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.

Never stop the fight

Imagine sitting on the bench, watching your teammates play the game that you love and all you can do is sit, grab your knee and watch.

Deontae Cooper knows what it means to fight for what you love.

The Spartans starting running back is 25 years old and is in his seventh season of college football.

He has torn his left ACL two times and the right one once, but the once-touted high school prospect from 2010 is still making plays in the backfield.

“I had some unfortunate luck when it came to camp,” Cooper said. “Torn ACL my first year so I was sidelined and then I rehabbed back too early and I re-tore it again.”

Cooper did not strain his focus on only football. The Spartans senior running back has had a strong showing the classroom, pursuing two bachelor's degrees and a masters degree.

“Before the injuries I didn’t think that far ahead,” Cooper said. “After the injuries I started thinking about my academics and how I can make the most of my situation.”

“I was highly recruited out of high school,” Cooper said. “I believed in a system up in Washington with coach Sarkisian and early had some success in spring ball.”

He was a four-star recruit out of Citrus Hill High School to the University of Washington. He began his Huskies career with an impressive spring showing in camp and had high hopes for the season.

But as the season grew closer, the injuries began to hit. In August of 2010, Cooper tore his ACL during practice and was promptly out for the season.

“I have been playing this game since I was eight years old and never missed a practice or a game,” Cooper said. “Getting hurt when I got to college was a shock to me.”

He rehabbed for a year before testing the knee out prior to the 2011 season, when he then blew out the same knee.

“The way I was raised watching my dad work so hard, having a twin brother and an older brother helped me get through it all,” Cooper said. “A lot of who I am today, my family shaped me and all of them played different parts.”

Cooper said he regrets having tried to push his knee too soon and wishes he waited longer for it to heal before getting back on the field.

A year later, after having fully rehabbed his knee the right way, Cooper’s bad luck continued as he tore his right ACL as well.

Despite all this heartache and turmoil of three ACL injuries, Cooper continued to play football and was awarded captain status prior to last season at Washington.

“I always knew that I worked hard,” Cooper said. “I found out more about my character and it forced me to be more consistent, be disciplined and build some mental toughness that I didn’t know was there.”

However, while he was finally ready to take the field, the Huskies had other plans, freshman running back Myles Gaskin took the spotlight and Cooper was left as the backup.

He decided that he needed a change of scenery and wanted to make sure that his legacy was  a success story, not one that ended with being left out.

“I just was really looking for a new start,” Cooper said. “One that would end on a high note and see what I could do with an opportunity like this.”

Cooper also said after watching how much success former Spartan Tyler Ervin had in the backfield for SJSU last season, it made him think believe that this would be a great place to end his college story.

All of Cooper’s teammates support everything he is trying to do on the field after recovering from the debilitating injuries he endured. Quarterback Kenny Potter said it is nice to have someone like him in the backfield to help take pressure off of himself on offense.

“I think that it is inspirational,” said Spartans head coach Ron Caragher. “He sets his goals high as a young student athlete and he doesn’t let an injury or something of that nature set him back.”

While the NCAA has strict rules on how many years an athlete can play at the Division 1 level (four years), they granted Cooper an additional year because of the injuries he went through.

“I love that Deontae was determined to get back on the field,” Caragher said. “He did a great job at the University of Washington, picked as a captain last year and brought his talents to San Jose State.”

From Saturday to Sunday

San Jose State football may not bring in the biggest name or blue-chip recruits that other colleges around the country may, but that does not mean it can’t compete with them at the highest level. The SJSU football program has its stamp branded all over the National Football League.

Two of the more prominent former Spartans have found a home in the NFL.

David Fales, former SJSU quarterback, now a member of the Baltimore Ravens, spent two seasons as a Spartan in 2012 and 2013. He led SJSU to its first and only appearance in the National rankings in 2012 (21st in the AP Poll).

“It was a perfect situation for me being close to home,” Fales said. “I feel like I came into a perfect situation where they had all the pieces set up and they just needed someone to throw the ball.”

Fales flourished as quarterback of the Spartans, going into his second season at SJSU he was projected to be a first round pick in the 2014 NFL draft.

“I feel like my whole college career, bouncing around and being around the coaches helped prepare me,” Fales said. “Just playing against good players and good teams definitely helped me get ready and helped me adjust.”

The move to the NFL was a major wake up call for Fales however, who had become accustomed to being the star on ---the roster.

“It was a really big transition,” Fales said. “You go from getting all the reps to having to share reps here everyday and you are not the guy anymore.”

The Chicago Bears took Fales in sixth round of the 2014 draft to be the backup to longtime starting quarterback Jay Cutler.

“He is someone that has been around the league for a long time and he knows a lot and has a lot of experience,” Fales said. “Being around him everyday was a big help and I am able to pick up stuff he does and he really took me under his wing and helped me.”

While Fales was predicted to have one of the biggest impacts any Spartan has had in the NFL over the past 10 years, cornerback Bene Benwikere stole the headlines.

Benwikere took the league by storm in his rookie year after getting drafted by the Carolina Panthers. He was named to the 2014 Pro Football Focus all-rookie team, Sports Illustrated all-rookie team and ESPN all-rookie team.

The Panther cornerback spent all four years of his college career as a Spartan from 2010 to 2013 before being drafted in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft.

“It was a rebuilding program and we got a new coach,” Benwikere said. “A lot of the new guys got a chance to play and I enjoyed myself.”

As a Spartan, Benwikere was named to the All-Western Athletic Conference and All-Mountain West Conference teams in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

“My very first year we only won one game,” Benwikere said. “But we grew as a team and by my junior year we went 11-2 and went to the Military Bowl and won that as well.”

Like Fales, Benwikere noticed the legitimate differences between college football and NFL on day one of training camp in 2014.

“The mental state of the game is the biggest change,” Benwikere said. “There are definitely guys that are a lot bigger and stronger and you just need to learn the mental state of the game.”

Earlier this year Benwikere came back to San Jose when the Panthers were preparing to play the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50.

“It was an interesting experience because I was injured and wasn’t able to do as much,” Benwikere said. “The whole week was really fun, I was embraced by the coaching staff and a lot of players and fans came to visit me at the hotel.”

As a member of the Panthers, everyday Benwikere gets to work with the 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton.

“He’s a fun and energetic guy,” Benwikere said. “He is definitely a good competition and a good guy to be around and the energy he brings everyday is definitely great.”

Benwikere said many people think Newton is just a guy that messes around and has a good time but he is one of the most focused people he has met on a football field.

Football has been a huge part of both these players lives and has shaped them to be who they are today. They both said they want to set good examples for the current SJSU football players and show them that they can achieve their goals.

“It is great getting to bring back some of our former players to talk to the guys,” said Spartans head coach Ron Caragher. “Just a sense of pride for the opportunity to play pro football and they are good ambassadors for the school.”

Week 4 preview

The Spartans will head back on the road on Saturday for a matchup with the Iowa State Cyclones. It’s the first time the teams have matched up in a football game in 36 years.

Members of the Big-12 conference, the Cyclones are 0-3 and are coming off a rough outing against Texas Christian University.

The Spartans will look to try and capitalize on the tough start to the season for the Cyclones and try to improve to 2-2 for the second straight season.

The Cyclones are 3-0 lifetime against the Spartans, the most recent of which was on September 20, 1980 when they beat SJSU 27-6.

Utah’s defense give SJSU quarterbacks nightmares

It was no secret going into Saturday’s matchup against Utah that SJSU would have to play its best football to beat the Utes.

Photo by Kavin Mistry

Considering how well the Spartans bounced back last weekend against Portland State made the idea of a upset in week 3 more intriguing. The Utes defense left all those thoughts in the dust Saturday night at CEFCU Stadium.

It was nearly impossible for the Spartans to find any consistency on the offensive side of the ball, especially when the Utes’ D were flying across the line and attacking the quarterback.

“They have an outstanding defense,” said Spartans head coach Ron Caragher. “That is how we sputtered, especially playing a team with a defense that good.”

Utah’s defense and special teams caused three Spartan turnovers resulting in 17 points. Utah also sacked SJSU quarterbacks 10 times (Utah school record).

“They did a good job getting our quarterbacks,” Caragher said. “We tried changing it up to a three step drop to get the ball out more quickly and they still got pressure on the quarterback.”

The Spartans’ offensive line had no chance against the size and speed of the Utes’ defensive line which gave Spartan quarterbacks little to no time to make a play with the ball.

Quarterback Kenny Potter spent countless plays maneuvering in and out of the pocket with the football to avoid taking big sacks.

Photo by Kavin Mistry

“Their defense upfront is pretty impressive,” Potter said. “We did a good job fighting even though we made mistakes including myself, and I take ownership of those.”

The Spartans starting QB was forced from the game after a long scramble play late in the third quarter resulted in him hitting the ground hard and he came up limping.

“I was just trying to make a play,” Potter said. “I told my guys I am going to keep competing and I was going to go for the first down no matter what it looked like.”

Despite all the struggles offensively, SJSU could have found its quarterback of the future.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Josh Love stepped up in the third quarter after Potter left the game and showed signs of life in the passing game.

“He did some nice things,” Caragher said. “He made some throws and made some plays.”

Love finished the game with 184 yards passing on 11 of 21 completions and connected with running back Zamore Zigler on a 46 yard touchdown.

Photo by Kavin Mistry

The running game was a lost cause against the Utes only recording 56 yards. The rushing attack has been up and down after going from 53 yards in week 1 to 409 in week 2.

The Spartans will have to gather themselves and check their wounds as they prepare for a tough road game against Iowa State on Saturday.

“We are optimistic about ourselves going forward,” Potter said. “We showed signs of good football out there but we just could not put it all together.”

The missing link

While the Spartans defense had another disappointing showing against the running attack, linebacker Christian Tago could be the answer.

“He does a great job on the sidelines as an extra set of eyes for us,” Spartans linebacker Frank Ginda said. “We are excited for him to come back soon.”

Photo by Kavin Mistry

Ginda said without him they are doing a pretty good job defensively, but he will only help them improve once he is able to get back on the field.

Tago is still on the mend from injury and Caragher said he will be out again this week against Iowa State, but once he returns, he will make an immediate impact.