San José State’s bowl game aspirations will be on the line when the Spartans face the University of New Mexico on Saturday afternoon.
SJSU is coming off a 35-27 loss to Boise State in which it led by 20 points in the second quarter.
“This is a team that's been playing good football,” SJSU head coach Brent Brennan said in a Tuesday news conference about playing New Mexico. “They are extremely creative on defense. I think Coach [Danny] Gonzales does a fantastic job that way … This is going to be another big challenge for us on the road.”
It’s easy to underestimate the Lobos whose only wins have come against Tennessee Tech (1-4) and UMass (1-5), but New Mexico is comparable in areas where the Spartans struggle.
Lobos’ senior running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt is currently third in the Mountain West Conference in rushing yards. Croskey-Merritt is averaging 86.2 yards per game and has 7 rushing touchdowns.
SJSU is the second-worst rushing defense in the country. Opponents average 223.7 rushing yards a game and 5.3 yards per rush.
“The fact is we are one of the worst run defenses in college football right now,” said SJSU linebackers coach Scott White. “We got to put out that fire.”
The Spartans will also face another team that plays two quarterbacks. Against Boise State, SJSU gave up a combined 229 passing yards and 5 touchdowns.
New Mexico quarterback Dylan Hopkins is the team’s pure passing quarterback and takes most of the Lobos’ throws. Quarterback DC Tabscott is used whenever New Mexico is in short-yardage downs and is more of a dual-threat quarterback.
“There needs to be a heightened sense of urgency when it comes to controlling the line of scrimmage,” White said.
On the offensive end, the Spartans could have an edge over a young New Mexico defense. The Lobos have the second-worst red zone defense in the conference. The Spartans have shown the ability to get into the red zone at times and could take advantage of running back Kairee Robinson’s ability to score near the goal line.
Robinson has scored a rushing touchdown in every game he’s played in, and recorded 133 yards from scrimmage against Boise State.
“It's always good to have the running game going on,” Cordeiro said. “It makes my job easier in the passing game and it opens up lanes offensively.”
Cordeiro has not thrown a touchdown pass since SJSU’s game against Toledo four weeks ago.
SJSU is scheduled to play New Mexico at 3 p.m. PDT Saturday at University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
