San Jose State hosts Louisiana Tech in a Western Athletic Conference battle this Saturday night and I’ve made this matchup my Game of the Year for 2006. Louisiana Tech has been getting pummeled by giants all season. They were crushed by Nebraska, Texas A&M, Clemson and Boise State (all currently in the AP top 25). Last week, the Bulldogs captured their first league win of the season with a 48-35 loss over Utah State.
The San Jose State Spartans don’t have the momentum on their side heading into this one. They went on a four-game winning streak through last week before being silenced by the Nevada Wolf Pack. San Jose State narrowly has history on its side this week, as the Spartans lead the all-time series against the Bulldogs three games to two, but Louisiana Tech has won two of the last three meetings, including the win for the last season by 31-14.
Last week, the Bulldogs scored 48 points, which was their highest point total in two seasons. They did most of their offensive damage on the ground rushing for 344 yards, which was the most of any team in the WAC this season. Despite last week’s big offensive outburst, the Bulldogs rank eighth in the conference in scoring with an average of 18.7 points per game. Maybe last week’s game was his coming out party. If that’s the case, the Spartans will need to pay close attention to Daniel Porter and Patrick Jackson off the field. Jackson leads the Bulldogs in rushing with 441 yards and five touchdowns, but Porter is going strong and is averaging nearly seven yards per carry. Quarterback Zac Champion had a great game throwing for 226 yards and four touchdowns, but he still has one fewer touchdowns than interceptions on the season. Some of this has to do with the high caliber non-conference schedule the Bulldogs have played, but I think it will be the run game that gives them the best chance against the Spartans on Saturday night.
San Jose State was dominated by Nevada last week, but they should be able to score on Louisiana Tech’s defense. How many they score will largely depend on quarterback Adam Tafralis, who threw for just 68 yards last week. The running game is also the strong point of the Spartans. Yonus Davis had 100 rushing yards last week despite the Spartans possessing the ball for only 20 minutes. One big advantage the Spartans have is Dwight Lowery, who fielded his eighth pick of the season last week and seems to make a big play every game. Champion will have to stay away from him. He should have time to do it, since the Spartans are one of the worst teams in the nation for rushing the quarterback. In fact, they rank 117th in the country in stock markets.
What role will momentum play? How important will the home field be? Is history some indicator? I’ve dissected Saturday’s 2006 Game of the Year inside and out and I’m ready to deliver my biggest winner of the year.