After starting the season 0-3, the San Jose State Spartans are in danger of another miserable season. They lost a close game last weekend in their WAC opener against Nevada, and while competitive against UCLA, were decimated by Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal.
Truthfully, the Spartans didn't do themselves any favors by scheduling two Pac-12 schools to kick off their season. The opportunity to salvage their 2011 campaign is still there as the New Mexico St. Aggies come to the Bay Area on Saturday afternoon.
The Aggies are 1-2, with their lone win an upset over the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the second week of the season. This is NMSU's WAC opener.
SJSU coach Mike MacIntyre is 1-15 in his two-year stint in San Jose, while New Mexico State coach DeWayne walker is 6-22 in his third season.
The Spartans have had a quarterback carousel this season, with Matt Faulkner, Dasmen Stewart, and Blake Jurich all seeing action under center. Expect to see more of the same today against the Aggies, as at least two quarterbacks have played in each game for SJSU so far this year.
San Jose State has dominated this series, winning 15 of 18 matchups all-time. The Aggies won last season's game, but the Spartans certainly have the historical edge going into this game.
The Spartan defense has improved since last season, creating more turnovers and holding UCLA and Nevada to a combined 44 points. For a team that went 1-12 last year, improving the defense is a top priority.
This game will be on ESPN3.com, so you will be able to watch it wherever you are this Saturday afternoon.