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. 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. 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. However, the win over UTSA did not count, because UTSA was not yet a full FBS member school.
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. 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, and the game against Utah State via ESPN Regional Television.
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. Michael Spero returned for his second season as play-by-play announcer, with Kevin Richardson at color commentary.
Game summaries
At Stanford
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
Colorado State
At San Diego State
At Navy
Utah State
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.
At UTSA
Texas State
At Idaho
At New Mexico State
BYU
Louisiana Tech
Bowling Green–Military Bowl
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. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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.
Name Position Seasons atSan 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:San Jose State University 2012 Football Media Guide, p. 28.
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
Offense Player Class Position Noel Grigsby Junior Wide receiver Chandler Jones Junior Wide receiver Jabari Carr Sophomore Wide receiver David Quessenberry Senior Offensive tackle Nicholas Kaspar Junior Offensive tackle Ryan Otten Senior Tight end Peter Tuitupou Senior Tight endReference:
Defense Player Class PositionTravis RacitiSophomoreDefensive tackleTravis JohnsonSeniorDefensive endKeith SmithJuniorLinebackerRonnie YellSeniorCornerbackJames OrthSeniorSafetyReference:
Special teams Player Class PositionHarrison WaidJuniorPunter/placekickerReference:
Depth chart Starters and backups from the final depth chart:San Jose State 2012 Football Military Bowl Postseason Guide, p. 19.
Final roster 2012 San Jose State Spartans final rosterQuarterbacks 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 – JuniorReference:San Jose State University 2012 Football Military Bowl Postseason Guide, pp. 16-17.
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.
National Travis Johnson was invited to the East-West Shrine Game and was named to the Academic All-America second team. Johnson, Ryan Otten, and David Quessenberry all got Senior Bowl invitations.
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. The WAC stopped sponsoring football after the 2012 season.
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