Jon Wilner on college football: San Jose State has made significant progress
Originally posted by the San Jose Mercury News Sept. 30, 2011.
By Jon Wilner
For the first time in longer than anyone associated with the program cares to remember, San Jose State looks like a legitimate major college football team.
After injuries, NCAA-mandated scholarship reductions, second-rate talent and brutal schedules resulted in a two-year record of 1-21 against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents, the Spartans have made significant progress this season.
They aren’t good. They may not even be mediocre. But clearly, they’re functional.
Three areas stand out as SJSU (1-3) visits Colorado State on Saturday:
The running game.
Inept for years, the Spartans have averaged 190 yards per game over the past three games — the success rooted in a veteran offensive line, blossoming tailback (senior Brandon Rutley) and blocking support from the tight ends.
There also is a strong commitment to the run game. Second-year coach Mike MacIntyre has Southeastern Conference football in his blood, and the SEC is all about running between the tackles.
The play-calling.
Offensive coordinator John DeFilippo sees the field well, makes effective use of misdirection and plays to the strengths of senior quarterback Matt Faulkner.
With input from the staff, including MacIntyre and Gary Bernardi, the savvy offensive line coach, DeFilippo’s play-calling is neither predictable nor conservative.
The defensive line.
Led by end Mohamed Marah, who’s healthy after missing most of two seasons with shoulder problems, the Spartans have turned a long-standing weakness into a strength.
They’re 10 deep up front, quick off the ball and relentless. Redshirt freshman Travis Raciti has the makings of an all-conference tackle, while ends Sean Bacon and Vincent Abbott have chaos-causing speed off the edge.
“They play extremely hard,” MacIntyre said. “(Because of the depth) they don’t have to pace themselves.”
That said, let’s keep SJSU’s progress in perspective. The Spartans have miles to go before challenging for a bowl bid or the conference title.
But they’re also miles ahead of where they’ve been.
For more on college sports, see Jon Wilner’s College Hotline at blogs.mercurynews.com/collegesports. Contact him at jwilner@mercurynews.com or 408-920-5716.