San Jose State Spartans
Report Card
Offense: B- | Defense: F | Special Teams: D | Meeting/Exceeding Expectations: D
Maybe we should have seen this coming. According to Sagarin, Brent Brennan’s Spartans have faced the tenth-toughest schedule in the country through six games and, given that it was always going to be difficult to replace multiple impact talents on both offense and defense, it has showed.
It was thought that Chevan Cordeiro might be able to raise his game accordingly, but late collapses against both Toledo and Boise State are emblematic of the cold realities that he’s been arguably the least-clutch quarterback in the Mountain West to this point and, more broadly, a good but not great quarterback all along. This time around, it can’t be explained away by an inexperienced offensive line, either: Right tackle Jamie Navarro has given up 22 quarterback pressures, second-most in the country, but Cordeiro’s 18.6% pressure-to-sack rate is the lowest of his career and his current 4.7% turnover-worthy throw rate is the highest.
To make matters worse, no one has stepped up in Justin Lockhart’s absence. Slot receiver Charles Ross currently leads the team with 12.1 yards per reception, but four Spartans (including Ross himself) surpassed that in 2022. It’s enough to make you wonder why offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven hasn’t leaned more on running backs Kairee Robinson and Quali Conley since, according to Pro Football Focus, both rank in the top 11 among Mountain West players at the position in breakaway yard percentage, missed tackles forced, and yards per carry.
That may just be nitpicking, though, because the defense has been rough, ranking 114th in yards per play (6.74), 128th in available yards percentage allowed per drive (62.4%), and 132nd in points per drive allowed (3.80). Without Viliami Fehoko, Cade Hall, and others, the Spartans have been pummeled in the trenches and seen their overall havoc rate fall from 18.7% last season to 12.8% in 2023. They’ve also been horrid on late downs, allowing opponents to move the chains on 49.3% of third downs, and in the red zone, where they are currently tied for last among FBS defenses in giving up a touchdown on 87% of trips inside the 20-yard line.
Head of the Class: Kairee Robinson, RB
Robinson probably hasn’t received enough credit for his year-over-year improvements over the past five years, but 2023 has clearly been his best season yet. His 79.7 overall PFF grade paces the Spartans, his 90 all-purpose yards per game ranks fourth among Mountain West running backs through six games, and his seven touchdowns put him in a tie for third.
One Player Deserving of More Attention: Jay’Vion Cole, CB
Though the Spartans defense has fallen on hard times, Cole’s first year in the secondary after transferring in from Cal Poly has been a good one that’s flown under the radar. He’s posted a team-high six passes defended with two tackles for loss through six games but, more importantly, Pro Football Focus notes that he’s one of four Mountain West defenders to have faced at least 20 targets but allow a completion rate of 50% or lower.
Midseason Grades By Team
Air Force | Boise State | Colorado State | Fresno State | Hawaii | Nevada | New Mexico | San Diego State | San Jose State | UNLV | Utah State | Wyoming
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