# 2020 San Jose State Spartans football team

The 2020 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San José State University during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Spartans were led by fourth-year head coach Brent Brennan and played their home games at CEFCU Stadium and Sam Boyd Stadium as members of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the regular season 6–0 in Mountain West play and defeated Boise State in the Mountain West championship game. This was the Spartans' first Mountain West championship win and 17th overall conference title. The championship victory also marked San Jose State's first win over Boise State in program history. In addition, this was their first bowl game since 2015 and first winning season since 2012.

## Schedule

San Jose State had non-conference games scheduled against Central Michigan, UC Davis, Penn State and UConn, but all of these games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On August 10, 2020, the Mountain West Conference suspended all fall sports competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, MWC officials announced on Sept. 24 the conference would host a shortened fall football schedule.
The Oct. 31 game originally scheduled at University Stadium in Albuquerque was relocated to San Jose due to COVID-19 cases related to contact tracing in Bernalillo County, New Mexico.
On November 19, the game at Fresno State scheduled for Nov. 21 was canceled because of a positive COVID-19 test and contact tracing within the Fresno State program.
Nearly four and a half hours before kickoff, the Nov. 28 game at Boise State was canceled because of "an upward trend of COVID-19 cases and contact tracing within the Boise State football program."
The home game against Hawaii scheduled for Dec. 5 was moved to Aloha Stadium in Honolulu after new COVID-19 restrictions were released in Santa Clara County, where CEFCU Stadium is located.
The Dec. 11 home game against Nevada, originally scheduled to be played at CEFCU Stadium, was moved to Sam Boyd Stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions imposed by Santa Clara County.
The Mountain West conference championship game was to be hosted by San Jose at CEFCU Stadium, but was moved to Sam Boyd Stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions imposed by Santa Clara County.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 24 | 7:30 p.m. | Air Force | | CEFCU StadiumSan Jose, CA | FS1 | W 17–6 | 0 |
| October 31 | 4:00 p.m. | New Mexico | | CEFCU StadiumSan Jose, CA | FS1 | W 38–21 | 0 |
| November 6 | 6:00 p.m. | at San Diego State | | Dignity Health Sports ParkCarson, CA | CBSSN | W 28–17 | 0 |
| November 14 | 7:30 p.m. | UNLV | | CEFCU StadiumSan Jose, CA | FS2 | W 34–17 | 0 |
| November 21 | 4:00 p.m. | at Fresno State | | Bulldog StadiumFresno, CA (rivalry) | CBSSN | No Contest | |
| November 28 | 1:00 p.m. | at Boise State | | Albertsons StadiumBoise, ID | Fox | No Contest | |
| December 5 | 3:00 p.m. | at Hawaii | | Aloha StadiumHonolulu, HI (Dick Tomey Legacy Game) | SPEC HI | W 35–24 | 0 |
| December 11 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. Nevada | | Sam Boyd StadiumWhitney, NV | CBSSN | W 30–20 | 0 |
| December 19 | 1:30 p.m. | vs. Boise State | No. 24 | Sam Boyd StadiumWhitney, NV (MW Championship Game) | Fox | W 34–20 | 0 |
| December 31 | 11:00 a.m. | vs. Ball State* | No. 22 | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ (Arizona Bowl) | CBS | L 13–34 | 0 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 24 released prior to gameAll times are in Pacific time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### Air Force

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Spartans | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 17 |
at CEFCU Stadium, San Jose, CA
* Date: October 24, 2020
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 62 °F (17 °C) • Wind: NNW 7 mph • Weather: Clear
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Scott Campbell
* TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust (play-by-play) & Petros Papadakis (analyst)
* ESPN - Air Force Falcons at San Jose State Spartans
Game information :
First Quarter
No scoring
Second Quarter
No scoring
Third Quarter
(06:48) SJSU TD – Derrick Deese Jr. 7-yard pass from Nick Starkel, Matt Mercurio kick Drive: 9 plays, 92 yards, 4:30; San Jose State 7–0
(00:43) SJSU TD – Derrick Deese Jr. 11-yard pass from Nick Starkel, Matt Mercurio kick Drive: 3 plays, 14 yards, 1:24; San Jose State 14–0
Fourth Quarter
(13:16) AFA TD – Kyle Patterson 34-yard pass from Haaziq Daniels, Haaziq Daniels rush failed Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 2:27; San Jose State 14–6
(05:18) SJSU FG – Matt Mercurio 30-yard field goal Drive: 15 plays, 78 yards, 7:50; San Jose State 17–6
Passing
AFA – Haaziq Daniels: 9/17, 92 yards, 1 TD
SJSU – Nick Starkel: 22/29, 226 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
AFA – Brandon Lewis: 9 carries, 60 yards
SJSU – Kairee Robinson: 12 carries, 31 yards
Receiving
AFA – Kyle Patterson: 3 receptions, 56 yards, 1 TD
SJSU – Bailey Gaither: 8 receptions, 110 yards
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under
64 :

### New Mexico

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lobos | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Spartans | 7 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 38 |
at CEFCU Stadium, San Jose, CA
* Date: October 31, 2020
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Clear and Sunny • Wind: NW 7 MPH
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Mike Cuttone
* TV announcers (FS1): Guy Haberman (play–by–play) and Charles Arbuckle (analyst)
* ESPN - New Mexico Lobos at San Jose State Spartans
Game information :
First Quarter
(00:31) SJSU TD – Tre Walker 37-yard pass from Nick Starkel, Matt Mercurio kick Drive: 14 plays, 84 yards, 5:01; San Jose State 7–0
Second Quarter
(10:36) SJSU TD – Isaiah Hamilton 43-yard pass from Nick Starkel, Matt Mercurio kick Drive: 8 plays, 84 yards, 3:16; San Jose State 14–0
(09:33) NM TD – Cedric Patterson III 39-yard pass from Tevaka Tuioti, George Steinkamp kick Drive: 4 plays, 84 yards, 0:59; San Jose State 14–7
(06:10) SJSU TD – Tre Walker 26-yard pass from Nick Starkel, Matt Mercurio kick Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:23; San Jose State 21–7
(02:06) NM TD – Andre Erickson 4-yard pass from Tevaka Tuioti, George Steinkamp kick Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:03; San Jose State 21–14
Third Quarter
(10:55) NM TD – Tevaka Tuioti 1-yard run, George Steinkamp kick Drive: 8 plays, 71 yards, 3:02; Tied 21–21
(08:00) SJSU FG – Matt Mercurio 30-yard field goal Drive: 9 plays, 46 yards, 2:46; San Jose State 24–21
(00:00) SJSU TD – Bailey Gaither 69-yard pass from Nick Starkel, Matt Mercurio kick Drive: 1 play, 69 yards, 0:04; San Jose State 31–21
Fourth Quarter
(09:36) SJSU TD – Sam Olson 1-yard pass from Nick Starkel, Matt Mercurio kick Drive: 8 plays, 76 yards, 3:50; San Jose State 38–21
Passing
NM – Tevaka Tuioti – 20/35, 294 yards, 2 TD, INT
SJSU – Nick Starkel – 34/47, 467 yards, 5 TD
Rushing
NM – Tevaka Tuioti – 14 carries, 69 yards, TD
SJSU – Isaiah Holiness – 9 carries, 31 yards
Receiving
NM – Andre Erickson – 3 receptions, 72 yards, TD
SJSU – Bailey Gaither – 10 receptions, 208 yards, TD
Win Probability
SJSU –
Line
SJSU –13.5
Over/Under
56 :

### At San Diego State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Spartans | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
| Aztecs | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, CA
* Date: November 6
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. PST
* Game attendance: 0
* TV: CBSSN
* ESPN - San Jose State Spartans at San Diego State Aztecs
Game information :
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Passing
SJSU –
SDSU –
Rushing
SJSU –
SDSU –
Receiving
SJSU –
SDSU –
Win Probability
Line
SDSU -10.0
Over/Under
51 :

### UNLV

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rebels | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Spartans | 10 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 34 |
at CEFCU Stadium, San Jose, CA
* Date: November 14, 2020
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. PST
* Game attendance: 0
* TV: FS2
* ESPN - UNLV Rebels at San Jose State Spartans
Game information :
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Passing
UNLV –
SJSU –
Rushing
UNLV –
SJSU –
Receiving
UNLV –
SJSU –
Win Probability
Line
SJSU -17.0
Over/Under
62 :

### At Fresno State (No contest)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Spartans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Bulldog Stadium, Fresno, CA
* Date: November 21, 2020
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. PST
* Game attendance: 0 (No contest)
* TV: CBSSN
* ESPN - San Jose State-Fresno State college football game canceled because of COVID-19 protocols
Game information :
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Passing
SJSU –
FRES –
Rushing
SJSU –
FRES –
Receiving
SJSU –
FRES –
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under :

### At Boise State (No contest)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Spartans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broncos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID
* Date: November 28, 2020
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
* Game attendance: 0
* TV: Fox
* ESPN - San Jose Spartans vs. Boise Broncos Game Cancelled Due to COVID-19
Game information :
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Passing
BSU –
SJSU –
Rushing
BSU –
SJSU –
Receiving
BSU –
SJSU –
Win Probability
Line
BSU -11.5
Over/Under
58 :

### At Hawaii

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Spartans | 21 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Rainbow Warriors | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI
* Date: December 5, 2020
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. HST
* Game weather: Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: N 7 MPH • Weather: Slightly Humid
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Timothy Davis
* TV announcers (SPEC HI / Stadium): Robert Kekaula (play-by-play) & Rich Miano (analyst)
* ESPN - San Jose St. plays first game in 3 weeks, beats Hawaii 35-24
Game information :
First Quarter
(11:43) SJSU TD – Isaiah Holiness 2-yard pass from Nick Starkel, Matt Mercurio kick Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:17; San Jose State 7–0
(9:36) SJSU TD – Tyler Nevens 72-yard rush, Matt Mercurio kick Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:28; San Jose State 14–0
(6:24) SJSU TD – Tyler Nevens 10-yard rush, Matt Mercurio kick Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 1:57; San Jose State 21–0
Second Quarter
(9:21) UH FG – Matthew Shipley 25-yard field goal Drive: 11 plays, 72 yards, 3:48; San Jose State 21–3
(3:12) UH TD – Dae Dae Hunter 10-yard pass from Chevan Cordeiro, Matthew Shipley kick Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards, 2:14; San Jose State 21–10
Third Quarter
(9:48) UH TD – Rico Bussey 11-yard pass from Chevan Cordeiro, Matthew Shipley kick Drive: 12 plays, 74 yards, 5:07; San Jose State 21–17
(2:17) SJSU TD – Kairee Robinson 2-yard rush, Matt Mercurio kick Drive: 18 plays, 70 yards, 7:31; San Jose State 28–17
Fourth Quarter
(12:03) SJSU TD – Tre Walker 50-yard pass from Nick Starkel, Matt Mercurio kick Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:44; San Jose State 35–17
(2:24) UH TD – Chevan Cordeiro 4-yard rush, Matthew Shipley kick Drive: 10 plays, 60 yards, 4:40; San Jose State 35–24
Passing
SJSU – Nick Starkel – 11/23, 167 yards, 2 TD, INT
HAW – Chevan Cordeiro – 28/42, 238 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing
SJSU – Tyler Nevens – 16 carries, 152 yards, 2 TD
HAW – Chevan Cordeiro – 11 carries, 36 yards, TD
Receiving
SJSU – Tre Walker – 2 receptions, 64 yards, TD
HAW – Rico Bussey – 8 receptions, 69 yards, TD
Win Probability
Line
SJSU -2.5
Over/Under
60 :

### Vs. Nevada

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolf Pack | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Spartans | 7 | 0 | 20 | 3 | 30 |
at Sam Boyd Stadium, Whitney, NV
* Date: December 11, 2020
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. PST
* Game attendance: 0
* TV: CBSSN
* ESPN - San Jose St. beats Nevada, advances to MWC Championship game
Game information :
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Passing
NEV –
SJSU –
Rushing
NEV –
SJSU –
Receiving
NEV –
SJSU –
Win Probability
Line
NEV -2.5
Over/Under
62 :

### Vs. Boise State (MWC Championship game)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
| No. 24 Spartans | 7 | 12 | 0 | 15 | 34 |
at Sam Boyd Stadium, Whitney, NV
* Date: December 19, 2020
* Game time: 1:30 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 56 °F (13 °C) • Wind: NE 1 mph
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Scott Campbell
* TV announcers (Fox): Tim Brando (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst)
* ESPN - No. 25 San Jose State beats Boise State in MWC title game
Game information :
First quarter
(8:36) SJSU – Tre Walker 55 yard pass from Nick Starkel, Matt Mercurio kick (Drive: 3 plays, 71 yards, 1:48; San Jose State 7–0)
(3:31) BSU – Jonah Dalmas 51 yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 44 yards, 5:05; San Jose State 7–3)
Second quarter
(14:46) SJSU – Matt Mercurio 24 yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 68 yards, 3:45; San Jose State 10–3)
(6:40) SJSU – Matt Mercurio 36 yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 39 yards, 1:56; San Jose State 13–3)
(2:31) SJSU – Matt Mercurio 26 yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 3:27; San Jose State 16–3)
(0:50) SJSU – Matt Mercurio 32 yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 36 yards, 1:05; San Jose State 19–3)
(0:01) BSU – Jonah Dalmas 50 yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards, 0:50; San Jose State 19–6)
Third quarter
(2:48) BSU – Avery Williams 69 yard punt return, Jonah Dalmas kick (San Jose State 19–13)
Fourth quarter
(14:17) SJSU – Isaiah Hamilton 30 yard pass from Nick Starkel, 2-point pass good (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:31; San Jose State 27–13)
(10:51) BSU – Hank Bachmeier 2 yard rush, Jonah Dalmas kick (Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 3:26; San Jose State 27–20)
(3:48) SJSU – Derrick Deese Jr. 1 yard pass from Nick Starkel, Matt Mercurio kick (Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 4:30; San Jose State 34–20)
Passing
BSU – Hank Bachmeier – 20/40, 221 yards
SJSU – Nick Starkel – 32/52, 453 yards, 3 TD
Rushing
BSU – Andrew Van Buren – 11 carries, 26 yards
SJSU – Kairee Robinson – 12 carries, 39 yards
Receiving
BSU – Khalil Shakir – 6 receptions, 85 yards
SJSU – Tre Walker – 7 receptions, 137 yards, TD
Win Probability
Line
BSU -6.5
Over/Under
59 :

### Vs. Ball State (Arizona Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 27 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 34 |
| No. 22 Spartans | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
at Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ
* Date: December 31, 2020
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. PST
* Game weather: Partly cloudy • Temperature: 55 °F (13 °C) • Wind: ESE 8 mph
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Joe Lehring
* TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play–by–play), Rick Neuheisel (analyst) and Jenny Dell (sideline)
* ESPN - Arizona Bowl Ball State Cardinals vs. No. 22 San Jose State Spartans
Game information :
First quarter
(12:41) BALL – Antonio Phillips 53 yard interception return, kick failed (Ball State 6–0)
(10:00) BALL – Will Jones 3 yard rush, Jacob Lewis kick (Drive: 6 plays, 50 yards, 1:50; Ball State 13–0)
(5:15) BALL – Tye Evans 3 yard rush, Jacob Lewis kick (Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 2:41; Ball State 20–0)
(1:04) BALL – Drew Plitt 1 yard rush, Jacob Lewis kick (Drive: 6 plays, 35 yards, 1:52; Ball State 27–0)
Second quarter
No scoring plays
Third quarter
(9:42) BALL – Yo'Heinz Tyler 48 yard pass from Drew Plitt, Jacob Lewis kick (Drive: 3 plays, 49 yards, 1:12; Ball State 34–0)
(9:28) SJSU – Charlie Bostic 99 yard kickoff return, 2-point pass failed (Ball State 34–6)
(0:01) SJSU – Jermai Braddock 8 yard pass from Nick Starkel, Matt Mercurio kick (Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 3:08; Ball State 34–13)
Fourth quarter
No scoring plays
Passing
BSU – Drew Plitt – 12/19, 217 yards, TD
SJSU – Nick Starkel – 25/42, 268 yards, TD, 3 INT
Rushing
BSU – Will Jones – 22 carries, 89 yards, TD
SJSU – Tyler Nevens – 7 carries, 37 yards
Receiving
BSU – Yo'Heinz Tyler – 4 receptions, 103 yards, TD
SJSU – Tre Walker – 7 receptions, 81 yards
Win Probability
Line
SJSU -9.5
Over/Under
64 :

## Rankings

On November 8, San Jose State received votes in the Coaches Poll for the first time since Week 2 of 2013. Then on November 15, San Jose State received votes in the AP Poll for the first time since being ranked no. 21 in the final 2012 season poll. This led to the Spartans cracking the College Football Playoff Top 25 for the first time, ranking no. 24 on Dec. 15, 2020.
Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 19 | 24 |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 20 | 24 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | 24 | 22 | Not released |

## Depth chart

| † | As of November 28, 2020 |
Defense :
* FS
* Tre Jenkins
* Jay Lenard
| LB | LB | LB | LB |
| Hadari Darden | Kyle Harmon | Tysyn Parker | Alii Matau |
| Dion Leonard | Isaʻako Togia | Rahyme Johnson | Christian Webb |
| ⋅ | ⋅ | Jordan Cobbs | Rico Tolefree |
* SS
* Tre Webb
* B. J. Johnson
* CB
* Nehemiah Shelton
* Charlie Bostic
* Malik Welch
| DE | NT | DE |
| Viliami Fehoko | Jay Kavika | Cade Hall |
| Noah Right | Lando Grey | E. J. Ane |
| Sinjun Astani | Soane Toia | Christian Johnson |
* CB
* Kenyon Reed
* Tre White
* Mikale Greer
Offense :
* WR
* Tre Walker
* Vincent Corso
* Jamar Simpson
* WR
* Isaiah Hamilton
* Isaiah Holiness
* Andre Crump Jr.
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| Jackson Snyder | Jesse Chamberlain | Kyle Hoppe | Tyler Stevens | Jaime Navarro |
| John Weiss | Trevor Robbins | Trevor Robbins | Anthony Pardue | Scott Breslin |
| ⋅ | ⋅ | ⋅ | Tyler Ostrom | ⋅ |
* TE
* Derrick Deese Jr.
* Billy Bob Humphreys
* Dominick Mazotti
* WR
* Bailey Gaither
* Jermaine Braddock
* Malikhi Miller
* QB
* Nick Starkel
* Nick Nash
* RB
* Kairee Robinson OR Tyler Nevens
* Isaiah Holiness
* Shamar Garrett
* Special teams
* PK Matt Mercurio
* P Elijah Fischer
* KR Shamar Garrett
* PR Bailey Gaither
* LS Andrew Gonneville
* H Elijah Fischer

## Awards and honors
### Individual Honors

* Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year
    Brent Brennan
* Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year
    Cade Hall, DL

### All-American Selections

    Cade Hall, DL (TSN, USAT)

### All-Mountain West Conference Team Selections

All-Conference Honors :
| Player | Position | Honor |
| Bailey Gaither | WR | 1st Team |
| Jack Snyder | OL | 1st Team |
| Cade Hall | DL | 1st Team |
| Viliami Fehoko | DL | 1st Team |
| Kyle Harmon | LB | 1st Team |
| Nick Starkel | QB | 2nd Team |
| Tre Walker | WR | 2nd Team |
| Tre Jenkins | DB | 2nd Team |
| Derrick Deese Jr. | TE | Honorable Mention |
| Matt Mercurio | PK | Honorable Mention |
| Tre Webb | DB | Honorable Mention |
Ref: