The heart of a warrior. The will of a Spartan

Every team needs a leader. Every team needs that one guy that can step up and inspire his team to victory. Every team needs a fighter that can rally his team when down and tell them to keep fighting with him.

Linebacker Christian Tago is that leader for San Jose State.

Tago is in his fifth season with the Spartans, his third as a starting middle linebacker and was named a captain by his teammates in his junior year.

“It is amazing how fast time went by,” Tago said. “I could see myself evolving over time here and I feel great being a captain.”

He said he was honored when his teammates chose him to become a captain and saw himself as a vocal player on and off the field.

“He is a super talented player,” said linebacker Frank Ginda. “I learn a lot from him and he is one of those players that is really inspirational and he teaches me how to diagnose plays.”

Tago said his family has had a large influence on his football career, helping him persevere through even the roughest of seasons. He looks up to all of them as role models.

“My grandpa,” Tago said. “He is one of the hardest working men in my life and he brought our family to America from American Samoa and he never complained once. He never asked for anything in exchange for what he did and I try to put that to football and work my hardest.”

Football has been his life ever since he was a kid, going forward he wants to try to play pro, but also understands entering the NFL is not easy.

“I want to take it to the next level with football if I can,” Tago said. “But if not, I plan on going back down south and becoming a police officer.”

Before each game Tago said he tells the team “We are all we got and we are all we need” to inspire them before they take the field.

Beyond the team game, every player has their own way of pumping themselves up before each game.

“In high school I used to eat a Subway sandwich before each game,” Tago said. “Now I just try and calm myself and even listen to some R&B music to calm myself down before games.”

Along with playing the game and working with his teammates, Tago said he loves all facets of the game, travelling, summer practice and spring football after the season is over.

“I love traveling,” Tago said. “I love seeing all the different cities and meeting people from those cities. Growing up you want to play in that. They (Auburn University) had thousands, I mean like a billion people it was crazy and it was a great experience.”

Besides football, Tago has started a family of his own with his fiancee, they have two kids and they live in Southern California.

“I am pretty relaxed and kicked back guy off the field,” Tago said. “I have two daughters and a fiancee, when I am not in San Jose I go down to Southern California to be with my family, take them out and enjoy life.”

On the field Tago has been a force for the Spartans linebacking core for the past three seasons. He has amassed 311 tackles, which ranks 10th on the all time SJSU list.

Week 9 preview

Coming off a tough road loss to San Diego State, the Spartans will look to turn the corner at home when they host UNLV this Saturday at CEFCU Stadium.

This will be one of the lighter matchups for SJSU in conference play this season before they head to Boise State next week for a brutal game against the Broncos on the road.

The Rebels come into Saturday’s game against the Spartans 3-5 on the season and are coming off a loss to Colorado State 42-23 last Saturday.

Last season the Spartans won a thriller over the Rebels in Las Vegas, when SJSU blocked the field goal in overtime to go on to win 33-27.

Tough road test lies ahead

This Friday in Qualcomm stadium, a team who made the list of the top 25 worst teams in the country will be pitted against a team who was ranked 19th in the country just a few weeks ago.

Less than a week after the Spartans won their first conference game of the season, San Jose State (2-5) will face its toughest road game yet, at San Diego State (5-1). The team will travel to

Southern California with a day less rest because of the unusual Friday game.

“They are a team that is really hot right now,” head coach Ron Caragher said. “They are leading the conference in the statistic that I believe matters the most, turnovers.”

To put this game into full perspective, the Aztecs are currently favored to win by at least 23 points, according to ESPN.

“They have a really good running attack,” Caragher said. “We know that we are going to have to be really gap sound and we will be challenged.”

The last time the Spartans beat the Aztecs was in San Diego on Sep. 22, 2012, winning 38-34 during SJSU’s most successful season in the last decade when the team finished 11-2.

The main concern for the Spartans will be the Aztecs backfield.

“They have a power-run game,” Caragher said. “And sprinkle in one of, if not the best, running backs in the country in (Donnel) Pumphrey.”

Running back Donnel Pumphrey is one of the nation’s top running backs this season, averaging 185.2 rush yards per game and 1,111 rushing yards this season.

“He is an excellent running back,” Caragher said. “Good runners will stay consistent throughout a football game and he does exactly that. You can have him caged in as a defensive front, cage him in and he can use his speed and shiftiness to get away.”

Pumphrey passed Herschel Walker and LaDainian Tomlinson to reach eighth place on the all time rushing yards list in Division I football history after his 220 yard-rushing performance against Fresno State last week.

Adding this to the fact that SJSU gives up the 16th most yards per game on the ground and viewers are left with what is expected to be a lopsided matchup.

In order for the Spartans to come up with the upset, the defense will have to play lights-out, tackling at the point of attack, and, most importantly, find a way to contain Pumphrey.

Last weekend was the first time this season the Spartans did a good job stopping the run. Friday will be the biggest test on the ground that defensive coordinator Ron English will have to face in his first year at SJSU.

On the offensive side of the ball, SJSU will need quarterback to run the ball effectively through play action and designed quarterback runs. He must take care of the football. San Diego State will take full advantage of any mistakes made by opponents, making it imperative for Potter and running back Malik Roberson to make good decisions.

While the Aztecs average over five points more per game, the yards per game for both teams is very similar. The biggest difference is the success in the red-zone. The Spartans will have to be in peak form, scoring touchdowns over field goals, when they get into the red-zone.

The objective remains the same if the Spartans want to make the postseason, the team must win at least four of its final five games to finish at .500.

What gives SJSU a chance in this game is its defense. Coming off a week when they played lights out against Nevada. The Spartans defense gave up a season low 257 yards of total offense, including only 113 yards rushing. If they can carry that momentum into San Diego, an upset will be possible.

If Potter can keep the Aztecs defense on its heels like he did against the Wolfpack, SJSU will be able to produce enough offense to win.

The game kicks off at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

Defense stands tall

It is week 7 and the Spartans find themselves staring at a must-win game, needed to win five of its final six games for a shot at making the postseason.

Last week, the Spartans were searching for someone on the team to step up and be the difference maker.

Through all the criticism, the questions surrounding the head coach and the ridicule of an unsatisfactory season, Saturday night at CEFCU Stadium, the same team opened some eyes.

The Spartans’ defense held the Wolfpack to 113 yards on the ground, the lowest it has allowed this season. The team also held James Butler, the eighth-ranked running back in terms of yards-per-game (121 ypg), to under 100 yards.

It was a level of defense that fans had yet to see this season.

SJSU looked sharper on the pursuit of the ball and made fewer careless mistakes on coverages. The Wolfpack only managed one big play and it was the touchdown score for 46 yards.

Head coach Ron Caragher said one of the Spartans keys to victory is winning the turnover battle and limiting the big plays. SJSU did both Saturday and it resulted in a win.

“We won the turnover battle two to zero because we did a good job not turning the ball over,” Caragher said. “And with that it is always in your favor.”

Quarterback Kenny Potter had a bounce-back game of his own. The second year Spartan signal caller finished the night with 11 completions for 142 yards and ran in two game-changing touchdowns, the second of which came with under a minute left in the fourth quarter.

“Coach Borges wanted me to get into a situation where I would have two options,” Potter said. “I saw the corner and I just took it and went for the cone and I scored.”

Potter put his body on the line to score the Spartans go-ahead touchdown. He made helmet to helmet contact with a Wolfpack defender as he dove to the pylon with the ball.

“We had helmet to helmet contact and I was a bit shaken up,” Potter said. “But it went away, no symptoms from here, I checked with the trainers and everything is good.”

What took place after the touchdown became more important than the score itself.

Potter laid on the ground for a few minutes as teammates looked on before he was helped out by the training staff. He was able to walk to the sidelines under his own power, where he proceeded to celebrate with his teammates.

After last Saturday’s disastrous performance, Potter vowed that he and his team would come back with a strong performance and it certainly lived up to the quarterback’s statement.

“Good to finally get a win,” Potter said. “Like I said last week we need to man up or run away from the situation and all of us guys ran towards it and tackled it.”

It was also a big day on the ground for running back Malik Roberson.

A player who seemed to be lost in the Spartans’ shuffle before Saturday, Roberson carried the ball more than he has ever had in his career (35 times).

“I have never carried the ball that many times in a game,” Roberson said. “But it is definitely something that as a developing player it is something that I can do.”

Caragher had high praise for the freshman running back, who showed a lot of maturity taking the load off of the pass game in the soggy weather.

The biggest key to the win was the turnover battle. SJSU committed zero turnovers, an area that both Caragher and Potter said they needed to work on after last week.

Turnovers have plagued the Spartans this season, making them give up 71 points on 14 turnovers.

Linebacker Christian Tago and cornerback Andre Chachere led the way defensively for SJSU, disrupting Nevada quarterback Tyler Stewart and the Wolfpack receivers throughout the entirety of the game.

“Those two guys bring a lot of fire in their bellies,” Caragher said. “They get ignited and they made some big plays tonight and they are our anchors on the defense.”

While the defense showed signs on vast improvement containing the run, it will be quite the test on Friday when they face one of the top running backs in the country, San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey.

The Spartans will look to try and win consecutive games for the first time this season when they take on their in-state rival this Friday on the road.

The Aztecs boast one of the best running attacks in the Mountain West, led by the small and shifty Pumphrey, and will look to continue their ground-game dominance when they face the Spartans.

From the chalkboard: Defense top priority for Spartans

Head coach Jamie Craighead knows the Spartans can shoot the basketball with anyone in the conference, but in order to take the next step, they need to focus on defense.

Last season, SJSU left opponents with having to deal with its potent offensive attack and sharp shooting skills from beyond the arc.

“We are better defensively,” Craighead said. “We are at a better point going into this season than we have in the past. We have freshman that have come from programs where they pressed and our upperclassmen are buying into that kind of defense.”

Along with defense, Craighead said the Spartans need to work harder on the boards, creating second chance points and preventing opponents from stealing points on attack after missed shots.

“We have got to get more chances to score,” Craighead said. “In terms of if we are taking a quick shot because it is open, we have to have everyone crashing down to get more rebounds.”

The Spartans as a team are working young this season, dressing five freshman and only four seniors.

“I think the one thing we try to do as recruiters is find players that know how to win,” Craighead said.

While it will take time for these players to get adjusted to the faster college pace, the tough preseason schedule the Spartans face will help prepare the team for conference play.

“If they can just do their jobs this year and not feel like they have to step out and be something bigger than they are,” Craighead said.

Craighead wants her team to use defense to create their offense. Which could pose a challenging while dealing with a young team.

“We want to score more off of our defense,” Craighead said. “From trapping and rotating and getting steals and blocking we have improved a lot from last year.”

The team wants to stress taking pressure off the offense, last season they relied heavily on scoring to make up for lapses on the defensive end.

“We want to score 15 to 20 points per game from our defense,” Craighead said.

The Spartans will look to take the next step this season and the team is on the rise after finishing last season with an improved 11-7 conference record.

Leaving zero room for error

The game began with a chance to jump back into the conference race and ended with another disappointing loss to add onto the pile of heartache the Spartans have accumulated this season.

The Spartans dropped their homecoming game on Saturday 34-17 against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.

San Jose State’s only victory this season has come against a division 2 opponent. SJSU has now lost four straight, two of which came against teams it beat handily last season. The defense continues to give up big plays, which puts the offense in a hole before it’s even settled.

These facts sunk head coach Ron Caragher deep into his chair postgame while trying to figure out where to go next.

“It was a really frustrating day,” Caragher said. “Things haven’t gone this season that I had foreseen going into it today.”

The Spartans’ run defense improved from the abysmal showing, giving up almost 450 yards on the ground to New Mexico, but could not hold up against the Rainbow Warriors passing game.

Hawaii quarterback Dru Brown completed 24 of 33 passes for 287 yard and two touchdowns.

On the other side, Spartans’ quarterback Kenny Potter had a game to forget on Saturday, completing only 13 of his 26 passes for 121 yards and three costly interceptions.

All of the interceptions followed Potter trying to make a play, scrambling around and throwing the ball up for grabs instead of the safe play out of bounds.

“We had a failure to execute,” Caragher said. “They did a good job collapsing the pocket. We had our opportunities just didn’t take advantage of them.”

The Spartans offensive line had another rough day, allowing the Rainbow Warriors to compile a season-high six sacks and giving Potter little time to throw the ball from the pocket.

“I put that game and loss on my shoulders,” Potter said. “I made critical errors that I don’t believe I should make as a football player and that loss is completely on me.”

Following two point-scoring drives to open up the game, SJSU had no rhythm on offense, which allowed Hawaii to gain momentum and take control of the tempo.

Prior to Saturday’s homecoming game, a tent among the tailgaters held a sign which said “fire Ron Caragher.”

This trend of fans calling for a coaching change continued from last year, before the team was announced that it had made a bowl game.

With the Spartans on a constant downspin since its first appearance in school history on the Nation’s top 25 list in 2012, the validity of the #firecaragher tweets may be coming to fruition.

In order for the Spartans to have a shot at making the postseason this year, they will have to win five of its remaining six games — a tall task to ask a team that is floundering and searching for an identity.

Last season it was all about Tyler Ervin; a talented running back who would ignite the offense with his big play ability and phenomenal return prowis.

This year SJSU does not have a player who has stepped up and taken the lead as the standout player to put the team on his back. That player needs to be found if the Spartans have any chance moving forward.

“We’re going to see if we’re men or if we’re going to run away from the situation,” Potter said. “I’m going to man up to my mistakes and step up and play a lot better football game next week.”

SJSU will stay at home this week and host the Nevada Wolfpack on Saturday at CEFCU Stadium at 7:30 p.m.