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

December 27, 2012; Washington, DC USA; San Jose State Spartans linebacker Keith Smith (31) celebrates on the bench in the closing seconds against the Bowling Green Falcons in the 2012 Military Bowl at RFK Stadium. The Spartans won 29-20. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Defense:
The Spartan defense was extremely underrated last season. There was a night and day difference between 2011 and 2012. The defense allowed nearly 426 yards per game in 2011, while only giving up 344 yards per game in 2012. They also improved their points allowed per game with just 21.3 points allowed per game, which was 24th best in the nation, compared to nearly 31 points per game in the year before.

The key factor to the defensive turnaround was the stellar play of their defensive line. Coach Mac unleashed his defensive line last year and they simply got after it using their impressive athleticism and drive. The stat to show how improved their play was is in the sack numbers. The unit went from just 16 sacks in 2011 to an outstanding 42 sacks in 2012, which ranked them tied for seventh most in the nation.

The line was led by star pass rusher Travis Johnson. Johnson was a terror for opposing offenses, as he racked up 65 total tackles, 21.5 tackles for a loss, and 13 sacks. His bookend was David Tuitupou, who added nine tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks. The interior had another star player in Travis Raciti, who dominated offensive lines to the tune of 13 tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks. He was joined inside by Anthony Larceval and his 10.5 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks.

The line loses both Johnson and Tuitupou to graduation and with their 18.5 sacks, which accounted for 44 percent of the teams sacks. Due to their losses in graduation and the difficulty of finding defensive linemen, the team has switched from a four down front to a three down front. The team is moving Raciti to the outside end position. They are hoping that he can still provide his pass rushing skills at the end. This unit should still be highly aggressive and it has decent size along the line, but they could struggle against the run due to the players preferring to penetrate instead of holding their ground to clog running lanes.

The next level of the defense is full of potential. The middle is manned by tackling machine Keith Smith. Smith has been the heart of the defense for the last few years. He has amassed 317 total tackles and 21 tackles for a loss over his career. He also has seven forced fumbles in his career.

He is joined in the middle by Christian Tago. The redshirt freshman has been so impressive over the summer that he has forced the team’s second leading tackler in Vince Buhagiar to the outside. They should form a formidable pair in the middle, as they are both active and could be highly productive.

The outside features the senior Buhagiar, who is highly active and has been a stud along Smith. Buhagiar has recorded 228 total tackles and 14 tackles for a loss in his three seasons. The Spartans are hoping he can provide good production rushing the passer, while shoring up the front with his run stopping ability.

He will be joined by junior college transfer Garret Guanella, who had 137 tackles and nine sacks during his two seasons at Santa Rosa Junior College. Both players are athletic and have decent size to help stop the run upfront, while providing some pass rush.

The back end of the defense has some talent, but is otherwise unproven with three new starters. Leading things off would be All-WAC corner Bene Benwikere. Benwikere is a playmaker through and through. He had 7.5 tackles for a loss, seven interceptions, 11 pass deflections, and two fumble recoveries. Benwikere is going to be matched up against the other team’s top receiver and will counted on to lead the young group.

Joining him on the other side would be Jimmy Pruitt, who had 41 tackles, one interception and a team leading 12 pass deflections. Pruitt is just a sophomore, but he is being counted to be the other starter across from Benwikere. He has the skill set to be a great defender, but lacks the experience that could cause problems down the road.

The safety position is a bigger question. The team is moving Damon Ogburn Jr. from corner to free saftey. He is a solid tackler, but will he be able to hold up in deep coverage. He is joined at strong safety by Simon Connette. Connette is a special teams star and is a solid hitter, so much like Ogburn Jr. it is yet to be seen how he might hold up in coverage. Esston Al-Uqdah is a junior college transfer that is a true safety and could challenge to be a starter at either position at any point in the season, but he will be in the rotation from day one.

The defense was highly productive last year and it will be counted upon to step up in the much tougher Mountain West conference. The defense is going to be highly aggressive and looks to create big plays and turnovers. They could see a drop off in their pass rushing ability with the loss of star pass rusher Johnson. That could affect a young secondary with three new starters. Any loss of pass rush could expose the secondary, especially teams with a strong passing offense.

The team could be better against the run, if the defensive line can hold up at the point of the attack. The strength of the defense is the linebacker unit and they are all pretty well-rounded. The defense could be even better than last year, if the young players are able to step up and the switch to the 3-4 can maintain the pass rushing production.