SAN JOSE, Calif. - San José State football (2-0, 1-0 Mountain West) hosts Kennesaw State (0-2, 0-0 Conference USA), presented by Rubenstein Supply on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. on TruTV/MAX and KTRB 860 AM.
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- The defending co-regular season Mountain West champions look for their fourth bowl game in the last five years and a third bowl game in a row, both for the first time in SJSU history, as they look for a 3-0 start for the first time since 2020.
- This is the first time the Spartans have played a Conference USA team while they were in Conference USA.
- The Spartans have won seven bowl games ever, new head coach Ken Niumatalolo has six bowl wins as a head coach.
- Niumatalolo won his first game at SJSU with a 42-24 win over Sac. State (8/29/24), and he is the first SJSU head coach to win his SJSU debut since Ron Caragher in 2013, also against Sac State and one of three to win their first game at SJSU this century.
- Niumatalolo's 42 points scored in the win over Sac. State (8/29/24) were the most for an SJSU head coach in their debut since Jack Elway had 48 in a tie against Utah State on Sept. 8, 1979.
- Last season was the first time since 1986-87 the Spartans had been to back-to-back bowl games.
- The Spartans had 11 first-time FBS starters in their game vs. Sac State (8/29/24) which was fifth most in the country. Through two games, the Spartans have started 16 first-time FBS starters, the country's second-most.
- The Spartans have seven home games for the first time since 2006 and are 11-2 in their last 13 games at CEFCU Stadium.
- The Spartans had five takeaways against Sac State (8/29/24), which was the most takeaways for SJSU since having six against New Mexico on Oct. 4, 2019.
- Jordan Pollard led the Spartans with a career-high 17 tackles against Air Force (9/7/24) on his way to winning his first Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week award (9/9/24).
- Pollard's 17 tackles in the game are the second most this season, only behind ODU's Koa Naotala, who had 18 against ECU.
- Pollard has 25 total tackles this season to lead the Mountain West and is fifth in the country.
- The Spartans are 17th in the country and tops in the MW with a +3 turnover margin.
- Nick Nash had two receiving touchdowns and one passing touchdown against Sac State (8/29/24), and it was the second season in a row that Nash contributed to three touchdowns in the opening game. Last season, he caught three touchdowns during the Spartans’ season opener at USC.
- Nash set a new career-high of 10 receptions and 170 receiving yards in the game against Sac State (8/29/24). Nash’s 56 first-quarter receiving yards set a new career-high for first-quarter receiving yards and he hit 1000 receiving yards for his career. Elijah Cooks was the last Spartan to break 170 yards receiving when he had 177 on 10/1/22.
- Bailey Gaither was the last Spartan to have 10 receptions in a game in a 38-21 win over New Mexico on Oct. 31, 2020.
- Nash also threw his first touchdown pass since Oct. 30, 2021, and the 11th of his career when he found Jacob Stewart for a 26-yard score. Nash is the first non-quarterback to throw a touchdown pass for the Spartans since Tre Walker threw a 54-yard touchdown pass in 2017 against San Diego State.
- Nash is only the third FBS player in the last three years to throw a passing touchdown and have two receiving touchdowns in the same game (KJ Concepcion of NC State in 2023 and Xavier Worthy of Texas in 2022).
- Nash leads the Mountain West in touchdown receptions (3) and receptions (17) and is second with 260 receiving yards. His 17 receptions are good for sixth in the country.
- Emmett Brown is tops in the Mountain West with five passing touchdowns and is second in the MW in passing efficiency at 146.27, passing yards per game at 280 and passing yards per completion at 15.14.
- Soane Toia continues to be one of the top-graded defensive tackles in the country by Pro Football Focus with a 90.3, which is good for fourth in the country. and he was named to their week two college football team of the week.
- Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Derrick Odum was named the MW coordinator of the week by 247 Sports following the Spartans first ever win at Air Force (9/7/24) while holding the Falcons offense to 197 yards, one touchdown, and only 54 passing yards.
NEXT GAME: The Spartans head to Washington State for a 7:00 p.m. Friday night game on Sept. 20 on the CW.
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: Practice 9:40 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
- Thursday: Practice 9:40 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
- Friday: No media availability
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