The Nevada football team [3-4, 2,2] defeated the San Jose State Spartans [4-4, 2-2] 28-13 in their homecoming game for their second home win of the season on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Senior quarterback Luke Duncan made his second start of the season in this matchup, following sophomore starting quarterback Carter Jones’ injury two games prior against UTEP and fifth-year quarterback AJ Bianco’s injury last game against North Dakota State.
Nevada’s defense started strong. San Jose started offensively, and a third down sack by senior edge Dylan LaBarbera forced an early three-and-out.
The Wolf Pack offense followed the defense’s early stop with a 64-yard drive on their first possession. Senior wide receiver Marshaun Brown started the momentous drive with a 15-yard catch.
He continued to be the star of that possession with a 24-yard catch and a 4-yard score in the end zone.
Running backs Herschel Turner and Dominic Kelley also pushed the drive forward. The junior, Turner, recorded an 8-yard catch and two carries for 21-yards, and the sophomore, Kelley, had six carries for 12-yards to give Nevada an early lead.
For the remainder of the first half, both defenses continued to excel. The first quarter ended with Nevada leading 7-0, after three possessions without either team earning a new set of downs.
Nevada’s freshman quarterback Reeve Slone played his first collegiate snap to start the second quarter, throwing an interception to San Jose’s junior cornerback, Jayden Robertson.
The Spartans were unable to capitalize off the interception after a broken up pass from junior edge Brandon Amanimpong, a delay of game penalty, and a sack for a loss of 9-yards by senior linebacker Jeremy Naborne-Owens forced them to punt.
After three consecutive possessions with a loss of yards, and multiple three-and-outs, a Nevada first down gave hope of some action before halftime.
An 8-yard completion from Duncan to Brown followed by a 4-yard catch from fifth-year receiver Damian Morgan reached the line to gain, before San Jose would get a chance from the Nevada 48 after a turnover on downs.
San Jose State maximized the turnover with a 28-yard drive, the longest from either team in the second quarter. After a series of short rushes and a 13-yard pass from freshman quarterback Robert McDaniel to sophomore wide receiver Dominique McKenzie, San Jose State was left with less than a minute left in the half to get on the board.
A third down sack from LaBarbera forced San Jose State to attempt a field goal. Junior kicker Trajan Sinatra successfully kicked a 38-yarder to lessen the spread before halftime. Both teams then headed into the locker room with Nevada ahead, 7-3.
Both offenses struggled to begin the second half. Each team had two empty possessions before Nevada was able to drive down the field.
Duncan found Morgan with a 14-yard pass to start building momentum. Dominic Kelley led the next two plays, with a 5-yard rush and an 8-yard reception.
Duncan’s passes continued with 19 and 13-yard passes to junior wide receiver Gary Givens III, placing the ball at San Jose State’s 25-yard line.
Sophomore wide receiver Trace Estes then reached the end zone for the first time in his college career. A 15-yard pass with a 10-yard advancement and another successful McFadden conversion brought the score to 14-3.
San Jose State’s next possession gave them their first new set of downs in the second half with a 17-yard pass from McDaniel to junior wide receiver Jerry McClure. With two broken passes and a 3-yard scramble from McDaniel, San Jose State was forced to punt the ball.
The fourth quarter began with the same back-and-forth punts until both teams seemed to have found a surge of energy. With less than ten minutes remaining, four consecutive possessions all led to scores.
A 13-yard rush down the middle from Kelley started Nevada’s scoring drive. Turner followed with another successful run to put Nevada at the San Jose State 42-yard line. Another run by Kelley and a 32-yard trick play completion from Brown to Turner resulted in Nevada’s third touchdown of the night.
Brown recorded his first career pass as a wide receiver during the successful trick play.
“I played QB when I was, like, playing little league football, but never in high school,” Brown said. “So I mean, you know, they [coaching staff] just saw me, you know, throwing the ball at practice.”
Following the gambit, McFadden completed his third conversion to bring a 21-3 lead.
San Jose State, however, immediately responded to the trick play with a touchdown of their own.
Spartans senior quarterback Luke Weaver threw the longest pass of the game at 47 yards to McKenzie, not finding the end zone yet, but building momentum. Their next three plays were all runs for a gain, with a 11-yard run from junior running back Viliami Teu for the touchdown.
A successful conversion attempt shortened the spread to 21-10.
This shortened spread didn’t last for long, as a 90-yard kick return from fifth-year running back Ky Woods would place the Wolf Pack in the red zone.
A short 4-yard pummel from Kelley and another good attempt from McFadden brought the score to 28-10.
Seeking to stay in the game with less than seven minutes remaining, San Jose State was able to get a few more points on the board.
The Spartans pushed 51-yards up the field before a tackle for a loss by LaBabera and a broken pass by Naborne-Owens forced them to go for a field goal. Sinatra’s 41-yard attempt was good, and the score moved to 28-13.
In their last effort to score, San Jose State attempted and failed onside kick. With Nevada regaining possession, they cemented their title as the game’s victors with a final score of 28-13.
Duncan threw for 178-yards and two touchdowns, completing 18/29 of his passes with no interceptions.
In Duncan’s previous start against Montana State, he threw multiple interceptions before being benched.
“Candidly, that was a tough situation he was put into,” head coach Jeff Choate said. “You know, he takes an emotional blow because he’s in a tight competition at quarterback. He doesn’t end up winning the job.”
Choate expressed pride in Duncan’s ability to stick to what he was told before the game, including “preparation, owning the game plan, keeping your poise and not getting down on yourself.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Nevada had San Jose State beat.
“I think we knew [San Jose State] was going to be a passing team,” junior defensive back Bryson Snelling said. “So we wanted to start fast and kind of bring some energy to the team.”
Snelling recorded four tackles and two passes defended against the Spartans, contributing to their low 1-14 third down efficiency.
Nevada held San Jose State’s offense to 204-yards, rushing and passing combined. The Wolf Pack surpassed that in passing yards alone with 210, in addition to 114 rushing yards.
“Well, I don’t know why, but there’s certain organizations sometimes that you kind of have their number,” Choate explained while recognizing Nevada’s outstanding defensive performance. “And I would say Kane Ioane [Nevada’s defensive coordinator] has Stutzmann’s [San Jose State’s offensive coordinator] number.”
The Wolf Pack will travel to Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California for their next game against the No. 7 University of California, Los Angeles Bruins on Oct. 31 at 1:15 pm.
