Sept. 24, 2017
SAN JOSé STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL FACT SHEET (Game #6)
Upcoming game: San José State at UNLV
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Sam Boyd Stadium
Las Vegas, Nev., 7:30 p.m. (PT)
ESPNU
San José State record: 1-4, 0-1 Mountain West. The Spartans lost their conference opener to Utah State, 61-10, on September 23.
UNLV record: 1-2, 0-0 Mountain West. The Rebels lost at #9/#10-Ohio State, 54-21, on September 23.
Play-by-Play Radio Coverage: KLIV (1590 AM, San José) originates San José State football broadcasts. Justin Allegri calls the play-by-play. Kevin Richardson provides commentary. The UNLV broadcast begins at 7:00 p.m. (PT) with a pregame show.
San José State has two network affiliates.
KION (1460 AM/101.1 FM, Salinas)
ESPN Desportes (910 AM, San Francisco)
Television: ESPNU will provide play-by-play coverage of the San José State-UNLV game. The telecast begins at 4:30 p.m. (PT).
Series history: San José State leads the series, 15-5-1. The Spartans have wins in the last seven meetings between these teams including a 30-24 Mountain West victory in 2016. UNLV's last win in the series was a 23-10 win at Sam Boyd Stadium on October 29, 1994.
Brothers-In-Law: San José State University offensive line coach Joe Bernardi and UNLV special teams coordinator/safeties coach Andy LaRussa are brothers-in-law. LaRussa, a San José State assistant coach during the 2011 and 2012 seasons, is married to Bernardi's twin sister, Briana.
More San José State-UNLV connections: San José State will have another opportunity to face former Spartan assistant coach and one-time interim head coach Kent Baer in the UNLV game. Baer was a member of the San José State staff during the 2008 through 2012 seasons. He was the interim head coach when the Spartans won the 2012 Military Bowl over Bowling Green, 29-20. Baer is in his third season at UNLV. UNLV graduate assistant David Orloff was a San José State student assistant on the 2012 Military Bowl winning team with Baer as the interim head coach. UNLV fullback Daniel Godfrey is the son of former San José State linebacker Dan Godfrey, a two-time first-team All-Big West linebacker during the 1993 and 1994 seasons. Godfrey was voted team captain of the 1994 Spartans.
A 13-game regular-season schedule: For the first time since the 2010 season and fifth time in school history, San José State has a 13-game regular-season schedule. The Spartans also played 13 regular season games in 2002, 1939 and 1937.
Busy September: When the UNLV game is over, the 2017 San José State football team will be the first in school history to play six games in a season through September 30. The Spartans season began on August 26 against #19/#21-USF at home in CFECU Stadium and the UNLV game is the fifth game in the month of September for San José State.
Busiest defense in FBS football: Five games has a lot do with it, but San José State's defense has faced more snaps to date than any other Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team in games played through September 23. Five Spartan opponents have combined for 441 snaps. UMass is next closest at 359. First to 70: Linebacker Frank Ginda is the first Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) player this season to be credited with 70 tackles. Ginda has 73 tackles in five games after a game-high 16 vs. Utah State on September 23. He heads into the UNLV game the national leader in number of tackles and total tackles per game at 14.25.
Takeaways matter: The San José State defense recovered three fumbles and turned them into 14 points in the 34-13 win over Cal Poly. At Utah and against Utah State, the Spartans matched their season-high of three takeaways and turned them in 10 points in each game. In San José State's four losses, 15 turnovers turned into 90 points, 14 each for USF and Texas, 27 at Utah and 35 vs. Utah State.
Spartans in top-10 for defensive touchdowns: Heading into the UNLV game, San José State is tied for eighth nationally with two touchdowns scored by its defense. In the Cal Poly win, linebacker Jamal Scott picked up a fumble and ran 22 yards for a touchdown. More recently against Utah State, cornerback Jermaine Kelly scored a touchdown on a 68-yard interception return. Texas, the Spartans' third opponent of the season, is the national leader with four defensive touchdowns.
Three interceptions in the last two games: After going without a pass interception in the first three games of the season, San José State has three in the last two games. Safety Trevon Bierria got the team's first at Utah. Andre Chachere and Jermaine Kelly followed against Utah State. Kelly's 68-yard interception return for a touchdown was the Spartans' first interception return for a touchdown since Cleveland Wallace, III, intercepted a pass in the 2015 BYU game and returned it 61 yards for six points.
Sack count doubles: The San José State defense was credited with a season-high four sacks in the Utah State game to raise the team's season total to eight. Defensive tackle Bryson Bridges, linebackers William Ossai and Ethan Aguayo and defensive back Dakari Monroe each had a sack.
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