The San Jose State football team defeated the University of Wyoming 27-21 in a Mountain West Conference showdown at CEFCU Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Quarterback Nick Nash led the Spartans (4-4, 2-2 MWC) to victory against the Cowboys (4-3, 0-3 MWC), finishing with 150 yards throwing, 112 yards rushing and a touchdown pass.
Wyoming’s defense is ranked No.15 in the nation but Nash’s ability to throw and run proved too much to handle.
Nash’s performance also put him in the Spartans’ record books with 797 career rushing yards, the most for a Spartan QB coming in only five career starts.
“It's awesome,” Nash said. “I’m more excited about the win but I've had a lot of experience from previous years so feel like that definitely helps.”
The game began as a defensive showcase as neither team could generate any momentum on offense in the first quarter.
Nash put an end to that in the second quarter as he sparked the Spartans rushing attack.
Nash scrambled out of the pocket and ran the ball 48 yards to put the Spartans in scoring position, surpassing the total first quarter offense in one play.
With a fired up and rejuvenated offense, Nash rushed for a one-yard touchdown and took the 7-0 lead for the Spartans.
SJSU’s defense also stepped up as linebacker Tyson Parker caught the teams second interception of the season.
The Spartans couldn’t capitalize on the great field position and settled for a 36-yard field goal by kicker Matt Mercurio, putting them up 10-0.
Linebacker Kyle Harmon said he was thrilled the team started creating turnovers after almost a month-long drought.
“Those are game changing plays,” Harmon said. “You have to have those extra possessions in the game, especially going up against a team like Wyoming.”
As the Spartans were looking to pull away, the Cowboys responded with a 54-yard touchdown late in the second quarter
Running back Kairee Robinson added to the lead by running through the UW defensive line for a nine-yard touchdown, making the game 17-7 going into halftime.
Head coach Brent Brennan said he was fired up about his defense making key stops in crunch time.
“Our defense has been awesome for us all year,” Brennan said. “And for me to say we need [the defense] to close it out for us, I feel great about that.”
SJSU’s big time defensive performance continued as safety Jay Lenard intercepted the ball in the third quarter, giving the team the second takeaway of the game.
This led to Mercurio’s 44-yard field goal that put the Spartans up 20-7.
The Cowboys struck back with a touchdown that put the game within reach at 20-14.
Nash responded by throwing a 44-yard bomb to wide receiver Charles Ross for a touchdown as the Spartans went up 27-14 late in the third quarter.
UW scored again late in the game to make it 27-21 but the SJSU defense forced some critical stops after that touchdown to keep UW at bay.
Defensive lineman Cade Hall broke through the UW offensive line for back-to-back sacks stomping any comeback hopes. His sacks forced a turnover on downs and helped the Spartans secure the win.
SJSU’s next expected game is against the University of Nevada, Reno at MacKay Stadium Saturday at 7 p.m. and will have a Mountain West title bid on the line.
