SAN JOSE, Calif. - San José State football (0-0, 0-0 Mountain West) hosts Sacramento State (0-0, 0-0 Big Sky) on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. on KDOW 1220AM and TruTV/MAX from CEFCU Stadium.
SEASON TICKETS | 2024 SCHEDULE
• The defending co-regular season Mountain West champions look for their fourth bowl game in the last five years and third bowl game in a row both for the first time in SJSU history as they start the 2024 campaign.
• This is the first game ever in the partnership of TNT Sports and the Mountain West Conference.
• The Spartans have won seven bowl games ever, new head coach Ken Niumatalolo has six bowl wins as a head coach.
• Last season, was the first time since 1986-87 the Spartans had been to back-to-back bowl games.
• This is the fourth Thursday season home opener since 2018 with the last being in 2022 which ended in a 21-17 win over Portland State.
• The Spartans have seven home games for the first time since 2006 and are 10-2 in their last 12 games at CEFCU Stadium.
• The Spartans have three Friday games this season which is the most for the Spartans since 2013 ironically they also ended the regular season with Friday home games on Nov. 22 and Nov. 29. On 11/22/13 the Spartans hosted Ken Niumatalolo and Navy at CEFCU Stadium.
• Eleven of the Spartans' 12 regular season games will be on national television including their second season in a row hosting a CBS nationally televised game. It's the most nationally televised regular season games for the Spartans since 2021.
• The last time the Spartans had three home games to finish the season was in 1979.
• SJSU is the only school in the Mountain West Conference playing both Oregon State and Washington State on the road. Boise State is playing both but at home.
• The Spartans threw only four interceptions last season which was tops in the Mountain West and second in the nation.
• From the 2023 season, only two players return who scored offensive touchdowns last season (Nick Nash, Malikhi Miller). SJSU also returns two players who scored special teams touchdowns a season ago (Matthew Coleman, Justin Stearns). Defensively, the Spartans return one player who scored a touchdown last season (Michael Dansby).
• Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Derrick Odum is one of two coaches to stay on staff (Wide Receivers Coach/Passing Game Coordinator Kevin McGiven). Odum is going into his eighth season as defensive coordinator at SJSU which is the fourth longest stint for an FBS defensive coordinator currently in the country behind Iowa's Phil Parker (13), Iowa State's Jon Heacock (9), and Utah's Morgan Scalley (9).
• Whoever is under center for the Spartans to start against Sacramento State will be the first quarterback not named Chevan Cordeiro to start a game for SJSU since Nick Starkel on 11/25/21 (25 games).
• The Spartans have 49 new players this season which ranks 30th in FBS football. Included in the 49 new players are 30 transfers which ranks 14th most in FBS football.
• The Spartans have only 53 returning players which puts them only behind North Texas (46) for the fewest returning players in FBS football.
• SJSU has only 14 players in their final year of eligibility which is tied for third with Iowa State in the country behind Troy (11) and Illinois (12).
• Out of the 14 players in their final year of eligibility, only four played their entire career at SJSU. Only Troy (0), SDSU (1), Colorado (1), and ODU (3) have less.
• The Spartans have 101 players on the roster this season which is near the lowest in FBS, last season it was 106.
• The Spartans played a very competitive MW schedule last season by playing the teams who finished 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th & 8th in the conference. The Spartans finished second. This season the Spartans play the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 12th place ranked teams in the MW preseason poll plus Washington State and Oregon State on the road.
• The Spartans' worst loss last season was to Boise State who went 8-6 (.571). Four of the Spartans' six losses a year ago were either to teams who won their conference championship game or were in the Pac-12.
NEXT GAME: The Spartans open Mountain West play at Air Force on Sept. 7 at 4:00 p.m. (PT) on CBS Sports Network.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY: (Practices are closed to the public, media following practice)
- Tuesday: Practice 9:40 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
- Ken Niumatalolo Weekly Press Conference: 1:00 p.m. (SAC)
- Wednesday: No Media availability
- Thursday: SJSU vs. Sacramento State at 7:00 p.m. on TruTV/MAX
- Friday: No media availability
- Saturday: 11:45 a.m. - 1:40 p.m.
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