Date/Time: Saturday, September 20, 2025 – 2 PM PDT
Location: CEFCU Stadium, San Jose, CA
Broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
Radio: 860 KTRB AM (SF Bay Area)
Head-to-Head
: From 1946 to 2012, Idaho leads the all-time series 13-10-1 tieSpread: SJSU favored by 14 (O/U 50.5)
As San Jose State (0-2, 0-0 MW) faces another big-bodied team in Idaho State (2-1, 0-0 Big Sky), there’s a misnomer that an FBS team is normally expected to beat an FCS team.
With the dynamics of college football today, those old lines are
blurred.
“We’re San Jose State. We recognize who we are and we have to be super humble in our approach,“ said Spartan head coach Ken Niumatalolo. “They’ve got good players; guys who’ve come from FBS teams.”
Most notable for Idaho is transfer QB Joshua Wood from Fresno State; a dual-threat for the Vandals with 273 rushing yards after three games.
“They gave Washington State everything they could handle with every opportunity to win that game and are very close to being undefeated,” added Niumatalolo. “This is a really good team.”
Who are the Vandals
Thomas Ford Jr. is the young, up-and-coming first-year Idaho head coach already meeting early expectations with his team’s current performance.
A closely fought 13–10 season-opening loss against Washington State showed the Vandals can compete at a higher level. Idaho immediately followed with two decisive home wins vs. St. Thomas and Utah Tech.
In front of Wood and RB Art Williams, Idaho boasts an offensive line that averages 6’2” and 300 lbs. — a signifiant increase from years past that Ford is quick to share.
“We practice for it and have had more physical practices in the bye week,” said Niumatalolo on the expected size and physicality expected from Idaho. “Texas was also a big team and I thought we held up well against their size.”
But the note to take note of for Idaho? The Vandals are averaging 220 yards on the ground; leading the Big Sky conference after three games.
So it’s clear that Ford, as a former running back, is instilling the spirit and soul of a powerful running game in his image.
Ford also sees the defining matchup this Saturday to be between his offensive line and the Spartan’s defensive front.
“We’re always going to do our defensive scheme and see how it stacks up against their offense,” said SJSU DC Derrick Odum. “We’re always re-evaluating during the game; what they’re featuring offensively and how to combat it. It’s a chess match that keeps going all throughout a game.”
The Vandal’s defense should also be considered a major strength; ranked among the top FCS units in the country.
National FCS pre-season polls also projected Idaho as a top-15 finisher in 2025.
Who the Spartans are, so far
As it is said, there are three phases to the game: offensive, defense and special teams. Currently, in terms of bulk-ranking performance, it is the Spartan defense first, then the offense, then special teams.
It is a defense that has bent-and-bowed on more short-field and late-game situations to allow ample chances to win or be competitive. It is an offense that is yet to find its stride. And it is stricken with a field-goal game yet to earn its keep.
Niumatalolo and staff still authentically and transparently hold a good level of confidence, belief and positivity, just as seemingly the players have a sense of repaying the trust and belief back to their coaches.
“We have to coach all of the tangibles and intangibles — the whole player,” said Niumatalolo on the philosophical question of coaching mechanics vs. instincts. “It’s the whole person we have to coach.”
On offense, all eyes are on QB Walker Eget.
Last year, Eget’s decisiveness dictated where the football went, as he was able to spread the ball out. “That’s what Walker was able to showcase last year,“ said OC Craig Stutzmann. ”That’s what he has to get back to.“
“Walker knows all the answers, but right now, he’s thinking of that perfect answer rather than being decisive and just playing ball,” said Stutzmann.
Don’t overthink is pretty much what all coaches preach. Focus and just do your part is a mantra for all players.
“He wants to be perfect with the perfect read and the perfect throw, but it doesn’t exist,” added Stutzmann amping himself up. “Football is about clearing your mind; having fun, shooting your shot and going out there to inspire.”
“You can’t inspire when you’re being cautious or overthinking stuff,” emphasized Stutzmann admitting to getting goose bumps talking about the emotions of the game and the players.
On defense, Odum basically wants disciplined eyes — basically, focusing on one’s assignment and not being distracted by all other cues happening on any given offensive play.
“Some of the big plays we lose are because of undisciplined eyes and that was an emphasis we worked on this bye week,” said Odum. “Those missed ones really get magnified.”
Odum is equally quick to put the focus back on himself on any missed plays.
“I’m the toughest critic on myself than anybody,” said Odum. “When you’re calling a 75-play game, there’s going to be one or two where I say, ‘I wish I would’ve called this.‘ There’s always some of that.”
But the glaring elephant in the room? There has to be less turnovers.
In two games, the Spartans have lost the ball seven times. It breaks one of Niumatalolo’s and every coaches’ long-time core tenets — take care of the ball, where Niumatalolo also preaches a simple game that prioritizes execution over complexity with discipline and excellence of the fundamentals.
What to expect Saturday
Despite the supposed disadvantage of overall team size in the trenches for the Spartans, Niumatalolo’s philosophy and tactics throughout his career have consistently overcame those mismatches.
“In our first game against Central Michigan, we thought we were ready for that size and in the beginning of that game we weren’t ready, but we’ve learned from that mistake,” said Niumatalolo.
Against the Vandals, considering the analytics and odds-makers factor past performance, putting the Spartans up by two touchdowns might speak to some of San Jose’s potential finally breaking out Saturday.
