Nebraska to start season 2-0

Nebraska returns to action looking for victory No. 2 in a matchup against San Jose State.

The Huskers and Spartans will meet in an 11:30 a.m. Saturday contest at Memorial Stadium that will be televised on a Pay-Per-View basis.

Both teams come into the game 1-0. The Spartans came from behind to post a 13-10 win over California-Davis last week. San Jose State is coached by Dick Tomey. The 28-year coaching veteran is 176-129-7 overall and 18-19 in his fourth year at San Jose St. The Spartans are 0-1 all time against the Huskers, dropping a 49-13 decision to Nebraska in 2000.

San Jose St. is a team that will rely heavily on the pass against Nebraska. Last week, the Spartans utilized three quarterbacks before finding the right leader to earn their first victory. Kyle Reed (6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Jr.) came off the bench to spark the win. Reed will make the start against the Huskers.

The California transfer was 14-of-18 passing (77.8 percent) for 132 yards and two touchdowns against Cal-Davis last week. Reed also led the Spartans with 28 yards rushing in the opener. As a team, San Jose St. was 26-of-34 passing (76.5 percent) for 231 yards with two scores and a pair of interceptions. Myles Eden (6-1, 205, Jr.) will also likely see playing time at quarterback against the Husker defense.

The Spartans were very ineffective running the ball last week. Overall, San Jose St. only rushed for 42 yards on 24 carries against Cal-Davis. Yonus Davis (5-8, 190, Sr.) had 26 yards rushing and three catches for 25 yards last week. He is similar in size and style to Western Michigan back Brandon West the Huskers saw in their last game.

The receivers are the best unit on offense for San Jose St. The leader is Kevin Jurovich (6-0, 183, Sr.), who had 11 receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown in last week’s victory. David Richmond (6-4, 200, Sr.) added six catches for 60 yards, while Jalal Beauchman (6-4, 220, Jr.) chipped in four grabs for 40 yards. Tight end Jeff Clark (6-6, 250, Sr.) makes a nice big target for the Spartan quarterbacks as well.

As a group, the Spartan offensive line is younger and smaller than most of which the Huskers will face this season. San Jose State has no seniors in their starting offensive line. Both tackles are small for Division I football, each weighing no more than 280 pounds. The guards have good size, with Nathaniel Timo (6-0, 335, Jr.) on the left side and Ailao Eliapo (6-3, 320, So.) on the right side. From tackle to tackle, San Jose State averages nearly 6-3 and 299 pounds per man. The offensive line allowed four sacks last week which may mean the Husker defense will bring a great deal of pressure against the Spartans.

Defensively, San Jose State will use a 4-3 scheme. Last week, it was stingy giving up only 61 yards on the ground and 193 through the air against Cal-Davis. The big-play man up front for the Spartans is defensive end Carl Ihenacho (6-3, 245, Jr.). Ihenacho led the way last week with nine total tackles and the only sack. The key run stopper is defensive tackle Adonis Davis (6-2, 295, Jr.). This group must play well or Nebraska will make it a long afternoon for San Jose St.

The linebackers are led by Travis Jones (6-1, 220, Jr.) in the middle. Jones had five total tackles last week. Outside linebacker Justin Cole (6-3, 240, Jr.) provides good size and strength to this group for San Jose St. The secondary has the most experience returning. Cornerback Coye Francies (6-1, 185, Sr.) had eight tackles, including a team high six solo stops in the season opening victory. The safeties are an interesting pair. Senior Kyle Flynn (6-2, 205) is a hitter in the defensive backfield, while sophomore Devin Newsome (5-10, 165) is undersized with great quickness. Newsome and Chris Owens (5-10 170, Sr.) each had interceptions in the opener.

Special teams for the Spartans were not overly impressive in week one. Kicker Jared Strubeck (5-8, 182, Sr.) was 0 of 2 on field goals and 1 of 2 on extra point attempts last week. The punting game averaged 37.6 yards per kick last week. Junior Philip Zavala (6-1, 200) will be the man doing the punting for the Spartans. Defensive back Cote Francis averaged 30.7 yards per kickoff return last week and Jurovich is sure handed as the punt returner.

Overall, this should be a mismatch. San Jose St. is not a good running team and does not have as many weapons in the passing game as Western Michigan did a week ago. The offensive line is small and gives up some sacks against pressure. The defense played well in the opener, but the Husker offense is much stronger than Cal-Davis. Too much talent in the red jerseys leads to a 52-17 win for Nebraska over San Jose State.

Jim Dolezal is a local Husker football fanatic as well as a part-time sports writer for the Telegram. He will analyze the Huskers’ opposition from a hometown perspective every Thursday throughout the season.