San Jose State Football Spring Update

Spring Summary

Spring was mostly about learning a new offense and getting used to the new coaching staff. The offense showed some reasons to be concerned toward the middle of spring ball. At times, it struggled to move the chains through the passing game or generate an effective running game.

That was partly to blame on injuries to top wide receiver Noel Grigsby and projected starting running back Tyler Ervin. Toward the end of camp and in the spring game to close it, the offense began to look better and more closely resembled last season’s effective unit.

The big question marks coming in were finding a replacement at left tackle for David Quessenberry and at tight end for Ryan Otten.

Injuries to two returning starters on the offensive line (guards Ryan Jones and Nicholas Kaspar) led to the offensive line turning into a rotating cast of characters. Wes Schweitzer was the first to emerge as the possible starting LT and he could end up being the guy, but there were too many rotating pieces to get a good gauge.

At tight end, Travis Lorius (the only player competing who has a catch at the Division I level) was starting to emerge from a group of about five but an injury ended his camp early. Freshman Billy Freeman also looked good at times. That position will still have many question marks when fall camp opens.

Name me a few unknown players who could become stars this season

RB Tyler Ervin could turn into the team’s biggest playmaker. The junior has long been considered among the most talented players on the team and the new offense, which should focus on passing to RBs out of the backfield, should help him excel.

Freshman LB Christian Tago was so good in camp that he’s now pencilled in as a starting MLB, forcing three-year starter Vince Buhagiar to outside linebacker. Coach Ron Caragher has already made comparisions of Tago to senior LB Keith Smith, a 2010 Freshman All-American. Tago, who came to SJSU as a QB/LB and redshirted last year, should team up well with Smith in the middle this season.

Two others who might not be stars this season but definitely turned heads during spring were freshman WR Tim Crawley and freshman RB Osirius Burke.

Crawley, a walk-on, redshirted last year and was a scout team standout. Injuries to a couple front line WRs during the spring earned him extra time and he responded extremely well. He caught two TDs in the spring game and should be lined up to see some playing time this fall.

Burke graduated early from Quartz Hill High in Lancaster, Calif., so he could enroll early at San Jose State. He finished camp on top of the depth chart (in part due to injuries to Ervin and Jason Simpson). With Ervin more of an outside-the-tackles type of RB, Burke put himself in position to possibly be the Spartans’ between-the-tackles runner.

Grade each position group & special teams 

QB — A: David Fales broke every major single-season school passing record there is last year and there’s no reason he shouldn’t have another outstanding season with all his WRs back. Behind him, Blake Jurich and Joe Gray have both got their feet wet in some games. Jurich is more a runner than thrower, although he’s made some strides passing. Gray has a rocket arm and is working on his accuracy. Neither would be able to fill Fales’ shoes if he got hurt, but they both have a chance to be serviceable.

RB — C+: Ervin has the potential to be very explosive. He’s got great speed that he’s shown in the kick return game (three career kick returns for TDs). But he’s had some durability issues and there’s no other backs on the roster that have significant experience. They also often struggled to generate a ground game during spring scrimmages.

The ground game was very inconsistent last year (primarily racking up numbers against some of the lesser competition to slightly improve an attack that finished 106th in the country). There’s some potential for improvement and Caragher seems more focused on being balanced than the previous staff, but it remains a question mark.

WR — A-: The receivers are led by Noel Grigsby, the school’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards. Chandler Jones and Jabari Carr are other great weapons and Kyle Nunn is a solid fourth option with lots of experience. The unit was a strength last year and should remain so.

TE — Inc.: With only one combined career catch at the Division I level among the Spartans’ tight ends, there’s no telling what to expect from this group. Travis Lorius projects as the starter, but he missed the end of spring camp with an injury.

OL — B: Four of the five starters return in guards Ryan Jones and Nicholas Kaspar, center Reuben Hasani and tackle Jon Meyer. But Jones and Kaspar sat out spring camp with injuries, while Hasani and Meyer were rotated around on the line. (Hasani started the spring game at left guard).

With Quessenberry the anchor at LT, they were good last season (with the disastrous game against Utah State as an exception) and should provide solid protection for Fales. But improved run blocking will be key as Caragher and offensive coordinator Jimmie Dougherty preach balance.

DL — B: Junior Travis Raciti, a first-team All-WAC pick last year, is the stalwart on the line although he shifts over from DT to DE in the Spartans’ new 3-4 attack. That should suit him well. The line may not be as good as last year’s, when all four starters made first or second team All-WAC, but it should be a solid unit.

LB — B+: Keith Smith and Vince Buhagiar will be in their fourth year as starters, with the new 3-4 defense shifting Buhagiar from MLB to OLB. It’ll be an adjustment and his development will be key for the unit.

Inside, if Tago’s freshman year on the field meets expectations, he and Smith should be a great combination and could push this grade higher. Garrett Guanella, a JC transfer who played DE, is long and rangy and is in line to start at OLB.

DB — B: Senior Bené Benwikere is a playmaking corner who always finds his hands on the ball. CB Jimmy Pruitt returns after a solid freshman season and Damon Ogburn Jr. shifts from corner to safety. Overall, it’s a much more experienced group than the one that started the season last year.

ST — B+: An injury to kicker Austin Lopez is the only thing that prevents an A here. Lopez was 17 for 17 on field goals as a freshman, but tore the meniscus in his right knee near the end of the camp. He’s expected to be healthy by the Aug. 29 opener, but if he’s not, the Spartans lose an effective weapon.

Punter Harrison Waid is solid and would be the placekicker if Lopez’s injury lingers, although he’s more effective as a punter. If Ervin stays healthy, he’s one of the top kick returners in the game and a true weapon. Ogburn Jr. is also a special teams ace in the coverage game.

Are there any “surprises” we can expect from this team 

I think we should get about what is expected from this team. They’ll go into the season expecting to contend for the Mountain West Conference West Division title, although most pundits will probably place them behind Fresno State and San Diego State in projections. That’s probably fair, given San Jose State’s lack of tradition of success and the presence of a new coaching staff.

The way the schedule lines up, they should be in the mix in every MWC game. They beat defending MWC tri-champion San Diego State on the road last year and get the Aztecs at home this season. Fresno State and Utah State also come to Spartan Stadium and they avoid playing Boise State, all positives.

Whether or not they can get over the hump and actually be in position for a spot in the MWC title game will be the question. As long as Fales stays healthy, it would be a big surprise if they didn’t make it to a bowl game for a second straight year.

Check out our San Jose State 2013 Spring Preview here.

---

Jimmy Durkin of the San Jose Mercury News provided the information for our San Jose State football spring update.  For more San Jose State football information, commentary and analysis, you can follow Jimmy on Twitter @Jimmy_Durkin.

---