Some thoughts ... after the way last week played out, I feel like this is pretty much a complete guessing game. Are we going to see more of the same from Texas, or will the Longhorns respond well and look like the type of team we all expected?
For right now, I just can't bring myself to give Texas the benefit of the doubt that it will dominate any of the match-ups until I actually see it on the field. This game does set up well for Texas to get its ground game on track, especially if Sam Ehlinger is in the game, since SJSU's run defense is terrible and its secondary actually has some talent against the pass. Offensively, SJSU has settled in on a freshman quarterback and spreads the ball around in the running game, but it's certainly not a unit that should strike fear into the Texas defense. Of course, that's what we thought about Maryland as well.
SAN JOSE STATE PASS OFFENSE VS TEXAS PASS DEFENSE
After playing three quarterbacks in their season-opener against South Florida, SJSU seemingly found their guy last week in redshirt freshman Montel Aaron, who came in to replace starter Josh Love. Aaron played well enough last week to lock down the starting spot and he’s actually first among freshmen quarterbacks nationally in passing efficiency (179). Aaron completed just 11 passes last week, but three of them went for touchdowns. San Jose State has spread the ball around among several receivers, with five guys having at least four receptions. Slot receiver Bailey Gaither and tight end Josh Oliver lead the team with nine receptions apiece. Texas’s secondary was expected to be a strength but the group was pretty awful in the opener against Maryland, with Kris Boyd, P.J. Locke and Brandon Jones struggling the most. Texas needs a bounceback week from those three, and there’s no reason they shouldn’t be up to the task this week.
Advantage – Texas *
SAN JOSE STATE RUN OFFENSE VS TEXAS RUN DEFENSE
SJSU returns its leading rushers from last year, with Malike Robertson and Zamore Zigler leading the way. Robertson paved the way in the opener, but Zigler was more effective last week, going for 121 yards on just 12 carries. DeJon Packer also gets a lot of work. Neither Robertson nor Zigler are very big so they won’t overpower the defense, but Texas will have to be sure tacklers, unlike last week. Packer goes 5-11, 220 so he could be a guy SJSU uses to try to wear down the interior of the Texas defense. Texas’ run defense, like everything else, was dismal last week. Guys were overmatched by Maryland at the point of attack, out of position and missing way too many tackles. Texas needs more productive play from just about everyone in its front seven, but the spotlight is on Anthony Wheeler to step up after recording just two tackles last week. Texas should be able to contain SJSU’s ground game, but it’s hard to give the Longhorns much of an edge against anyone at this point until we see the run defense actually produce.
Advantage – Texas *
SAN JOSE STATE OFFENSIVE LINE VS TEXAS DEFENSIVE LINE
The good news for San Jose State is that it returns the majority of its offensive line from the last couple years and it has four senior starters (133 combined starts). The bad news for SJSU is that the line has been pretty bad, giving up 88 sacks over the last two seasons. The group’s strength is certainly in its run blocking over pass protection. Left guard Jeremiah Kolone has started 31 straight games. Despite all the experience, only one of the starters has earned all-conference mention (Kolone), and he was an honorable mention recipient last year. For Texas, Poona Ford played pretty well last week, but it’s hard to sing the DL’s praises much after the way Maryland dominated the line of scrimmage for most of the game.
Advantage – Texas *
SAN JOSE STATE PASS DEFENSE VS TEXAS PASS OFFENSE
In two games, San Jose State has faced only 36 pass attempts this year, so we don’t have much of a sample size with which to judge. That being said, SJSU returns all four starters from 2016, and it’s a group that ranked in the top-20 nationally in pass defense. The Spartans are allowing just 135 passing yards per game but give up a whopping 16 yards per completion. Cornerback Andre Chachere is the best player in the secondary after earning first-team all-conference honors last year. He’s off to a fast start this year, with 11 tackles in two games. Safety Maurice McKnight has a knack for being around the football (fourth on the team in tackles last year) and already has 14 tackles through two games. The Texas passing game this weekend will be a complete mystery since the quarterback situation is still cloudy. Reggie Hemphill-Mapps and Collin Johnson both played well last week, as did Armanti Foreman, and Texas has plenty of bodies to spread the ball around.
Advantage – Texas *
SAN JOSE STATE RUN DEFENSE VS TEXAS RUN OFFENSE
If the Spartans’ strength is their pass defense, their weakness on defense is definitely their ability to stop the run. Last year, SJSU ranked 122nd nationally in run defense and they’ve already given up 511 yards on the ground through two games this year. South Florida went for 315 yards in the opener. Frankly, Texas should dominate this phase of the game, but after the lack of a run game from the Longhorns last week, it’s hard to give UT the benefit of the doubt. If Texas has troubles running the ball this week, the Longhorns are in trouble.
Edge – Texas *
SAN JOSE STATE DEFENSIVE LINE VS TEXAS OFFENSIVE LINE
SJSU runs a three-man front and starts three juniors. Both defensive ends have starting experience, but nose tackle Sailosi Latu is new to the team after transferring in from a junior college this year. I can’t say I know too much about any of these players, but none of them come in with a lot of accolades. The Texas offensive line was disastrous last week, with just about every player on the line struggling. This is another area in which the Longhorns should dominate the match-ups, but after the performance we saw from the Texas offensive line last week, there’s no telling what to expect.
Advantage – Texas **
SPECIAL TEAMS
Punter Michael Crrrizosa is back after being named a Ray Guy finalist last year. Kicker Bryce Crawford, out of Plano, is on the Lou Groza watch list this year after hitting on 87 percent of his field goal attempts last year. He has made 12 consecutive attempts. SJSU’s return teams don’t appear to be anything special based on statistics. Texas has the edge in punter, as it will every week, but Joshua Rowland struggled in his first action last week. Reggie Hemphill-Mapps has already shown that he can be a weapon in punt returns but Texas’s kick returns … yikes.
Advantage – SJSU *
