By Elaine Donnelly
Extending sexual misconduct to combat units
San Jose State endured a few turbulent weeks after former coach Mike MacIntyre left for Colorado. It was nothing compared to how far the 24th-ranked Spartans had come in just a few years.
David Fales stared into the teeth of the nation's seventh-ranked defense and felt nothing but a Zen-like calm.
Two seasons ago, the notion of San Jose State playing in a bowl game was ludicrous. Four games into the year, a bowl destination for Bowling Green seemed a winter fantasy.
Turning a downtrodden college football program around has many rewards, including bowl appearances, but it also places a target on those who helped shape the upswing.
Michigan-Notre Dame seems so last century now.
"What people don't talk about is we've won 13 of our last 15," said Baer, the Spartans' defensive coordinator the last three years who will join MacIntyre at Colorado in the same role. "That's a lot of wins in 15 games. It's just an unbelievable feeling. Any time you get 10 wins is magical. To get 11 is tremendous."
Military Bowl: San Jose State takes to air to beat Bowling Green →
"I've been in the business a long time, at a lot of great places. I can honestly say this has been in the top two of all-time seasons," said interim coach Kent Baer, a veteran of 3½ decades of college coaching.
Military Bowl: San Jose State takes to air to beat Bowling Green →
