DALLAS (FWAA) The San José State Spartans
scored on Dejon Packer's 19-yard run with 1:13 left to break a 24-24
tie and win their first road game since 2016 and record their first non-conference
road win since 2012, posting a 31-24 at Arkansas that superseded
a host of other worthy candidates. For winning their first game
over an SEC school, San Josι State (2-1) has earned the Reveal Suits
National Team of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Sept.
21.
The announcement came on "Full Ride on ESPNU Radio on SiriusXM.
Each Monday during the season the Reveal Suits National Team of
the Week will be unveiled on the network. The FWAA's All-America Committee selects the weekly
winner and all Division I FBS and FCS schools are eligible to be
selected.
This is the first time for San Josι State to win the FWAA's National
Team of the Week honor and the first for a Mountain West Conference
member since Wyoming on October 29, 2016.
The Spartans never trailed and led 24-7 at halftime their largest
lead in any game dating back to the 2016 season and broke a 26-game
losing streak to teams from the Power 5 conferences that extended
back to a 2006 win at Stanford.
San Josι State got contributions in all three phases. Quarterback
Josh Love completed a career-high 32 passes in 49 attempts for 402
yards and two touchdowns, his second career 400-yard game. The Spartans'
defense snagged five interceptions, most since a 2008 win at Hawaii.
Kicker Matt Mercurio hit a career-long 47-yard field goal in the
second quarter to extend the lead to 17-7.
"What a night for these players, these coaches and these fans,"
head coach Brent Brennan said. "Obviously, when you look at the
schedule, this is one of those games that everybody talks about.
Sometimes it's hard to get your team to focus on anything else because
you are going on the road to play a SEC opponent like Arkansas with
its history, how special this place is, the stadium, the crowd and
all that stuff. Coming off a loss two weeks ago, our players just
went to work. We practiced during the bye week a lot. I'm sure the
players didn't like that, but I think now they understand why. I'm
just really proud of them because this has been a team."
The other National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend
of Sept. 21 were:
Appalachian State (3-0): The Mountaineers
got a defensive score and 281 combined yards from quarterback
Zac Thomas in a 34-31 win at North Carolina in the teams' first
meeting in 79 seasons. Appalachian State blocked a 56-yard field
goal attempt as time expired to close out its first win over
a Power 5 team since its historic upset at Michigan in 2007.
Pitt (2-2): The Panthers ended UCF's 25-game
regular-season win streak with a 35-34 home win, capped by a
pass from wide receiver Aaron Matthews to quarterback Kenny
Pickett in the end zone with 56 seconds left. Pitt held a 21-0
lead at one point.
UCLA (1-3): Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw
for a career-high 507 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for
two more in a wild 67-63 win at Washington State. UCLA trailed
49-17 in the third quarter, then registered the second-largest
comeback in school history with 50 second-half points to take
its first win over a ranked opponent since 2015.
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national
team of the week since the 2002 season. In addition to the members
of the FWAA All-America Committee, one fan vote from Twitter decides
the weekly honor.
Reveal Suits provides upscale, signature branded
merchandise to business professionals, celebrities, sports organizations,
and a host of clientele who desire to stand out among their peers.
They offer 35 measurement and suit style options, so you truly have
the freedom to build your suit just for you. For more information
about Reveal Suits, visit revealsuits.com.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,400 men and women who cover college football.
The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key
executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas
that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team.
For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson
at tiger@fwaa.com.
|