The Spartans will look to get even against the MAC’s Broncos when they visit CEFCU Stadium in late September.
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Two teams looking to stay in the mix.
San Jose State Football: First Look at 2022 Non-Conference Opponents
Portland State | Auburn | Western Michigan | New Mexico State
The San Jose State Spartans hope to exact a measure of revenge against the Western Michigan Broncos when they visit the South Bay in Week 4.
Not a lot went right for the Spartans in last year’s matchup, but the Broncos didn’t really reach their ceiling, either, and now must start again without some of last year’s major contributors on offense. With both teams in relatively the same position headed into 2022, how different could WMU look this fall?
Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Conference: Mid-American
Series History: Western Michigan leads the all-time series, 1-0.
2021 Record: 8-5 (4-4 MAC)
Head Coach: Tim Lester (sixth year at Western Michigan; 32-25 with Broncos, 62-48 overall). The highlight of WMU’s season was a road upset of eventual ACC champion Pitt, but you’d be forgiven if you had a sense the Broncos left something on the table overall. Their only MAC West division win was, oddly enough, against conference champion Northern Illinois and their Quick Lane Bowl victory over Nevada was watered down by the Wolf Pack’s mass exodus in the days before kickoff.
Key Players
Sean Tyler, RB
WMU’s passing game got a lot of attention in 2021, but Tyler had a convincing case as the offense’s most important player. He finished fourth in the MAC with 1,150 rushing yards and his 6.46 yards per attempt ranked third, while he accounted for 13 total touchdowns as a rusher, pass catcher, and kick returner.
Dorian Jackson, CB
Jackson played as actively as any defensive back in the MAC last year, breaking up 12 passes while pulling down two interceptions and adding 25 total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. If San Jose State looks to re-establishing its aerial bonafides, he’s the most likely candidate to gum up those plans on gameday.
Corvin Moment, LB
Moment will be key as the Broncos look to replace a great deal of last year’s defensive havoc. He earned a third-team all-MAC nod in 2021 after collecting 68 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles, but what’s most telling about his value is a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 72.4 that was second among all linebackers in the conference.
Corey Crooms,…