Military Bowl 2012: Grading San Jose State and Bowling Green's Performances

For the first time in the five-year history of the Military Bowl, the game featured a ranked team.

The No. 24 San Jose State Spartans did not disappoint, knocking off Bowling Green 29-20, in a game Thursday that was sloppy throughout.

Neither team could do much running the football, but in the end the game came down to turnovers late.

It was definitely a very exciting bowl game, featuring some very talented players.

Here are grades for all of the positions on both sides of the ball from the Military Bowl.

David Fales, San Jose State: Overall Game Grade: A

Fales was as expected in this game and he kept his team composed throughout the game even when things were not looking too good.

He completed 33 of 43 passes for 395 yards with two touchdowns. While he did fumble when he was hit from the blind side, other than that, Foles was very impressive.

He proved why he is the most accurate passer in the country.

Matt Schilz, Bowling Green: Overall Game Grade: C

Schilz did not come into the game with near the hype of Fales, but was still highly regarded.

While he did not have an awful game, he did not do much to help his team win.

Schilz only completed 16 of 35 passes for 159 yards. It was certainly nothing to write home about.

San Jose State: Overall Game Grade: D

De'Leon Eskridge was not the only running back who struggled during the Military Bowl. He carried the rock 13 times for 32 yards but scored the final touchdown of the game.

As a team the Spartans only rushed minus-17 yards on 23 carries thanks to some awful reverse carries.

Not a good day running the football for San Jose State.

Bowling Green: Overall Game Grade: C

Even though Anthon Samuel is the starter, the man who stole the show was John Pettigrew.

Samuel carried the ball 17 times for 32 yards and a touchdown while Pettigrew rushed seven times for 59 yards and a score.

More rushes from Pettigrew might have led to a different result for the Falcons.

San Jose State: Overall Game Grade: B+

The San Jose State wide receivers were very impressive as the group always is. Even though there were a few drops, they did an excellent job getting open, particularly in the second half.

Noel Grigsby is the star of the group and he showed why, catching nine passes for 134 yards.

Fellow receiver Chandler Jones caught six passes for 73 yards and a score.

Bowling Green: Overall Game Grade: C

For most of the day, Bowling Green could not get a lot going on the offensive side of the ball.

The receiving corps was virtually nonexistent with the exception of freshman Chris Gallon. The big receiver caught seven passes for 73 yards.

Nobody else really did much to speak of.

San Jose State: Overall Game Grade: C

The Spartans have a very talented tight end in Ryan Otten. The senior caught over 40 passes on the season for over 700 yards.

He did not have his best game of the year on Thursday, catching only three passes for 36 yards.

Bowling Green: Overall Game Grade: D

Bowling Green does not typically get much from its tight end position and this game was no different.

Alex Bayer has less than 400 yards on the season and caught two balls for 12 yards in this one.

Not much production here.

San Jose State: Overall Game Grade: B

The San Jose State offensive line was solid for most of the game and gave Fales a lot of time to throw the ball, particularly in the second half.

Where the group struggled was in the running game.

The Bowling Green defensive front was able to get pressure throughout the game and held San Jose State to minus-23 yards rushing.

Bowling Green: Overall Game Grade: B

The Bowling Green offensive line did another solid job. Quarterback Matt Schilz had plenty of time to throw the football for most of the game.  

Similar to San Jose State, the run blocking left a lot to be desired. The Falcons were only able to rush for 101 yards on 30 carries.

Toward the end of the game, the San Jose State defense was able to put a little pressure on Schilz.

San Jose State: Overall Game Grade: B+

While they did not look good in the first half, the San Jose State defensive line got better as the game progressed.

Defensive end Travis Johnson started to wreak havoc on the offensive line toward the end of the game, culminating with a hit on Schilz that caused a fumble and sealed the victory for the Spartans.

The run defense up the middle was also solid throughout.

Bowling Green: Overall Game Grade: B+

The Bowling Green defensive line was no slouch either as the Falcons did a great job against the run.

San Jose State was held to minus-23 yards rushing on 17 carries. Those are some very impressive numbers for a group that helped its team hang in there until the end.

Tackle Chris Jones was excellent once again in stopping the run and proved why he is the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

San Jose State: Overall Game Grade B

The linebackers for San Jose State were better than expected. The group was able to help hold the rushing game intact. 

Bowling Green only managed 260 yards of total offense and that was due in large part to a linebacker group that did not miss tackles or assignments.

Bowling Green: Overall Game Grade: B-

Like San Jose State, the Bowling Green linebackers also did a solid job for the better part of the game.

They were a large part of a defense that virtually eliminated the rushing game of San Jose State.

One of the keys to Bowling Green staying in the game was the play of its linebacker group.

San Jose State: Overall Game Grade: A-

The secondary was a very busy group in this game for both teams. The group from San Jose State did not pick off any passes, but was outstanding all game long.

Bowling Green is not known for having a top-notch passing attack, but the Spartans did not allow them to get going.

They held the Falcons to only 159 yards through the air with no touchdowns, and Schilz completed less than half of his passes.

Bowling Green: Overall Game Grade: C

In the first half, it looked like the Bowling Green secondary would be able to hold its own for much of the game.

The second half was a different story however, as Fales picked them apart, passing for 395 yards on the day with two scores.

Still, that is not terrible against one of the best passing offenses in the nation.

San Jose State: Overall Game Grade: C

Both teams were very sloppy on special teams and, because of that, the grades virtually evened out.

In the first half, San Jose State punter Harrison Waid went down with an injury and kicker Austin Lopez was forced to assume the punting duties.

He had a punt blocked, but did connect on both of his field-goal attempts.

Bowling Green: Overall Game Grade: C

Similar to San Jose State, Bowling Green also had its fair share of struggles on special teams.

The Falcons had a punt blocked in the third quarter that resulted in a safety.

That proved to be the turning point of the game and moved things in the direction of the Spartans.

San Jose State: Overall Game Grade B+

After struggling to move the football in the first half, the San Jose State coaching staff made the necessary adjustments at halftime and did an excellent job in the second half.

Even without much of a coaching staff, the Spartans found a way to win the game without being able to run the football whatsoever.

Kent Baer did a great job moving from his defensive coordinator position to interim head coach.

Bowling Green: Overall Game Grade: C

Bowling Green head coach Dave Clawson had no answer for the San Jose State passing attack in the second half and could not find a way to move the football against an average San Jose State defense.

He did make some nice adjustments at halftime to open up some holes in the running game, but could have given the ball to running back John Pettigrew a few more times.

Not his best performance, but still a valiant effort against a more talented San Jose State team.

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