2012 San Jose State Spartans football
Military Bowl champion
Military Bowl, W 29–20 vs. Bowling Green
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 21
AP	No. 21
Record	11–2 (5–1 WAC)
Head coach	Mike MacIntyre (3rd season; regular season) Kent Baer (interim; bowl game)
Offensive coordinator	Brian Lindgren (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Kent Baer (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Spartan Stadium
Seasons ←  2011 2013 →

2012 Western Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 16 Utah State $		6	–	0					11	–	2
No. 21 San Jose State		5	–	1					11	–	2
Louisiana Tech		4	–	2					9	–	3
UTSA *		3	–	3					8	–	4
Texas State *		2	–	4					4	–	8
Idaho		1	–	5					1	–	11
New Mexico State		0	–	6					1	–	11
$ – Conference champion * Texas State and UTSA were not eligible for conference title or bowl games as part of their transition to the FBS. Rankings from AP Poll

The 2012 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San Jose State University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Spartans were led by third year head coach Mike MacIntyre and played their home games at Spartan Stadium. They were members of the Western Athletic Conference. This was the Spartans' final season as members of the WAC. They joined the Mountain West Conference on July 1, 2013. ^[1] They finished the season 11–2, 5–1 in WAC play to finish in second place. They were invited to the Military Bowl where they defeated Bowling Green.

Head coach Mike MacIntyre resigned at the end of the regular season to take the head coach position at Colorado. Defensive coordinator Kent Baer was the Spartans' interim head coach for the Military Bowl. San Diego head coach Ron Caragher was hired as the Spartans new head coach beginning in 2013.

Schedule

The 2012 schedule was officially released on March 5, 2012. The schedule had six home games and six road games. ^[2] Because the WAC had only seven football member schools by 2012 due to conference realignment, San Jose State played six conference games and six non-conference games for the season. San Jose State played against all six other WAC member schools: Idaho, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, Texas State, UTSA, and Utah State. The non-conference games were against: Colorado State and San Diego State of the Mountain West Conference, Stanford of the Pac-12 Conference, UC Davis of the Big Sky Conference, and FBS independent schools BYU and Navy.

On November 3, San Jose State became bowl eligible for the first time since 2008 after beating Idaho and attaining six wins against FBS schools. ^[3] However, the win over UTSA did not count, because UTSA was not yet a full FBS member school. ^[4]

Six games were nationally televised this season. ESPN showed the Military Bowl on December 27, ESPN2 showed the games against BYU and Louisiana Tech, CBS Sports Network showed the game against Navy, and Pac-12 Network showed the game against Stanford. ^[5] WatchESPN also streamed the games shown on ESPN and ESPN2 as well as two games—the ones against Colorado State and UTSA—broadcast by ESPN3, the game against New Mexico State via New Mexico State's AggieVision network, ^{[6] [7]} and the game against Utah State via ESPN Regional Television. ^[8]

KLIV in San Jose served as the flagship station for the San Jose State Spartans Football Radio Network, along with fellow affiliates KION in Salinas and newcomer KFIV in Modesto. ^[9] Michael Spero returned for his second season ^{[10] [11]} as play-by-play announcer, with Kevin Richardson at color commentary.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	7:00 pm	at No. 21 Stanford*		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA ( Bill Walsh Legacy Game)	P12N	L 17–20	40,577
September 8	5:00 pm	UC Davis*		Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA		W 45–13	7,462
September 15	5:00 pm	Colorado State*		Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	ESPN3	W 40–20	7,189
September 22	5:00 pm	at San Diego State*		Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA	KUSI	W 38–34	24,103
September 29	12:30 pm	at Navy*		Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	CBSSN	W 12–0	32,375
October 13	1:00 pm	Utah State		Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	ESPN+, ESPN3	L 27–49	15,168
October 20	11:00 am	at UTSA		Alamodome San Antonio, TX	ESPN3	W 52–24	30,862
October 27	1:00 pm	Texas State		Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA		W 31–20	7,093
November 3	2:00 pm	at Idaho		Kibbie Dome Moscow, ID	KTRV	W 42–13	14,429
November 10	1:30 pm	at New Mexico State		Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, NM	AggieVision, Altitude, ESPN3	W 47–7	9,121
November 17	7:30 pm	BYU*		Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	ESPN2	W 20–14	15,494
November 24	7:30 pm	Louisiana Tech		Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA	ESPN2	W 52–43	12,326
December 27	12:00 pm	vs. Bowling Green*	No. 24	RFK Stadium Washington D.C. ( Military Bowl)	ESPN	W 29–20	17,835
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Pacific time

^[12]

Game summaries

At Stanford

	1	2	3	4	Total
Spartans	0	3	14	0	17
No. 18 Cardinal	14	3	0	3	20

Scoring for Stanford: S. Taylor 1-yard run, J. Nunes' 11-yard pass to D. Terrell, J. Williamson 46-yard and 20-yard field goal. Scoring for San Jose State: Austin Lopez 38-yard field goal, Blake Jurich 3-yard run, and David Fales' 21-yard pass to Noel Grigsby.

UC Davis

	1	2	3	4	Total
Aggies	7	0	0	6	13
Spartans	0	14	21	10	45

Colorado State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	0	13	0	7	20
Spartans	14	3	7	16	40

At San Diego State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Spartans	3	14	0	21	38
Aztecs	0	17	7	10	34

At Navy

	1	2	3	4	Total
Spartans	3	3	0	6	12
Midshipmen	0	0	0	0	0

Utah State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Aggies	14	14	14	7	49
Spartans	3	17	7	0	27

In San Jose State's homecoming game, San Jose State lost to eventual WAC champion Utah State. Although David Fales completed 38 of 50 passes for 467 yards and three touchdowns, Fales was sacked 13 times with a cumulative loss of 102 yards. Utah State also had a 212–4 advantage in rushing yards. ^[13]

At UTSA

	1	2	3	4	Total
Spartans	28	10	14	0	52
Roadrunners	0	10	7	7	24

Texas State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bobcats	7	13	0	0	20
Spartans	3	14	14	0	31

At Idaho

	1	2	3	4	Total
Spartans	0	14	14	14	42
Vandals	7	0	6	0	13

At New Mexico State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Spartans	17	20	10	0	47
Aggies	0	0	0	7	7

BYU

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	7	0	0	7	14
Spartans	13	7	0	0	20

Louisiana Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	6	21	10	6	43
Spartans	10	14	14	14	52

Bowling Green–Military Bowl

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 24 Spartans	7	3	9	10	29
Falcons	3	3	7	7	20

Ranking movements

On November 25, San Jose State made the No. 24 spot in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Top 25 rankings. This was San Jose State's first-ever BCS ranking and first national ranking since 1990. ^[14] The following week, both the AP Poll and Coaches' Poll ranked San Jose State No. 24. This ranking marked San Jose State's first top-25 AP ranking since 1975. ^[15] San Jose State also played its first bowl game since the 2006 New Mexico Bowl. On December 27, San Jose State defeated Bowling Green in the 2012 Military Bowl at Washington, D. C. by the score of 29–20. For the first time in school history, San Jose State made it into the final rankings in both the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls, earning a No. 21 ranking in both.

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	24	21
Coaches'	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	24	21
BCS	Not released							—	—	—	—	—	—	25	24	Not released

Personnel

Coaching staff

Head coach Mike MacIntyre returned for his third season with San Jose State. Under MacIntyre, San Jose State went 1–12 in its 2010 season and improved to 5–7 in 2011.

On December 10, the University of Colorado at Boulder hired MacIntyre to be the new head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes football team. With a five-year, $10 million contract, MacIntyre would annually earn nearly quadruple his annual salary at San Jose State. ^[16] The following day, San Jose State named defensive coordinator Kent Baer to be interim coach for the 2012 Military Bowl on December 27, in which they defeated Bowling Green 29–20. ^[17] The previous week, MacIntyre stated that although other schools had contacted him about potential job openings, MacIntyre was not actively seeking another job. During San Jose State's late-season win streak, speculation occurred that MacIntyre might become head coach at Cal or Kentucky in 2013. ^[18]

Name	Position	Seasons at San Jose State	Alma Mater
Mike MacIntyre	Head coach	3	Georgia Tech (1989)
Klayton Adams	Tight ends	2	Boise State (2005)
Kent Baer	Defensive coordinator, linebackers, interim head coach	5	Utah State (1973)
Gary Bernardi	Offensive line	3	Cal State Northridge (1976)
Charles Clark	Defensive backs	3	Mississippi (2007)
Fred Guidici	Special teams, running backs	1	San Jose State (1989)
Jim Jeffcoat	Defensive line	2	Arizona State (1982)
Andy LaRussa	Cornerbacks, special teams	2	Southern Utah (2002)
Brian Lindgren	Offensive coordinator, quarterbacks	1	Idaho (2004)
Terry Malley	Receivers, recruiting coordinator	4	Santa Clara (1976)
Reference: [19]

Departing starters

San Jose State lost 12 starters from the 2011 season, including quarterback Matt Faulkner, running back Brandon Rutley, safety Duke Ihenacho, and placekicker Jens Alvernik. Ihenacho went on to play for the NFL's Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent.

Returning starters

Depth chart

Starters and backups from the final depth chart: ^[20]

Final roster

2012 San Jose State Spartans final roster
Quarterbacks 10 David Fales – Junior 16 Joe Gray – Freshman 13 Jason Habash – Freshman 14 Blake Jurich – Sophomore Running backs 30 Josh Brown – Senior   2 De'Leon Eskridge – Senior 20 David Freeman – Senior 40 Jarrod Lawson – Freshman 42 Ina Liaina – Senior   8 Jalynn McCain – Freshman 46 Ray Rodriguez – Junior 24 Cedric Simmons – Freshman 32 Jason Simpson – Junior 27 Ben Thompson – Sophomore Wide receivers 17 Daniel Bradbury – Freshman   1 Jabari Carr – Junior 23 Noel Grigsby – Junior 89 Chandler Jones – Junior 20 Chris Kearney – Freshman 84 Sean Linton – Sophomore 86 K.C. Pearce – Freshman 19 Kyle Nunn – Junior 35 Hansell Wilson – Freshman 81 Jake Wilson – Freshman Tight ends 85 Keenan Brown – Senior 38 Billy Freeman – Freshman 88 Travis Lorius – Senior 80 Max Miller – Junior 82 Ryan Otten – Senior 18 Dasmen Stewart – Junior 83 Jordan Thiel – Freshman 37 Sam Tomlitz – Sophomore 15 Peter Tuitupou – Senior		Offensive linemen 78 Oscar Barron – G – Freshman 71 Keith Bendixen – RG – Sophomore 56 Doug Blacksill – LG – Freshman 50 Nick Diaz – RG/C – Freshman 54 Reuben Hasani – C – Junior 74 Ryan Jones – LG – Junior 75 Nicholas Kaspar – RG – Junior 79 Jon Meyer – T – Junior 64 Nick Oreglia – Freshman 61 Amar Pal – LT – Junior 51 David Peterson – C – Sophomore 76 David Quessenberry – LT – Senior 77 Evan Sarver – OT – Freshman 72 Wes Schweitzer – RT – Freshman 60 Michael Talafus – Freshman Defensive linemen 53 Vincent Abbott – LDE – Senior 95 Sean Bacon – RDE – Sophomore 85 Keenan Brown – DE – Junior 92 David Catalano – LDT – Freshman 57 Nate Falo – DT – Freshman 86 Christian Hill – DE – Freshman 96 Marcus Howard – RDT – Sophomore 43 Travis Johnson – RDE – Senior 97 Anthony Larceval – LDT – Junior 45 Lemaki Musika – DE – Freshman 91 Joe Nigos – RDT – Senior 98 Tony Popovich – LDE – Freshman 90 Travis Raciti – RDT – Sophomore 49 Shane Smith – LB – Freshman 94 Eugene Taylor – DE – Freshman 41 David Tuitupou – LDE – Senior 93 Foloi Vae – RDT – Sophomore		Linebackers 99 Nick Brown – Freshman 36 Vince Buhagiar – OLB – Junior 11 Josh Fasavalu – Freshman 33 Brad Kuh – Freshman 55 Ryan McAleenan – Freshman 34 Derek Muaava – Sophomore 15 Doug Parrish – Sophomore 22 Hector Roach – Freshman 31 Keith Smith – ILB – Junior   4 Christian Tago – Freshman 94 Eugene Taylor – Freshman 44 Tony Zizzo – Junior Defensive backs 21 Bené Benwikere – LCB – Sophomore 28 Simon Connette – FS – Freshman 13 Tim Crawley – DB – Freshman   7 Tyler Ervin – CB – Sophomore 24 Rob Fiscalini III – S – Junior   5 Dasheon Frierson – CB – Junior 40 Ryan Harper – S – Sophomore 12 Forrest Hightower – LCB – Sophomore 29 Chris Hill – CB – Junior 87 Akeem King – S – Sophomore 16 Miles Milner – CB – Freshman 39 Cullen Newsome – SS – Senior   6 Damon Ogburn, Jr. – LCB – Junior 81 James Orth – FS – Senior   8 Jimmy Pruitt – LCB – Freshman 26 Travis Talianko – SS – Freshman 25 Ronnie Yell – RCB – Senior Special teams 22 Alex Anastasi – PK – Freshman 59 Ryan DiSalvo – LS – Freshman 39 Arthur Gilbreath – LS – Junior 40 Ryan Harper – P – Sophomore 12 Austin Lopez – PK – Freshman 41 Jeffrey Telles – LS – Sophomore 10 Harrison Waid – P – Junior
Reference: [21]

After the season

Awards

Conference

Travis Johnson earned the WAC Defensive Player of the Year award. With 16 honorees, San Jose State led all WAC teams in 2012 for All-WAC honors. Named to the All-WAC first team were Noel Grigsby, Ryan Otten, Nicholas Kaspar, David Quessenberry, Travis Johnson, Travis Raciti, Vince Buhagiar, Keith Smith, and Bené Benwikere. Named to the All-WAC second team were Chandler Jones, David Fales, De'Leon Eskridge, Anthony Larceval, David Tuitupou, Austin Lopez, and Tyler Ervin. ^[22]

National

Travis Johnson was invited to the East-West Shrine Game and was named to the Academic All-America second team. ^{[23] [24]} Johnson, Ryan Otten, and David Quessenberry all got Senior Bowl invitations. ^[25]

NFL Draft

In the 2013 NFL Draft, David Quessenberry was selected in the sixth round and 176th overall by the Houston Texans.

Conference change

On July 1, 2013, San Jose State officially became a member of the Mountain West Conference (MWC). San Jose State football followed fellow WAC school Utah State to the MWC and reunited with Hawaii in football only and Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada, and several other fellow former WAC schools in football and many other sports. ^[26] The WAC stopped sponsoring football after the 2012 season.

References

General:

Specific:

External links

Media related to 2012 San Jose State Spartans football team at Wikimedia Commons