San Jose State Spartans: Can They Find Success In The Mountain West?

August 31, 2012; Stanford, CA, USA; San Jose State Spartans quarterback David Fales (10) passes the ball during the first half against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Offense:
The offense was led by sensational first year starter David Fales. The junior college transfer burst on to the scene this with a near upset of the Stanford Cardinal in the first week of the season. He would carry that momentum into the rest of the year, as he finished as one of the elite quarterbacks in the nation. Fales completed a nation leading 72.5 percent of his passes for 4,193 yards, which ranked sixth in the nation. He also had 33 touchdowns to just nine interceptions and finished with the third best quarterback rating with 170.8.

Much of his success is due to the number of playmakers that he was able to throw the ball to, as four different caught at least 45 passes and had more than 600 yards receiving. The best of the bunch was Noel Grigsby, who caught 82 passes for 1,307 yards and nine touchdowns. Grigsby is the Spartans’ career leader in receptions with 227 and receiving yards with 3,015. He is paired up with dangerous deep threat Chandler Jones, who caught 54 balls for 691 yards and 11 scores. The third part of their trio is the ever reliable Jabari Carr, who added 62 receptions for 639 yards and four touchdowns. Fales also had a talented tight end in Ryan Otten, who caught 47 receptions for 742 yards and four touchdowns.

Four of the five players return, as Ryan Otten has moved on to the NFL. That should scare opposing defenses with Fales getting his top three receivers back. Teams will not be taken by surprise this year, so expect teams to try and slow down this potent passing attack. So, will the offense take it another level, or will the offense not make much of an improvement with the emphasis on slowing down Fales and tremendous trio of receivers?

The one real weak link for the Spartans is their running attack. They ranked 109th in the nation with only 113.5 yards per game. De’Leon Eskridge was the team’s leading rusher with 1,025 yards and 11 touchdowns, which gave the Spartans their first thousand yard rusher since 2006. Eskridge accounted for 1,025 yards of the team’s 1,475 yards on the ground, which was nearly 70 percent of the team’s rushing yards. He also accounted for 65 percent of the team’s rushing touchdowns.

Eskridge has moved on to the NFL following graduation and the team will try to replace his a production with a committee approach. Tyler Ervin is going to get the first shot at taking a hold on the starting role. The team is hoping that he can finally carry his dynamic playmaking ability as a kick return over to his being a running back. Ervin was the team’s second leading rusher with 45 carries on 205 yards. The Spartans are also likely to see carries from senior Jason Simpson, junior college transfer Alvin Jenks, and true freshman Osirus Burke. They are all smaller backs that have great speed, but can any of them show the talent to take over as go-to back.

The running game struggled mainly due to the lack of consistent push provided by the offensive line. The line struggled to push back opposing defenses and allowed too much penetration. The just do not have the size and strength up front to beat up on opposing defensive lines and it shows. They did a decent job keeping Fales upright with 26 sacks surrendered, but a lot of that is due to Fales quick release and mobility in the pocket.

The positive for the line heading into this season is the return of four starters. They will have plenty of experience and chemistry, as they head into the season. They will have to replace their player in left tackle David Quessenberry, who graduated and was selected in this year’s draft. So, they are an experienced group that should keep their quarterback upright, but the running attack might take a step back.

The offense should again be a unit that puts up plenty of points on the back of their talented quarterback and receiving core. They have the potential to be one of the top passing offenses in the entire nation again this year, but will they get any help from the running game. If the running game cannot gain any tractor, then the passing game might suffer as opposing defense will focus on defending the pass. The weight is going to on the offensive line to create some holes for the unproven stable of running backs. Fales should get his stats, but any effective running game could propel him into legendary.