SAN JOSE STATE vs. UTAH STATE
Records: San Jose State (5-5, 3-3 Mountain West); Utah State (7-2, 4-1 MW)
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m., CEFCU Stadium, San Jose
TV: FS1
Radio: KTRB (860 AM)
Series history: San Jose State leads the series, 20-18-1. But Utah State has won the past eight meetings, with the last victory by the Spartans coming in 2008. The teams most recently met in 2018, a 42-14 result in favor of the Aggies.
Storylines: SJSU closes out the regular season with back-to-back home games, though the finale against Fresno State isn’t until Thanksgiving Day. … The Spartans need one more win to secure at least a .500 record and become bowl eligible. … San Jose State quarterback Nick Starkel returned to action last week after missing the entire month of October nursing an upper-body injury. He’s expected to split snaps with backup QB Nick Nash, who went 3-2 in Starkel’s absence. … With only bottom-dwelling Wyoming and New Mexico left on the schedule, this should prove to be Utah State’s toughest roadblock in its quest to secure a spot in the conference title game by claiming the Mountain Division title.
Matchup to watch: Utah State wideout Deven Thompkins vs. San Jose State secondary. The dynamic 5-foot-8, 155-pound WR leads the nation with 1,314 receiving yards on 72 catches with eight touchdowns. Thompkins accounts for nearly half of the passing yards by the Aggies, with no one else on the team about 500 receiving yards. San Jose State limits its opponents to 222.2 yards per game, but No. 1 cornerback Nehemiah Shelton left last week’s game with an apparent lower-body injury.
Injuries: None reported.
Stats that matter: Utah State leads the Mountain West in total offense with 474.9 yards per game, including 321.0 ypg through the air. … The Aggies have scored at least 26 points in every victory, while the Spartans have scored more than 27 points just twice – against Southern Utah and New Mexico State. … Starkel has thrown at least one interception in every game he’s played this season. … After averaging 76.7 yards per game on the ground in its first four games, San Jose State ramped up its rushing attack with an average of 205 ypg the past three weeks and 6.2 yards per carry. … The Spartans, who came away with one interception over the first eight games, have back-to-back games with two INTs, while Utah State has only been picked off five times all season.
Source: www.mercurynews.com