San Jose State coach Ken Niumatalolo tried to focus on the positives Saturday after his team was throttled 38-7 by No. 7 Texas, with Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning throwing for four touchdowns and running for another.
“I wish we would have had come here and played better,” Niumatalolo said. “But, I thought our kids battled until the end, and it was great to see our resolve and grit.”
San Jose State (0-2) forced Texas to punt on its first two drives, but the Longhorns scored 28 unanswered points in the first half and never looked back. Manning completed 19 of 30 passes for 295 yards and one interception, and scrambled for a 20-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Coming into the season, the Spartans had high expectations and believed they could compete for a Mountain West Championship. While their 0-2 start is not ideal, the Spartans’ most formidable opponent is now in the rear-view mirror.
The Spartans also now have a bye week to correct the issues they saw during their first two losses.
Here are the takeaways from Saturday’s loss:
TURNOVER BUG BITES AGAIN
SJSU would have a small margin for error against Texas, but turnovers again plagued the offense. After committing three turnovers in last week’s 16-14 loss to Central Michigan, the Spartans turned the ball over four times against Texas in the first half.
“Two weeks in a row, turnovers killed us,” Niumatalolo said. “We had no chance against those guys turning the ball over that much.”
Quarterback Walker Eget threw an interception, running back Lamar Radcliffe fumbled, running back Floyd Chalk IV fumbled, and wide receiver Danny Scudero fumbled after taking a big shot from Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr.
SJSU had four turnovers in six drives spanning from 2:44 left in the first quarter to 2:51 left in the second quarter.
Texas scored 21 points off the first half turnovers and took a 28-0 lead against the Spartans. The Radcliffe and Chalk fumbles set the Longhorns up on a short field, and they scored within the first two plays both times.
Running back Jabari Bates had 44 yards on 10 carries after not touching the ball in last week’s loss.
“(Bates’ playing time) was definitely not a part of the game plan,” Niumatalolo said. “Radcliffe had a critical fumble, and then we put in Chalk, and then he fumbled. So it was next guy up.”
Niumatalolo said taking better care of the football is the Spartans’ top priority.
“That’s all we focus on (at practice), so it’s not going to change,” Niumatalolo said. “It’s always on the top of the board for us to take care of the football.”
DEFENSE PLAYS STRONG AGAIN
The Spartans’ effort on defense was better than the boxscore might indicate.
Following the turnovers, three of the five Longhorns’ touchdown drives started in Spartans’ territory. When the Longhorns started a drive in their own territory, they scored only 17 points.
SJSU’s defense also only allowed 10 points in the second half, and the Longhorns were 2-for-12 on third down.
“With the pressure we were bringing, we wanted to confuse Manning,” Spartans safety Jalen Apalit-Williams said. “That was the game plan, play around with our coverages. But we didn’t want to do too much, then not be in place to make a play.”
Apalit-Williams was in place to make a play late in the second quarter. Cornerback Isiah Revis tipped a pass from Manning, and Apalit-Williams intercepted the Heisman hopeful. Apalit-Williams also had six tackles.
Considering the challenging situations the defense was put in and the magnitude of the opponent they faced, they can take some positives away from this game.
FIELD GOAL WOES CONTINUE
USC transfer kicker Dennis Lynch’s start to his Spartans career has been anything but ideal.
After missing the potential game-winning 33-yard field goal against Central Michigan, he went 0-for-2 on field goals against Texas and is now 0-for-4 this season. Lynch missed from 47 yards and from 50 yards against Texas. Neither of which was close.
“We’ve got to make some field goals,” Niumatalolo said. “We need to work on that for the next two weeks.”
Lynch entered the transfer portal from USC after losing the starting kicking battle before the 2024 season.
Lynch only missed one extra point across his two seasons starting at USC (139-140), but he struggled with short-range field goals, making just nine of 17 between 30 and 39 yards. He did go 10-for-10 on field goals within the 40-49 yard range during that same time period.
WIDE RECEIVERS MAKE PLAYS
The Spartans showcased their depth at wide receiver Saturday, as without the injured Malachi Riley, Kyri Shoels saw more game action.
With the Texas secondary double-teaming Scudero, Shoels was the Spartans’ leading receiver with eight catches for 73 yards.
“As a quarterback, it makes you feel comfortable,” Eget said. “Those are elite receivers; they were making easy routes on Texas. I’m proud of how they played.”
Even with the double-teams, Scudero still caught seven passes for 66 yards. His stat line could have looked even better as he burned the Longhorns’ corners twice and was open downfield, but Eget was unable to locate the ball for a completion.
Spartans wide receiver Tuli Tagovailoa-Amosa, the first cousin of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, had three receptions for 29 yards. 17 of which came on a chunk play during SJSU’s only scoring drive of the game.
Tagovailoa-Amosa has seen several meaningful snaps as a true freshman during SJSU’s first two weeks.
BYE WEEK LEADING INTO IDAHO
With a 0-2 start to the season, the Spartans now have a bye week to address some of the issues on the field.
“(Texas) is the best team we will play all season,” Niumatalolo said. “I thought we played well at the beginning, but we need to find a way to finish those.”
SJSU’s next game will be against Idaho (0-1) at CEFCU Stadium on Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. In week one, Idaho lost 13-10 to Washington State.
“It sucks to be 0-2, but the biggest thing is to take advantage of the opportunity of the bye week,” Apalit-Williams said. “Everybody needs to take care of their bodies to get back to where they need to be, so we are ready to go for the next game at home. We have a long season to go.”
