By Ernie Gonzalez (@superego1012):
San Jose State(1-3, 0-0 MW) will open up conference play this afternoon as it hosts the Utah State Aggies (1-2, 0-0 MW).
With Montel Aaron suffering a lower-leg injury late in the first quarter of last week’s game in Utah, it has slid the curtain wide open once again for Josh Love.
Aaron is expected to miss a couple weeks according to sources close to the team.
Although it isn’t confirmed, it is highly likely Love will be under center from start-to-finish on Saturday assuming he doesn’t get hurt.
“The quarterback situation will play out this week,” head coach Brent Brennan said on Monday.
Love, who started in the season opener last month, has only seen the field twice since, as Montel Aaron proved to fit gene Brennan and offensive coordinator Andrew Sowder were searching for on offense.
With Aaron’s injury, it gives Love an opportunity to relax and hit the restart button. Coming into the season, Love was the only quarterback of six on the roster to have experience at the collegiate level.
His only 2016 start came against the Iowa State Cyclones, a game where he threw four interceptions and was sacked four times.
Last week, receivers Bailey Gaither and JaQuan Blackwell were the only two wideouts with receptions until about halfway through the fourth quarter.
If Love and the Spartans stand a chance against the Aggies, it will be through the air where spreading the football is the way to do it.
Brennan pointed to the style of play as a reason for the lopsidedness in the reception category, calling it a maturity thing.
“That will continue to improve as our quarterbacks get more comfortable in the scheme,” Brennan said.
On the rushing side, Brennan has given just about every running back some playing time. With senior Brandon Monroe out for the season, the group is down to five.
DeJon Packer and Tyler Nevens were the two standout backs during the two road games. Expect the two to continue to carry the football during today’s game.
On defense, SJSU has two of the best ball-swarming linebackers in college football in Frank Ginda and Ethan Aguayo. The two of them combined are averaging nearly 25 tackles per game.
With Utah State being a pass-first team, don’t expect a crazy amount of tackling from the tandem. 10 tackles a pair is a solid bet … and even that’s impressive.
The Spartans have dropped their last six games to the Aggies, the two most recent coming in a 40-12 defeat in 2013 and a 41-7 rout in 2014.
Both teams held a college football Division 1 record for the highest scoring tie in a 1979 contest in Spartan Stadium where the game finished knotted up at 48.
Stadium: Live College Football will cover the game on Facebook for the fifth college football game ever to be broadcasted on the social media platform.
“I’m fired up about our game being on Facebook Live. I think that’s something different. Something cool and exciting,” Brennan said.
Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m.