Watch Out for San Jose St.

Though his team is favored to defeat San Jose State by more than three touchdowns on Saturday, Coach Paul Hackett is trying to dampen expectations of a blowout.

It probably wouldn’t do him any good to mention the Spartans’ 47-7 victory over Southern Utah last week, but Hackett has two other games to support his argument.

“Take out the tape of the Stanford game,” he said. “Watch the second half of the Nebraska game.”

Two weeks ago, San Jose State tailback Deonce Whitaker ran for 254 yards in a 40-27 upset at Stanford. The week before that, quarterback Marcus Arroyo threw for two touchdowns in a 49-13 loss to Nebraska that was more competitive than the score suggests.

The Spartans reached the end zone five times in that game but had three scores nullified by penalties. They also had an early field-goal attempt bounce off the upright.

After watching videotapes of those games, Hackett called the Spartans “an extremely competitive, high-energy team.”

“It’s absurd, with what we have done, to think we should have an easy time,” he said.

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Twenty-nine San Jose State players, including 15 starters, come from Southern California. None could be more excited about returning than right tackle Tim Provost.

His uncle, Mark Boyer, played tight end for USC in the early 1980s.

“I’ve gone to the Coliseum a bunch of times,” Provost said. “Ever since I was a little kid, the whole family has been Trojan fans.”

Provost will have 60 relatives in the stands on Saturday. The sophomore dreamed of playing for USC but was not recruited out of Perris High in Riverside County.

“I don’t think I have any bitterness,” he said. “I’m just happy to go down there and play.”

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It seems increasingly probable that offensive lineman Joe McGuire will redshirt the season. The freshman--a prep All-American at Servite High in 1999--has a sore back and, while surgery is not in the prognosis at this point, the latest medical evaluation was not promising.

“He needs extensive rehabilitation,” Hackett said. “He just has not been able to perform and he’s at least two weeks from being able to practice.”

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USC’s game at Oregon State on Sept. 30 will begin at 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on Fox Sports West 2.