San Jose State coach Ken Niumatalolo tried to concentrate on the positives Saturday after his group was throttled 38-7 by No. 7 Texas, with Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning throwing for 4 touchdowns and operating for an additional.
“I wish we would have had come here and played better,” Niumatalolo mentioned. “However, I assumed our youngsters battled till the top, and it was nice to see our resolve and grit.”
San Jose State (0-2) pressured Texas to punt on its first two drives, however the Longhorns scored 28 unanswered factors within the first half and by no means regarded again. Manning accomplished 19 of 30 passes for 295 yards and one interception, and scrambled for a 20-yard landing run within the third quarter.
Coming into the season, the Spartans had excessive expectations and believed they might compete for a Mountain West Championship. Whereas their 0-2 begin shouldn’t be splendid, the Spartans’ most formidable opponent is now within the rear-view mirror.
The Spartans additionally now have a bye week to right the problems they noticed throughout their first two losses.
Listed below are the takeaways from Saturday’s loss:
TURNOVER BUG BITES AGAIN
SJSU would have a small margin for error towards Texas, however turnovers once more plagued the offense. After committing three turnovers in final week’s 16-14 loss to Central Michigan, the Spartans turned the ball over 4 occasions towards Texas within the first half.
“Two weeks in a row, turnovers killed us,” Niumatalolo mentioned. “We had no chance against those guys turning the ball over that much.”
Quarterback Walker Eget threw an interception, operating again Lamar Radcliffe fumbled, operating again Floyd Chalk IV fumbled, and broad receiver Danny Scudero fumbled after taking a giant shot from Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr.
SJSU had 4 turnovers in six drives spanning from 2:44 left within the first quarter to 2:51 left within the second quarter.
Texas scored 21 factors off the primary half turnovers and took a 28-0 lead towards the Spartans. The Radcliffe and Chalk fumbles set the Longhorns up on a brief subject, they usually scored inside the first two performs each occasions.
Operating again Jabari Bates had 44 yards on 10 carries after not touching the ball in final week’s loss.
“(Bates’ playing time) was definitely not a part of the game plan,” Niumatalolo mentioned. “Radcliffe had a critical fumble, and then we put in Chalk, and then he fumbled. So it was next guy up.”
Niumatalolo mentioned taking higher care of the soccer is the Spartans’ prime precedence.
“That’s all we focus on (at practice), so it’s not going to change,” Niumatalolo mentioned. “It’s always on the top of the board for us to take care of the football.”
DEFENSE PLAYS STRONG AGAIN
The Spartans’ effort on protection was higher than the boxscore may point out.
Following the turnovers, three of the 5 Longhorns’ landing drives began in Spartans’ territory. When the Longhorns began a drive in their very own territory, they scored solely 17 factors.
SJSU’s protection additionally solely allowed 10 factors within the second half, and the Longhorns have been 2-for-12 on third down.
“With the pressure we were bringing, we wanted to confuse Manning,” Spartans security Jalen Apalit-Williams mentioned. “That was the game plan, play around with our coverages. But we didn’t want to do too much, then not be in place to make a play.”
Apalit-Williams was in place to make a play late within the second quarter. Cornerback Isiah Revis tipped a go from Manning, and Apalit-Williams intercepted the Heisman hopeful. Apalit-Williams additionally had six tackles.
Contemplating the difficult conditions the protection was put in and the magnitude of the opponent they confronted, they will take some positives away from this recreation.
FIELD GOAL WOES CONTINUE
USC switch kicker Dennis Lynch’s begin to his Spartans profession has been something however splendid.
After lacking the potential game-winning 33-yard subject purpose towards Central Michigan, he went 0-for-2 on subject objectives towards Texas and is now 0-for-4 this season. Lynch missed from 47 yards and from 50 yards towards Texas. Neither of which was shut.
“We’ve got to make some field goals,” Niumatalolo mentioned. “We need to work on that for the next two weeks.”
Lynch entered the switch portal from USC after shedding the beginning kicking battle earlier than the 2024 season.
Lynch solely missed one additional level throughout his two seasons beginning at USC (139-140), however he struggled with short-range subject objectives, making simply 9 of 17 between 30 and 39 yards. He did go 10-for-10 on subject objectives inside the 40-49 yard vary throughout that very same time interval.
WIDE RECEIVERS MAKE PLAYS
The Spartans showcased their depth at broad receiver Saturday, as with out the injured Malachi Riley, Kyri Shoels noticed extra recreation motion.
With the Texas secondary double-teaming Scudero, Shoels was the Spartans’ main receiver with eight catches for 73 yards.
“As a quarterback, it makes you feel comfortable,” Eget mentioned. “Those are elite receivers; they were making easy routes on Texas. I’m proud of how they played.”
Even with the double-teams, Scudero nonetheless caught seven passes for 66 yards. His stat line may have regarded even higher as he burned the Longhorns’ corners twice and was open downfield, however Eget was unable to find the ball for a completion.
Spartans broad receiver Tuli Tagovailoa-Amosa, the primary cousin of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, had three receptions for 29 yards. 17 of which got here on a bit play throughout SJSU’s solely scoring drive of the sport.
Tagovailoa-Amosa has seen a number of significant snaps as a real freshman throughout SJSU’s first two weeks.
BYE WEEK LEADING INTO IDAHO
With a 0-2 begin to the season, the Spartans now have a bye week to handle a number of the points on the sphere.
“(Texas) is the best team we will play all season,” Niumatalolo mentioned. “I thought we played well at the beginning, but we need to find a way to finish those.”
SJSU’s subsequent recreation will likely be towards Idaho (0-1) at CEFCU Stadium on Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. In week one, Idaho misplaced 13-10 to Washington State.
“It sucks to be 0-2, but the biggest thing is to take advantage of the opportunity of the bye week,” Apalit-Williams mentioned. “Everybody needs to take care of their bodies to get back to where they need to be, so we are ready to go for the next game at home. We have a long season to go.”
