FRESNO – San Jose State went into its first bye week a month ago as one of the most prolific offenses in the nation. The attack featuring a heavy dose of run-pass option averaged more than 330 yards through the air and appeared to know what direction it was headed.
Saturday’s 33-10 loss to Fresno State has SJSU longing for that previous version as it heads into its second idle week this season.
“Our worst game the whole season and we’re disappointed it came against our rivals,” said San Jose State coach Ken Niumatalolo. “We’re not in sync right now.”
The quarterback carousel was in full swing again as Walker Eget, Emmett Brown and Xavier Ward all saw time.
Niumatalolo said he was involved in the decisions Saturday after previous moves were made by offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann.
Combined, the three quarterbacks were 21-for-51 for 284 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. Three consecutive second-half drives ended with an interception and a substituted quarterback.
“I think it’s a little tougher for any offense to succeed with the quarterback switching,” said wide receiver Nick Nash.
Eget started the game and found Nash for a 35-yard touchdown on the opening drive. Nash’s 12th touchdown was the first and only for the Spartans.
Eget finished 14-for-31 for 202 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
Brown led the only other scoring drive and finished 6-for-16 for 66 yards with an interception. Ward led one drive in the fourth quarter and finished 1-for-3 for 16 yards and an interception.
“We have to get this rectified because I don’t want to play musical chair quarterback,” Niumatalolo said.
The lack of consistent running plays also hurt the quarterbacks, especially Eget: The Spartans only called four run plays in the first half.
Floyd Chalk IV and Jabari Bates finished with a combined 15 carries for 119 yards.
Eget came into the week as the assumed starter for the foreseeable future. Now the Spartans head back to the drawing board.
Turnovers don’t Spartans out
SJSU came into Saturday with 20 takeaways, second-best in the nation.
While Robert Rahimi added to that total with his fourth interception, it came far too late.
Saturday was a glimpse at what the team looks like without timely turnovers.
Fresno State’s Mikey Keene started 17-for-18 and finished 30-for-41 for 275 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
“It’s hard to win games when you aren’t disciplined and I think that’s an area we need to focus on even more,” said linebacker Jordan Cobbs.
San Jose State sent pressure that created two sacks but frequently resulted in Keene finding an open man downfield.
Notably, the Spartans sent pressure on a third down in the second quarter where Keene completed a pass to sophomore Jalen Moss over the middle. Moss beat his one defender and ran to the end zone to complete a 43-yard touchdown.
“First half, we had a difficult time getting off on third downs and that hurt us a little bit,” Niumatalolo said.
It was one of 12 third-down conversions the Bulldogs generated.
Offensive line struggles
The Bulldogs’ two sacks and four quarterback hits undersell the pressure they generated Saturday.
Early in the second quarter, Eget fumbled when he was sacked by cornerback Al’zillion Hamilton and stunted the offense.
Backup center Joseph Harbert started the second half in relief of Hudson Mesa, who struggled snapping the ball.
Harbert was the third different center used this season after Mesa took over for Tyler Chen following Chen’s snapping issues.
“We were just trying to find a spark, something. We needed a spark somewhere and unfortunately we couldn’t find it,” Niumatalolo said.
The Spartans had given up just one sack in their previous three games.
Underprepared for rivalry
“I thought we were prepared but clearly we weren’t,” Eget said.
Emotions were high with the Valley Trophy on the line. The two teams began jawing at each other before kickoff when they entered the field from the locker room tunnel. Both teams participated in the theatrics but once the game started it was evident quickly who the more disciplined team was.
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“We didn’t play very well, and that starts with me. Obviously I didn’t have our guys ready to play,” Niumatalolo said.
The Bulldogs held SJSU to just three points for the final 59 minutes of the game and force four turnovers. It’s the second straight game where the Spartans scored on the opening drive and struggled to execute after.
“I think we just lost focus. Me personally I wasn’t focused enough.” Nash said. “I think as an offensive unit we lost focus, we got a little bit complacent.”
Up next:
San Jose State will have a much-needed bye week before its next game. Oregon State on the road is the next opponent Nov. 9 and a win would clinch SJSU bowl eligibility.
