-
1 of 10
-
2 of 10
-
3 of 10
-
4 of 10
-
5 of 10
-
6 of 10
-
7 of 10
-
8 of 10
-
9 of 10
-
10 of 10
Spartans come to town riding low in the saddle
Archive
Comments
Story
The San Jose State Spartans visit Bronco Stadium Saturday and look to surprise the Broncos, but surprises have been a rarity on the Spartan front.
SJSU (1-4, 0-2 WAC) has lost four consecutive games after opening the season against Eastern Washington. San Jose State has not held a lead in a game since the first quarter of the Illinois game Sept.10. The Spartans tied the score in the first quarter of the San Diego State game Sept. 24 and twice in the second half of the Oct. 1 game against Nevada.
The Broncos (3-2, 1-0 WAC) got a scare at San Jose State last season. The Broncos beat the Spartans 56-49 in double overtime. BSU leads the all-time series 5-0 and has outscored SJSU at Bronco stadium by an average of 62.5-10.
The Spartans have lost their last 10 road games. The Broncos have won three games in a row and are playing for their fourth consecutive WAC title.
The Spartans’ losing record is due mostly to poor starts. The Spartans have been outscored 69-28 in the first quarter this season and have a poor third-down conversion percentage of 19 percent (15-79).
“Making more on first and second downs will make doing better on third downs possible,” Spartan head coach Dick Tomey said. “It’s related to your physicality and your backs. You’re just trying to move the chains to keep the game going. The game is doing whatever you’re going to do, having your opponent know what you’re going to do, and doing it anyway.”
The Spartans have an even turnover ratio, whereas the Broncos are 116th in the nation with a (-2.2) ratio.
SJSU sophomore quarterback Adam Tafralis has had mixed results this season, going 71-of-148 for 972 yards, with five interceptions and five touchdowns. Tafralis has ran for three scores and has more than 100 yards rushing this season.
“He’s a fighter,” Tomey said. “We’ve had protection issues at times, but he’s a warrior and he’s a tough guy. He’s learning the position and it’s not an easy one to learn.”
Tafralis’ most productive game of the 2005 season came in the season opener against Eastern Washington when he accounted for four of the team’s five touchdowns on runs of eight and three yards and a pair of 20-yard scoring passes. The redshirt sophomore posted his major college single-game bests, completing 21-of-34 attempts for 290 yards and was credited with 344 yards of total offense.
Tafralis relishes the pleasure of the presence of Rufus Skillern out in his patterns. Skillern’s 20 receptions for 332 yards and three touchdowns leads the Spartans. Skillern caught 10 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown last year against Boise State. He has four 100-yard receiving games in his career, two coming this season.
“We’re blessed to have him as a part of our team,” Tomey said. “He’s a great leader and he’s highly intelligent. He’s a performer and he’s highly dependable. He’s a great practice player and he’s a great example for our younger players. Everybody we play knows he’s a threat.”
SJSU doesn’t have much of a running game, averaging 106 yards per game and led by Yonus Davis’ 31 carries for 160 yards and a score through five games.
“The quarterback is a product of what he has around him,” Tomey said. “The less effective the running game is, the tougher it is on the quarterback. With our running backs, we’re just waiting for somebody to bust out and say ‘I want this job’ and just pull away.”
The Spartan defense puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback, compiling 18 sacks this year, with nine different players with at least .5 sacks. Ezekiel Staples leads the team in tackles with 51. Eric Wilson has 46 tackles, 3 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss and Jarron Gilbert has 3 sacks and 5 tfls.
“They are very athletic, (Tomey) has got these guys playing very hard,” BSU head coach Dan Hawkins said. “They make a lot of plays. They do things on both sides of the ball that give you problems. I think their whole mentality is way different than what it was before. They’ll be a very dangerous club when they come in here.”
The game should be a breakout for BSU quarterback Jared Zabransky, who threw for two more interceptions last week and has been looking for some sunshine.
The Spartans are 103rd in the nation in pass defense, giving up 270 yards per game and a 64.4 completion percentage. The rush defense is s bit more stingy, giving up about 154 yards per game. The Broncos lead the WAC with 214 rushing yards per game.
San Jose senior cornerback Trestin George has scored touchdowns five different ways in his career at San Jose State: rush, pass receiving, interception return, punt return, and kickoff return, which includes a 99-yard kickoff return for a score this season against Nevada.
“To be successful against Boise State,” Tomey said. “You’ve got to take it to them and it’s got to be a 60-minute fight. You’ve got to sustain that fight because they’re so well-drilled that they make plays. You’ve got to wait until the clock says 00:00. Our guys know that they can do it and they’ve got to go do it.”
Dustin Lapray / Asst. Sports Editor
