Spartans get it done with defense

San Jose State found the WAC leaders in sacks and interceptions in the same living room.

Junior defensive end Carl Ihenacho (seven sacks) and sophomore linebacker Duke Ihenacho (five interceptions) are brothers who have helped give the Spartans the WAC's most dominant defense and turn them into serious title contenders.

San Jose State leads the WAC in total defense, takeaways and sacks going into Friday's showdown with Boise State at Spartan Stadium (7:06 p.m. MDT, ESPN2).

The Spartans (5-2 overall, 3-0 WAC), longtime WAC also-rans, are in first place in the standings, too. The 13th-ranked Broncos (6-0, 2-0), longtime WAC bullies, are close behind.

Both have been winning with defense, but particularly the offense-challenged Spartans. San Jose State rallied in the second half against Hawaii with 13 points set up by turnovers and beat New Mexico State last week with two defensive touchdowns in the first half.

"They've shut down everybody," Boise State coach Chris Petersen said.

And it starts with the Ihenachos, who have roots in Nigeria and went to Serra High in Carson, Calif.

Carl, the older brother, didn't take up football until his senior year. San Jose State assistant coach Charles Nash, who used to coach at Serra, discovered him.

Duke, who picked up football as a high school junior, followed his brother to San Jose a year later.

Both started games as true freshmen - making a quick jump to college football despite a relative lack of experience. Coach Dick Tomey said they should have redshirted but he didn't have enough talent in his program to do it.

"They've adapted because they're highly competitive, they're highly intelligent and they have tremendous personal pride," Tomey said. "We're very proud of both of them."

Carl is tied for the national lead with 14 tackles for loss. He had six last week. He also has the seven sacks, a team-high three forced fumbles and - stunningly for a defensive end - a team-high 45 tackles.

"He's as good and athletic as anybody we've seen," Petersen said. "He played well against us last year. I put the tape on. He's definitely one of those guys who has taken the next step. He really jumps out."

Duke is tied for the national lead in interceptions and has returned a pick for a touchdown in two straight games. He also has three pass breakups. He played safety last year and moved to linebacker this year, but plays a role similar to that of Boise State's Ellis Powers - part linebacker, part safety.

"He's around the football," Boise State offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin said. " He does a good job of filling open areas."

The Spartans have some serious playmakers outside the Ihenacho family, too. Defensive tackle Jarron Gilbert has four sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss, defensive end/linebacker Justin Cole has five sacks and four pass breakups and cornerbacks Christopher Owens (one interception, two forced fumbles) and Coye Francies (Oregon State transfer, two interceptions) are difficult to beat.

All told, the Spartans have 25 sacks, 56 tackles for loss, 13 interceptions and two fumble recoveries. They allow 272.6 yards per game.

"You can tell that they're very well-coached and they're playing with a swagger right now," Harsin said. "They've kept building on that throughout the season."

The Spartans defense has allowed just 11 touchdowns this season. They have scored three.

Last week at New Mexico State, it was a wash - two scored, two allowed in a 31-14 win. The Spartans recorded 17 tackles for loss, including six sacks.

"They have great speed and they have great D-linemen," New Mexico State coach Hal Mumme said. "It's very difficult to block them. They don't stay blocked. I know we couldn't do it. We just struggled all night to handle their D-linemen."

The Broncos will try to do it with an offensive line that is still taking shape - they expect to use their sixth combination in seven games - and an offense that has only put together three drives over 50 yards in the last six quarters.

"The guys obviously know how good San Jose State's defense is," Harsin said. "We've just got to go out and play to our standards."