Despite radical differences in style of play, BG and Military Bowl opponent, San Jose State, really aren’t that different.
Sure, the Spartans are 11th in the nation in passing yards per game and have beaten teams with that explosive offense, compared to the suffocating defense that helped BG win eight games, however the No. 24 Spartans (10-2, 5-1 Western Athletic Conference) and Falcons have followed similar trajectories to get to where they are.
In 2010, the Spartans were the worst team in the nation — 1-12 with the sole victory against Southern Utah of the Football Championship Subdivision.
That was head coach Mike MacIntyre’s first season at the school. He inherited a team that went 2-10 the season before.
Coincidentally, BG was also one of the worst teams in the nation in 2010, finishing 2-10 with wins against Marshall and Central Michigan.
The only difference here is 2010 was BG head coach Dave Clawson’s second season. However, following a successful 2009 that saw the team graduate most of its core group of players, both Clawson and MacIntyre were in similar positions in 2010: coaching painfully-young teams badly in need of an infusion of talent.
Both teams received that. The Spartans and Falcons both improved to 5-7 in 2011, before reaching the win totals they have this season.
For the Falcons, the improvement to 8-4 was modest and expected. The jump San Jose State made was a bit more unexpected.
“It feels gratifying to have success this season. I asked our kids how many thought we would have a chance to win 10 but winning 10 from where we’ve come from is big,” MacIntyre said following the Spartans’ 52-43 win against Louisiana Tech on Nov. 24. “We are back on our way up. We have a lot to do and you can either get better or worse so we will keep pushing along and keep going.”
A big reason for the Spartans’ success has been quarterback David Fales, a junior college transfer from Monterey Peninsula College. His 294 completions (in 408 attempts) this season set a San Jose State record.
He was one of the key players in MacIntyre’s second recruiting class at San Jose State, and rated a three star recruit by Rivals.com. The first-year starter threw for 3,798 yards and 31 touchdowns to help guide San Jose State to its best season since a 9-4 record in 2006.
“It’s crazy. You dream of playing games like this,” Fales said following the team’s win against Louisiana Tech. “We’re excited. We are a great team. We have some great leadership and good seniors who know what to say at the right time. I’m excited for where we’re going.”
Despite playing in a conference that is fighting off extinction, thanks to recent defections by Boise State, Nevada, Fresno State and Hawaii, the Spartans’ still played a formidable schedule this season.
They nearly upset then-No. 21 (and now No. 6) Stanford on the opening weekend of the season, but lost 20-17. The Spartans other loss came to No. 22 Utah State 49-27.
Along the way, the Spartans picked up wins against Mountain West Conference co-champion San Diego State, an eight-win Navy team and a nine-win Louisiana Tech.
Despite their differences in style of play, the Falcons and Spartans do have some similarities in on the field, namely on defense.
Led by Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year Chris Jones, the Falcons have the ninth-best scoring defense in the nation, allowing 15.8 points per game.
The Spartans’ defense, led by WAC Defensive Player of the Year Travis Johnson, have a defense that is ranked in the top-10 nationally in turnovers gained (tied for seventh), fumbles recovered (tied for first) and quarterback sacks (fifth). The Spartans are 25th in scoring defense, allowing 21.4 points a game.
Johnson, a defensive end, and Jones have been near carbon copies of each other in terms of on-field production this season. Johnson has 12 sacks, 60 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, five quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles.
Jones has 12.5 sacks, 41 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, five quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles.
That eerie similarity between each team’s best defensive player sums up this game perfectly: Two mid-major schools who are currently trending up, thanks to head coaches who inherited tough situations and were able to turn around their respective programs.
