SAN JOSE, California – San José State football (0-0, 0-0 Mountain West) hosts Sacramento State (0-0, 0-0 Big Sky) on Thursday at 7 p.m. on KDOW 1220AM and TruTV/MAX from CEFCU Stadium.

SEASON TICKETS | PROGRAM 2024

• The reigning Mountain West co-regular season champions are aiming for their fourth bowl game in the last five years and their third straight bowl game, both for the first time in SJSU history, to begin the 2024 campaign.

• This is the first-ever game in partnership between TNT Sports and the Mountain West Conference.

• Spartans have won seven bowl games, new head coach Ken Niumatalolo has won six bowl victories as head coach.

• Last season marked the first time since 1986-87 that the Spartans played in back-to-back bowl games.

• This is the fourth season opener on a Thursday since 2018. The last was in 2022 and ended in a 21-17 victory over Portland State.

• The Spartans have seven home games for the first time since 2006 and are 10-2 in their last 12 games at CEFCU Stadium.

• The Spartans have three Friday games this season, which is the most for the Spartans since 2013. Ironically, they also closed out the regular season with Friday home games on Nov. 22 and Nov. 29. On Nov. 22, 2013, the Spartans hosted Ken Niumatalolo and Navy at CEFCU Stadium.

• Eleven of the Spartans’ 12 regular season games will be nationally televised, including their second straight season hosting a nationally televised CBS game. It’s the Spartans’ most nationally televised regular season games since 2021.

• The last time the Spartans played three home games to close the season was in 1979.

• SJSU is the only school in the Mountain West Conference to play both Oregon State and Washington State away. Boise State plays both, but at home.

• The Spartans threw just four interceptions last season, which was the most in the Mountain West and second-most in the nation.

• Starting in the 2023 season, only two players who scored offensive touchdowns last season will return (Nick Nash, Malikhi Miller). SJSU also returns two players who scored special teams touchdowns last season (Matthew Coleman, Justin Stearns). Defensively, the Spartans return one player who scored a touchdown last season (Michael Dansby).

• Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Derrick Odum is one of two coaches remaining on staff (Wide Receivers Coach/Passing Game Coordinator Kevin McGiven). Odum is entering his eighth season as defensive coordinator at SJSU, which is currently the fourth-longest tenure for an FBS defensive coordinator in the country, behind Iowa’s Phil Parker (13), Iowa State’s Jon Heacock (9) and Utah’s Morgan Scalley (9).

• Whoever starts at quarterback for the Spartans against Sacramento State will be the first quarterback not to be named Horse Cordeiro to start a game for SJSU since Nick Starkel on 25-11-21 (25 matches).

• The Spartans have 49 new players this season, which ranks 30th in FBS football. Included in the 49 new players are 30 transfers, which ranks 14th in FBS football.

• The Spartans have just 53 returning players, which puts them behind only North Texas (46) for the fewest returning players in FBS football.

• SJSU has just 14 players in their final year of eligibility, which ranks them tied for third in the nation with Iowa State, behind Troy (11) and Illinois (12).

• Of the 14 players in their final year of eligibility, only four played their entire careers at SJSU. Only Troy (0), SDSU (1), Colorado (1) and ODU (3) have fewer.

• The Spartans have 101 players on the roster this season, which is near the lowest total in the FBS; last season they had 106.

• The Spartans played a very competitive MW schedule last season, playing the teams that finished first, third, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth in the conference. The Spartans finished second. This season, the Spartans will play the teams that finished first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and twelfth in the MW preseason poll plus Washington State and Oregon State away.

• The Spartans’ worst loss last season was to Boise State, which went 8-6 (.571). Four of the Spartans’ six losses last year were against teams that won their conference championship game or were in the Pac-12.

NEXT GAME: The Spartans open Mountain West play at Air Force on Sept. 7 at 4:00 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network.

MEDIA AVAILABILITY: (Practices are closed to the public, media after the practice)

• Tuesday: Training 9:40 – 11:30 am
• Ken Niumatalolo Weekly Press Conference: 1:00 PM (SAC)
• Wednesday: No media availability
• Thursday: SJSU vs. Sacramento State at 7:00 p.m. on TruTV/MAX
• Friday: No media availability
• Saturday: 11:45 – 13:40