San Jose State remains undefeated after overcoming two second-half deficits to beat San Diego State 28-17 Friday night at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
The Spartans (3-0, 3-0 MWC) are off to their best start of the season since 1982 after defeating the Aztecs (2-1, 2-1 MWC) to record their third consecutive win.
The victory marks the first time they beat the Aztecs since 2012 and is the first time they are 3-0 since joining the Mountain West Conference in 2013.
“We had all kinds of reasons for that game to go south, ” SJSU head coach Brent Brennan said after the game. “But the players kept fighting for each other. I think there’s something real special about this group.”
The game began with SJSU’s starting quarterback, Nick Starkel, getting injured during the first drive in the first quarter.
But backup quarterback Nick Nash stepped up and threw for 169 yards with two touchdown passes to shock the Aztecs, who came into the game as favorites to win.
“I had a little bit of nerves too. I just had to get used to it, but my whole team had my back,” Nash said in the post-game press conference. “They were telling me that they believed in me, so I had to come out and do it for them.”
Nash, however, didn’t start the game that well as his first four drives all resulted in three-and-outs.
However, the momentum swung in the Spartans’ favor at the end of the first half after Nash began to settle into the offense.
“Once I got that first down, that’s when we started rolling,” Nash said. “That’s all she really wrote.”
Nash found tight end Derrick Deese, Jr. in the endzone to make the game 7-10. Deese ended the game with five receptions for 76 yards, one touchdown and several vital first downs that helped the Spartans move down the field.
“When Starkel went down, it was a tough blow for us,” Deese said. “But we knew Nick Nash could come in and get the job done.”
The second half was filled with turnovers that shifted momentum for both teams.
The Spartans forced the Aztecs to give up the ball on downs early in the third quarter after stopping them at their own 20-yard line.
Nash threw an interception two minutes later, but the Aztecs couldn’t capitalize on the mistake.
The Spartans took the lead later in the third quarter after a touchdown from receiver Bailey Gaither, but it was short-lived as the Aztecs scored a touchdown to begin the fourth quarter, giving SDSU a 17-14 lead.
Later in the fourth quarter, SJSU flipped the game on its head by forcing and recovering a fumble from SDSU quarterback Carson Baker. Two plays later, running back Tyler Nevens ran it in for a touchdown to give the Spartans a 21-17 lead.
The SJSU defense, like in its last two games, stepped up when the team needed a stop.
Safety Tre Jenkins picked off one of Baker’s passes in the endzone to give SJSU the ball back with less than six minutes remaining.
“Honestly it happened so fast, but I knew what I had to do,” Jenkins said. “I just did my part and was there at the right time. [Brennan] made a good call and put me in the right spot.”
SJSU then forced another turnover three minutes later, this time during a punt return. SDSU running back Jordan Byrd didn’t call a fair catch and was tackled by SJSU wide receiver Tre Walker.
It was game, set and match after when Nash iced the game by running the ball into the endzone himself to put the game out of reach for the Aztecs.
“It was great to come out here and get a win against San Diego,” Deese said. “We all came together. It’s starting to click with us.”
It’s unclear the extent of Starkel’s injury or when he will return, but Brennan said he has confidence in Nash’s abilities.
“What an incredible job he did,” Brennan said. “As well as Nick Starkel is playing . . . if you’re Nick Nash you’re probably thinking ‘Wow it’s going to be hard for me to get in the games this year.’ ”
Brennan credited Nash’s resilience after he was called upon to perform against the No. 12 rushing defense in the nation.
“He just kept playing [and] he didn’t get discouraged,” Brennan said. “He made some throws. Then he threw a pick [but he] didn’t get discouraged. He kept playing.”
SJSU will put its undefeated record on the line when it plays the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Saturday at CEFCU Stadium.
