Posted by SJSdude on 8/7/2007, 11:19 am San Jose State - 2006: 9-4 Overall, 5-3 WAC Offense Hawaii has the best passing game in the conference, Ian Johnson gives Boise the top ground attack, but who has the best overall offense? It might be San Jose State. Quarterback Adam Tafralis would be a shoe-in for All-WAC honors if some guy named Brennan had leapt to the NFL, but as it stands he'll have to settle for having the 11th best passer rating in the country last season. With an 11-4 record as a starter, the big challenge for Tafralis will be finding new targets after the loss of top receivers James Jones and John Broussard. The receivers are young and inexperienced, with tight end Jeff Clark the leading returning receiver. But what Tafralis has that Brennan doesn't is two-time All-WAC selection Yonus Davis in the backfield. The first Spartan since 2000 to rush for more than 1,000 yards, the lightning-quick Davis averaged 6.2 yards a carry and gives SJSU the WAC's most balanced attack. Up front all five linemen will be upperclassmen, led by junior center Justin Paysinger. The Spartans also return two all-WAC performers in punter Waylon Prather and kicker Jared Strubeck. Defense The lynchpin of the defense is pretty obvious: All-American cornerback Dwight Lowery, who finished second nationally in interceptions last season, with nine. The comparison made by head coach Dick Tomey is also an easy one: former Spartan, and current Baltimore Raven, Chris McAlister. "The best thing about Dwight Lowery has nothing to do with his interceptions, or his performance on the field. He's as serious as a heart attack these days." Lowery broke his jaw in the spring and had his mouth wired shut for about seven weeks but didn't lose a pound and should see no after effects. It's because of Lowery and fellow cornerback Christopher Owens, who locks down opposing receivers, that Tomey can institute a new form of the "Desert Swarm" attacking defense he made famous as head coach at Arizona in the early 90s. And though Lowery is the star of the defense, the heart is all 5-10, 230 pounds of linebacker Matt Castelo: the nation's No. 2 returning tackler, having compiled 256 tackles the past two seasons and 18 tackles in the New Mexico Bowl win. The defensive line should be much improved, after using eight freshmen at different times last year, but the secondary and linebackers that will make or break the Spartans' defense. The Skinny The improvement for SJSU in recent years has been startling, and along with a 300 percent improvement in fan attendance in the past two years, the Spartans should go bowling in back-to-back years for the first time since 1987. A rough early schedule at Arizona State, Kansas State, and Stanford could trip up the Spartans, but this team is built for WAC play. With the best secondary in a pass-happy conference, the Spartans may have the best chance at upsetting Hawaii if the defensive line can get enough pressure on Brennan to allow Lowery and Owens to shut down the receivers. Back-to-back games at Fresno State and Boise State could decide where the Spartans land in the top half of the conference, but with good experience at key positions, Coach Tomey says this will be his best squad.
Link: http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stories/080307abf.html
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Here's their write-up on San Jose State...
Read up on the rest of the WAC here....
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