San Jose State’s magical season reached new heights Saturday as the undefeated Spartans beat Boise State 34-20 to win their first Mountain West championship.
The victory in Las Vegas improved San Jose State’s record to 7-0, the team’s best mark after seven games since going 13-0 in 1939, and sends them into the Arizona Bowl on New Year’s Eve
Here is what the Spartans were saying after the game:
Coach Brent Brennan
On the historic win
“What a night for San Jose State University. What a night for our players and our fans. It’s just been a beautiful journey. It’s been magical. It’s been incredibly challenging.
“These players that have been with us the last two, three, four years, I have just been through a really, really incredible ride. It’s been an awesome blessing that we can learn if you just work hard and stick together, then incredible things can happen.
San Jose State players celebrate after defeating Boise State in an NCAA college football game for the Mountain West championship, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
(AP Photo/John Locher)
San Jose State cornerback Nehemiah Shelton holds the trophy while celebrating with teammates after defeating Boise State in an NCAA college football game for the Mountain West championship, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 19: San Jose State Spartans players celebrate with the championship trophy after defeating the Boise State Broncos 34-20 to win the Mountain West Football Championship at Sam Boyd Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 19: Quarterback Hank Bachmeier #19 of the Boise State Broncos gets rid of the ball as he is brought down by defensive end Viliami Fehoko #42 of the San Jose State Spartans in the second half of the Mountain West Football Championship at Sam Boyd Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Spartans defeated the Broncos 34-20. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 19: Quarterback Hank Bachmeier #19 of the Boise State Broncos is tackled on fourth down short of a first down by safety Tre Webb #3 of the San Jose State Spartans in the second half of the Mountain West Football Championship at Sam Boyd Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Spartans defeated the Broncos 34-20. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
San Jose State tight end Sam Olson (88) celebrates after scoring a 2-point conversion against Boise State during the second half of an NCAA college football game for the Mountain West championship, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 19: Cornerback Nehemiah Shelton #23 of the San Jose State Spartans celebrates with the championship trophy after the team defeated the Boise State Broncos 34-20 to win the Mountain West Football Championship at Sam Boyd Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 19: Tight end Derrick Deese Jr. #87 of the San Jose State Spartans catches a 1-yard touchdown pass in the end zone against safety JL Skinner #0 and safety Evan Tyler #5 of the Boise State Broncos in the second half of the Mountain West Football Championship at Sam Boyd Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Spartans defeated the Broncos 34-20. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan speaks with players during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Boise State for the Mountain West championship, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan speaks with his players during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Boise State for the Mountain West championship, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan speaks with players during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Boise State for the Mountain West championship, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
San Jose State defensive lineman Cade Hall (92) sacks Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier (19) during the first half of an NCAA college football game for the Mountain West championship, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier (19) throws against San Jose State defensive end Viliami Fehoko (42) during the first half of an NCAA college football game for the Mountain West championship, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 19: Head coach Brent Brennan San Jose State Spartans looks on in the first half of the Mountain West Football Championship against the Boise State Broncos at Sam Boyd Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
San Jose State wide receiver Bailey Gaither (84) runs against Boise State cornerback Avery Williams (26) during the first half of an NCAA college football game for the Mountain West championship, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
(AP Photo/John Locher)
San Jose State wide receiver Tre Walker (10) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Boise State during the first half of an NCAA college football game for the Mountain West championship, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 19: Wide receiver Tre Walker #10 of the San Jose State Spartans reacts after missing a pass against in the first half of the Mountain West Football Championship against the Boise State Broncos at Sam Boyd Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Tight end Jackson Burrill #30 of the San Jose State Spartans reacts after making a tackle on a kickoff return against the Boise State Broncos in the first half of the Mountain West Football Championship at Sam Boyd Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 19: Wide receiver Tre Walker #10 of the San Jose State Spartans is tackled by linebacker Ezekiel Noa (L) #7 and cornerback Jalen Walker #2 of the Boise State Broncos in the first half of the Mountain West Football Championship at Sam Boyd Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 19: Safety JL Skinner #0 of the Boise State Broncos tackles tight end Sam Olson #88 of the San Jose State Spartans after a catch in the first half of the Mountain West Football Championship at Sam Boyd Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 19: Placekicker Matt Mercurio #39 of the San Jose State Spartans warms up on the team’s logo at midfield before the Mountain West Football Championship against the Boise State Broncos at Sam Boyd Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
San Jose State Spartans Director of Athletics Marie Tuite (C) looks up as players, including quarterback Nick Starkel (L) #17 and defensive lineman Cade Hall #92, hold up the championship trophy after defeating the Boise State Broncos 34-20 to win the Mountain West Football Championship at Sam Boyd Stadium on Dec. 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“There were so many great incredible individual performances tonight. I thought our defense was lights out. Obviously, the offense did a lot of good things moving the football. Nick Starkel threw the ball all over the yard. We had multiple guys catch passes. I can’t get over our defense.
“Obviously we gave up the big punt return to the best punt returner I have coached against maybe ever. But our team just kept answering. They kept finding a way to answer. I couldn’t be more proud of this football team. We’re going to enjoy this.”
On the message before the game
“What we talked about pregame, and really all season … I know we have the Climb the Mountain theme. It was really here is a process to winning this game. There is a process to building a winning football program. there is a process to being a good player and just focusing on right now is the biggest part of that. Consistency of that. In pregame, we talked about this whole season, this whole story has been about us and this game’s the same. It’s about us, how we handle the ups and downs, how we respond to the good things and bad things that happen in the game. I thought our response tonight on so many occasions was fantastic.”
On setting the early tone:
“I thought our defense was incredible early on. Our defense kept finding ways to get them off the field. That was just incredible. We had multiple fourth-down stops in the game. Made them punt a bunch of times.
On the celebration
“No body surfing. Last week, I bruised ribs. I had to breathe shallow all week. It’s an awesome thing to be a part of it. The best moment of the night for me was our whole team and all of our coaches and staff in there — and our athletic director — singing, ‘Lean on Me.’ It was absolute magic. It was incredible.”
On the bowl game
“Climbing the mountain was just a good metaphor for us because we had been so far from the top for so long. If you look going backward, our last winning season was 2012. Our last winning season before that was 2006. That was Everest. The reason that teams sits there and screams ‘Lean on Me’ arm in arm like that is the exact same reason they play good football together. They love each other and they care about each other and no one wanted to let each other down. Also the journey, our COVID discipline has been crazy good.”
On seeing their families
“We fly back tomorrow morning to the Bay. These players have been away from their families for a long time. They are all really excited to see their families spend Christmas with their families. Most of them haven’t seen their parents since July 14, which is such a unique thing. Normally the players see their parents every week, every game. Even if it’s road games, most parents attend them or a big chunk of them do. Not being able to share this with our families has been the saddest part of this. It’s been the absolute saddest part of this incredible season.”
On where this win ranks
“This one’s the best because of all the parts of it — how far we’ve come, what we went through this year, who we were playing and the fact it was for the Mountain West championship. We have so much respect for Boise.”
Quarterback Nick Starkel
On the excitement of the postgame locker room
“That celebration was everything. It was the culmination of just this whole season. We sang ‘Lean on Me.’ That’s how this team fights. We lean on each other.”
On the team’s depth:
“That gives me supreme confidence as a quarterback, knowing that whoever is in the game is going to be able to go make a play. It speaks to our receivers coach as well. All of those guys that were in there catching passes, they were ready because our receivers coach made sure there were ready. You don’t have guys in there messing around, not knowing the plays. It happens at some schools, where guys that are third string on the depth chart don’t necessarily know the offense. But here they do, and I think that’s why we have a lot of success.”
On the travel
“This team has been resilient the entire time. No matter what happens — no matter if it’s, ‘Hey, we can’t practice at home, practice at Scotts Valley’ or ‘Hey. we’re going to have to leave and go play a home game in Hawaii and then go to Vegas,’ our team just says, ‘All right. Let’s go.’ It’s a motto that as an offense we love to talk about — ‘So what. Next play’ or ‘So what, now what?’ That happens, so what. Can’t do anything about it. Now, what are we going to do? How are we going to get our mind right to go finish this season off?”
On lack of postseason experience
“We are inexperienced with the postseason. But this is why we play college football, to be playing meaningful games at the end of seasons. So that means championships. That means bowl games. And maybe one day the College Football Playoff.”
Defensive lineman Cade Hall
On the team’s journey
“We’ve been through more than any team in this conference. We’ve had more adversity and more challenges that we’ve had to make it through. We knew that coming in. I think that’s what gave us an edge tonight.”
Kicker Matt Mercurio
On the team’s rise
“I just kept telling myself and the guys around me, teammates and guys that are close to me, ‘No matter what happens, good or bad, it’s just going to make it that much sweeter in the end when we get it done. I think I was right. It really feels incredible. From being on this team two seasons ago, from 1-11 to 5-7 last season, and this season, finally getting it done, 7-0, I can’t put it into words.”
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