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The Lowdown 2006 Schedule Coach: Dick Tomey (2nd season, 3-8) 2005 record: 3-8 WAC finish: 2-6 (t-6th) 2005 I-A offensive rankings: Rushing: 60th (144.6 ypg) Passing: 81st (200.9 ypg) 2005 I-A defensive rankings: Rushing: 54th (145.2 ypg) Passing: 114th (296.0 ypg) Date Opponent Sept. 2 at Washington Sept. 9 Stanford Sept. 23 Cal Poly Sept. 30 San Diego State Oct. 14 Utah State Oct. 21 at Nevada Oct. 28 Louisiana Tech Nov. 4 at New Mexico State Nov. 11 Boise State Nov. 18 at Hawaii Nov. 25 at Idaho Dec. 2 Fresno State Depth Chart: Offense 8 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. WR 3 James Jones Sr. 86 Chester Coleman Sr. WR 81 John Broussard Sr. 9 Michael Hooper Jr. LT 76 Matt Cantu Sr. 64 Joseph Zusin Fr. LG 62 Marcel Burrough Sr. 74 David Giesen Jr. C 68 Justin Paysinger So. 61 Ryan Simone Jr. RG 63 John Booker Jr. 79 Ronnie Castillo Fr. RT 75 Bradis McGriff So. 66 Chris Danser So. TE - Jeff Clark Jr. 49 Jason Cain So. QB 17 Adam Tafralis Jr. 2 Sean Flynn Jr. FB 42 James T. Callier Jr. 38 Donte Collins Jr. TB 34 Yonus Davis Jr. 7 Al Guidry Sr. Depth Chart: Defense 2 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. DE 93 Justin Cole Fr. 41 Jason Baker Jr. DT 92 Freddy McCutcheon Sr. 97 Shane Lapka Sr. DT 90 Josh Pulu Jr. 94 Kalvin Cressel Fr. DE 53 Jarron Gilbert So. 48 Rafael Pineda - LB 51 Chris Reese So. - Jason Swisher Fr. LB 35 Matt Castelo Jr. 46 Demetrius Jones Jr. LB 31 Dimitrous Chattman Jr. 37 Damaja Jones Sr. CB - Dwight Lowry Jr. 1 Trae Jackson Sr. CB 29 Christopher Owens So. 32 Elias Jones So. SS 8 Christopher Vedder Sr. 13 Colin Maher Fr. FS 22 Jason Evans Sr. 25 Kevin Jurovich So. Special Teams Ps. No. Player Yr. Ps. No. Player Yr. K 10 Jared Strubeck So. KR 81 John Broussard Sr. P 18 Waylon Prather Jr. PR 3 James Jones Sr.

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It didn't make a lot of headlines in the college football world. Heck, many around the Western Athletic Conference may not have even noticed. But San Jose State closed out the 2005 season with back-to-back home victories over New Mexico State and Idaho en route to a 3-8 record in the first year of the Dick Tomey Era.

And Tomey, best known for molding Arizona into a Pac-10 contender in the late '80s and '90s, said ending an otherwise disappointing season on such a positive note could pay dividends this fall.

"It was really important," Tomey says. "I'd never been through a season like that as a coach. The fact that we won those last two games made not only a huge difference with the players in the offseason but also with recruits, especially locally. It gives us more credibility as far as showing that the program is improving."

The strong ending marked the first time since 1997 that San Jose State finished a season with back-to-back wins.

Improvement was evident in several different phases of the program. San Jose State in 2005 was one of only 11 Division I-A teams to allow 100 fewer points than the previous season.

That's not to say that there's no room for improvement. The Spartans allowed 112 fewer points in Tomey's first year but still ranked 102nd in the nation in scoring defense, allowing an average of 32.5 points per game, and 104th in total defense, giving up 441.2 yards per game.

But the program is showing welcome signs of life. With seven starters back on offense, and a schedule that features seven home games, the Spartans just might be the sleeper team in the WAC this year.

OFFENSE

Tomey says he probably won't name his starting quarterback until late into fall camp even though junior incumbent Adam Tafralis returns. Tafralis passed for 1,810 yards and 11 touchdowns but completed only 49.7 percent of his passes last season. His biggest threats will be Sean Flynn, who was third in California junior colleges in total offense at Los Angeles Harbor College, and redshirt freshmen Chad Bozzo, who appeared in three games as a true freshman before undergoing shoulder surgery.

Second team All-WAC running back Yonus Davis returns to lead what arguably is the strongest unit of the Spartan offense. The 5-7 Davis rushed for 638 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore, and his average of 6.72 yards per carry was the seventh best in the nation.

Three of the team's top four wide receivers return, led by senior speedster John Broussard, one of the WAC's fastest players. Five of Broussard's 26 receptions were for touchdowns.

The offensive line, led by senior left tackle Matt Cantu, returns four starters from a unit that allowed only 14 sacks a year ago.

DEFENSE

The Spartans return only two starters on defense, including none on the line. Junior Matt Castelo, the top returning tackler in the WAC after compiling 91 tackles and three sacks, moves over from outside linebacker to middle linebacker and will anchor a Spartan defense that gave up 112 fewer points in Tomey's first year than in 2004.

Senior Chris Vedder, who was sixth on the team in tackles (56) a year ago as a starting cornerback, moved to his natural strong safety spot in the spring, and he will anchor a secondary unit that needs to improve dramatically after allowing 296.0 yards passing per game in 2005.

Junior college transfer Dwight Lowery, who had 13 interceptions in 15 games at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz, Calif., figures to make an immediate impact in that regard. He could start on opening day.

SPECIALISTS

The Spartans have one of the top special teams units in the WAC. Junior Waylon Prather returns to handle the punting chores after averaging 39.3 yards. Of his 74 punts, a remarkable 27 were inside the 20 while 11 more were fair caught. None of his kicks were blocked.

Jared Strubeck, who earned freshman All-America mention after leading the team in scoring with 61 points, is back to handle placekicking and kickoff duties. He has a strong kickoff leg and also played a key role in the Spartans' recovering three onside kicks last season.

FINAL ANALYSIS

The Spartans need to pick up where they left off. For once, the schedule isn't only manageable but also very favorable.

San Jose State will need improved production on offense, especially from Tafralis, who will need to be more efficient -- if he holds onto his starting position. Tomey's flex defense made some big strides last season but needs to continue to improve, especially against the pass.

Although Tomey continues to build depth with solid recruiting classes, the Spartans are still awfully young and must stay away from key injuries to have a chance at flirting with real improvement in the win-loss column.