SJSU Spartans tune out negative chatter in pursuit of much-needed win at New Mexico

SAN JOSE — The negative chatter from San Jose State football fans is getting louder with every loss, but Tre Jenkins said he hasn’t heard any of it.

“I just don’t go on social media,” Jenkins said. “That’s just all bad stuff, there’s really nothing good on social media.”

In the days leading up to Saturday afternoon’s crucial game at New Mexico (3 p.m. kickoff), SJSU coach Brent Brennan emphasized the need for his players to “block out the outside noise.”

“I think (social media) has made it harder than ever to be a college football player because anyone can get directly to you via direct message,” Brennan said this week.

“The truth is, our record is what it is, and looking backward does nothing for us,” said Brennan, whose team is 1-5 overall and winless in its first two Mountain West games. “Letting outside people that we don’t know, don’t respect and don’t care about impact how we feel about ourselves does nothing for us. We have to trust the people you love, trust your teammates, get with each other and let’s get together and let’s find a way to move forward.”

The Spartans are coming off a 35-27 loss to Boise State on Saturday — a game where SJSU blew a 27-7 second-quarter lead. It was the third time this season the Spartans let an early lead slip away in a loss.

Directly after the game, the San Jose State Football X account was filled with negative comments from frustrated fans.

“Absolutely pathetic,” said SJSU alumnus Jack Bowers on X. “The gimmick ‘#ClimbTheMountain’ slogan from 3 years ago is really becoming a ridiculous irony as this team is only sliding downward. Our coach got his big payday after 7-0, then let this thing go back to the bad old days.”

“Blame for this loss goes on the coaches, Cordero, the O-line for stupid penalties, etc! AND it’s the 2nd game in a row being shut out in the 2nd half. SMFH,” said X user @greggy221.

“Coaching change is needed. This is Fitz Hill territory this team is wading into now,” said X user @flux_capacitors.

Much of the criticism was aimed at Brennan and the coaching staff, with some posts calling for Brennan to be fired.

“For the fans, we understand that they’re frustrated,” Jenkins said. “But (the fans) don’t see our coaches getting to the facility at 6 a.m. and leaving at 9 p.m. The coaches really sacrifice their family life for us and this culture. I think it’s big on our coaches and I applaud them for taking it on the chin, but at the same time the players have to do the same.”

The vibes in practice this week seemed to be relaxed even with the team on a three-game losing streak. The practice playlists were a mix of Hawaiian reggae and 90s’ hip-hop. Brennan has applauded the team’s effort throughout the week.

Saturday’s game against New Mexico (2-3, 0-1 MW) is crucial for SJSU to keep its slim bowl game hopes alive. The Spartans must win five of its next six games to become bowl eligible.

“We’re not really thinking about bowl eligibility right now, we’re just thinking about one game at a time and one step at a time,” said quarterback Chevan Cordeiro. “We’re only focused on what we can do to beat New Mexico and that’s it.”

A bounce back for Cordeiro

Cordeiro hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since the Spartans lost to Toledo three games ago. The last time Cordeiro went back-to-back games without a passing touchdown was back in 2020 when he was a sophomore at Hawaii. He is tied for seventh for the most career TD passes in conference history with 74.

“There’s a lot of things that I need to fix myself,” Cordeiro said. “Just fixing the little things is really going to matter.”

Cordeiro has a chance at a bounce-back game against the Lobos. Opposing quarterbacks have averaged 235.8 yards per game and have given up the second-most touchdown passes in the conference with 12.

One of Cordeiro’s best games of his career came against New Mexico in 2020. In that game, he threw for 410 yards and scored three touchdowns en route to a 39-33 win.

Familiar Scheme

Like Boise State, New Mexico employs two quarterbacks that have different skill sets.

Dylan Hopkins is the Lobos’ starter and takes a majority of the team’s snaps on passing plays. The UAB transfer has completed 55.9 percent of his throws this season to go along with seven touchdowns and three interceptions.

Freshman Devon Dampier has only appeared in two games, but his role is expanding. He threw two TD passes and ran for 71 yards on six carries in New Mexico’s most recent game, a 35-26 loss to Wyoming two weeks ago.

Stopping the run

A big focus for SJSU’s coaching staff this week has been to get better at stopping the run.

The Spartans have the second-worst rushing defense in the country. Opponents average 223.7 yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry against SJSU.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt , a 5-foot-11, 200-pound senior transfer from Alcorn State, is second in the Mountain West in rushing with 431 yards and seven touchdowns.

“The fact is we’re one of the worst run defenses in college football right now,” said SJSU linebackers coach Scott White. “We got to put out that fire. We gotta be mindful of that and say ‘we’re gonna do something about that.’ ”

Game notes

• Saturday’s game against New Mexico will be the first time SJSU plays a game in Albuquerque since 2016. The Spartans are 14-5-1 all-time against New Mexico.
• The Lobos are coming a bye week. New Mexico’s only wins this season have come against FCS Tennessee Tech (1-4) and UMass (1-6).
• The game will also feature both teams playing in their color uniforms — SJSU in its home yellow jerseys and New Mexico in its red home jerseys. Back in 2020, SJSU allowed New Mexico to wear its home red uniforms when the Lobos came to San Jose because the game was originally scheduled to be in Albuquerque. New Mexico coach Danny Gonzales said the Lobos are returning the favor on Saturday.