By Ernie Gonzalez (@superego1012):
San Jose State football fell to 1-3 on the season after a second straight road loss to a power-five conference team in Utah Saturday night.
It was the second time in as many weeks the Spartans allowed 50 or more points, this time coming in a 54-16 loss to the Utes.
After a first quarter filled with field goals which put the Utes up 9-3, it was a three-quarter battle not only against the Utes, but with injuries for SJSU.
Early in the second quarter, quarterback Montel Aaron scrambled on a third-and-long, was flipped and hit hard by a Utah players’ helmet on his right knee.
Aaron stayed down for a couple minutes, but was able to get up under his own power. He tried jogging on the sideline, but went down in pain, officially cutting his night short.
The Spartans were already short-staffed on offense, as senior offensive lineman Nate Velichko missed his first ever game as a Spartan for unknown reasons. Junior tight end Josh Oliver also did not start after suffering an ankle injury last week versus Texas.
With senior running back Brandon Monroe out for the season, first year Spartans DeJon Packer and Tyler Nevens are stacking up their touches.
Packer finished the night with six carries for 28 yards, but also was cut short after he limped off the field in the fourth quarter and did not return.
Things weren’t much different on defense for the Spartans. Junior nose tackle Sailosi Latu was sidelined with a lower leg injury suffered last week. Freshman defensive lineman Cameron Alexander exited with a leg injury and sophomore linebacker Ethan Aguayo fell on junior linebacker Frank Ginda’s ankle in the third quarter.
Ginda got up, was treated on the sideline and re-entered the game. He ended the game with 15 tackles, tallying him up to a nation-leading 57 on the season.
Not long after Ginda came in, more bad luck struck SJSU when junior defensive lineman Bryson Bridges had to be helped off the field with what appeared to be a lower-body injury.
On offense, the Spartans struggled once again establishing a ground game, averaging less than one yard per carry on the night with 37 attempts for a flat 30 yards.
Even on the passing game, the Spartans were bent over backwards, converting on just 1/13 on third down opportunities. Five costly turnovers also turned into a few Utah touchdowns.
Ute quarterback Tyler Huntley found his main target Darren Carrington three times in the end zone tonight. Carrington had an impressive nine receptions for 153 yards.
Huntley threw for 341 yards on 30/43 passing, 4TDs and 1INT.
As for the Spartans, sophomore wide receiver Bailey Gaither has solidified his role as the Spartans’ best wideout, catching eight balls for 125 yards and a touchdown.
The Spartans have now lost 13 games in a row against the Pac-12 dating back to 2006.
The last two weeks have been some to forget, as the Spartans have been outscored 110-16 by two of the top 25 teams in the country.
SJSU will begin Mountain West play at home next Saturday against Utah State.