Analysis: Spartans triumph in battle against Rainbow Warriors

By Jacob Lee — Reporter

San Jose State football improves to a 5-0 record after defeating the Rainbow Warriors on Saturday at Aloha Stadium. 

This is the first time that the Spartans have been 5-0 since 1939. 

Nobody could tell that the Spartans last competitive match was 21 days ago. Because of Boise State and Fresno State COVID-19 complications the Spartans last two games were canceled. 

SJSU’s offense came out hot scoring 21 unanswered points in the first quarter and were unstoppable on the ground.

Tyler Nevens received player of the game honors with 152 yards and two touchdowns. The senior got going early with a 72-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. 

The O-line has to be acknowledged as part of Nevens’ success. This veteran line was a major contributor to the Spartans’ 9.6 yard average on the ground in the first quarter. 

In the air quarterback Nick Starkel was 11 of 23 for 167 yards and two touchdowns, one being a 50-yard touchdown to Tre Walker. The receiver now sits third on the SJSU all-time reception list.

SJSU’s defense was all over the place, shutting out Hawai’i in the first quarter and forcing them to play catch-up for the rest of the game. 

Penalties were costly for Hawai’i which hindered the Warrior’s chance of making a comeback. A costly penalty on the Rainbow Warriors’ onside kick recovery in the fourth quarter resulted in SJSU recovering the subsequent retry.

The Spartans will now prepare to play the Nevada Wolf Pack next Friday with a twist. SJSU football is flying to Sin City for one week before heading up to Reno for their final regular season game.

Follow Jacob on Twitter @jacobwlee3

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