Aug. 3, 2017
This is a week of new things for the San Jose State University football team. Early in the week, the team's new practice jerseys arrived. There was a mini-scrimmage and a shortened practice day. On August 3, the Spartans had their first practice in CEFCU Stadium on the new two-toned AstroTurf playing surface.
"We had a little fun before practice. We incorporated a lot of team building stuff this year with this coaching staff. I really like that. It's the bonds between our teammates. As far as practice goes, we still need to focus on the minor details. We had a pretty good practice as a wide receiver corps and as a team, too," says wide receiver Tre Hartley, 38th nationally with a 17.3 yards per catch average in 2016. The junior from nearby Milpitas caught 33 passes and scored four touchdowns.
Following the August 4 practice, the Spartans will devote Saturday, August 5 to a full scrimmage starting at 11:00 a.m. If the script from the spring continues, look for a lot of snaps from scrimmage. As defensive lineman Owen Roberts points out, San Jose State fans can see the new AstroTurf playing surface in person during the scrimmage.
"We're just looking to get after it -- `O' vs. `D'. Just bring the excitement, pick up the pace, get ready and fine tune for August 26. We also want the fans to come out. If you've seen the turf on Facebook or Twitter, it looks better in person. Everybody deserves to see this new two-toned turf," says Roberts, the only San Jose State defensive player to start in every game last season. The junior from Los Angeles finished with 56 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 quarterback sacks.
Season tickets, three-game mini plans and single-game tickets for any and all of San Jose State's six home games are available at www.sjsuspartans.com. The Spartans open the season hosting USF (South Florida), voted #21 in the Associated Press and Amway/USA Today coaches polls, on August 26 at 4:30 p.m. (PT).