IDAHO AT SAN JOSE STATE
Records: San Jose State 0-2, 0-0 MW; Idaho 2-1, 0-0 Big Sky
Kickoff: 2 p.m.
TV: NBC Sports Bay Area & Mountain West Network
Radio: 860 AM KTRB
Series History: SJSU leads series 12-10-1 and is 4-1 in the last five meetings
SJSU Storylines: The last time SJSU faced an FCS school was a 42-24 win over Sacramento State on Aug. 29, 2024. … Under second-year head coach Ken Niumatalolo, the Spartans are 5-3 at home. … Matthew Coleman is questionable because he is recovering from an injury suffered in week one, according to Niumatalolo. Coleman, SJSU’s leading receiver in the 2024 Hawaii Bowl, did not play against Texas. Another receiver, Malachi Riley is not expected to play as he also recovers from a week one injury.
Idaho Storylines: Thomas Ford Jr. is in his first season as head coach of the Vandals. Ford previously was the running backs coach for the team in 2022-23 before holding that position for a season at Oregon State. … Quarterback Joshua Wood, who spent the last two seasons at Fresno State, became the first Idaho quarterback to rush for over 100 yards in a game since 2021 during the 13-10 loss against Washington State. … Idaho has defeated two FBS opponents the past two seasons, both of them being Mountain West schools (a 17-13 win over Wyoming in 2023 and a 33-6 win over Nevada in 2024).
Stats That Matter: SJSU’s defense is allowing a third down conversion rate of 16% (4-25) which ranks first in the Mountain West and third in the country. … The Spartans have a five-game win streak over FCS schools. … Wide receiver Danny Scudero leads the Mountain West in receiving yards per game (124.5). … Linebacker Jordan Pollard is fifteenth in the nation with 20 tackles. … Idaho leads the Big Sky with 220 rushing yards per game. … Wood is the team’s leading rusher with 298 rushing yards, averaging 9.8 yards per carry. … In week one, Idaho’s defense held Washington State to just three yards rushing. …The last time the Spartans started 0-2 was in 2023, but they finished 7-6 (6-2 in conference play) and played in the Hawaii Bowl.
— Aaron Johnson