San Jose State has been here before. National stage. Unbeaten opponent with designs on crashing the Bowl Championship Series party.
After near-misses against Boise State and Hawaii the past two seasons, the Spartans have every reason to believe they not only belong on the same field as No. 13 Boise State but also can walk away from tonight's nationally televised game with a victory.
"This is another chance to show that we're a different team, which we've been preaching all along,'' cornerback Christopher Owens said.
SJSU (5-2, 3-0 Western Athletic Conference) and the Broncos (6-0, 2-0) are the lone remaining unbeatens in the WAC race, and they have done it with similar smothering defenses.
The Broncos rank first in the WAC (and second nationally) in scoring defense, allowing 10.5 points per game. SJSU is second in the WAC (16.6) and is first, just ahead of Boise State, in total defense, sacks and turnover margin.
"The stats don't lie,'' Boise State Coach Chris Petersen said. "They have a very good scheme with good players to go along with it.''
Both offenses are breaking in new quarterbacks, although they are at different stages in their development. Boise State redshirt freshman Kellen Moore is sixth in the nation in pass efficiency and has thrown for 1,591 yards and 13 touchdowns with three interceptions. SJSU's Kyle Reed has shown flashes, but he's thrown nearly as many touchdowns as interceptions (7 to 6). Reed is
coming off his worst game, throwing three interceptions in an 8-for-19, 50-yard performance against New Mexico State.
"This is a great week to bounce back,'' Reed said. "It was just a large learning experience for me.''
The last time Boise State was at Spartan Stadium, it scored 11 unanswered points in the final 5:22 to escape with a 23-20 victory on a field goal as time expired. One of the few Broncos returning from that team is tailback Ian Johnson, who suffered a partially collapsed lung in that game that left him left him in O'Connor Hospital for five nights.
Boise State does not make their players available to visiting media, but he told the Idaho Statesman, "I want to leave something more than just my lung this time. I want to leave it all on the field, but come back healthy, 100 percent and with another win."
After near-misses against Boise State and Hawaii the past two seasons, the Spartans have every reason to believe they not only belong on the same field as No. 13 Boise State but also can walk away from tonight's nationally televised game with a victory.
"This is another chance to show that we're a different team, which we've been preaching all along,'' cornerback Christopher Owens said.
SJSU (5-2, 3-0 Western Athletic Conference) and the Broncos (6-0, 2-0) are the lone remaining unbeatens in the WAC race, and they have done it with similar smothering defenses.
The Broncos rank first in the WAC (and second nationally) in scoring defense, allowing 10.5 points per game. SJSU is second in the WAC (16.6) and is first, just ahead of Boise State, in total defense, sacks and turnover margin.
"The stats don't lie,'' Boise State Coach Chris Petersen said. "They have a very good scheme with good players to go along with it.''
Both offenses are breaking in new quarterbacks, although they are at different stages in their development. Boise State redshirt freshman Kellen Moore is sixth in the nation in pass efficiency and has thrown for 1,591 yards and 13 touchdowns with three interceptions. SJSU's Kyle Reed has shown flashes, but he's thrown nearly as many touchdowns as interceptions (7 to 6). Reed is
coming off his worst game, throwing three interceptions in an 8-for-19, 50-yard performance against New Mexico State.
"This is a great week to bounce back,'' Reed said. "It was just a large learning experience for me.''
The last time Boise State was at Spartan Stadium, it scored 11 unanswered points in the final 5:22 to escape with a 23-20 victory on a field goal as time expired. One of the few Broncos returning from that team is tailback Ian Johnson, who suffered a partially collapsed lung in that game that left him left him in O'Connor Hospital for five nights.
Boise State does not make their players available to visiting media, but he told the Idaho Statesman, "I want to leave something more than just my lung this time. I want to leave it all on the field, but come back healthy, 100 percent and with another win."
