Thursday, August 28, 2014

Spartan Stadium in San Jose

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The North Dakota Athletics will have their toughest matchup of the year in their first game of the season when they visit the San Jose State Spartans on Thursday night.

North Dakota ended up near the bottom of the standings in the Big Sky last year after finishing 2-6 in the conference and 3-8 overall. Their quarterbacks threw more interceptions than touchdowns, and their defense rarely gave up fewer than 20 points.

This season, North Dakota will return six offensive starters and four on the defensive side of the ball. Sophomore quarterback Joe Mollberg, who threw for 1,729 yards, 7 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last year, will once again attempt to lead the Athletics' offense.

San Jose State did pretty much exactly what they were expected to do in 2013 by finishing with a 6-6 record overall and a 5-3 record in the Mountain West Conference. They had a top 10 passing team after throwing for 355.9 yards per game, but their defense ranked 105th in the nation after giving up 35.1 points per game.

Quarterback David Fales now plays for the Chicago Bears, so the Spartans will have to find a new way to move the ball in 2014. Chances are they will lean a bit more towards the running game, with experienced sophomores Jarrod Lawson and Thomas Tucker getting the majority of the carries.

Injuries to Watch

North Dakota

No injuries to report at this time

San Jose State Spartans

08/23/14 RB Jarrod Lawson Suspension expected to miss first 2 games
08/22/14 TE Billy Freeman Foot probable Thursday vs. North Dakota
08/22/14 LB Ryan Goforth Eligibility "?" Thursday vs. North Dakota
08/14/14 LB Jared Leaf Undisclosed out indefinitely
08/14/14 LB Moses Saucedo Knee out for season

Josh's Pick: Take San Jose State

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