SAN JOSE STATE PASS OFFENSE vs TEXAS PASS DEFENSE
San Jose State will throw the ball a ton under second-year head coach Ken Niumatalolo and offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann, who ran a run-and-shoot offense at Texas State before moving to SJSU. Quarterback Walker Eget was a preseason second-team all-conference selection. He threw for 308 yards in the Spartans’ opener but really wasn’t that efficient (Pro Football Focus has him ranked No. 98 in its grading system after one week). Wide receiver Matthew Coleman was a preseason first-team all-conference selection but he was held to just one catch in week one. Meanwhile, transfer Danny Scudero, a fourth-team all-conference selection, went for 189 yards and a touchdown on 9 catches in week one. SJSU will spread the ball around, with eight players catching passes last week, including five receptions by tight end Jackson Canaan.
Edge – Texas ***
SAN JOSE STATE RUN OFFENSE vs TEXAS RUN DEFENSE
If San Jose State is going to do any damage in this game, it’s likely through the air because its running game isn’t overly productive. Floyd Chalk is the starter at tailback and he went for 44 yards on 11 carries last week. His backup, Lamar Radcliffe went for just 15 yards on 7 carries. Chalk was pretty productive last year, his first with SJSU, in going for 721 yards, but he’s not someone who’s going to keep the Texas defense up at night.
Edge – Texas ****
SAN JOSE STATE OFFENSIVE LINE vs TEXAS DEFENSIVE LINE
It’s a line that has some experience and depth and observers feel it could be a solid unit as the season wears on. Last week, against Central Michigan, SJSU allowed just one sack and it’s a line that people feel is better at pass protection than opening up running lanes. Right guard Tyler Chen graded out the best in week one, followed by left guard Sione Nomani. Left tackle Peseti Lapuaho was supposed to be one of the team’s better players but he was atrocious last week, grading out at 15.3 on pass blocking. He did have the line’s highest grade in run blocking, for what it’s worth. This could be a game that allows Texas to pick up some sacks that it couldn’t get last week.
Edge – Texas ***
TEXAS PASS OFFENSE vs SAN JOSE STATE PASS DEFENSE
It wasn’t the best of starts for the Texas passing game, but things should be much easier this week. San Jose State lost some talent from its secondary as schools like USC, SMU and Arizona poached their best players from a secondary that recorded 21 interceptions last year. Senior safety Isaiah Revis is coming off a productive season last year and is a second-team all-conference selection this year. Cornerback Jaylen Thomas graded out the best in coverage in last week’s game.
Edge – Texas **
TEXAS RUN OFFENSE vs SAN JOSE STATE RUN DEFENSE
The linebackers are a strength of this team. Middle linebacker Jordan Pollard is the best player on the roster and outside linebacker Taniela Latu is also very good. That duo combined for 22 tackles last week, with 15 coming from Pollard, who also happened to rank as the best player in coverage on the entire team. Noah McNeal-Franklin is another good player at weakside backer. All that being said, Central Michigan ran for a ridiculous 247 yards against this defense last week so Texas should have a field day.
Edge – Texas ****
TEXAS OFFENSIVE LINE vs SAN JOSE STATE DEFENSIVE LINE
SJSU runs a 3-4 so the linebackers make most of the tackles, but this is a defense that racked up a lot of tackles behind the line of scrimmage last year and it’s a veteran defensive line. Defensive tackle Gafa Faga is a solid player. He recorded three stops last week and graded out as the team’s best pass rusher from his nose tackle spot. The Spartans aren’t a dominant group in the trenches on defense, but it is an experienced group that can play well at times.
Edge – Texas **
SPECIAL TEAMS
SJSU kicker Denis Lynch got some preseason accolades after transferring in from USC, but went out and missed two field goals last week, basically costing his team the win. Punter Trent Carrizosa averaged 50 yards on five punts last week and had a 68-yarder, which is impressive, but Texas still gets the edge there.
Edge – Texas *
