Air Force will face San Jose State on Saturday, November 8 at CEFCU Stadium in San Jose, California. The Falcons enter the game with a 2-6 overall record and a 1-4 mark in Mountain West play, while the Spartans stand at 3-5 overall and 2-2 in conference games.
This matchup marks the ninth meeting between Air Force and San Jose State, all as conference opponents. Air Force leads the series 5-3, including a split of the last four contests, with each team securing one win on the road. The Falcons have previously won three straight games against San Jose State from 2015 to 2019.
In their most recent encounter on September 7, 2024, San Jose State defeated Air Force 17-7 at Falcon Stadium. Emmett Brown threw two touchdown passes for the Spartans. Cade Harris led Air Force with a six-yard rushing touchdown after an interception by Jerome Gaillard Jr., but it was not enough to overcome San Jose State’s offense.
The last time these teams played in San Jose was on September 22, 2023. On that occasion, Air Force overcame a first-half deficit to win 45-20. Emmanuel Michel scored three touchdowns and ran for 148 yards, while John Lee Eldridge III added two more touchdowns for the Falcons. The defense limited San Jose State to just eight total yards in the third quarter and only 80 yards in the second half.
San Jose State is coached by Ken Niumatalolo, who is now in his second season with the program. Niumatalolo has significant experience facing Air Force from his tenure as Navy’s head coach from 2002 to 2022 and as an assistant coach at UNLV and Hawaii.
Thirteen players on this year’s Air Force roster are from California, making it the second-most represented state among Falcons players.
Last week, Air Force lost to Army after Dawson Jones kicked a field goal as time expired to give Army a 20-17 victory at Falcon Stadium. Reagan Tubbs opened scoring for Air Force with a career-long field goal of 52 yards—the longest by an Air Force player since Matthew Dapore’s kick against Colorado in 2022. Sophomore quarterback Liam Szarka rushed for two touchdowns and had a career-high number of carries; he also matched his personal best for completions in a single game.
Other notable performances included senior wide receiver Cade Harris finishing with nearly one hundred all-purpose yards; senior tight end Bruin Fleischmann extending his streak of games with receptions; sophomore wide receiver Jonah Dawson recording career highs in catches and receiving yards; senior nose guard Payton Zdroik continuing his run of tackles for loss or sacks; junior linebacker Blake Fletcher leading tackles for the fifth time this season; junior inside linebacker Dallas Daley matching his personal best tackle count again; sophomore cornerback Korey Johnson setting new highs for tackles; and senior punter Luke Freer averaging over forty yards per punt.
Air Force has started the same offensive line throughout every game this season—one of only eleven teams nationally to do so—and continues its national-best streak of consecutive games with over one hundred rushing yards (now at ninety-three). The team has also converted sixty-six straight extra points dating back to last season’s Colorado State game.
If victorious against San Jose State this weekend, Air Force would improve its record both overall (to three wins) and within conference play (to two wins), as well as secure its sixth win all-time versus San Jose State.
