Sept. 9, 2017
San Jose State Post Game Quotes
San Jose State Post Game Notes
Austin, Texas ----- An effective and powerful ground attack combined with a stifling defense against San Jose State University's run game propelled the University of Texas to a 56-0 non-conference football win over the Spartans.
What started out promising turned around as the game evolved. The Spartans stopped Texas (1-1) forcing punts on the Longhorns' (1-1) first two possessions. After that, Texas took control of the game.
Texas gained 406 of their 623 yards of total offense on ground rushing behind a massive offensive line for six touchdowns. San Jose State only managed 42 yards on 23 attempts compared to 271 yards the week before against Cal Poly.
One of San Jose State's charges was stopping 250-pound Longhorn tailback Chris Warren. That didn't happen to the Spartans' satisfaction as Warren gained 166 yards on 16 carries and scored on power runs of 41 yards in the second quarter when he ran through three would-be tacklers and 9 yards in the fourth to give Texas a 42-0 lead.
The Texas win was without season-opening starting quarterback Shane Buchele, out with an injury. However, number-three quarterback Jerrod Heard more than made up for Buchele's absence also scoring twice. Heard would come in for starting quarterback Sam Ehlinger on running plays and found his way for touchdown runs of 9 and 3 yards in the first half as the Longhorns built a 21-0 halftime lead.
San Jose State had trouble sustaining drives throughout the day. The Spartans had eight first downs compared to Texas' 32 and finished with 171 yards of total offense.
Montel Aaron made his first start at quarterback for San Jose State. The redshirt freshman played into the fourth quarter. He completed 12-of-23 passes for 104 yards and his one interception of the game and first of the season was returned by cornerback Holton Hill 45 yards for a third-quarter touchdown.
The Spartans' best scoring opportunity came in the first half trailing 14-0. Bailey Gaither gave San Jose State its best starting field position at the 44-yard line on a 39-yard kickoff return. Running by DeJon Packer and receptions by tight end Josh Oliver, wide receiver Justin Holmes and Tre Hartley left the Spartans with a 4th-and-1 at the Texas-10. Diving over the top of the San Jose State offensive line, Packer was stopped for no gain.
With Texas in the rearview mirror, San Jose State faces another tough non-conference test, Saturday, September 16, at the University of Utah. Game time is 8:00 p.m. (MT) at Rice-Eccles Stadium. ESPN2 will televise the game.