SAN JOSE, Calif. - San José State football (2–2, 0–0 Mountain West) heads to Honolulu, Hawai‘i, to take on Hawai‘i (1–3, 0–2 Mountain West) on Saturday at 9:00 p.m. (PT) on MW+ and the Spartans Sports Media Network.
The Spartans look for their sixth win in a row over Hawai‘i in the Dick Tomey Legacy Game and their fourth straight road win over the Rainbow Warriors.
Listen to KNBR (104.5 FM/680 AM) every Thursday at 6:30 a.m. for the Ken Niumatalolo Show, presented by Provident Credit Union, with Murph & Markus.
Purchase MW+ for six SJSU football games this season. MW+ offers annual ($79.99/year) and monthly ($10.99/month) options for flexibility. Fans who subscribe by September 30 can get 15% off annual subscriptions using the promo code WELCOME15.
- In their last game at the Clarence T.C. Complex against the Rainbow Warriors, the Spartans beat the Rainbow Warriors 35-0 (10/29/23), and the Spartans are the only team to shutout the Rainbow Warriors in Hawai‘i this century (previous time was 1998).
- Including two bowl games, this will be the fifth time the Spartans have played at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex, which is the most by any visiting team.
- The Spartans have scored in 13 straight quarters against Hawai‘i (Last time held scoreless was the third quarter on 09/18/21).
- SJSU quarterbacks have thrown multiple touchdowns in eight straight games vs. Hawai‘i, and the Spartans have eight straight quarters of scoring a touchdown overall.
- This is the first Mountain West road opener for the Spartans since defeating Air Force 17-7 in Colorado Springs on Sept. 7, 2024.
- Under head coach Ken Niumatalolo, the Spartans are 8-3 when having more takeaways than the opponent, 2-2 when even, and 2-12 when losing the turnover battle.
- According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Luke Weaver was the No. 2-graded quarterback in week zero with a 90.4 grade, and after two weeks.
- Weaver leads the MW and is 21st in the country with nine passing touchdowns, and is first in the MW and 30th in the country with 1,032 passing yards.
- Dylan Lee had a career-high 11 tackles vs. Fresno State (09/19/26) and has 35 total tackles, which is good for third in the MW and 24th in the country.
- Jeremiah Tuiileila was named to the PFF Group of Six defensive team after his three tackles, one tackle for loss, and three quarterback hurries at Eastern Michigan (09/04/26).
- Tuiileila is the seventh highest-rated edge defender in the FBS according to PFF with an 88.0 grade, and is tied for the lead with Justin Stearns on the team with 3.5 tackles for loss.
- Stearns is the 17th highest-rated edge defender in the FBS according to PFF with an 85.5 grade.
- Jabari Bates is the 22nd highest-rated FBS running back in the country, according to PFF, with an 82.6 grade. He is first in the MW and 11th in the country with 413 rushing yards.
- Through four games, the Spartans have 136 rushing attempts. Last season, the Spartans ran the ball a total of 317 times, which was the third fewest in the country.
- Niumatalolo, both Stutzmann brothers, defensive pass game coordinator/cornerbacks coach Brian Norwood, and tight ends coach Kolney Cassel all played at Hawai'i. Offensive line coach Ramsen Golpashin was a graduate assistant at Hawai'i.
- The Spartans have five current players from Hawai‘i (Tama Amisone, Kamaehu Kopa-Kaawalauole, Aizik Mahuka, Tuli Tagovailoa-Amosa, and Kamuela Wilhelm).
- Champ Kapanui's dad, Chad, is the quarterback's coach at Hawai‘i.
- Since 2020, the Spartans are 38-36 (.514), which is good for the second-best record out of Mountain West returning teams. Only Air Force (43-29, .597) has a better winning percentage over that time among returning Mountain West schools.
- SJSU had 490 passing attempts in 12 games last season, which was the fifth most out of teams that only played in 12 games, and Maryland (nine sacks) was the only team to have fewer sacks with more passing attempts (491) in the country. In 2026, over four games, the Spartans have 145 passing attempts, which is good for second in the MW and 20th in the country.
- The Spartans have recorded a takeaway in 23 of 29 games under Niumatalolo.
NEXT GAME: The Spartans host Wyoming for homecoming on Oct. 9 at 6:00 p.m., presented by Rotten Robbie, and tickets can be purchased here. The game will be seen on CBS Sports Network.
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