This is a team that plays hard, and they’ve had a tough schedule, just like we have had at the beginning. And they have got some guys banged up, just like we have got some guys banged up. But they will play hard. – Utah State head coach Matt Wells
LOGAN — Although the football rivalry between San Jose State and Utah State dates back 77 years and 37 games heading into Saturday’s contest in Northern California, the Spartans and Aggies really aren’t all that familiar with each other.
Due to the Mountain West’s scheduling quirks, San Jose State (1-3) hasn’t faced off against Utah State (1-2) since 2014, even though the series is tied for the sixth-longest in USU history.
“In the Mountain West, you can see guys in the Mountain Division each year and you can see them grow up and develop and get better,” USU head coach Matt Wells said. “But then you think about the other side of the league in the West Division.”
The Aggies have five players on their current roster who played against the Spartans as freshmen, but SJSU also has a new coach in Brent Brennan. The 44-year-old California native was hired away last December from the staff of former USU head coach Gary Andersen at Oregon State.
“After watching film the last couple of days, I think we’ve got a great challenge ahead of us,” Brennan said of the Aggies. “Our staff doesn’t know their staff, but they’ve got good players.
“I’m glad we’re at home. After being on the road for two weeks, I’m glad we’re at home to start the conference. But we’ve got a great challenge ahead of us.”
Saturday’s game at CEFCU Stadium is the MW opener for both teams, and after taking their non-conference lumps, both programs are certainly anxious to start off on the right foot. While the Aggies sandwiched a win over Big Sky Conference foe Idaho State with brutal road losses at Wisconsin and Wake Forest, the Spartans’ only win came against Cal Poly after opening the season with a respectable loss to No. 19 South Florida.
But the last two weeks were particularly rough for SJSU as the team was outscored by a combined margin of 110-16 during losses at Texas and Utah.
“I’m hoping that playing against those tougher teams — those so-called ‘big schools’ — will help our guys be battle-tested. They’ve gone against good people; they’ve played against high-caliber talent.
“And so the trick after one of those games is to learn from the loss, and that’s what we’re doing with our team right now.”
But like the Aggies, who had to deal with an injury to senior quarterback Kent Myers at Wake Forest, the Spartans got beat up during their setback in Salt Lake City. Most notably, starting quarterback Montel Aaron was knocked out of the game by an injury in the first quarter, and he was replaced by San Allen. When Allen was ineffective, Brennan plugged in sophomore Josh Love, who actually started the game at South Florida but then lost his job.
Love ended up completing 13 of 25 pass attempts for 183 yards and SJSU’s only touchdown against the Utes.
That means that Saturday’s game in San Jose could be a Love-fest, in as much as the Aggies will turn the offensive reins over to redshirt freshman Jordan Love if Myers is unable to go. The USU Love fared much better against the Demon Deacons than Myers did, completing 6 of 13 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown while playing in the second game of his collegiate career.
Facing off against Myers and/or Love, Brennan could also be without some of his defensive standouts, although junior linebacker Frank Ginda is expected to play after going to the sidelines in the second half of the game at Utah. Ginda has 57 total tackles to his name this season and currently leads the nation in tackles per game at 14.25.
“Frank Ginda has been fabulous all year … just the effort that he plays with, and he’s such a sure tackler,” Brennan declared. “… He’s the leader of the defense. He plays super hard, and he’s kind of the gold standard of what we’re looking for as far as effort and finishing on our defensive side of the ball.”
The Aggies, who haven’t won a road game since October 2015, have won six straight contests against San Jose State, including three in a row in California. Utah State is 3-1 in conference openers since joining the Mountain West.
“This is a team that plays hard, and they’ve had a tough schedule, just like we have had at the beginning,” Wells said of the Spartans. “And they have got some guys banged up, just like we have got some guys banged up. But they will play hard.
“Coach Brennan and that staff has some juice. I know a bunch of guys on that staff, and they will be ready to play.”