727 yards, 2 TD) and Leland Smith (39 catches, 654 yards, 3 TD) also get plenty of targets.

“The passing attack is very real,” Lewis said. “They spread you out. Their front is dynamic. They’ve got some players that can play on edges and play with twitch.”

San Jose State is averaging 119 yards a game rushing, led by Steve Chavez-Soto (64 carries, 347 yards, 7 TD) and Lamar Radcliffe (66-340, TD).

“You’ve still got to have an appreciation for the run game,” Lewis said, “but the space that they create, the priorities that they place on throwing the football, you’ve got to have a balanced attack.”

Despite all the yards the Spartans have piled up, they haven’t scored a lot of points. They’re averaging only 24 points a game, which is tied for 90th among 136 FBS teams.

The defense

The real struggles for San Jose State have been on defense, where the Spartans are allowing 32.4 points a game. That’s tied with UCLA for 121st in the nation.

The strength is up front, with senior nose guard Gafa Faga. Defensive ends Quincy Likio and Vili Taufatofua are “dynamic,” Lewis said.

Senior linebackers Jordan Pollard and Taniela Latu lead the team in tackles with 77 and 60, respectively. Senior cornerback Jalen Bainer has three of the team’s six interceptions.

The Spartans have five fumble recoveries. Their 11 takeaways are tied for 84th in the nation.

The defense is allowing 418.9 yards a game. Only 20 FBS teams give up more.

Did you know?

San Jose State has two former players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, although Bill Walsh and Dick Vermeil were inducted as coaches. Walsh was a tight end and defensive end for the Spartans from 1953-55. Vermeil was a quarterback on the team from 1956-59.