Bowl eligibility on the line for SJSU this weekend

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If there were one game on SJSUs schedule it could write off as a win at the beginning of the the season, it would be this weekends game on the road against Idaho. As recent events would suggest, a win for the Spartans is looking even more likely.About 10 days ago, the Idaho football program fired its head coach, Robb Akey, in part due to the teams 1-7 record this season. Offensive coordinator Jason Gesser was named interim head coach upon Akeys firing. Then on Monday, the team dismissed its starting quarterback, Dominique Blackman, and linebacker Conrad Scheidt from the squad for violating team rules.Regardless of whatever particular state of shambles the Idaho football program may be in, SJSU head coach Mike MacIntyre said the team must focus on its own gameand only that.We have to be ready for an intense game, he said. But the main things we have to do is take care of ourselves, being intensely ready and prepare like we have been. How we prepare and how we are focused throughout the week will make the difference on Saturday.MacIntyre said he was planning on addressing a somewhat similar situation to Idahos that played out in the struggling programs favor. Last season, UCLA hosted Arizona State while many Bruins supporters called for the removal of head coach Rick Neuheisel after a string of losses averaging deficits of 30 points. UCLA defeated favored Arizona State that night 29-28, despite its off-the-field troubles.That sort of bottled-up fire is what MacIntyre is expecting from the Vandals this Saturday at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho.We have to take care of ourselves and not worry about them but we do have to understand that theyre going to come riled up and ready to go, he said.SJSU is also just one win shy of bowl eligibility and has to think there is no better shot at locking in that seventh win than this weekendSJSUs win over UTSA did not qualify toward bowl eligibility. MacIntyre, though, said no discussion of a possible bowl situation has been had between he and his coaches or the players.Truthfully, we havent talked about the bowl one time and we wont, MacIntyre said. Were going to take the game one play at a time, one quarter at a time, one game at a timeand that is not cliche, that is the truth.Idaho senior quarterback Logan Bushnell will get the start Saturday over junior Taylor Davis, who helped beat the Spartans last season with 162 passing yards and a go-ahead fourth-quarter touchdown passthe final lead change of the 32-29 Idaho win. Bushnell will be sent in to lead a Vandals offense that ranks 123rd in the nation in scoring averaging 16 points per game.Both their quarterbacks can throw welltheyre not guys that just got off the bus, MacIntyre said. I think they can make plays. What theyve done with their quarterbacks in the past, looking at these guys, they can do exactly what (Blackman) was doing. I dont see it being that drastic of a change.Nationally, Idaho ranks 62nd in passing yards, 120th in points against, and 122nd in rushing yards per game. Nonetheless, MacIntyre believes Idaho is more than capable of beating the Spartans and used last years defeat as a prime example.Our kids remembers getting beat in Idaho a couple years ago and losing the heartbreaker last year, he said. Idaho is a good football team and they definitely think they can beat us and we know they can. So that will help fuel our guys this weekend to prepare to play.So the Spartans have two items on their agenda: Avenge last seasons loss to Idaho and capture that all-important seventh win to advance their hopes of a possible postseason bowl. A win would accomplish both goals.

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