David versus Goliath would be an underwhelming analogy for San Jose State’s matchup against USC at the Coliseum this Saturday.
The Spartans are facing the No. 6 ranked team in the country that will be in the national championship mix and are 31-point underdogs heading into their season opener, according to Caesar Sports Book.
They are facing the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and consensus No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft in USC quarterback Caleb Williams who is coming off a season where he threw for 4,537 yards and recorded 52 total touchdowns.
Despite the uphill battle for SJSU, the team is in good spirits and is ready for the challenge at hand.
“We just gotta have fun,” said SJSU safety Tre Jenkins. “It's football man. We grew up on this since second grade playing backyard football with our family and friends. We’ve been doing this for a while, so why change up that momentum and that stress now just because it’s a top 10 team.”
The last time the Spartans defeated a ranked opponent was in 2013 when they defeated a No. 16 ranked Fresno State team, 62-52, led by Derek Carr and Davante Adams. During the 2000 season, SJSU defeated No. 9 ranked TCU 27-24 at home which is still the team’s only win over a top 10 opponent.
“I think if you look at the line, we're definitely underdogs, I don't think there's any question about that,” said SJSU head coach Brent Brennan. “I think that if our players are worried about them showing out, we have a huge problem. That's not going to look anything like the way we want it to look.”
The places on the field where SJSU has a clear advantage over USC are few and far between, but the one area where the Trojans have question marks are on the front seven.
USC ranked 80th in rush defense last season, allowing 4.98 yards per rush and 159.8 rush yards per game. SJSU junior running back Quali Conley said SJSU running backs can expose some weaknesses in the Trojans’ defense.
“I feel like going into this game, we’re not really worried about the big runs,” Conley said. “We’re just worried about getting four to five yards per carry. That’ll just start chipping away at the defense and the big runs will come.”
Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro will lead the Spartan offense on Saturday as he heads into his second season under center for the Spartans. Saturday’s game against USC will give Cordeiro a chance to show why he was selected as the Mountain West Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
Over training camp, Cordeiro developed a strong connection with junior wide receiver Nick Nash who is slated to be the No. 1 receiver for the Spartans. Along with Nash, junior tight end Dominick Mazotti, junior wide receiver Charles Ross and junior wide receiver Isaac Jernagin will be other targets that Cordeiro will be throwing to this season.
The Spartans are 0-5 all-time against the Trojans with their largest margin of defeat coming in a 56-3 loss in 2009.
SJSU played USC two years ago at the Coliseum where they lost 30-7. That Trojan team went on to win three more games that season which birthed the Lincoln Riley era after USC fired Clay Helton.
Head coach Brent Brennan said despite playing USC two seasons ago, there is no common thread for the Spartans to expose on Saturday.
“I don't think there's anything about their team that we're playing that looks anything like the team we played two years ago,” Brennan said. “I think the only consistent thing is it'll be played in the LA Coliseum. Hopefully, there'll be some familiarity with that, but in terms of their personnel, the scheme, how they're coached, how they're playing, it's a totally different football team.”
