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Football Opens Mountain West Era With Utah State

Sept. 23, 2013

Weekly Release - Game #4

Upcoming game: San José State vs. Utah State Friday, September 27, 2013, Spartan Stadium, San Jose, Calif., 6:00 p.m. (PDT), ESPN

San José State record: 1-2, 0-0 Mountain West. The Spartans lost their last two games after a 43-24 defeat at Minnesota on September 21.

Utah State record: 2-2, 1-0 Mountain West. The Aggies two-game winning streak ended on September 21 in a 17-14 loss to the University of Southern California.

San José State-Utah State series: The Spartans lead the series, 20-14-1. The Aggies have a four-game winning streak in the series after a 49-27 triumph over the Spartans last year in Spartan Stadium. San Jose State's last win in the series was a 30-7 victory in Spartan Stadium on October 11, 2008.

Play-by-Play Radio Coverage: KLIV (1590 AM, San José) originates San José State football broadcasts. Justin Allegri is the new play-by-play voice. Kevin Richardson offers commentary. The network affiliate is KION (1460 AM/101.1 FM, Salinas). The broadcast begins at 6:00 p.m. (PDT). KSJS (90.5 FM, San José) also will carry the San Jose State-Utah State game. The broadcast begins at 5:45 p.m. (PDT).

Television: The San José State-Utah State game will be televised by ESPN. Carter Blackburn calls the play-by-play. Danny Kannell provides analysis. Allyson Williams is the sideline reporter. Air time is 6:00 p.m. (PDT).

Ron Caragher Radio Show: The weekly one-hour Ron Caragher Radio Show airs on KLIV (1590 AM, San José), Wednesdays, at 8:00 p.m. The 60-minute show is taped that day at 5:00 p.m. at Willow Street Pizza in San José's Willow Glen district.

Recent San Jose State-Utah State Games:
10/12/12 USU 49, @SJSU 27
11/12/11 @USU 34, SJSU 33
11/13/10 USU 38, @SJSU 34
11/14/09 @USU 24, SJSU 9
10/11/08 @SJSU 30, USU 7
9/22/07 SJSU 23, @USU 20
10/14/06 @SJSU 21, USU 14
10/8/05 @USU 24, SJSU 17

Mountain West Conference debut: The Utah State game marks San Jose State's first conference contest in the Mountain West. San Jose State and Utah State joined the Mountain West as a full member on July 1, 2013. Prior to joining the Mountain West, the Spartans were members of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) from 1970 to 1986, the Big West Conference from 1987 to 1995 and the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) from 1996 to 2012. The PCAA changed its name to the Big West Conference prior to the start of the 1987 football season. Prior to 1970, San Jose State competed as an NCAA Division I independent. The Spartans are 2-1 in conference debuts.

Best offensive output in 2013:  San José State's 486 yards of total offense in the Minnesota game is a season-high. The Spartans gained 439 of those yards in the air - the second most allowed by a Golden Gophers team in a game. The 2006 Texas Tech team with Graham Harrell at quarterback passed for 445 yards in a 44-41 win at the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., on December 29, 2006.

9.3 yards per play at Minnesota:  San Jose State averaged 9.3 yards play accumulating 486 yards of total offense on just 52 plays in its game at Minnesota. The last time a Spartan team averaged as many yards per play in a game was the 2004 game vs. Rice in which San Jose State averaged 9.3 yards per play in a 70-63 victory. The Spartans' record for yards per play in a game is 10.7 in a 1976 win at the University of the Pacific.

Big plays on offense at Minnesota:  In the Minnesota game, San Jose State had five pass plays of 30 yards or more including a season-long 76-yard touchdown from quarterback David Fales to wide receiver Chandler Jones. In the team's first two games, there were three plays (two passes and one run) of 30 yards or more in the Sacramento State win and none at Stanford.

Keith Smith is a national leader: Linebacker Keith Smith is the national leader in total tackles per game in games played through September 21. The 17.0 per game average is 2.7 tackles per game more than Connecticut's Yawin Smallwood, second nationally at 14.3 tackles per game. Smith recorded the 17th double-digit tackle game of his career with a career-high 21 stops in the September 21 game at #Minnesota.

David Fales among active career leaders: David Fales ranks second in career passing efficiency and passing yards per game and third in total offense per game among active Football Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks in games played through September 21.