SAN JOSE – San Jose State has been eliminated from the Mountain West Conference race, but the Spartans can still influence who plays in the title game.
SJSU faces No. 23 UNLV and it’s go-go offense on Friday night at CEFCU Stadium, six days after No. 13 Boise State rolled into the South Bay and tightened its hold on first place in the Mountain West.
The Rebels (8-2, 4-1 MW) have the third-best record in the conference and are trying to leapfrog Colorado State in the conference standings. The Rams are 5-0 in conference play and will earn a spot in the MW title game with wins at Fresno State and at home against Utah State – or a Rebels loss to Spartans.
But the Spartans (6-4, 3-3 MW) will have their hands full against the Rebels. Only Boise State, which rallied for a 42-21 win over the Spartans, is averaging more points per game among Mountain West teams.
“It might be the best looking football team, physically, in our league,” SJSU coach Ken Niumatalolo said of UNLV. “They got a really good scheme, good players, good coaches and it makes it tough.”
This will be the first time San Jose State has played host to ranked opponents in consecutive weeks.
Niumatalolo called UNLV quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams elite, as well as praising offensive coordinator Brennan Marion and his go-go offense. The Rebels are averaging just under 40 points per game. Their only conference loss was 29-25 at home against Boise State.
UNLV wide receiver Casey Cain, left, and Ricky White III, right, celebrate a touchdown caught by White during an NCAA college football game against Utah State, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024 in Logan, Utah. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)
“They give you all these nuances with their backs and they can do a plethora of things out of it,” Niumatalolo said. “They got a lot of zone schemes that they run.”
Niumatalolo said the uniqueness of the system starts with the combination of different formations
“In coaching you try to get tendencies and try to see okay how many times have they run this,” Niumatalolo said. “They have a lot of one-offs in what they do offensively and it’s kind of amazing. How do they practice all that?”
But Niumatalolo said it’s not just a gimmick offense, the Rebels are also a physically imposing team when they run the ball.
Spartans defensive back DJ Harvey has some experience lining up across from this offense, facing it last season in their final regular season game.
His keys to defending the go-go offense include always knowing where the back is set and where the receivers line up.
“It’s very unique, it gets defense’s eyes messed up and they get a lot of one-on-one matchups,” Harvey said.
UNLV will try to get wide receiver Ricky White III the ball as much as they can according to Harvey and he invites the challenge of guarding White.
“I’m looking forward to that match up one-on-one and the one-on-one opportunities I get, I just gotta win,” Harvey said.
San Jose State defensive back DJ Harvey (2) intercepts a pass intended for Washington State wide receiver Kris Hutson (1) during overtime in an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, in Pullman, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)
Harvey comes into any matchup against a talented wide receiver with confidence after practicing against one every week.
That would be the 2024 Fred Biletnikoff Semifinalist Nick Nash, who leads the country in receptions (95), receptions per game (9.5), receiving touchdowns (14), receiving yards (1,282) and receiving yards per game (128.2).
“I have a receiver I go against, that has 1,000 yards, everyday,” Harvey said. “Nash gets me prepared week in and week out to go against a tall receiver like that.”
Nash this week was announced as a semifinalist for the award given to the top receiver in the country.
“I had high expectations for this year. I definitely surpassed some of the expectations I had, even for myself,” Nash said. “It’s always nice to do better than what you thought you could.”
San Jose State’s head coach Ken Niumatalolo walks along the sideline during a game against Sacramento State in the third quarter at CEFCU Stadium in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, August 29, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Niumatalolo said it was exciting to see Nash perform well against Boise State, who he called one of the best defenses in the country.
“They know exactly who he is, they’re trying to create game plans to stop him and he just keeps going,” Niumatalolo said. “He keeps amazing with the type of catches that he comes down with.”
Last week, Justin Lockhart was the leading wide receiver for SJSU with 10 receptions for 172 yards and one touchdown.
Nash said when he sees a deep ball not going to him, he knows Lockhart is coming down with it.
“We call those 50/50 balls but for him it’s more like 70/30 because he’s coming down with all those,” Nash said.
Lockhart said he has enjoyed being in a new offense this season. He’s 13th in receiving yards in FBS and second in the Mountain West with 925 yards, only behind his teammate Nash in the conference.
“It’s definitely been better than past offenses, you get more chances to get deep balls,” Lockhart said.
He also said Nash has been a big help in breaking down film and identifying coverages.
“They both help each other,” Niumatalolo said of the duo. “Who are you going to double?”
Niumatalolo said when he first got here, Lockhart and him did not see eye-to-eye.
“Some of my messages early on maybe didn’t fit his personality,” Niumatalolo said. “But he’s bought in and he’s had an amazing year.”
Quarterback Walker Eget will be making his fifth consecutive start for the Spartans this season. Eget has thrown for 1,758 and six touchdowns throughout his playing time.
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“He’s processing things a lot quicker,” Niumatalolo said of Eget. “The one thing that he’s got to continue to work on, which he recognizes, is sometimes just slow down on some things.”
Niumatalolo has continually called quarterback the most important position in football and knows there’s a lot of weight on Eget’s shoulders.
“He took responsibility for the loss last week, which wasn’t all his fault,” Niumatalolo said. “He hasn’t run away from that duty or from that responsibility.”
Niumatalolo said the Spartans will have their hands full this week against the Rebels, even though both teams are on a short week.
“I’ve played a lot of Friday night games over my career,” Niumatalolo said. “The key is, who’s gonna be the fresher team and that’s been our emphasis.”