This Saturday the (1-0) San Jose State Spartans and the (1-0) Auburn Tigers will meet up in the second week of the 2022 college football season. Kick-off will be at 7:30 PM EST inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. Both of these teams started this season strong, as they both picked up a win in the first week of the season.
The San Jose State Spartans are coming into this one after taking down Portland State. This game was closer than the Spartans would have liked, but they still left with a 21-17 win. They efficiently moved the ball through the air when they were on offense.
The Auburn Tigers are entering this game after taking down Mercer, 42-16. The Tigers had it rolling on the offensive side of the field, as they continued to march up and down the field. They did lean on the run, though, as their offensive line looked great.
The San Jose State Spartans struggled on the offensive side of the field in 2021, as they only scored 20 points per game and only averaged 340 total yards of offense. The Spartans also had a serious problem turning over the ball in 2021, as they turned the ball over multiple times in 9 of their 12 games last season. Luckily, they looked solid in week 1 against Portland State. The Spartans finished week 1 with 288 total yards, as they threw for 239 and ran for 49. The Spartans also struggled on third down, as they only went 4-12. Chevan Cordeiro, the transfer from Hawaii, looked solid in week 1, though. He threw for 239 yards and one touchdown. But, he didn't turn the ball over. The offensive line also got a ton of help from the transfer portal and the Spartans got four receivers back. I would watch for Nevada transfer, Elijah Cooks. He went off last week, as he finished week 1 with 6 receptions and 123 yards. He looked to be Cordero' ;s favorite target. The offense only scored 21 points against Portland State, though. They will need to capitalize on their red zone chances in this one.
On the defense the Spartans gave up 26.5 points per game in 2021 and they gave up 370 yards per game. In week 1 they only gave up 17 points, but Portland State was able to record 395 yards of total offense. The Spartans gave up 270 passing yards and 125 rushing, as they struggled in different parts of that game. They do have nine starters coming back from last season, though. They aren't lacking experience. Their defensive line is also their biggest strength, as they were solid against the run in 2021. The secondary struggled in week 1, but they also have multiple players back from last season. Including, Tre Jenkins, who had 72 tackles. The Spartans did force three turnovers last week, as they picked up a fumble and had two interceptions. They will continue to try and win the turnover battle.