College football’s bowl season continues on and San Jose State and South Florida get to travel out to the islands of Hawai’i to face off for just the second time in history. Some teams win before even playing and USF and San Jose State did just that with the trip to Hawai’i. In that lone previous matchup, South Florida traveled to San Jose State in 2017 and came away with a 42-22 win. This year, the Spartans are 7-5 coming into this one and the Bulls are 6-6.
The Hawai’i Bowl Features South Florida and San Jose State
How We Got Here
San Jose State had a solid season and kicked it all off with a trio of wins. The first trip-up of the year came in a barn-burner loss to Washington State, 54-52 in overtime. After that emotional loss, the Spartans traded wins and losses over the next six weeks before running into the top two Mountain West programs. The season concluded with a close 34-31 win over the ACC’s Stanford Cardinal. This is San Jose State’s second consecutive Hawai’i Bowl appearance and it is coming off a loss against Coastal Carolina.
Meanwhile, the Bulls have been hit or miss this year. They were gifted a difficult schedule with both Alabama and Miami (FL) on the docket. As a result, South Florida started off 2-4 with wins over Bethune-Cookman (FCS) and Southern Miss and dropped matchups with Alabama, Miami (FL), Tulane, and Memphis. However, the Bulls responded and finished strong by winning four of the final six. This is the first time USF will get to play in the Hawai’i Bowl.
When San Jose State Has the Ball
The downside of bowls taking a back seat to the CFP is that stars may transfer or opt out to prepare for the NFL Draft. San Jose State has a superstar receiver named Nick Nash. He led the country in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. However, he has opted out. The Spartans’ next leading receiver set to take over in this one is Justin Lockhart who is on the precipice of his own 1,000-yard season. The offense is led by Walker Eget after taking over mid-season. Eget led the MWC in yards per attempt and completion. In 11 appearances, he threw for 2,224 yards and 11 touchdowns but did turn the ball over plenty with nine interceptions and three lost fumbles.
Defensively, the Bulls have struggled. Their secondary finished the regular season by allowing 278.7 yards per game, good for seventh-worst in the FBS. The diamond in the rough is linebacker Mac Harris and his 78 tackles and 10 tackles for loss. His job has been made easier with the play of defensive lineman Decarius Hawthorne in front of him. The pair combined for 20 tackles for loss, six-and-a-half sacks, four pass breakups, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and a defensive score.
When South Florida Has the Ball
The Spartans were not the only ones to make a quarterback change. To start the year, Byrum Brown led the way but was lost due to injury. Thus, Bryce Archie took over and passed for 1,697 yards and nine touchdowns. To take the pressure off, USF has a three-headed rushing attack with three players logging at least 70 carries on the year: Kelley Joiner, Jr., Nay’quan Wright, and Taron Keith. Joiner leads the way with 766 yards and 11 touchdowns while leading the American Athletic Conference with seven yards per carry. The offensive unit is pretty hot and cold. The Bulls ran for over 300 yards just as many times as it was held to under 63 (four times).
San Jose State’s defense is about as middle of the pack as it can be. The Spartans are also led by their own star linebacker, Jordan Pollard. The junior amassed 110 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, two sacks, three pass breakups, and an interception on the year. He was named as a First-Team All-MWC player for the first time this year. It’s possible to move the ball on this unit, however. San Jose State allowed at least 338 total yards in 10 of 12 games.
It’s football in paradise!
The post The Hawai’i Bowl Features South Florida and San Jose State appeared first on Last Word on College Football.