colorado state

December 13, 2013

Spartan and MWC notes: Faulkner emerges in CFL and Winston wins MWC top freshman award

Courtesy of the Ottawa Redblacks Twitter account (original source TBA)

Courtesy of the Ottawa Redblacks Twitter account (original source TBA)

Matt Faulkner, perhaps best remembered the serviceable but unremarkable starter in 2011 for San Jose State, has signed as the first quarterback for the expansion Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League. He is the first quarterback under contract for the team, which will begin building its team in earnest on Monday with the expansion draft.

In his one year starting for the Spartans, he completed a shade under 65 percent of his passes for 3,149 yards, throwing as many touchdowns (13) as he did interceptions (13). He had transferred from Fresno State and Mt. San Antonio College.

The Ottawa Citizen places him as likely third on the depth chart, since the Redblacks will at least get two QBs with CFL experience in the expansion draft.

This is the third attempt at a CFL franchise in the Canadian capitol. The Ottawa Rough Riders went for more than 75 years before folding in 1996. The Ottawa Renegades went from 2002 to 2005 before the league forced the team to cease operations.

Winston is MWC freshman of the year; 3 more on first team

Tyler Winston parlayed a strong freshman year as Noel Grigsby’s replacement into an award from the Mountain West Conference this year, winning the conference’s freshman of the year award after a strong first season.

He caught 58 balls this season for five touchdowns and 858 yards, a 14.8 yards/catch average. Not bad for someone who was needed as an emergency replacement for the senior Grigsby, who was lost for the season in the early going.

He leads a class of three other Spartans on the all-Mountain West first football team, with David Fales predictably losing out on the first QB spot to Derek Carr from Fresno State. Receiver Chandler Jones, cornerback Bene Benwikere and linebacker Keith Smith all earned first team honors.

Fales was the second team quarterback along with offensive lineman Nicholas Kaspar and kicker Austin Lopez. Freshman tight end Billy Freeman and offensive lineman Ryan Jones were honorable mention.

The conference awards were: Offensive player of the year, Derek Carr, Fresno State; Freshman of the year, Tyler Winston, San Jose State; Special teams player of the year, Carlos Wiggins, New Mexico; defensive player of the year, Shaquil Barrett, Colorado State; Coach of the year, Matt Wells, Utah State.

In other news from San Jose State and the conference …

  • More awards for San Jose State’s young’uns: Tyler Winston earned another honor this week to. He and three other San Jose State freshmen and sophomore kicker Austin Lopez earned honorable mention on the College Football News’ freshman and sophomore all-America teams. Winston, running back Jarrod Lawson, linebacker Christian Tago, tight end Billy Freeman earned spots on the freshman team, while Lopez was honorable mention on the sophomore team.
  • Jon Wilner doesn’t waste your time this time: Taking time away from his stumping for the big conferences, he writes about why San Jose State didn’t deserve a bowl game.
  • Check out the recruiting class: Not bad so far, all things considered. Mission Viejo QB and 3-star recruit Ian Fieber leads the class so far (we hope.)
  • From Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times, next Saturday’s Las Vegas Bowl will be a reunion for two Bakersfield products in USC quarterback Cody Kessler (who graduated from Bakersfield Centennial) and Fresno State’s Derek Carr (who went to Bakersfield Christian.) The two are good friends.
  • Step 1 for UNLV: Make bowl game. Step 2: ?????. Step 3. Profit? So writes Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which has its postseason berth and now much figure out how it will pay for things like travel and the likes.
  • Side note: No one from UNLV earned first team All-Mountain West honors this year, despite the team’s 7-5 record. Three made the second team: lineman Brandon Boyko, receiver Devante Davis and running back Tim Cornett. My thought: The Rebels got their bowl game, they can deal with it.
  • San Diego State is busily preparing for its bowl game in Boise by trying to practice outdoors as much as possible, reports the Union-Tribune. Two problems: San Diego is rather balmy this time of year compared to Boise (which might not get over freezing for game time), and they are having to share practice facilities with Boise State as they prepare for the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas eve.
  • Bryan Harsin is back home with Boise State, the Idaho Statesman writes, after the school essentially purchased him from Arkansas State. the Red Wolves, in an interesting note, have now had four different coaches in four straight years (Steve Roberts was fired after the 2010 season, Hugh Freeze bolted for Ole Miss after the 2011 season, Gus Malzahn left for Auburn after the 2012 season, and Harsin left after the 2013 season for Boise State.)
  • Colorado State sophomore running back Kapri Bibbs was named second team All-American this year.
  • In a wild bit of speculation from the Fort Collins Coloradoan, reporter Kelly Lyell looks into whether Rams coach Jim McElwain could be an option to replace Nick Saban at Alabama should he leave the Crimson Tide for, say, Texas. McElwain won two national titles as offensive coordinator for Saban in 2009 and 2011. But the reality is, with his buyouts at $4 million this year and $3 million next year, he’s probably not leaving Fort Collins this year.
December 9, 2013

The alleys are closed: San Jose State won’t be bowling this year, and here’s why.

935_-mountain_west_conference-primary-2011It will be a winter of discontent for San Jose State.

The Spartans will spend December at home this year after a 6-6 record and a rousing win over ranked rival Fresno State, victim to there being too many eligible teams and not enough spots. San Diego State and Colorado State snapped up the last two spots from the Mountain West, with the Aztecs taking their boring act to Boise instead of the Spartans, who spent the entire week campaigning for that spot.

Those were the Spartans last good hopes. There was no magic to be worked, either: the few at-large bids went to mediocre teams in power conferences, and with so many teams fighting over the scraps, the Spartans were bound to be one of the many left out. It’s 2008 all over again.

For a season that started with such high hopes, it’s a disappointing end for everyone involved.

There will be a lot of hand wringing about bad losses to mediocre teams which could have tipped the balance for a bowl game to their favor.

So why did this happen?

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December 8, 2013

Spartan Notes: SJSU men’s hoops stun Houston, and MWC bowl projections

935_-mountain_west_conference-primary-2011Saturday morning, I said that what ails San Jose State basketball is an inability to move the ball and pick good shots.

Well, then.

Throw that out at least for one game. San Jose State walked away Saturday with its most impressive win of the season, rallying to beat the University of Houston 72-68 on the road.

The team’s top two recruits were the show: Rashad Muhammad, in continuing with what is becoming tradition for the Spartans, led in scoring with 21 points, including a 3-pointer in the final minutes that gave them the lead for good.

More impressive, though, is Jalen James’ triple-double, just the second in school history and third in Mountain West history. The freshman guard had 12 points, 10 assists and 13 rebounds against the Cougars on Saturday. It is the first in the conference since 2006, and first since 2001 for San Jose State.

This was a big win for the Spartans. They came back from an 11-point deficit with about eight minutes left, playing strong defense and taking advantage of Houston going cold from the field. They had 17 assists, by far the most in a game this season, and shot a season-high 48.9 percent from the field, including a 14 for 26 mark from 3-point range.

D.J. Brown added five assists and four steals in the game, and Devante Wilson had 16 points. The Spartans are off 10 days before facing UC Davis on Dec. 18.

In other San Jose State news …

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November 29, 2013

Week 14 MWC football picks: Utah State, Boise State battle to end for Mountain division

Breaking down who I think is going to win in this weekend’s Mountain West football games.

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November 27, 2013

MWC men’s hoops power rankings: UNLV disappoints, Spartans in last to start

UNLV was picked to finish at or near the top of the Mountain West by almost everyone, but the luster of those predictions seems like a long, long time ago.

The Rebels are 2-3 to open the season, not really putting up much of a fight against stronger competition they were supposed to go toe-to-toe with, and losing badly to two teams that no business coming to the Thomas and Mack Center and doing such things.

UNLV is lucky one of those games didn’t count.

San Jose State has won two in a row with a strong win over Pepperdine. It still isn’t enough to get them out of the rankings early doldrums.

Here are this week’s Mountain West Conference men’s basketball rankings for the first few weeks of the season.

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November 15, 2013

Football predictions, Week 12: Three teams seek bowl eligibility, get cupcakes

935_-mountain_west_conference-primary-2011Colorado State, San Diego State and San Jose State can all reach the pivotal six-win mark this week by performing coup de gras on teams from the Mountain West’s doldrums.

The Spartans face a Nevada team that hasn’t won in five weeks and is hurting on both sides of the ball. The Aztecs face a winless Hawaii team that will at least have the benefit of looking pretty in throwbacks while likely getting nailed to the wall on Saturday. Colorado State’s run-stopping defense has to love seeing a team that can do only one thing right: run the ball.

This will be the week the conference finally shakes out its bowl teams from its bad teams.

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November 14, 2013

MWC Roundup: A building boom at two of conference’s Calif. schools

935_-mountain_west_conference-primary-2011These are boom times for the Cal State’s football schools, at least in terms of athletics, with San Diego State and San Jose State are each building up their facilities.

The Vermeil-Walsh Athletic Complex, which will be the new North end zone at Spartans Stadium, is set to break ground soon at San Jose State and will make the stadium in general more hospitable. Spartan Gym, which houses the volleyball and gymnastics teams, is also getting a sorely needed facelift along with the rest of the Spartan Complex. The facility is also privately financed which, considering the hard times the school has fallen on financially, is a relief.

Athletic director Gene Bleymaier hopes its the first step of a rebuild of Spartan Stadium, he said back in May. The stadium hasn’t had significant renovations since the 1980s.

San Diego State is building a new basketball practice facility on campus. But with the future of Qualcomm Stadium uncertain and likely short, the Aztecs are looking at all options, including building an on-campus stadium.

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November 12, 2013

Where will San Jose State go bowling? Breaking down the MWC’s potential postseason

935_-mountain_west_conference-primary-2011The Mountain West Conference is has six bowl tie-ins to fill this year, and potentially a seventh if the Pac-12 comes up short. San Jose State, as of right now, is still likely to be playing in December when this is all said and done, but Saturday’s loss really did a number to where. Before that, one of the higher bowls wasn’t out of the question.

After … It’s looking bleak on the money end, at least. But still likely.

But with the rest of the conference having two or three games left, it’s time to start untangling the Mountain West’s bowl list, and figure out who’s in, who’s out and where the hell they are going.

For the record, things are just as unsettled at the top as they are at the bottom of the bowl picture. Fresno State could still ruin its BCS chances with two and almost certainly three games left, and there’s still some unlikely silliness with New Mexico, UNLV and Wyoming to sort out that could determine where the Spartans play.

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November 8, 2013

Football predictions, Week 11: How did that game end up on TV?!

935_-mountain_west_conference-primary-2011 Somehow, Air Force and New Mexico found its way onto national TV on Friday night. What that is telling people, as a colleague of mine said, is “go watch a high school football game.”

There are some matchups from the Mountain West that you’ll have to hold your nose to watch, even if you pull for either one of those teams. Nevada against Air Force earlier this season, or anytime the 2013 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors take the field, which also made it onto national TV this week against Navy.

Seriously, who decides which games make it on TV from this conference? Because they need to be fired.

Air Force (2-7, 0-5) at New Mexico (2-6, 0-4), 6 p.m. Friday, TV: ESPNU

Someone is coming away with a conference win in Albuquerque on Friday whether they want it or not. These are two teams that do everything the same: Strong running offenses with no passing attack and no defense to speak of. Air Force is riding the high of a big win over Army, while the Lobos made a spirited attempt at a comeback Saturday against San Diego State, but fell short.

New Mexico’s running attack has proven to be multifaceted, while Air Force’s, when it has worked, has been more or less Anthony LaCoste. New Mexico  just strikes me as a deeper team right now, although Air Force is finally finding stability in the back field in an offense that sorely needs it going forward. I would expect LaCoste to have another big game, even if the Falcons do lose.

Prediction: New Mexico wins 49-45.

Fresno State (8-0, 5-0) at Wyoming (4-4, 2-2), 7:15 p.m. Saturday, TV: ESPN2

If the Bulldogs are going to get tipped before the Mountain West championship game, this is where it’s most likely to happen (Sorry Spartans). It’s a night game, and the temperatures are most likely going to be in the 30s for game time. The one saving grace for Fresno State? No snow or rain.

Derek Carr set an almost 30 year old team record for passing yardage in the closing seconds of Saturday’s game against Nevada, one that was way closer than it should have been. Fresno State has spent way too much time playing down to its competition (Nevada, Hawaii, San Diego State), which suggests to me that they are listening to the hype. Wyoming has a potent offense that, thanks to Shaun Wick, can run the ball effectively all evening long. They are 21st in the nation in both rushing yards and passing yards.

It’s foolish to pick against the Bulldogs until they actually lose. But Wyoming is going to give Fresno State’s defense all they can handle, and it may well break them. This is the first time all season where a potentially close game has all side factors — weather, crowd, time — trending in the opponents direction (remember, the Bulldogs got Boise State and Rutgers at home, and didn’t have to play Colorado). This is the game we finally learn if Fresno State is a true BCS buster or just another pretender.

Prediction: Fresno State wins 42-38.

Utah State (5-4, 4-1) at UNLV (5-4, 3-2), 5 p.m. Saturday, TV: ESPNU

This is a big one for both teams. The Aggies and the Rebels are each a win away from bowl eligibility, but that means different things for both teams.

For the Aggies, it’s a continuation of recent excellence, but it also keeps alive their chances for the Mountain division title should Boise State stumble. For the Rebels, a win would likely end a streak of 13 years without a bowl berth (and another would guarantee it) and probably saves coach Bobby Hauck’s job.

The thing is, this one isn’t going to be close. The Aggies have underachieved a lot this year, but are statistically a top 40 offense (37th in passing yardage per game at 266.3 and 28th in rushing yards at 203.2) and a strong defense that punished Utah and USC, even in defeat. Imagine how bad this would be if Aggies quarterback Chuckie Keeton hadn’t been hurt against BYU?

UNLV just doesn’t have the defense to slow Utah State down. If Tim Cornett rebounds from a bad performance, and that’s a big if given how good the Aggies are, the Rebels can make a game of this. They will also need Caleb Herring to be the dual threat he showed glimpses of being against the Spartans, sans the interceptions.

Prediction: Utah State is going to run the Rebels off the field, 45-16.

Hawaii (0-8) at Navy (4-4), 12:30 p.m. Saturday, TV: CBSSN

You know what time it is in Hawaii when this game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. In Annapolis? 10:30 a.m. It could be worse, but for a team that’s already logged a lot of air miles this year with little to show for it wins wise, that’s a pain.

Sean Schroeder will get another start, and maybe Hawaii finds enough defense to slow down the Midshipmen’s top ranked running game.

Unlikely, but maybe?

Yeah, no. The Warriors’ sad defense has struggled all year, and facing a team that has some pretty impressive showings under their belt (and a bad loss or two also, but that’s not the point) doesn’t figure to end their misery this week.

Maybe next week when they bust out the retro unis against San Diego State?

Prediction: Navy 31, Hawaii 17.

Nevada (3-6, 2-4) at Colorado State (4-5, 2-2), 12:30 p.m. Saturday

Colorado State had a chance to grab control in the Mountain division last week, but couldn’t slow Boise State down enough to win. Now, they just need to win in order to avoid missing out on a bowl game for the fifth straight season. That three-point loss to Tulsa early in the season is really beginning to hurt Colorado State, that’s for sure. Rams coach Jim McElwain has made a lot of progress this season, but this season would feel like a loss if the Rams can’t seal the deal and make a bowl game.

Enter Nevada. A team going in the opposite direction as Colorado State.

Cody Fajardo is a big concern for them, especially since he’s been a reasonably efficient passer this season and is more than capable of running too. He’s one of the few bright spots for a beleaguered Nevada team that just can’t catch a break this season. They’ve been in each of the last four losses, including leading Boise State at the half and staying close to Fresno State through three quarters.

Colorado State is just a far more talented team than the down-on-its-luck Wolf Pack, whose defense hasn’t done it any favors this year. The Rams should get back on track in this one.

Prediction: Colorado State wins this one 33-24.

San Diego State (4-4, 3-1) at San Jose State (5-3, 3-1), 7:30 p.m. Saturday, TV: CBSSN

Every conference game — all three of them — for the Spartans are extremely important, and not just because of bowl eligibility. Winning out in conference, which means beating Fresno State to close the regular season, means a berth in the Mountain West title game against more than likely Boise State.

San Diego State needed a little extra oomph from Adam Muema to beat lowly New Mexico last week. San Jose needed its running game to beat UNLV, and will need it again against the Aztecs, who will be gunning for David Fales the same way they effectively game planned for Derek Carr.

David Fales has never been down long. Each time he’s turned in a poor effort, he’s bounced back and put up at least a decent game. San Diego State, though, isn’t as bad on the defensive side of the ball as many other Mountain West teams, and can certainly stop high octane offense (just ask Fresno State).

This one is going to be a close one, but I think the Spartans should come away with a win. San Diego State seems to be the perpetually in a state of almost and not quite against decent teams. San Jose State has made a habit this year of being on top of those battles.

Prediction: San Jose State wins but doesn’t beat the spread, 30-27.