American college football season
The 2020 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San José State University during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Spartans were led by fourth-year head coach Brent Brennan and played their home games at CEFCU Stadium and Sam Boyd Stadium as members of the Mountain West Conference . They finished the regular season 6–0 in Mountain West play and defeated Boise State in the Mountain West championship game . This was the Spartans' first Mountain West championship win and 17th overall conference title. The championship victory also marked San Jose State's first win over Boise State in program history.[2]
Previous season [ ]
The Spartans finished the 2019 season 5–7, 2–6 in Mountain West play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place in the West Division.
Schedule [ ]
San Jose State had non-conference games scheduled against Central Michigan , UC Davis , Penn State and UConn , but all of these games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic .[3] [4] On Aug. 10, 2020, the Mountain West Conference suspended all fall sports competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic .[6] However, MWC officials announced on Sept. 24 the conference would host a shortened fall football schedule.
The Oct. 31 game originally scheduled at University Stadium in Albuquerque was relocated to San Jose due to COVID-19 cases related to contact tracing in Bernalillo County, New Mexico .[7]
On Nov. 19, the game at Fresno State scheduled for Nov. 21 was canceled because of a positive COVID-19 test and contact tracing within the Fresno State program.[8]
Nearly four and a half hours before kickoff, the Nov. 28 game at Boise State was canceled because of "an upward trend of COVID-19 cases and contact tracing within the Boise State football program."[9]
The home game against Hawaii scheduled for Dec. 5 was moved to Aloha Stadium in Honolulu after new COVID-19 restrictions were released in Santa Clara County , where CEFCU Stadium is located.
The Dec. 11 home game against Nevada , originally scheduled to be played at CEFCU Stadium, was moved to Sam Boyd Stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions imposed by Santa Clara County.
The Mountain West conference championship game was to be hosted by San Jose at CEFCU Stadium, but was moved to Sam Boyd Stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions imposed by Santa Clara County.
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance October 24 7:30 p.m. Air Force FS1 W 17–60
October 31 4:00 p.m. New Mexico CEFCU Stadium San Jose, CA FS1 W 38–210
6:00 p.m. at San Diego State CBSSN W 28–170
November 14 7:30 p.m. UNLV CEFCU Stadium San Jose, CA FS2 W 34–170
November 21 4:00 p.m. at Fresno State CBSSN No Contest
November 28 1:00 p.m. at Boise State Fox No Contest
December 5 3:00 p.m. at Hawaii Aloha Stadium Honolulu , HI SPEC HI W 35–240
7:00 p.m. vs. Nevada CBSSN W 30–200
December 19 1:30 p.m. vs. Boise State No. 24 Fox W 34–200
11:00 a.m. vs. Ball State * No. 22 CBS L 13–340
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 24 released prior to game All times are in Pacific time
Game summaries [ ]
Air Force [ ]
Air Force Falcons at San Jose State Spartans
1
2
3 4 Total
Falcons
0
0
0 6 6
Spartans
0
0
14 3 17
at CEFCU Stadium , San Jose, CA
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under
New Mexico [ ]
New Mexico Lobos at San Jose State Spartans
1
2
3 4 Total
Lobos
0
14
7 0 21
Spartans
7
14
10 7 38
at CEFCU Stadium , San Jose, CA
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under
at San Diego State [ ]
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under
UNLV [ ]
UNLV Rebels at San Jose State Spartans
1
2
3 4 Total
Rebels
3
7
7 0 17
Spartans
10
14
7 3 34
at CEFCU Stadium , San Jose, CA
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under
at Fresno State (No contest) [ ]
Battle for the Valley Trophy: San Jose State Spartans at Fresno State Bulldogs
1
2
3 4 Total
Spartans
0
0
0 0 0
Bulldogs
0
0
0 0 0
at Bulldog Stadium , Fresno, CA
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under
at Boise State (No contest) [ ]
San Jose State Spartans at Boise State Broncos
1
2
3 4 Total
Spartans
0
0
0 0 0
Broncos
0
0
0 0 0
at Albertsons Stadium , Boise, ID
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under
at Hawaii [ ]
San Jose State Spartans at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
1
2
3 4 Total
Spartans
21
0
7 7 35
Rainbow Warriors
0
10
7 7 24
at Aloha Stadium , Honolulu, HI
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under
vs. Nevada [ ]
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under
vs. Boise State (MWC Championship Game) [ ]
No. 24 San Jose State Spartans vs. Boise State Broncos (2020 Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game)
1
2
3 4 Total
Broncos
3
3
7 7 20
No. 24 Spartans
7
12
0 15 34
at Sam Boyd Stadium , Whitney, NV
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under
vs. Ball State (Arizona Bowl) [ ]
No. 22 San Jose State Spartans vs. Ball State Cardinals (2020 Offerpad Arizona Bowl)
1
2
3 4 Total
Cardinals
27
0
7 0 34
No. 22 Spartans
0
0
13 0 13
at Arizona Stadium , Tucson, AZ
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under
Rankings [ ]
On Nov. 8, San Jose State received votes in the Coaches Poll for the first time since Week 2 of 2013.[20] [21] Then on November 15, San Jose State received votes in the AP Poll for the first time since being ranked no. 21 in the final 2012 season poll.[22] [23] This led to the Spartans cracking the College Football Playoff Top 25 for the first time, ranking no. 24 on Dec. 15, 2020.
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll
Pre
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Final
AP
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
RV
RV
RV
RV
25
19
24
Coaches
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
RV
RV
RV
RV
RV
25
20
24
CFP
Not released
NR
NR
NR
24
22
Not released
Depth chart [ ]
†
As of November 28, 2020
Defense
[24]
FS
Tre Jenkins
Jay Lenard
⋅
LB
LB
LB
LB
Hadari Darden
Kyle Harmon
Tysyn Parker
Alii Matau
Dion Leonard
Isaʻako Togia
Rahyme Johnson
Christian Webb
⋅
⋅
Jordan Cobbs
Rico Tolefree
SS
Tre Webb
B. J. Johnson
⋅
CB
Nehemiah Shelton
Charlie Bostic
Malik Welch
DE
NT
DE
Viliami Fehoko
Jay Kavika
Cade Hall
Noah Right
Lando Grey
E. J. Ane
Sinjun Astani
Soane Toia
Christian Johnson
CB
Kenyon Reed
Tre White
Mikale Greer
Offense
WR
Tre Walker
Vincent Corso
Jamar Simpson
WR
Isaiah Hamilton
Isaiah Holiness
Andre Crump, Jr.
LT
LG
C
RG
RT
Jackson Snyder
Jesse Chamberlain
Kyle Hoppe
Tyler Stevens
Jaime Navarro
John Weiss
Trevor Robbins
Trevor Robbins
Anthony Pardue
Scott Breslin
⋅
⋅
⋅
Tyler Ostrom
⋅
TE
Derrick Deese, Jr.
Billy Bob Humphreys
Dominick Mazotti
WR
Bailey Gaither
Jermaine Braddock
Malikhi Miller
RB
Kairee Robinson OR Tyler Nevens
Isaiah Holiness
Shamar Garrett
Special Teams
PK Matt Mercurio
P Elijah Fischer
KR Shamar Garrett
PR Bailey Gaither
LS Andrew Gonneville
H Elijah Fischer
Awards and Honors [ ]
Individual Honors [ ]
Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year
Brent Brennan
Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year
Cade Hall, DL[25]
All-American Selections [ ]
Cade Hall, DL (TSN ,[26] USAT[27] )
All-Mountain West Conference Team Selections [ ]
All-Conference Honors
Player
Position
Honor
Bailey Gaither
WR
1st Team
Jack Snyder
OL
1st Team
Cade Hall
DL
1st Team
Viliami Fehoko
DL
1st Team
Kyle Harmon
LB
1st Team
Nick Starkel
QB
2nd Team
Tre Walker
WR
2nd Team
Tre Jenkins
DB
2nd Team
Derrick Deese, Jr.
TE
Honorable Mention
Matt Mercurio
PK
Honorable Mention
Tre Webb
DB
Honorable Mention
Ref: [28]
References [ ]
^ "WE'RE BACK" . twitter.com/MountainWest . Retrieved 2020-09-24 .
^ https://abc7news.com/sports/sjsu-beats-boise-state-in-mwc-championship/8908798/
^ Myerberg, Paul. "Big Ten football reduces season schedule to only conference games, maybe setting stage for others to follow" . USA Today . Retrieved 10 July 2020 .
^ Thompson, Lee (August 6, 2020). "Central Michigan left with MAC-only schedule after San Jose postpones opener" . MLive.com . Retrieved October 26, 2020 .
^ "Mountain West Postpones 2020 Fall Sports" . TheMW.com . August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020 .
^ Crowley, Kerry (October 26, 2020). "Coronavirus: San Jose State game moved from New Mexico to Bay Area due to health order" . The Mercury News . Retrieved October 26, 2020 .
^ Sabedra, Darren; Nowels, Michael (November 20, 2020). "San Jose State's game vs. Fresno State canceled over Bulldogs' contact tracing" . The Mercury News . San Jose. Retrieved November 20, 2020 .
^ "San Jose State-Boise State Game Canceled" . SJSUSpartans.com . San Jose State University. November 28, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020 .
^ "Air Force Falcons at San Jose State Spartans" . ESPN . October 24, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021 .
^ "New Mexico Lobos at San Jose State Spartans" . ESPN . October 31, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021 .
^ "San Jose State Spartans at San Diego State Aztecs" . ESPN . November 6, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021 .
^ "UNLV Rebels at San Jose State Spartans" . ESPN . November 6, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021 .
^ "San Jose State-Fresno State college football game canceled because of COVID-19 protocols" . ESPN . November 19, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021 .
^ "San Jose Spartans vs. Boise Broncos Game Cancelled Due to COVID-19" . NBC Bay Area . November 28, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021 .
^ "San Jose St. plays first game in 3 weeks, beats Hawaii 35-24" . ESPN . December 5, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021 .
^ "San Jose St. beats Nevada, advances to MWC Championship game" . ESPN . December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021 .
^ "No. 25 San Jose State beats Boise State in MWC title game" . ESPN . December 30, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021 .
^ "2020 Offerpad Arizona Bowl Ball State Cardinals vs. No. 22 San Jose State Spartans" . ESPN . December 31, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021 .
^ "Amway Coaches Poll" . USA Today . September 3, 2013. Archived from the original on June 18, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2020 .
^ Fan, Lawrence (November 9, 2020). "Spartans Put Unbeaten Record On The Line Vs. UNLV" . SJSUSpartans.com . Retrieved November 22, 2020 .
^ "The Associated Press Top 25 Poll" . SI.com. January 8, 2013. Archived from the original on January 14, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2020 .
^ "AP Top 25 Poll (Week 11)" . Associated Press. November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020 .
^ San Jose State vs. Hawaii Pregame Notes
^ Kroner, Steve (December 18, 2020). "San Jose State's Cade Hall, son of ex-49er Rhett Hall, thriving in unbeaten season" . San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved December 23, 2020 .
^ Bender, Bill (December 29, 2020). "Sporting News 2020 college football All-Americans" . Sporting News . Retrieved January 8, 2021 .
^ Myerberg, Paul (December 23, 2020). "Alabama's Mac Jones, DeVonta Smith lead USA TODAY Sports' 2020 All-America teams" . USA Today . Retrieved January 12, 2021 .
^ "Mountain West Announces 2020 Football All-Conference Teams and Individual Honors" . The Mountain West . December 15, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2020 .
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