Just over two months ago, San Jose State players and coaches were standing in the back parking lot of the Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown Hotel in New Mexico looking up at the sky.
Coach Brent Brennan was looking for something, anything to pump life into his Spartan team, who was 1-5 at the time with a crucial game against New Mexico later that day.
After hearing that the Ring of Fire — a solar eclipse that forms a bright ring around the moon’s silhouette — would be visible from their hotel, he instructed his staff to find solar viewers for the team to watch the natural phenomenon.
Since that warm Albuquerque morning in October, SJSU has rattled off six straight wins and is heading to its third bowl game in four years when it plays Coastal Carolina in the Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 23.
Was it just a coincidence that the Spartans are playing their best football after seeing the Ring of Fire? Perhaps.
But Brennan believes something more spiritual was at play which led to SJSU’s strong finish to the regular season.
“We had this awesome moment, like the Ring of Fire is real,” Brennan said. “We are bonded by the Ring of Fire and we are working off cosmic energy. It’s pretty special.
“That eclipse happens once every 40 years, I think, and it was just incredible. I’m a big, big believer in the Ring of Fire and that our team was bonded in that moment, and that our transformation started then.”
This year’s Ring of Fire was visible at its greatest annularity in only a few states, cutting a thin path from Oregon to Texas. It is a ring-shaped solar eclipse that occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth while it is at its farthest point from our planet. Scientists project the next Ring of Fire will be seen in the contiguous United States sometime in 2044 and will only be visible in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.
SJSU’s sluggish start to the season wasn’t helped by the schedule it faced through the first six games. The Spartans opened the season on the road against USC and probable No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams before playing Oregon State, Toledo, Air Force and Boise State. SJSU managed just one win in its first six — a 59-0 blowout of FCS Cal Poly sandwiched between losses to Oregon State and Toledo.
The week before the New Mexico game, the Spartans fumbled a 20-point lead on the road against Boise State and the season looked to be over. In order to reach six wins and bowl eligibility, the Spartans would need to win five of their next six with Fresno State and UNLV on the tail end of their schedule.
San Jose State wide receiver Isaac Jernagin (0) pumps up the San Jose State crowd after a team touchdown during a football game against UNLV at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Although Brennan is a preparation freak when it comes to game week, he is also known for sharing experiences with his players on the road. When he heard about the Ring of Fire, it was a tailor-made moment to share with his team.
“I’ve never actually experienced a solar eclipse, so it was cool for (Brennan) to make that a special moment for us,” said SJSU wide receiver Nick Nash. “We were all gathered around during the eclipse and I think that that bonded us for life.”
The Ring of Fire effects didn’t happen immediately.
In the first half against New Mexico that day, the Spartans looked defeated. Down 17-14 at halftime to a last-place Lobos team, SJSU’s season was hanging in the balance. But something clicked for the Spartans in the second half and they came away with a 52-24 win to save their season.
The winning continued as they rattled off five more wins after New Mexico, including an upset win over Fresno State at home and a dominant road win over UNLV in the regular season finale. SJSU outscored its opponents 232-107 over the final six games of the season and was in the conference title game mix before the Mountain West’s rankings system left the Spartans out.
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“We all had a different energy going into practices and into the games,” said quarterback Chevan Cordeiro.
Going into the Hawaii Bowl against Coastal Carolina, the aura of the Ring of Fire still lingers inside the Spartans’ football facility. For some, that moment in New Mexico was a sign that it was their destiny to get to the postseason.
“It was definitely a turning point of our season,” said defensive coordinator Derrick Odom. “We just kept that momentum going through six games.”
Linebacker Bryun Parham added, “When we (saw the eclipse), we were just bonding and we kind of just locked in on the rest of the season. We knew we had a decision to make if we were going to go out there and dominate the rest of the season or lay down and go home. So, I feel like that was a big moment that we all came together and just made a decision to go dominate.”
