The San Jose State Spartans sent retired head coach Dick Tomey out on a down note last season, winning just 2 of 12 games. Tomey collected 183 wins in his career and new head coach Mike MacIntyre will be looking for his first on September 4th at Alabama. The Spartans return 15 starters and hope to play competitive football in what should be a rebuilding year. View the full conference breakdown in our 2010 WAC football predictions article.
If SJSU is going to turn things around in a short period of time they better figure out a way to run the ball more effectively. The Spartans averaged only 77 yards/game on the ground in 2009 and have not averaged more than 100 yards the past three seasons. RB Lamon Muldrow is capable of producing in the backfield, but did not get much of an opportunity to do so last year. He led the team in rushing with 592 yards and three touchdowns after transferring in from junior college. His workload will likely increase under new offensive coordinator Tim Landis. Muldrow is more of a downhill runner while RB Brandon Rutley gives SJSU more speed at tailback. QB Jordan La Secla started in eight games last season and threw for 1926 yards and 10 touchdowns, but was benched for the final two of the 09' season. Battling La Secla for the starting position will be Matt Faulkner and Fresno State transfer Dasmen Stewart. The wide receiver position has some experience despite losing their top p roduce from a year ago in Kevin Jurovich. Marquis Avery was second on the team in catches with 42 and had a team high six td receptions. Jalal Beauchman was not far behind with 35 receptions and will provide depth on the outside as will Josh Harrison. The offensive line will play a large role in how much the offense improves this season. Three starters return and plenty have starting experience so they should be able to increase the yards/game running the ball.
Live odds are available all season long at Locksmith Sports Picks. Our top handicappers provide expert college football picks to help you build a bankroll and beat the books!
As bad as the offense struggled to run the ball last year, the defense gave up yards to opposing offenses with great ease. The Spartan defense was one of the worst in the nation against the run, allowing 259 yards/game and gave up 34.5 points/game also. Seven starters return on the defensive side of the ball and will be led by newly minted defensive coordinator Kent Baer (previously LB coach here). The defensive line played a large role in how awful the rush defense was last season. DE Carl Ihenacho was their most consistent performer a year ago and departed, but they do have five players with starting experience up front. Pompey Festejo is solid in the middle of the Spartan defense and ranked third on the team in tackles with 83 in 09'. Tiuke Tuipulotu will make the move from safety to linebacker after collected 52 tackles in the secondary. He will likely be on the smallest linebackers in the country at 205 pounds. SS Duke Ihenacho is the most talented player on defense f or SJSU. His 89 tackles were second on the team and he earned 1st team WAC honors for his play last season. FS Tanner Burns led the team in tackles as a sophomore and is a gifted player in his own right. While this defense won't be confused for one of the best units in the WAC, they should show a considerable amount of improvement against the run.
Defending national champion Alabama will get their 2010 season started with a home game vs. San Jose State on the opening weekend of college football. The Spartans then travel to Big Ten country and face-off against the Badgers of Wisconsin. WAC plays opens on October 9th at Nevada. The following week they will host national title contender Boise State. The schedule is front loaded with really tough match-ups for this team, but if they can get through those games fairly healthy their should be some opportunity to win a couple games down the stretch. I believe they win a total of 3 games.
0