SAN JOSE, Calif. - San José State football (7-5, 3-4 Mountain West) heads to the Hawai‘i Bowl at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex to play South Florida (6-6, 4-4 AAC), presented by Habbas Law and CEFCU on Tuesday, Dec. 24 at 5:00 p.m. (PT) on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio, and KTRB 860 AM.
- The defending co-regular season Mountain West champions from 2023 are in their fourth bowl game in the last five years and a third bowl game in a row for the first time in SJSU history.
- The Spartans have seven or more wins in a season for three straight seasons for the first time since 1980-82, and it's the first time they've had seven or more wins in four out of five years since 1978-82.
- The Spartans haven't had eight wins in a season since 2012.
- The Spartans were picked 10th in the Mountain West preseason poll and have the best regular season record out of any FBS school in California.
- The Spartans are 13-6 in their last 19 games overall and are 9-4 in their last 13 conference games.
- The Spartans were the first FBS school in California to become bowl-eligible.
- This is the second time the Spartans have played in the same bowl game in back-to-back seasons, and only the third time overall they are going to a bowl game they've been to before.
- The Spartans have won seven bowl games ever, new head coach Ken Niumatalolo has six bowl wins as a head coach.
- The seven regular season wins are the most for an SJSU head coach in their first season since Ron Turner won seven in 1992.
- The Spartans had 11 first-time FBS starters in their game vs. Sac State (8/29/24), which was the fifth most in the country. The Spartans have started 21 first-time FBS starters this season, the country's fourth-most.
- The Spartans had seven home games for the first time since 2006 and are 15-4 in their last 19 games at CEFCU Stadium and 21-7 at CEFCU Stadium since 2020.
- The Spartans ended the regular season with three straight home games for the first time since 1979.
- SJSU has forced 27 turnovers this season, which is good for third in the nation and first in the MW. The Spartans' 20 interceptions are good for first in the nation, and the Spartans have a takeaway in every game this season. The SJSU single-season record is 32 in 2012.
- This season, Nick Nash was only the fourth player to earn the receiving triple crown by leading all FBS players outright in receptions (104), receiving touchdowns (16), and receiving yards (1,382). He also led the country in receiving yards per game (115.2) and receptions per game (8.7).
- Nash was named SJSU's first-ever Biletnikoff Award finalist and the first for the Mountain West since 2017. He was only the ninth group of five player to be a finalist for the Biletnikoff this century, and the last group of five player to win the award was in 1998.
- The Spartans have the best passing offense in the Mountain West and are fifth in the country with 3,903 yards, which is 325.3 yards per game. The SJSU single-season record is 4,325 yards, set in 2012.
- Only three games this season the Spartans haven't hit 320 or more yards passing.
- The Spartans have allowed 12 sacks this season which is good for third in the MW and 10th in the country.
- The Spartans are sixth in the country, averaging 41.6 passing attempts per game, and nobody in the top six has allowed fewer sacks than the Spartans.
- The Spartans have scored a touchdown on their opening drive in seven of their 12 games and have a touchdown in the first quarter in eight games this season.
- The Spartans have three defensive touchdowns this season which is good for ninth in the country and first in the Mountain West.
- Eleven of the Spartans' 12 regular season games were on national television, including their second season in a row hosting a CBS nationally televised game. It was the most nationally televised regular season games for the Spartans since 2021.
- This is the third season in a row the Spartans will play on an ESPN channel, and the second season in a row they will be on ESPN.
- The Spartans played a very competitive MW schedule this season by having played the teams who finished first, second, third, fourth, and sixth in the Mountain West Conference, plus both Oregon State and Washington State on the road. The Spartans finished fifth in the conference.
- Since 2020, the Spartans have gone 33-24 (23-14 in conference). It's the best five-year span for the Spartans since going 35-21 from 1980-84.
- In 2024, the Spartans have had only seven players go into the transfer portal, with one dressing for the bowl game, which is near the fewest in college football.
- In 2023, SJSU had 28 players jump into the transfer portal.
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