Good afternoon from rainy, soggy, overcast San Jose.
The BYU football team (6-4) will take on 8-2 San Jose State here at 30,000-seat Spartan Stadium in about eight hours. I just drove around the stadium, and it is as underwhelming as everyone says it is.
BYU hasn't played here since 1968, and my guess is it will be another 44 years before the Cougars come back.
Tonight's matchup was drawing quite a bit of talk on sports radio station KNBR 680 AM this morning, and they even had BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall on to talk about the showdown, along the SJSU tailback DeLeon Eskridge.
However, the front page of the San Jose Mercury News sports section doesn't include a story on the game. Rather, the headline "BYU's defense will challenge Spartans" appears on page C7.
Here's my preview of tonight's game, which takes a look at BYU's top-ranked defense and whether it can slow down a very good SJSU offense. If it can't, it could be a long, rainy night for the Cougars.
It is actually a huge day for BYU sports, as the Cougars' women's soccer team takes on Marquette at South Field in an NCAA College Cup Sweet 16 game.
BYU's men's basketball team takes on No. 20 Notre Dame in the consolation round of the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn.
-
‘I’m not racist’: Common claim after racial slurs
Published May 25, 2013 06:22:02PM -
Man charged with stealing from elderly women in Utah, Arizona
Published May 25, 2013 06:00:44PM -
Tuacahn gears up for three outdoor plays, one indoor production
Published May 25, 2013 05:55:19PM -
Suicidal man shot, killed by Weber County sheriff’s deputy
Published May 25, 2013 06:00:59PM
As you can read in Tribune sportswriter Martin Renzhofer's account, the Cougars were walloped 80-62 last night by Florida State. The Seminoles were No. 25 in the country last week before losing to South Alabama.
-----------------------
OK, time to clean out the ol' notebook with some of the better comments from earlier this week regarding tonight's football game.
BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy on whether they can get pressure on SJSU QB David Fales:
"I think it is good to get pressure, but at the same time, we want to play our game. Utah State had 13 sacks against them, so we want to get pressure, after watching that game. He hasn't been sacked in a couple games and hasn't thrown an interception. So I think if we get pressure on them, maybe a mistake or two will come out.
He's a good quarterback. They have a pretty good O-line. But I think they have great skill positions."
Next Page >Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
