The San Jose State football team needs to win each of its last two games to be eligible for its first bowl game bid since winning the 2015 AutoNation Cure Bowl against Georgia State.
The Spartans’ (4-6, 1-5 MWC) first test will be a road game against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (2-8, 0-6 MWC).
The Runnin’ Rebels are sitting dead last in the Mountain West Conference and have lost four consecutive games.
Despite UNLV’s struggles, Spartan head coach Brent Brennan isn’t taking the team lightly.
“This is gonna be another battle for us,” Brennan said during his weekly press conference. “It’s going to be a really tough game and we’re excited to do the work this week and go on the road and play.”
After back-to-back closely-contested games against Boise State and the University of Hawaii, the Spartans were able to take advantage of a bye week in order to heal up and game plan for the remainder of the season.
Win or loss, senior quarterback Josh Love has had consistent production, partially thanks to only being sacked 10 times all season.
“I think it speaks a little bit to being here for our third year as a coaching staff and having some continuity,” Brennan said. “When you combine all those things, the hard work of the players and the effort they put in to the preparation, it’s been a really positive result.”
The Spartans have dominated the Runnin’ Rebels in recent years, winning eight of the last nine contests.
SJSU’s most recent victory against UNLV came last season. The Spartans hung 50 points on the Runnin’ Rebels for their only win
of the season.
UNLV’s defense has been spotty, allowing 33 points per game this season.
Senior wide receiver Bailey Gaither said the opponent on the other side of the field doesn’t matter, he and the team still needs to execute.
“For the most part, we look at every team [as] nameless, faceless opponents,” Gaither said.
“We have an objective that we try and make happen.”
Gaither was a redshirt freshman during his first season on the team, making him one of the only active players who experienced the last time SJSU played in a bowl game.
“It would be cool to obviously go to another one, so this is just one step in the way on Saturday,” Gaither said.
UNLV made a starting quarterback change during the season, sitting junior Armani Rogers in favor of freshman Kenyon Oblad.
“I really like how he plays, I think [this] kid’s going to be a really good player,” Brennan said about Oblad. “It’s always a tough deal when [teams] have played multiple quarterbacks, but it’s just something that you have to try and prepare for.”
Regardless of who is taking the snaps, junior safety Jay Lenard said the Runnin’ Rebels are a quality opponent based on his film study.
“Every offense is different, so, what we see on film, we have a gameplan to attack it and we’re gonna execute that gameplan to get the outcome that we want,” Lenard said.
If the Spartans leave Las Vegas as winners, the last game of the season is a home tilt against Fresno State and will decide whether or not the team is bowl eligible.
On Saturday, Nov. 30, CEFCU Stadium will host senior night against the Bulldogs in a fight for the Valley Trophy.
The trophy represents high-tech capitol Silicon Valley facing off against the agriculturally-rich San Joaquin Valley, according to the SJSU Athletics website.
The Fresno State game will be televised on ESPN2.
