BYU Football: Previewing the San Jose State Game

If you told BYU Cougar fans going into the season that there would be more drama going into Game 6 than any game leading up to it, they’d say you were crazy.

But alas, here we are, heading into a game with the San Jose State Spartans and due to the quarterback situation, there’s drama out the wazoo.

Let’s preview the game.

By the Numbers

San Jose State enters the game with a 2-3 record, having been blown out by Stanford, competitive in losses to UCLA and Nevada, and coming off a two-game winning streak having snuck by New Mexico State and Colorado State.

BYU comes in 63^rd in overall passing yards among Division 1A (FCS) teams.

San Jose State? Eighty-fourth.

BYU is a meager 109^th in rushing yards while San Jose State is 62^nd.

San Jose State has put more points on the board than the Cougars, but not a ton more, and against lesser competition.

BYU Quarterbacks

It’s the elephant in the room, so I might as well address it. As of this writing, there has been no announcement from Bronco Mendenhall or Brandon Doman regarding who will start for the Cougars Saturday.

Sides are being taken and both groups have compelling arguments for wanting former-backup Riley Nelson to start over falling-star Jake Heaps, or vice-versa.

In the end, we don’t know who will start, but San Jose State had better prepare for some of both. The ancillary benefit, if there is one, is that the Spartans will have to watch film and scheme against two very different offensive approaches.

Expect to see both quarterbacks in the first half, but don’t be surprised to see one take over if there is an obvious difference.

Supporting Cast

It was very concerning to some Jake Heaps supporters to watch how the team completely changed its attitude as it rallied around Riley Nelson.

There seemed to be more general excitement, which is fine. But blocks seemed to be stiffer, routes seemed to be sharper, and passes were caught for Riley which Heaps couldn’t get his guys to haul in.

Will the disparity remain? Or has Bronco kept everyone from taking sides?

Brandon Rutley Against the BYU Run Defense

San Jose State’s Brandon Rutley has rushed for over 100 yards in his last two games, and eclipsed 200 against New Mexico State at 8.5 yards per run.

And BYU allowed big-play runs against Utah State, and when it was worn down, the front seven showed signs of fracture.

If BYU can move the ball and score, the front seven should have no problem keeping SJSU limited on offense. But if BYU’s two QBs sputter, and the defense is stuck on the field for extended periods in the second, watch for Rutley to grind it out.

Matt Faulkner

It’s possible San Jose State had the breakthrough at quarterback BYU fans kept expecting Jake Heaps to have.

Last week against Colorado State, Spartan QB Matt Faulkner erupted for 313 yards passing on 25 completions. The result was 38 points from a team that has traditionally been a bottom-dweller in the FCS.

But don’t jump off the NuSkin building just yet. Faulkner’s success was against a poor Colorado State program which is 3-2 but hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. But the Rams did beat Utah State, which, well…let’s not play that game.