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Silicon Valley versus Silicon Forest media prediction and game preview

BroadwayVik

BroadwayVik

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San Jose State Spartans vs. Portland State Vikings prediction and game preview. Projecting who wins the game between the Spartans and Vikings.

San Jose State vs. Portland State Game Preview
The 2016 season started in a rough way for San Jose State, who fell to Tulsa, 45-10. Portland State, on the other hand, beat Central Washington, 43-26, so the Vikings come in with the better record. Not only is this the first meeting between the Spartans and Vikings ever, but it's also the first time San Jose State head coach Ron Caragher has faced Portland State. However, two of his staff members are very familiar with the Vikings. San Jose State offensive coordinator Al Borges and defensive line coach Barry Sacks were assistant coaches at Portland State from 1986 to 1992.

What To Know About San Jose State
The Spartans are led by quarterback Kenny Potter, who was 34th nationally in passing efficiency with a 142.28 rating in 2015. One of four San Jose State captains, Potter can make plays with his legs and his arm. He was bottled up against Tulsa for 10 carries with -1 yard, but he'll look to explode out of the gate against the Vikings. For that to happen, he'll need Troy Kowalski, who made his first collegiate start at left tackle last week, to hold up the blindside. Kowalski was the first San Jose State freshman to start a game at left tackle since Fred Koloto in the 2007 season.

What to Know About Portland State
Since 1968, the Vikings are 4-32 all-time against FBS programs. Quarterback Alex Kuresa will try to recreate his performance against Central Washington, in which he completed 61.5 percent of his passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran the ball 18 times for 138 yards and a touchdown, so it'll be important for the Vikings to protect their quarterback and create running lanes for him when he decides to take off. Running back Nate Tago also hit the century mark last Saturday. He had 24 carries for 150 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Advantages
Offense: Portland State. It's close because Potter likely won't be as stifled this time around as he was last week, but Portland State gets the nod because of the one-two punch between Kuresa and Tago. They're tough to defend when both are carrying the rock effectively.

Defense: The Vikings get the win here, too, mostly because middle linebacker Anthony McNichols is an absolute monster. He had a career-high 10 tackles last week and will lead the defensive unit.

Special Teams: San Jose has the advantage on special teams. Michael Carrizosa averages 46 yards per punt, which could be a big factor in the battle for field position. And Rashead Johnson will be a threat to take a kick return to the end zone for the Spartans.

Coaching: The Spartans get this one, too. Carragher has been around the block and has two assistants who know the Vikings program fairly well. The San Jose State coach will make adjustments from last week and out-coach Bruce Barnum.

Matchup To Watch
Anthony McNichols vs. Kenny Potter. It feels as though McNichols will continue to lead the charge defensively. He takes solid angles to the ball, can get to the quarterback and defend in pass coverage when called upon to do so. Potter will need to take care of the all and pick his spots carefully. Plus, when the Spartans quarterback decides to take off from the pocket, he'll need to be very aware of where No. 54 is on the field.

San Jose State vs. Portland State Betting Odds
Spread: San Jose State -9.5
Over/Under: 54.5

San Jose State vs. Portland State Prediction
This one has the feeling of a grudge match. San Jose State is trying to right the ship on its season while Portland State is looking to prove it belongs by picking up a solid win over a Mountain West opponent. Potter will take care of the ball but won't be able to shake the turnover bug. He'll get picked off once and get bailed out by the Spartans' running game, who will slowly chip away at the Vikings defense. There will be a couple lead changes, but San Jose State will take the lead into the fourth quarter and hold on to win.

San Jose State vs. Portland State Score Prediction: San Jose State 24, Portland State 20
 
Nice analysis. Not sure if Potter is going to be bailed out by the Spartan's running game. They totaled 53 yards rushing against Tulsa. Is Tulsa's defensive line that much stronger than ours?
 
San Jose State's next opponent not exactly a cupcake

http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/ci_30334509/san-jose-states-next-opponent-not-exactly-cupcake

San Jose State coach Ron Caragher is looking to put the Spartans' opening game at Tulsa behind him as the team prepares for its home opener Saturday against Portland State.

The Spartans turned the ball over three times in a 45-10 drubbing at the hands of Tulsa. Another problem was San Jose State's Inability to run the ball or stop the run. The Golden Hurricane outgained the Spartans 305-53 in rushing yardage.

"I was disappointed. I thought we were beyond some of those costly mistakes we made. It's time to get back to core fundamentals and play our game," Caragher said.

While Portland State is an FCS team, this is not a school to be taken lightly. Vikings coach Bruce Barnum was named the 2015 FCS National Coach of the Year after leading the Vikings to a 9-3 season, including a victory over Washington State.

"Not often does an FCS team win one game against BCS-level teams, let alone two," Caragher said, referring to PSU's wins over the Cougars and North Texas last season. "They've got a number of key players back and had a nice win against Central Washington last week."

One of those key players is quarterback Alex Kuresa. A converted receiver who played at BYU in 2012, Kuresa presents a complicated dual-threat style that was evident in the team's 43-26 win over Central Washington. Kuresa passed for over 200 yards and ran for 100 more in the win.

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HomeSportsStory
San Jose State's next opponent not exactly a cupcake
By Martin Gallegos, Correspondent
POSTED: 09/06/2016 04:20:43 PM PDT | UPDATED: ABOUT 4 HOURS AGO

SAN JOSE -- San Jose State coach Ron Caragher is looking to put the Spartans' opening game at Tulsa behind him as the team prepares for its home opener Saturday against Portland State.

The Spartans turned the ball over three times in a 45-10 drubbing at the hands of Tulsa. Another problem was San Jose State's Inability to run the ball or stop the run. The Golden Hurricane outgained the Spartans 305-53 in rushing yardage.

"I was disappointed. I thought we were beyond some of those costly mistakes we made. It's time to get back to core fundamentals and play our game," Caragher said.

While Portland State is an FCS team, this is not a school to be taken lightly. Vikings coach Bruce Barnum was named the 2015 FCS National Coach of the Year after leading the Vikings to a 9-3 season, including a victory over Washington State.

"Not often does an FCS team win one game against BCS-level teams, let alone two," Caragher said, referring to PSU's wins over the Cougars and North Texas last season. "They've got a number of key players back and had a nice win against Central Washington last week."

One of those key players is quarterback Alex Kuresa. A converted receiver who played at BYU in 2012, Kuresa presents a complicated dual-threat style that was evident in the team's 43-26 win over Central Washington. Kuresa passed for over 200 yards and ran for 100 more in the win.

Caragher said having a similar type of quarterback in Kenny Potter will help prepare the Spartans for what Kuresa might bring.

"Kuresa is very dangerous when he tucks the ball and runs. He can really run it and they mix it up with naked bootlegs and a very strong run game," Caragher said. "Nothing different from our quarterback's style. Our defense saw that all summer and spring. Both are very good athletes so I would think we will be prepared for that."

Caragher said while the loss at Tulsa was ugly, it could serve as a valuable experience down the road.

"We can use that game as an anchor or a propellor. Will it hold us back and get us stuck in the past or launch us forward?," Caragher asked. "I'm confident that this group is resilient and they will be able to move on. Maybe we look back at that game and say as tough as it was it helped us avoid making those mistakes in the future."

Running back Thomas Tucker, who has dealt with concussion issues throughout his career and has another one right now, might be done for the season. "Concussions aren't something you mess around with, so he's going to be on the shelf for a while," Caragher said of Tucker. "We want him to get fully recovered before we make a decision on when and if he returns, but I wouldn't count on him coming back in 2016."

Linebacker Christian Tago is inching closer to a return. After undegoing knee surgery, the two-time All-Mountain West selection is expected back in a couple of weeks. "He's making some good strides," Caragher said. "He won't play this week but perhaps around conference play he will be back."
 
Portland State bussing to San Jose State

What it's often like playing on the FCS level is evident with Portland State's road trip this week.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/story/portland-state-bussing-to-san-jose-state-090716
 
For everyone wondering how to watch the Viks today, try the below link. Not sure if it will work or not, but that's the one I'm trying first. Go Viks!!!

Portland State vs San José State Live Streaming

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0JPY5mu5ak
 
forestgreen said:
For everyone wondering how to watch the Viks today, try the below link. Not sure if it will work or not, but that's the one I'm trying first. Go Viks!!!

Portland State vs San José State Live Streaming

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0JPY5mu5ak
Click to expand...

If that fails, there's always Tom Hewitt and Mike Lund on Rip City Radio, 620AM. No image but they do an excellent job describing the action. :thumb:
 
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There is a way to view this outcome more positively. San Jose State and San Diego State are of roughly equivalent quality. In 2007, Jerry Glanville's Portland State team lost 52-17 to San Diego State and Bruce Barnum's 2016 Portland State team lost 66-35 to San Jose State.

I like to think that PSU improved its offense two-fold. Defensive performance was probably equivalent as the 2007 San Diego State team could have rolled the score up to San Jose State's 66 point level.

PSU needs to overcome a porous defense then and now. But the offensive production is now twice as good as it was.
 
BroadwayVik said:
PSU needs to overcome a porous defense then and now.
Click to expand...

Listening to the game yesterday, I was reminded of a certain Zach Brown from a few years back. A lot of schools recruited him to be their kicker but he wanted to play receiver and PSU was the only DI school to promise him a receiver spot. After the first game when our kickers could not even make an extra point, he said he would kick for us, but also wanted to play receiver. What he was able to do for us as a kicker is well documented with all the 50+ yard field goals he made.

My point, it is time, especially if Santiago will be out for awhile, for the coaches to tell Seisay that his talents and knowledge is desperately needed on the defensive side of the ball. They can still work something out for him to play some on offense, but to need help in the defensive backfield, and to have someone who started in the Rose Bowl as a freshman as a safety, it should be a no-brainer.
 
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We should always play our best players forward. What are we waiting for?

I predict Washington will put up a lot of points on us, now that they're deep into the Chris Petersen era and this being the 3rd game of the season. I don't believe it will be more than 70 as the Huskies likely have a self-imposed mercy rule in effect.
 
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