San Jose State Football

Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer)

Replace nine starters on defense? No problem.

Heisman trophy winner on the bench on offense? No problem.

Freshmen special teams specialists all freshmen? No problem.

The Crimson Tide never missed a stride from their winning ways of last season and, except for a couple of good running plays on their first possession and one 40-plus yard reception by San Jose State at about the five-minute mark in the second quarter, it was a first half to remember and one that may help ease the fears of Alabama fans as to team's outlook for this year.

Everything that Alabama fans wanted to see pretty much happened in that first half. Lots of backups were played and they were just as impressive as the starters in most cases.

A.J. McCarron showed everyone why Star Jackson felt the need the leave as backup quarterback as he engineered a winning scoring drive based on two great throws.

All the special teamers did an outstanding job. The punter nailed two great boots and both the short and long range place kickers were perfect in their duties.

Trent Richardson showed that he's only a second team player on this team alone and Julio Jones had more that one highlight moment in just the first half alone.

Josh Chapman stuffed the middle and no one missed Mt. Cody. Dont'a Hightower was calling the defense and directing traffic like an old pro and several hard licks were laid by a defense that didn't appear in rebuilding mode at all.

But for Nick Saban, all he could see were the problems.

Eddie Lacy's fumble on the goal line that could have made the halftime score 38-3 instead of 31-3 didn't make him happy at all. It cost Lacy playing time as Saban fumed.

That fumble, the missed tackles on the running plays and the blown coverage on that single long San Jose reception made up the bulk of Saban's comments as he left the field at halftime.

To see the look and his face and the fire in his voice, you'd think the Tide was behind and not leading 31-3.

And though the Tide would take their foot off the gas in the second half, the game was already over by halftime.

The second half saw the offense go to many subs and Eddie Lacy may have climbed out of the doghouse with his over 100-yard total effort.

The defense settled down and allowed no more scoring and many subs on defense saw valuable playing time.

With the 48-3 final, the Tide more than covered the spread and in a more important thing, exceeded expectations.

The Tide was indeed in stride.

San Jose won't answer all the questions about the 2010 version of the Crimson Tide, but here are 10 things fans can look for:

No. 10: Can Kerry Murphy help fill the hole left by Mount Cody?

Mount Cody proved to be a valuable weapon against the run game for the last two years.  Josh Chapman is back, and he is a solid player, but Alabama needs more than one man to replace Cody.  Can Kerry Murphy be that man?   Murphy saw only limited action last year, but in his few snaps he showed some spark.

No. 9: Are San Jose receivers open in the Alabama secondary?  

It’s unlikely San Jose State can hold back the Alabama pass rush long enough to mount an effective passing game.  One may want to observe the number of receivers running loose, however.  If it’s a common sight, 'Bama fans may want to stock up on Maalox when the Tide travels to Arkansas. 

Fans might want to keep an eye toward the sideline as well; Nick Saban takes secondary mistakes most personally.

No. 8: Is Marcel Dareus in the game?

Hopefully this question will be answered, and in a good way, before game day.  If he has not been cleared to play by Saturday, Dareus may not be available for awhile.  The loss could be significant.  Dareus is so good, opposing coaches have to game plan against him.  No one else on the defensive line warrants such attention yet.

No. 7: Is Julio Jones ready to break free of his sophomore slump?

Slump may not be an appropriate descriptor for Julio's play last year,  but we—and by “we”  I mean everyone with eyes—know that Julio Jones has not reached his vast potential yet.   If Jones can do so this year, coupled with Alabama’s established running game, the Crimson Tide could field its most powerful offense since the Bryant era.

No. 6: Will any of the young receivers make it onto the field?

Alabama has been looking for a deep threat burner for awhile.  If we see any of the younger receivers early, it may indicate they may have found one.   If no true freshman makes it on the field, Alabama fans may have to wait for the younger players to mature.

No. 5: Does Greg McElroy get sacked more than once?    

Any team can get one sack, but if San Jose gets two or more, the offensive line may need work.   Alabama has a backup plan for right tackle D.J. Fluker in particular if he gets into trouble with speed rushers. Left guard Barrett Jones can slide over to tackle, and backup guard Alfred McCullough can come in at guard.  If we see this formation early, we might see it exclusively going forward.

No. 4: Who is the better back, Eddie Lacy or Demetrius Goode?

These two guys have been battling for the third spot in the running-back rotation, and both may get a shot at San Jose State.   Lacy in particular has been a bit of an Internet legend, but it's time to find out if there’s fire to go with the smoke.

No. 3 Can A.J. McCarron translate practice to a game?

McCarron should finally make his long-awaited debut for the Crimson Tide against San Jose State.  He’s a demon on the practice field, but how’s he going to do with live rushers coming at him?  This week may give Tide fans a glimpse of the future.

No. 2: Who makes the big plays at linebacker?

Alabama has two established starters,  Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw.   After that, Jarrell Harris, Chavis Williams, Chris Jordan, and Nico Johnson all have some playing experience and have been in a war all fall for playing time.  The staff may not know who the long-term starters should be.  There is one final litmus test to apply,  game action.

No matter how closely you mimic game situations, there are always players who just make plays when the cameras are rolling.  In Hollywood, it's called “star power," in football, it’s called “playmakers.”

No. 1: Does San Jose State look physically beaten when they leave Bryant-Denny Stadium?

Probably the most important question to answer.  Last year, Alabama physically brutalized opponents. If San Jose State does not look a bit tattered leaving Bryant Denny Stadium, it could be a sign that this Alabama team does not have the same killer instinct that led the 2009 squad to legendary status. 

Even though the college football season is over, it doesn't mean there's a shortage of things going on around the country.

Already we've seen Pete Carroll leave USC to return to the NFL as the new head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, taking with him linebacker coach Ken Norton Jr and New Mexico State head coach DeWayne Walker.

Yesterday, news broke that USC had replaced Carroll with Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin, who only spent one season in Rocky Top. But Kiffin wasn't the biggest hiring news for USC. That spotlight was put on Norm Chow after he finalized a deal to return to the Trojans as the offensive coordinator, a spot he had once held under Pete Carroll before moving on to the Tennessee Titans and then cross town PAC-10 rival UCLA.

News from both coaching moves have led to recruits de-committing from the verbal commits they had given their respective school. One of those was linebacker A.J. Jefferson, who had verbally committed to Tennessee.

Not only are these big schools making waves, but the WAC made headlines this week as they stole an up and coming California prospect from the Big Ten.

Ja'Rodd Watson  had not only received offers from WAC schools Nevada and San Jose State but also Conference USA's Central Florida.

Then, Watson received his biggest offer to date when the University of Illinois came calling and offered the 6'2" 275 lbs defensive tackle from Grossmont C.C.

Almost a month later, Watson took an official visit to the campus of San Jose State and made a move that shocked everyone. Watson liked the Spartan coaching staff so much that he signed a letter of intent .

This could be the biggest recruiting win for the Western Athletic Conference since wide receiver Matt Miller, who had received offers from BCS schools Arkansas and North Carolina, verbally committed to Boise State in December.

In the wake of last night's 62-7 drubbing--or shall we say, latest drubbing--at the hands of Nevada, San Jose State football has reached a crisis point.

It's now easily the worst team in the WAC. Quite possibly, it's the worst team in the nation. Unquestionably, their appears to be no turnaround in the near future.

In regards to Head Coach Dick Tomey, current president of the American Football Coaches' Association and one of the winningest active coaches in the game today, San Jose State seems to be right back where they were when he took over in 2004.

Back to square one.

When Tomey took over, the program was in a shambles.

Wins were rare. Crowds were scarce. Classroom attendance and performance was abysmal, leading the NCAA sanctions that cost the team valuable scholarships throughout Tomey's tenure.

There was even a movement on campus by a minority of students and faculty demanding that the football team be put on ice for good, therefore diverting the funds allocated to the suffering and costly program to academic matters.

Tomey, the coach who had once led Hawaii out of the national cellar and moved on to bring the University of Arizona to national prominence, rode into San Jose as the proverbial "knight in shining armor," giving the program its only shred of credibility and within three years it's first bowl appearance in 20.

And five years later, the program is right back where it was when he arrived.

Coming into the 2009 season, he spoke of how the team had its greatest depth and most talent since he took over. More so, he promoted the great academic strides the Spartan players have made in the last five seasons.

He also spoke of the rugged three-game start to the season--a home contest against Utah sandwiched between away games against USC and Stanford--as a positive challenge that would motivate his players.

By now, it's clear that opening stretch has ruined the season for the Spartans, whose lone victory has come against FCS-Cal Poly in a rather competitive game.

Basically, every reason Tomey cited for Spartan fans and alumni--who have suffered through a mostly miserable 20-plus year stretch--to look foward to the season, has been empty promises and naivley wishful thinking.

It would be easy to cite Tomey's 2007 bowl victory and the players that have moved on to the NFL from the SJSU program as examples of his success in San Jose, but those supposed accomplishments are misleading.

The 2007 New Mexico Bowl was won mostly with previous coach Fitz Hill's players. The likes of quarterback Adam Trafalis, linebacker Matt Castelo, and NFL draftees John Brussard and James Jones were all in the program before Tomey arrived.

Now in 2009, he can take credit for the majority of the roster, one that's lucky to be sitting at 1-7 right now and one that appears to have given up on their season--and their coach.

And what do they have to look foward to next year? Road trips to Alabama, Utah and Wisconsin to kick things off.

Whether or not it was Tomey's idea to play the body bag games and bury his team to start two straight seasons, he has signed off on it. And his once seemingly solid recruiting ability is only looking worse and worse with each class.

And on the heels of last night's embarrasment at the hands of the Wolfpack, one thing is clear: While Tomey may have saved the program from extinction, he can't sustain the life he has given it.

An easy question to ask would be "Who better than Tomey is out there and willing to take the job?"

A more appropriate question may be, "How can the performance get any worse?"

Saturday night at Spartan Stadium, a swapping of WAC stature took place during the Idaho Vandals' 29-25 defeat of San Jose State.

Once the doormat of the WAC and arguably the worst team in the FBS the last few seasons, the Vandals served notice that they are no longer a penciled-in victory for San Jose State or the rest of the WAC, and quite possibly replaced the Spartans as the conference's rising program.

As for Dick Tomey's squad, they may be headed back to the cellar of the WAC that they for so long occupied prior to his arrival in San Jose.

For myself, it wound up being only the second home game in the last four years that I missed, and despite my alma mater taking the crushing defeat in the final seconds, it may prove to be the most exciting game played at Spartan Stadium this season. And true to Spartan form, this home game, like some other barn-burners against the likes of Boise State and Hawaii, teased the home fans with a great show but still wound up in a SJSU loss.

The main reason for my absence, outside of needing to stay home and tend to some family matters, was my former college roomate and fellow Spartan die-hard, Geoff, was out of town for a 30th birthday trip arranged by his girlfriend (she hasn't learned yet to check the SJSU schedule ahead of time).

So I stayed home, cosied up to the laptop and followed the action via espn360.com. I kept Geoff updated via text message, and the banter that followed wound up being a discussion and analysis of some of the obstacles and self-imposed problems plaguing this team during what has turned out to be a woeful season.

Nothing short of a miraculous turn around, which would include a few stunning upsets, can save this season and bring a level of success even close to what Tomey was touting prior to the season.

Rather than just drone on about it, the written phone conversation between Geoff and I Saturday night can spell it out in succinct fashion (samples provided, the entire thing would be hell on the B/R editors):

5:17PM (From Me)

Brandon Rutley is back, already has a good run on first play from scrimmage

5:20Pm (From Geoff)

Rutley needs to stay healthy

Brandon Rutley is a sophomore running back that was a pleasant surprise last year, and with his combination of speed and moves he could develop into a cornerstone of the Spartans' offense. But like every good Spartan player it seems lately, the injury bug had struck with Rutley. He missed a few previous games.

5:22PM (From Me)

SJSU forced a punt to start the game, then promptly marched downfield. La Secla looked good, they spread the ball between Rutley, Muldrow, Avery, Jurovich and then Harrison...err, I mean, Le Blanc Jr.

This was a summary of the first San Jose State drive, which was easily the most impressive of the season. For once, the defense looked as advertised, stopping the Vandals right away and forcing the punt.

Rutley and JC-transfer RB Lamon Muldrow has some nice runs, receivers Marquis Avery and Kevin Jurovich made some nice downfield grabs, and sophomore wideout Josh Harrison scored on a nifty pass from emerging Spartan QB Jordan La Secla. There was no reason to think the Spartans weren't settling in on a competent if not successful night of football following this drive.

The "Le Blanc Jr" reference is to former Spartan wideout Casey Le Blanc from the late 90s-early 2000s, who wore the same number, had the same build, and was also a super-fast short white dude, like Harrison.

5:24PM (From Geoff)

I hope they can solidify their place in the WAC with a big win tonight. Surprisingly, this would be a big conference win.

5:28PM (From Me)

Nevada crushed LA Tech last night so they might not be as advertised. A shot at third or fourth in the WAC could be at stake tonight.

Basically, we're not delusional like many other college football fans. We know our place, or more importantly, the place of our team. A third place finish in the WAC would mean a bowl birth, and the fourth place team could sneak into an at-large bid. Having only one bowl birth in the last 20 or so years, it's a big deal in Sparta just to make the post season. With Nevada dropping Louisiana Tech like a bad habit, the winner of this game had a head start on post-season contention.

5:34 (From Me)

Idaho just tried a little wildcat with 2nd and goal and the motion guy ran right into the RB taking the snap and knocked him down. They settled for a field goal.

The Spartan defense seemed to be in bend-but-not-break mode, and I was content to watch Idaho kick field goals all night given the way our offense had stormed down the field in their first possession. I was also hoping the Vandals would keep up with the sloppy play, but as I would find out, their head coach, Robb Akey, wasn't about to let that happen.

5:40 (From Me)

Idaho apparently forgot how Jurovich shredded them last time they were here. He's open all day.

Another good sign, and Jurovich was so wide open that the announcers on the Idaho broadcast (which I was stuck with) were baffled at how open SJSU's top playmaker was to start the game.

5:41 (From Me)

La Secla opened with Eight straight completions, but they just punted. Downed at the two.

Having to punt wasn't great, but the composure of the Spartans' junior quarterback was, not to mention special teams appeared to be on point.

5:47 (From Me)

Our defense looks like sh*t. No pressure, they are running and passing at will between the 10s.

The start of a frustrating trend. SJSU's defense is supposed to be the Silicon Valley version of Tomey's old "Desert Swarm," yet this season they have been anything but. And Idaho was starting to really expose it.

5:50PM (From Me)

Just held them on third, but Duke Ihenacho just went hands to the face on the QB for a 15-yard penalty. Ball on the 20.

Great, so not only is the defense already starting to cave, they left their composure in the locker room...

5:57PM (From Me)

Touchdown Vandals, extra point blocked.

Idaho plowed their way through the SJSU defense en route to an early lead.

5:57PM (From Geoff)

Romantic dinner time, so I can't write back, but please keep the updates coming.

So I'm on my own. But who am I kidding, if he was even able to check the phone during the romantic dinner and follow the game that's pretty impressive. Later on I would text him that Idaho was marching up and down the field. And I was starting to get used to it.

Fortunately, I was able to inform Geoff that the Vandals had fumbled into the endzone, and San Jose State recovered. So while the defense was starting to cave, the offense was holding their own, and the lucky breaks seemed to be coming our way...SEEMED to be.

I was able to send him this gem at 6:22:

La Secla with a sweet td run from the 10. Started the drive with a sick run as well. They marched with help from some penalties. Play calling is really coming together and La Secla is running the hurry-up offense really well.

At this point, I was not only feeling upbeat about our new starting QB, but the fact that he's a junior. Plus, new offensive coordinator Terry Malley seemed to finally have his crew in synch.

After a Peyton Thompson interception that put the Spartans at mid-field, I had to break this to him:

6:33PM

Had a completion inside the 10 with 20 seconds, but they called Avery with PI for having the nerve to block downfield. Pushed them back to the 40.

The refs flat out screwed the Spartans here. Even the Vandals game crew (which I found to be quite fair and honest) said Idaho got a break with this bogus call, which led to...

6:35PM

La Secla just made his first bad pass of the half. Idaho picks it off, takes it to field goal range. 52-yard fg as time expires, 14-12 Spartans at half. We get the ball.

Looking back, the PI call on Avery really came back to haunt the Spartans. Rather than kicking a field goal themselves, they were backed up and forced to air it out, leading to a six-point swing that would prove to be the difference.

Beginning with the third quarter, when Idaho came out of the half on fire and proceeded to slap the Spartans up and down their home turf, the texts slowed down and took a more dejected tone.

It was an all-too familiar scene: San Jose State plays a tight first half and, for the most part, produces some quality football--only to come out of halftime deflated and get pounced on by the other team. But normally, it's Ohio State, Stanford, Utah, Boise State, USC even, pouncing on the Spartans. Not IDAHO...

In fact, the most notable text of the third quarter was short, yet spoke volumes:

6:58PM

They just showed Tomey on the sideline looking like he's well past his bed time. And I thought he was on Hawaii time...?

Look, don't get me wrong, Dick Tomey is a phenomenal college football coach who is best known for getting maximum results out of talent-challenged teams. He's the savior of our program, and lends it about its only shred of credibility.

But he's into his 70s, and given the 1-4 start to this season, I can't help but think the New Mexico Bowl in 2006 was his peak as a Spartan. They've regressed. And I'm starting to pay attention to some of the sentiment out there within Sparta that Tomey is more interested in combing the sandy beaches of Hawaii during recruiting season than chasing down recruits.

Later on I would fill him in on how the Idaho announcers were constantly "jocking" their offensive line, when they should have been criticizing SJSU's defensive line for their impotent play. One thing I did agree with the Vandal crew on was them ripping Spartan receiver Jalal Beauchmann for a series of dropped passes, something I've become used to seeing. When the ball flies his way, I tend to really hold my breath.

The fourth quarter started to pick up, but not before I informed Geoff that the three-star QB recruit from San Jose that had committed to the Spartans last fall, then de-committed and followed their offensive coordinator to Wyoming, lit it up for the Cowboys that day. Beautiful...

But the fourth quarter saw the score tied up at 22 following a sweet La Secla to Avery hookup for a touchdown. The topper was Beauchmann catching the two-pt conversion to knot it up at 22. Unfortunately, him making important catches would not become a trend...

8:01PM

Idaho was marching but our boy Tanner Burns picked one off and took it back to their territory. They are in a position to start running away with the game if they can score a TD.

Man, even as I wrote it I worried that I was jinxing the Spartans. Did I ever. Burns, the son of defensive coordinator Keith Burns and one of our favorite emerging Spartans, snagged a pass from Idaho QB Nathan Enderle, one of his three picks on the day. Being that they had just kicked a field goal to move ahead 25-22, SJSU was in full control. All they needed was to score another TD, and the game might well of been out of reach right then. But...

8:03PM

Idaho holds, Spartans fail to convert on fourth and 12. Idaho ball on the 35. Beauchmann dropped the fourth down pass by the way.

And thus, just two minutes after SJSU took the ball away from Idaho, I was unknowingly filling Geoff in on the beginning of the end. The Vandals promptly marched downfield, running the ball on all but one play (with their backup quarterback in the game no less) and basically punked the Spartans on their way to a score with just 1:10 left on the clock.

The San Jose State identity under Dick Tomey—the staunch defense that has made it a competitive team over the last four seasons and produced three NFL draft picks just last season—seemed to disappear right before the eyes of Sparta in this game.

And thus, the updates culminated in this:

8:13PM

La Secla throws a duck up, its picked off. The offense was otherwise real good, this one falls on the defense IMO.

Never expected to be saying that about San Jose State, but it was the easiest conclusion to come to.

The Spartan defense, which to its credit has been struck by injuries, played sloppy, inept, undisciplined football. And for a team that was supposed to be relying on its defense this season while the new offensive coordinator tried to bring his unit up to speed, it has spelled disaster.

Credit should be given to Idaho and Coach Akey. The turnaround he has made this season, especially given the peril the program was in when Dennis Erickson bolted for Arizona State three years ago, has been remarkable.

The Vandals have now beaten San Jose State, Colorado State, and Northern Illinois—all on the road—en route to a 5-1 record. No big deal to a BCS conference program, but a major accomplishment for a team that could mostly only beat FCS schools in recent years.

San Jose State, on the other hand, appears to be headed in the opposite direction of the Vandals. Brutal out-of-conference schedule aside, the Spartan barely handled FCS Cal Poly for three quarters at home two weeks ago and let a team it has regularly dominated march into their stadium and steal a victory that was nearly locked up.

Sure, the Spartans have a promising quarterback on their hands, to go with some promising running backs in an offense now being run by the most competent offensive coach San Jose State has had since Dave Baldwin was at the helm.

But what good is an improved offense when it now has to pick up the slack of a sagging defense?

As for the game texts, they ended in almost the same depressing fashion as the game itself:

10:44PM (From Geoff)

I think they needed to win today just to assure 4 wins. They could (bleeping) lose to Utah State this year if they try hard enough

No offense Aggie fans, we know your team has made some improvements too. And that's even more reason for pessimism in San Jose this season.

After an 0-3 start to the season that has included two crushing defeats at the hands of Pac-10 programs, there may have never been a better time for San Jose State to be hosting an FCS opponent.

But as the Spartans prepare to face Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo this Saturday, there are legitimate concerns about how they'll handle their latest challenge, given the demoralizing start to 2009. Having sandwiched a potential upset of then-No. 17 Utah between two blowouts at the hands of USC and Stanford, rising to the occasion could be extra hard on a team that has cultivated zero momentum thus far.

Can Head Coach Dick Tomey rally his squad to the start of a winning streak, or has the treacherous out-of-conference schedule laid waste to the rest of the season?

We can can give credit to Tomey and the Spartans for having the stones to take the field against such formidable opponents--but should that credit be positive? On paper prior to the start of the season, San Jose State appeared under-manned and outclassed in its first three games—and it turns out the paper didn't lie.

It's a questionable scheduling strategy on the part of Tomey and Athletic Director Tom Bowen, one that is in part based on financial need, and also supposedly aimed at gaining exposure for the program.

It's already a harsh reality for mid-major programs that so-called "body-bag games" are necessary to raise money. USC served that purpose this season, and a trip to Alabama in 2010 is reported to be worth close to $1 million for the Spartans. Throw in the current financial despair of California's public universities, and it makes sense that schools like SJSU would throw themselves to the wolves once a season.

But scheduling two BCS bowl winners in a row, to start the year, is almost a death wish.

Granted, schedules are made several years in advance, but USC and Utah have been leaps and bounds ahead of San Jose State in terms of talent and success for years now. To force the out-manned Spartans to face these teams two weeks in a row, with no prior warm up, has left them in a hole from which they may not be able to dig themselves out.

The many reasons why San Jose State shouldn't be stacking its OOC schedule begin with the overall situation Tomey inherited when he took over the program in 2004.

Under the previous regime of Head Coach Fitz Hill and Athletic Director Chuck Bell, the Spartans' football program was in shambles. The team was falling miserably short of the NCAA's attendance requirements, and graduation rates and overall players' academic performances were sub par as well. The performance on the field was painfully similar to the team's classroom performances.

Tomey was practically a knight in shining armor when he accepted the challenge of revitalizing San Jose State's program. The fourth winningest active coach behind Joe Paterno, Bobby Bowden and Mack Brown, his mere presence brought instant credibility to a team that was on the brink of being folded.

But much like his 2009 squad, Tomey started his tenure with a hole he had to dig himself out of. The academic failures of the program prior to his arrival left the team short on scholarships, thanks to NCAA sanctions.

Because the NCAA evaluates teams based on academic progress rates (APRs) that are computed over the course of four years, Tomey's first five seasons have been marred by NCAA disciplinary actions relating to players he didn't bring to San Jose State.

The team is just now beginning to recover, and according to website Inside Sparta, the Spartans' scholarship count this season is up to 75—ten below the maximum allowed under zero restrictions—and the team is on pace to regain the maximum within two years.

Long story short: San Jose State has been severely undermanned the last five years, and by Tomey's own admissions, have had to field players too young, too soon. In fact, his rationale for being able to face teams like USC and Utah this season has been his declaration that the 2009 Spartans have the most depth and talent of any team he has coached in San Jose.

Clearly, he has overestimated his squad.

The fallout could reach far beyond wins and losses, injuries, and a sunken team morale.

San Jose State has been at a recruiting disadvantage for years, and if they continue to play the role of punching bag to college football's elite, that likely won't change.

Another reason for San Jose State's trip to USC was supposedly the exposure to Southern California recruits. Could that loss have done more harm than good for recruiting efforts?

It goes without saying that recruits want to play for winning teams, be it in a BCS conference or not, an FBS program or not. Having the balls to get their teeth kicked in by USC likely isn't swaying any recruits in their direction.

Prior to Tomey's arrival, recruiting played a crucial role in the team's sub par performance. Under his leadership, San Jose State has managed to improve recruiting in the high school ranks, land three and four-star juco recruits and lure some heralded transfers from Pac-10 programs such as USC, Cal and Oregon State.

But when did he land his best recruiting class?

In the 2007 offseason, following the 2006 season in which San Jose State won the New Mexico Bowl after a 16-year post-season drought, Tomey landed probably his deepest class. Nine current starters or regular contributors to this year's team were signed that offseason, including 2008 All-WAC safety Duke Ihenacho and promising running back Brandon Rutley.

Also inked in 2007 was four-star wide out David Richmond, who was a two-year starter for San Jose State after choosing the Spartans over, among other schools, Oregon. Perhaps the most surprising acquisitions that offseason were transfers Kyle Reed, Jeff Schweiger and Coye Francies.

Reed was a four-star quarterback out of high school who transferred from Cal after being dropped on their depth chart. Schweiger was a five-star defensive end in high school who transferred from USC after injuries and personal issues dropped him out of their starting lineup. Legal troubles had gotten Francies kicked off Oregon State's team, but his resurgence in junior college earned him another chance with the Spartans.

Francies is currently in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns, and while Schweiger had a mediocre senior season in 2008 and Reed hasn't been able to secure the starting job for the Spartans, there is still a great significance to their transfers: three players that would have never considered San Jose State in the past suited up for them under Tomey.

And who did San Jose State's OOC schedule consist of that year? Washington, a terrible Stanford squad under Walt Harris, Cal Poly and bottom-feeder San Diego State.

Fast forward to the 2009 offseason, following a year in which the Spartans were pummeled outside of WAC play by Nebraska and Stanford en route to a 6-6 finish and no bowl birth, and recruiting isn't quite as rosy.

No big time transfers. No higher than a three-star recruit (based on Scout's ratings). Their highest-profile commit, quarterback Austyn Cart-Samuels of San Jose's Bellarmine College Preparatory, turned on the Spartans and followed former offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo to, of all places, Wyoming.

Obviously, recruits were more impressed by the 9-4 record and bowl victory in 2006 than by the high profile opponents the Spartans played the following two years.

Recruiting didn't take a real sharp decline after going 11-13 the last two seasons, but the momentum gained after the New Mexico Bowl has evaporated. Most recruits and the rest of the college football audience seem to regard San Jose State as the same mere afterthought they were for most of the last 20 years.

If the Spartans' brass thought the Fresno State model of "anyone, anywhere, anytime" was the right path to follow, they were mistaken.

Despite having earned a lot of respect throughout college football, Pat Hill's Bulldogs have yet to crash the BCS and haven't won an outright WAC title since Boise State joined the conference. By the time Fresno State gets to conference play, they are usually too battered from their stiff OOC schedule to contend for a title.

Meanwhile, WAC kingpin Boise State has laid out the blue print for mid-major success clear as day.

Schedule one powerful opponent (in 2009, Oregon) that you're familiar with, and a few lower-end BCS conference programs or other teams from mid-major conferences.

Even when Boise State doesn't go undefeated or, as in last year, have a schedule the computers deem good enough for a BCS birth, they still enter WAC play healthy, fresh, and confident. BCS bowl or not, a WAC title nets them a top-25 finish, and leads to strong recruiting classes.

In fact, in recent years it has become common for Boise State to lure recruits away from Pac-10 programs, especially in the talent-rich California regions.

So while the body-bag games, for the time being, are inevitable, it's clear that the Spartans need to think in terms of moderation.

One or two losses to major programs are affordable. Three straight shellackings to start a season may be insurmountable.

Because for all the positive spins Tomey and his staff can put on a 56-3 loss to Southern Cal, the results in terms of team morale and recruiting could send this team on a tailspin right back to where it was when he arrived.

And having been resurrected from its death bed once before, San Jose State can't afford to run circles through the past.

Heading into Week Three of the college football season, San Jose State's schedule eases up—ever so slightly.

For the first time in 2009, the Spartans won't be facing a team that won a BCS bowl game last season, but it's a small consolation considering they'll be on the road against a Stanford squad that has dominated them two years in a row.

As early as it is in the year, this could be a make or break game for Head Coach Dick Tomey and San Jose State. Week One featured a crushing, demoralizing defeat at the hands of USC; Week Two saw the Spartans threaten to hand Utah its first defeat since 2007, only to let it slip away late in the game.

If Week Three turns out anything like the last two times San Jose State played Stanford, a Week Four victory against FCS Cal Poly could come into question.

Coming off a 2006 season in which they were 9-4 and won their first bowl game in nearly 20 years, the Spartans were confident going into their 2007 game against the Cardinal.

They had overcome a 20-point deficit to beat Stanford 35-34 early the previous season, a game that in large part got the momentum rolling for the team's success in '06.

The Cardinal squashed that confidence in quick fashion, manhandling the Spartans 37-0 in a game that, similar to the year before, set the tone for San Jose State's mediocre 5-7 season.

Next season's matchup didn't turn out much better, as the Spartans remained close for much of the game before Stanford's pass rush, and single-season rushing leader Toby Gerhart, took over in the second half on the way to a decisive 23-10 victory.

For San Jose State to have a chance in this game, they'll need to not only overcome two straight disappointing losses to start '09, but also two straight losses to their South Bay rivals, in which Stanford established a measure of dominance over the Spartans.

The keys to a San Jose State victory are rather simple—on paper. The execution could be the tough part against a Cardinal squad that has improved leaps and bounds since Jim Harbaugh took over.

Key No. 1: Establish an Offensive Rhythm, Ball Control

The Spartans made some noticeable offensive improvements from Week One to Week Two, though the drop off from USC to Utah may have been the difference. While they had no offensive consistency to speak, San Jose State finally started to move the ball last week.

Unlike the game against USC, in which quarterbacks Kyle Reed and Jordan La Secla split playing time evenly, Tomey chose to go with the hot hand in La Secla against the Utes.

The junior finished 21-33 for 242 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, in probably the most respectable passing game a Spartan quarterback has had since Adam Trafalis graduated in 2007.

Tomey has named La Secla the starter for Week Three, and indicated there will not be a sharing of reps. This could be the right step toward establishing some much-needed consistency in the Spartans' re-tooled offense.

La Secla preformed well in the short and intermediate passing game against Utah, and receivers Kevin Jurovich (seven catches, 113 yards) and Marquis Avery (seven catches, 85 yards) made for great targets.

A heavy dose of Avery and Jurovich, and an improving running game with a rotation of the Spartans' serviceable backs, could provide the ball control the defense will need to keep up with Stanford's offense. Protection up front will be vital, as the Cardinal pass rush got to Reed eight times last year.

Key No. 2: Get to Stanford's Freshman Quarterback

Stanford has one of the most promising young passers in the Pac-10, if not all of college football, in redshirt freshman Andrew Luck. So does USC with Matt Barkley, whom the Spartans managed to frustrate for much of the first half in Week One.

If San Jose State's defense can play the way they did the first half against USC for an entire game against Stanford, they'll be in a position to win down the stretch.

The Spartans lost some speed on the edge against Utah, when defensive end Mohamed Marah went down possibly for the season.

All-WAC defensive end Carl Ihenacho will have to pick up even more of the slack for the Spartans in their effort to get to Luck, and his brother Duke will need to step his game up in the secondary to prevent big plays like the 51-yard touchdown pass Utah completed to break that game open.

Key No. 3: Contain Toby Gerhart

Stanford's single-season rushing leader was nearly unstoppable in the second half of last season's game, providing the final nail in the Spartans' coffin down the stretch in that defeat.

To suggest the Spartans will stop him is rather optimistic, but containing him would keep them in line for a win.

San Jose State had a solid warm up for Gerhart last week and made the most of it, holding Utah's talented back Matt Asiata to 94 yards on 20 carries and no scores.

With Gerhart playing such a vital role to Stanford's offense, keeping him under 100 yards and scoreless limits the entire offense, which is still looking to establish some other playmakers.

However, if they are unable to contain Gerhart, it could wind up three in a row for the Cardinal. Last season's game saw him rumble for 152 yards on 22 carries and one touchdown, in an offense run by this season's backup quarterback. 

Fortunately for the Spartans, the number of offensive threats they face keeps going down week by week, and in the third week they'll be able to keep most of their focus on one.

In short, any chance the Spartans have at winning on The Farm rests with a combination of their offense's ability to control the football long enough to keep Gerhart off the field—and their own defense being rested enough to pursue him when he is on it.

The last six games of this series has been won on the home field, an advantage self-righteous Stanford has no plans of giving up—despite this series being a matchup of two schools legendary coach Bill Walsh was a part of.

There may be no better way to reverse momentum for the '09 season than for San Jose State to defeat Stanford on its own field.

After all, Stanford's refusal to play an even series and split home field advantage played a role in San Jose State's choice to drop them from the 2010 schedule in favor of traveling to Alabama. An extra year of bragging rights as winners of the Bill Walsh Legacy Game would be extra sweet for the Spartans.

With the fifth year of Head Coach Dick Tomey under way at San Jose State, the time has come to start evaluating the legacy he'll leave behind once his tenure as the Spartans' coach is over.

Off the field, the legacy will be nothing less than stellar.

Tomey has been a savior of sorts in San Jose, bringing a measure of legitimacy to a program that barely qualified as an FBS squad prior to his arrival.

As the face of San Jose State football, Tomey has led a campaign that increased attendance by over 300 percent (and brought it to the standards required by the NCAA), and greatly improved the academic performance and graduation rate of the players.

In short, Tomey took over a dying program and saved it from near extinction.

On the field, his teams have been more competitive overall than in years past, defeated rivals such as Stanford and Fresno State, and played in and won the program's first bowl game in nearly 20 years in 2006.

But if Saturday night's loss to Utah is any indication, the most notorious part of Tomey's legacy at San Jose State could be the upsets his teams let slip away.

Expectations weren't very high for the Spartans heading into the game against the No. 17 ranked Utes, especially coming off the previous week's demoralizing defeat at USC.

Led by a stingy defense that forced two turnovers and kept Utah's explosive offense mostly in check, the Spartans gave notice early that they wouldn't be rolling over in their home opener. Halftime came with the teams tied 7-7, a score that would hold steady into the fourth quarter.

But in a way, that has become all to familiar to San Jose State—a seemingly inevitable result that the team's fans almost expect—the bending Spartans finally broke in the fourth quarter, allowing Utah to break the game open with two touchdowns in a span of five minutes.

The pain of knowing they were capable of the upset and let it slip away is almost worse than the pain that comes with a thrashing like the one USC put on the Spartans—but it's a pain San Jose State fans should be getting numb to.

Back in 2006, the Spartans were nearly the spoiler to Boise State's undefeated season and heroic Fiesta Bowl comeback against Oklahoma.

San Jose State controlled most of the game heading into the fourth quarter against the undefeated and 14th-ranked Broncos. With a little over five minutes to go, Boise State tied the score at 20, giving a Spartan offense that had moved the ball well all night ample time to drive for the winning touchdown.

Instead, the drive stalled, and special teams had a melt down on the ensuing punt, allowing Boise State to return it 43 yards and straight into field goal range. A 37-yard field goal as time ran out sealed the game—and a magical season—for the Broncos.

The following year, it was Hawaii's turn to represent the WAC in a BCS Bowl, but not before making a stop in San Jose.

The Spartans hosted the 16th-ranked Warriors on a rain-soaked night in front of a nationally televised ESPN audience, and despite the sloppy field conditions, the two teams put on an offensive barnburner.

While the Spartans were lit up by Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan for 545 yards, they also managed to pick him off four times and keep him under duress throughout the night. With a 35-28 lead and under four minutes left in the game, San Jose State was controlling the football and the upset seemed almost certain.

A Spartan fumble would change things quickly, however, and lead to the game-tying touchdown and extra point. In overtime, the Warriors stunned the crowd by scoring first and then intercepting a pass to seal the victory.

The trend would continue in 2008. Heading into the fourth quarter on the road against Nebraska, the Spartans trailed by a mere two points and had silenced the crowd of 80,000-plus fans at Memorial Stadium. That changed rather quickly after a kickoff return for a touchdown by the Cornhuskers opened the door to a 21-point outburst and a 35-12 final score.

San Jose State would also go on to play tough against Boise State and Fresno State, only to be outclassed in the final quarters of those games, resulting in defeats that on paper did not reflect how competitive the Spartans had been.

Suffice it to say, the Spartans under Tomey have not been able to get the breakthrough, upset wins that propel teams past mediocrity and into conference contention.

To be fair, Tomey took on a steep, uphill battle when he stepped in as head coach of the program. Poor academic results under the previous regime had left San Jose State under NCAA sanctions that reduced scholarships, forcing Tomey to play a large amount of freshman out of need, and not necessarily based on talent.

The lack of depth and experience on the Spartans roster has been most apparent when they've taken their best opponents to the brink, only to fold at the end.

But the academic improvements under Tomey are bringing the scholarship cuts to an end, and the Spartans began 2009 with the steepest roster of talent he has had yet, by his own admission.

If the Spartans are to become a contender in the WAC, and not merely a bump on the road for conference champions, they are going to have to start upsetting teams for a full 60 minutes.

They travel to Stanford next week, and the disappointment of the previous two games can be erased with a victory over their South Bay rivals.

Unfortunately, this isn't nearly the same squad the Spartans beat in 2006, nor is it even the same team that walloped them the following two seasons.

For San Jose State to notch the first win of '09, they'll have to overcome a vastly improved team under Jim Harbaugh that features one of the premier running backs in the Pac-10 (Toby Gerhardt) and one of the most promising young quarterbacks in college football (Andrew Luck).

In other words, the Spartans need to pull off a big upset.

And if they can't, the 0-3 Spartans could be facing an upset of a different kind in Week Four, against Cal Poly.

On the heels of a 56-3 lambasting at the hands of Southern Cal, the road gets no easier this weekend for the Spartans of San Jose State, who must find a way to rebound from Week One's debacle in time to host No. 17 Utah on Saturday.

It's not as if anyone (sane) inside or outside of San Jose State's football program had any real delusions of grander about the Spartans shocking mighty USC last week, but many who follow the team closely expected less demoralizing results.

Instead what they got was a competitive first quarter that ended in a 3-0 lead for San Jose State, a mere aberration on the road to the brutal end result.

The Trojans erupted for 28 second-quarter points, and doubled it in the final half behind the efforts of many of their backup players, each of whom were all too hungry to feast on San Jose State's worn and weathered starters.

In the end, San Jose State's top rusher (senior Patrick Perry) gained a meager 48 yards, and three quarterbacks combined for just 112 yards through the air. Altogether, the Spartans offense had eight first downs to USC's 22, and converted only once in 16 third down tries.

The Spartans' defense, which is the strength of the team, broke down midway through the second quarter, hamstrung by an ineffective team offense and overmatched by the Trojans' stellar offensive depth.

To be blunt, marching the Spartans into the L.A. Coliseum with a revamped offense and inexperienced secondary was a recipe for disaster that Head Coach Dick Tomey probably should have seen coming.

And how do the Spartans plan to recover from last week? By playing host to defending Mountain West and Sugar Bowl Champion Utah in Week Two.

San Jose State probably deserves a hint of respect for being the only team this year to start out of the gates against two straight BCS bowl winners from last season. At the same time, for a program that is 11-13 the last two seasons, the logic in scheduling two championship-caliber teams in a row is questionable at best.

Nontheless, the Spartans have to quickly put the USC game behind them and find a way to basically put on a performance opposite of last week's. It won't be easy, as the supposedly rebuilding Utes looked more like they reloaded in the offseason when they rolled over the Spartans' WAC rival Utah State 35-17 in Week One.

Judging by that game, San Jose State will need to field a vastly improved offense in Week Two, one that can give their defense a chance to rest in between series and can actually capitalize on turnovers and convert them into points.

Against USC, the Spartans forced two turnovers but were unable to take advantage of them, stalling whenever they crossed the 50-yard line and never even reaching the red zone. Utah State won the turnover battle against the Utes three to one, so San Jose State figures to force a steal or two on their home turf this weekend.

The Spartans' defense will have it's work cut out for it for a second straight week, with the task at hand being to contain an offense that gained 519 total yards last week.

Taking the reigns from graduated quarterback Brian Johnson, junior college transfer Terrance Cain didn't miss a beat as he threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Matt Asiata kept the Utes steady on the ground, carrying 36 times for 156 yards and two scores of his own.

In recent years, Tomey's defenses have shown they can play up to the level of their staunchest opponents, including the likes of other BCS-busters Boise State and Hawaii. But keeping high scoring offenses in check has been a quick-fix solution for San Jose State, as their own mostly impotent offense tends to have trouble keeping up even in low-scoring games.

That's why the keys to success fall into new Offensive Coordinator Terry Malley's hands.

The Spartans appear to be steady at running back, with the return of Perry, the arrival of heralded JC-transfer Lamon Muldrow, and the emergence of sophomore speedster Brandon Rutley.

Top playmaker Kevin Jurovich is back, and despite rather pedestrian numbers by his standards against USC, he appears ready to pick up where he left off in 2007 when he was second-team All-WAC.

The most pressing need for the Spartans this weekend may not even be winning, but settling on a quarterback. Senior Kyle Reed and junior Jordan La Secla split time against Southern Cal, with neither doing much to stake his claim to the starting role.

The best option at this point appears to be Reed, if for no other reason than his mobility, which may become more and more crucial as the season wears on.

A four-star quarterback out of high school, Reed transferred to San Jose State from Cal under much fanfare from Spartan fans and alumni in 2007. He endeared himself to those fans in weeks one and two of last season, coming off the bench to engineer a come-from-behind victory over UC Davis in Week One, and keeping the Spartans competitive with Nebraska in Week Two before an injury sidelined him for the final quarter.

Reed also appeared to have bonded on the field quickly with Jurovich during those two weeks, which wound up being the only games the receiver played in prior to losing his season to an illness.

Unfortunately, he battled injury throughout the latter part of the season and was never able to fully establish himself as the Spartans' guy heading into 2009.

Tomey has been steadfast in his opinion that both quarterbacks performed well enough to earn playing time during the offseason. While that may be true, the flip-flopping under center appeared to prevent the Spartans' offense from establishing any kind of rhythm against USC, and the stats and lack of conversions spell that out.

So while an upset over Utah would be ultimately be the most satisfying result, the most realistic and rewarding one may simply be the emergence of a signal-caller. The Spartans need to know who their leader is, and what their chances of competing in the WAC will be.

By Saturday night, we should have a better idea about both.

In the weeks leading up to his team's season opener against USC, San Jose State Head Coach Dick Tomey kept stressing the positives of stepping up to a national powerhouse in a hostile environment.

He cited the months of offseason preparation the team spent in anticipation of their Week One showdown.

He cited the step-up in competition as a way to raise the level of practice and on-field performance, both through the pregame preparation and the on-field experience against a legitimate national title contender.

He also cited the overall exposure for the program, both to potential recruits in Southern California (a region that produced much of the Spartans' current roster) as well as on a national level.

Tomey certainly netted the exposure he referred to, but in light of the 56-3 drubbing his squad took from the Trojans, it's doubtful that any positives came out of the experience yesterday.

Much of the game was typical for the Tomey-era Spartans when taking on an overwhelming opponent.

They started off strong in the first quarter, with their defense forcing a few turnovers and their offense being servicable and predictably unspectcular.

They carried a 3-0 lead into the second quarter, and after a few momentum-killing turnovers by the Spartans' offense, USC put up some quick scores and the lack of Spartan depth on both sides of the ball led to the inevitable:

An embarrasingly hard-to-watch ass-kicking.

Whatever the gameplan was heading into Week One, it was all wrong.

Wrong offensive scheme.

Wrong defensive matchups.

Most importantly, wrong game at the wrong time.

Unfortunately, the current landscape of college football—as well as the current financial state of California's public universities—dictates that mid-major schools like San Jose State must schedule BCS conference juggernauts in order to survive.

But forcing your players to start the season off against a team that would smash the majority of large conference schools throughout the country could be a season-killer.

Last season, the Spartans faced a similar up-hill battle, traveling to Lincoln, Neb., for a Week Two game against the Cornhuskers in front of 80,000 fans (probably the most populated place in the state on that particular weekend).

The difference in that game from the waxing they took at the hands of USC yesterday (aside from the fact that USC is leaps and bounds better than Nebraska), is that San Jose State was able to take some game experience—and much-needed momentum on the heels of a Week One victory against UC Davis—into Memorial Stadium last season.

This time they were broken in for 2009 the hard way, trying to fight through insurmountable odds in a game that was already decided mid-way through the second quarter. It eventually became a contest of whether the Spartans could even muster some offensive points.

And it shouldn't come as a shock to the coaching staff or athletic director.

The Spartans took an undecided quarterback situation, a secondary with no seniors and three sophomores starting, and a revamped offense under a new coordinator into the Coliseum with hopes of winning that would be comprable to those of a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.

How much this sets the team back remains to be seen.

It's a little early to tell what the injury toll was, but the mental strain of being thoroughly dominated could be too much to overcome in the week's time they have to prepare for their second-straight 2008 BCS Bowl-winning opponent.

Utah travels to Spartan Stadium next week, and if Saturday was any indication, Tomey's squad is likely to be overmatched and under-prepared for a second straight week.

By Week Three against a rising Stanford team, there could be some serious questions about San Jose State's scheduling strategy, not to mention serious doubts about the remainder of the season—this team has shown in recent years that momentum is a serious component to it's success (or lack thereof).

What's unfortunate is they could have taken a safer route and still played stiff competition.

A look around Saturday's results yields a familiar picture of mid-major teams stepping up to BCS conference foes, but without such dire consequences.

Ohio hosted Conneticut. Northern Illinois traveled to Wisconsin. San Diego State faced UCLA.

The difference for these smaller programs is their steps up in competition weren't against national title contenders, and thus the results weren't as thoroughly demoralizing.

Heading into the USC game, anyone following San Jose State's program knew that simply hanging in there for a half and putting forth a respectable effort would be a moral victory.

What the people in charge at San Jose State apparently ignored was the potential for the opposite happening, and the consequences that could follow.

They took a team that had one of the worst offensive units in the nation last year and asked it to unveil a new attack against one of the staunchest defenses in the nation, year in and year out.

They also asked a young and inexperienced secondary to hang tight while their undersized defensive linemen and linebackers tried in vain to keep USC's freshman quarterback in check.

What ultimately led to the Spartans' demise on Saturday was the depth, which took over in the second quarter as USC started to roll out two and then three strings of players, most of whom would start at any WAC program.

In the end, it was simply too much to ask of the Spartans.

It's not hard to expect a Dick Tomey-coached team to keep their heads high and fight through an adverse start to the season. One week certainly doesn't guarantee season-long failure, no matter how brutal that week's result was.

But at the same time, it's just as hard to expect any team to pick itself up off the ground, dust itself off and take a positive mental state into the following week's home opener...against the undefeated team that finished second in the nation last year.

Time will tell, but at the very least there appears to be a very difficult—if not downright ugly—month ahead for the fans of Sparta.