The injury bug seems to have bitten the Spartans early this season.
San Jose State was without starting running back Kairee Robinson on Sunday against No. 18 Oregon State and has been without All-Conference wide receiver Justin Lockhart for the last two games.
The Spartans suffered another potential injury on Sunday when starting cornerback DJ Harvey had to be helped off the field after what looked like a lower leg injury.
Head coach Brent Brennan declined to comment on the severity of the injuries for all three players.
Robinson was a surprising scratch from the lineup on Sunday as he was dressed in street clothes on the sidelines. His absence was evident as the Spartans only rushed for 56 yards on 22 carries.
The Spartans have managed to make up some of Lockhart’s production with the emergence of former quarterback turned wide receiver Nick Nash stepping into a bigger role in the offense.
Lockhart’s situation has been more strange as he has not been seen around the team despite Brennan confirming his absence is injury related.
“[Kairee and Justin] are good players and it will be awesome to have them back,” said SJSU quarterback Chevan Cordeiro. “But I mean it’s the game of football, there’s always injuries going on. There’s a lot of things going on, but it's always just the next man up. I’m confident in the guys in the offensive room … that they’ll be ready.”
SJSU will have to rely on Utah Tech transfer Quali Conley to take over the role of starting running back for the foreseeable future. After rushing for 107 yards in the Spartans’ season opener against USC, Conley struggled to find his rhythm against Oregon State as he rushed for just 34 yards on 11 attempts.
Harvey’s injury could be the most concerning of all. The Spartans have given up 98 points in two games and losing a starter like Harvey could have a lasting effect on an already thin defense.
Despite the loss of key players on both sides of the ball, SJSU still believes it can rely on younger players to step into the roles of starters.
“It's obviously tough missing [Kairee and Justin,] but I think it's always going to be a next man up mentality,” Nick Nash said. “We need to embrace that and not worry about who we're missing, and worry about who we have.”
