By Caleb Ramos — Reporter
Win and they’re in. San Jose State won and now they’re in the MW championship game.
The Spartans (6-0) defeated Nevada (6-2) 30-20 on Friday night at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.
The Wolf Pack completely outplayed the Spartans in the first half; holding SJSU to four rushing yards (compared to Nevada’s 114), a turnover on downs, and an interception. The Spartans trailed by 13 points heading into halftime, the largest deficit they’ve faced all season.
Then freshman running back Shamar Garrett burst out the locker room. Literally.
“We already knew we had to come out firing,” Garrett said. “We had to take huge advantage of getting the ball at the half and stopping them before the half.”
Garrett returned the third quarter opening kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown to instantly boost the Spartans.
Then came the fumble. After Nevada drove down the field to get into the red zone, Junior defensive lineman Jay Kakiva stripped Nevada running back Toa Taua at the SJSU 1-yard line. Spartan ball.
Then came the drive. Quarterback Nick Starkel led SJSU on a six minute, 99-yard touchdown drive down the field to take the lead 21-20.
Starkel credited the entire offense for staying determined on what was the longest drive of the game. “We looked each other in the eyes and said, ‘Our defense just went crazy,’” Starkel said. “‘Now we have to go crazy.’”
Then senior running back Tyler Nevens put his stamp on the game. With 35 seconds left in the third quarter, Nevens trucked a helpless Nevada defender on the way to a 69-yard score that extended the Spartans’ lead to 27-20.
Nevens elaborated on SJSU’s aggressive offensive mindset. “In that huddle we told ourselves why not score?,” Nevens said. “We know what they’re going to bring and we know what they’re going to do. So why not bring it?”
After being out-rushed by over a hundred yards in the first half, SJSU finished with 200 rushing yards to Nevada’s 138.
After being outscored in the first half 20-7, the Spartans finished with 23 unanswered points.
Head coach Brent Brennan was overjoyed postgame. “It was just epic to see the celebration in the locker room,” Brennan said. “It’s special. I’ve been encouraging these kids to dream big.
SJSU will make its first ever appearance at the MW Championship game against Boise State on Dec. 19. The host site will be announced on Sunday.
Follow Caleb on Twitter @a1caleb