The 26th annual Famous Idaho Potato Bowl features two four-loss teams, as the 8-4 Eastern Michigan Eagles, who finished as the MAC’s Western Division co-champion, will face the 7-4 San Jose State Spartans from the Mountain West Conference. The winner of this matchup will have French fries dumped on them like the last three winners of the bowl game — Wyoming, Nevada, and Ohio (and no, these are not flyover states).

How We Got Here:

Eastern Michigan:

Eastern Michigan, led by Chris Creighton, has continued its upward trajectory since his arrival. Having only made two bowl games in program history prior to his arrival (coincidentally enough, one of the two bowl games and the only bowl win in program history was against San Jose State in the 1987 California Bowl), the Eagles will be participating in their second straight bowl, and their fifth bowl in the last seven years. The progress has also continued on the field, as they have won eight games for the first time since 1987. That being said, the season had its highs and lows. The high point would have to be beating Arizona State on the road, which led to the firing of Herm Edwards. The low point would have to be getting blown out at home 39-10 by an eventual 3-9 Northern Illinois team. The Eagles win that game and they’re playing in the MAC Championship Game instead of eventual champion Toledo. 

As for how the team was playing, Eastern Michigan had a balanced attack offensively, boasting the 85th-ranked passing offense and the 77th-ranked rushing offense. While Samson Evans was their only threat rushing the ball, the Eagles did have two quarterbacks that shared time due to injury and ineffective play. Senior Taylor Powell was their main threat passing, but sophomore Austin Smith did have good showings against Akron and Ball State. Both men relied on star Tanner Knue to be the main receiving threat for a very successful red zone offense. Knue is not alone however, as Hassan Beydoun, Dylan Drummond, and Darius Lassiter have been auxiliary pieces for this offense. 

In regards to the defense, we have to start with Jose Ramirez. The All-American defensive end was a menace off the edge this year, racking up 12 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss. His ability to generate pressure has allowed Eastern Michigan to have a top 40 pass defense. If somehow players were able to make it to the second level, both Joe Sparacio and Chase Kline have been able to slow down any further progress, as those two led the team in tackles. 

San Jose State:

San Jose State, led by Brent Brennan, has reached a bowl game for the second time in three seasons. The last appearance for the Spartans was the COVID-shortened 2020 season, when they won the conference. After taking a step back with a 5-7 season in 2021, the Spartans have bounced back in 2022 finishing 7-4. The Spartans had one more game on the schedule, but the game was postponed following the death of freshman running back Camdan McWright, who was killed in an accident where he was stuck by a bus while riding a scooter. 

In terms of the schedule of the Spartans, they achieved what everyone expected them to do. Their expected win total was set to 6.5 wins by Vegas oddsmakers, and they won seven. Of the four losses, one was to conference champion Fresno State by seven on the road, another was to Auburn by eight on the road and the final two losses were again on the road, losing to San Diego State and Utah State. 

San Jose State on offense is led by star QB Chevan Cordeiro. Cordeiro was great at driving the ball down the field along with limiting turnovers, as he had 20 touchdowns to just four interceptions. Combine that with star WR Elijah Cooks and great auxiliary piece in Justin Lockhart, the San Jose State passing offense was top 40 in the country. 

The calling card of this year’s San Jose State team is the defense. The team is top five in turnover margin, top 30 in rushing defense, and top 50 in passing yards allowed. That’s a pretty stout defense on all facets of the game. This team is built with the defensive front. Led by Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Viliami Fehoko and First Team All-Mountain West honorees in LB Kyle Harmon and DL Cade Hall, this team was adept at getting to the quarterback and keeping points off the board. 

Players To Watch:

Eastern Michigan:

DL Jose Ramirez — San Jose State allows 3.64 sacks per game. With the All-American having an advantage in this matchup, Ramirez can force the Spartans into uncomfortable passing downs and therefore generate turnovers. 

RB Samson Evans — In the last three games of the season, coinciding with a three-game winning streak for Eastern Michigan, Evans rushed for 362 yards and four touchdowns. While San Jose State has a stout defense, Evans is the focal point for Eastern Michigan. 

WR Tanner Knue — Knue is the primary receiver for Eastern Michigan. San Jose’s weak point on defense is its secondary. While it is stout, it can be taken advantage of and Knue has a knack for scoring touchdowns. 

San Jose State:

QB Chevan Cordeiro — For the most part, Cordeiro has been a consistent threat passing the ball. The golden mark for him is to complete over 60% of his passes. In three of the four losses for San Jose State, Cordeiro has fallen below the mark. If Jose Ramirez is limited (to be honest, he won’t be shut down), then Cordeiro can be his best self and win this game. 

DL Viliami Fehoko: Eastern Michigan has a pedestrian offensive line (or offense in general). With that in mind, Fehoko should wreck havoc on the Eagles and leave cleanup duty for Kyle Harmon and Cade Hall. 

RB Kairee Robinson — When Kairee Robinson gets the ball, he is actually very productive. The issue is that he never gets the ball. In the two games that he received 20 carries or more, he produced over 100 yards on the ground. With the success of the passing game, the Spartans have not had to rely on him. However, in these games, you will need balance to win. 

Score Prediction:

I don’t see Eastern Michigan being able to put up much of a fight against San Jose State. San Jose State, while one-dimensional on offense, has an elite defensive unit. Eastern Michigan doesn’t have the playmakers in any area to make the Spartans sweat. San Jose State 38, Eastern Michigan 17.