By Ricardo Garcia — Reporter
It’s safe to say that the house does not always win.
San Jose State football (4-4, 2-2 MW) is back in the win column after defeating UNLV (0-7, 0-3 MW) 27-20.
14 unanswered points from the offense in the fourth quarter and two huge defensive plays helped propel the Spartans to a late victory against a winless Rebel team.
UNLV got off to a hot start in Allegiant Stadium, recovering the opening kickoff after it was mishandled by the SJSU special teams unit giving the Rebels prime field position to get on the board early.
The Rebels did just that thanks to a six-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Cameron Friel. Friel finished 20-28 on passing attempts with 240 yards and the game’s only passing touchdown.
After UNLV took control early it was time for the Spartans to answer back with a touchdown of their own. Unfortunately for them, the Rebel defense was airtight and held them to three points in the opening quarter.
The Rebels added one more field goal early in the second quarter to extend their lead 10-3.
While the Spartan defense did their job limiting the damage from UNLV, the attention now shifted to the offense to get something going after a slow start.
The offensive miscues continued for SJSU. This time it was junior quarterback Nick Nash who fumbled on the on their second drive of the second quarter to give the Rebels another golden opportunity to score.
Two plays were all it took for Friel to set up senior running back Charles Williams for a one-yard touchdown run to put them up 17-3.
After adding another field goal, the Spartans were back on defense hoping for a stop before the second quarter expired. They ended up getting more than they asked for thanks to a forced fumble by senior defensive linemen Cade Hall.
The Spartans now got a taste of what it was like to be set up in the enemy’s territory and they took full advantage with Nash delivering a 32-yard strike to graduate student Derrick Deese Jr. which set up a one-yard running touchdown from senior running back Tyler Nevens.
“I just know that 80 percent of the time if I throw it up to him he’s gonna come down with it no matter if he’s double covered,” said Nash. “He’s just a huge target for me and I really like going to him.”
The UNLV lead was now cut down to four as both teams headed to the locker rooms for halftime.
SJSU’s defense continued to be tested but refused to fold and continued to hold the UNLV offense to field goals.
The Spartans now trailing by only one score with 4:23 left in the third quarter, drove the ball downfield feasting off of the momentum from the key defensive play just before the half.
Positioned In the red zone, Nash snapped the ball and handed it to Nevens who found the end zone and recorded his second touchdown of the night.
The game was now tied at 20-20 with 9:34 left in the fourth quarter, the Rebels were determined to get the lead back with a strong drive of their own.
UNLV had to settle for another field goal. However, senior safety Jay Lenard had other plans and managed to block the attempt to keep the game tied.
SJSU got the ball back with a chance to take their first lead of the entire game and potentially close it out. The Spartans picked up where they left off after the previous touchdown and advanced the ball 78 yards down the field to set up a 15-yard rushing touchdown by Nash.
Nash finished the game 17-28 on passing attempts with 213 passing yards. He also rushed for 121 yards making him the first quarterback in SJSU history to rush for over 100 yards in one game.
The Rebels had one final drive to try and send it to overtime in which they managed to move the ball forward to the 15-yard line where they were forced to go for it on 4th down as the clock continued to wind down.
Friel took the snap but the Spartan defense was prepared and brought the pressure off the edge thanks to senior linebacker Kyle Harmon who managed to get the walk-off sack and secure the victory.
“That’s what great players are supposed to do,” said head coach Brent Brennan. “When the game is on the line, great players are supposed to make big plays and that’s what he did.”
The Spartans will now return home to face a physical Wyoming team for a spooky Halloween matchup. Kick-off is set for 1:00 p.m. at CEFCU stadium and on Fox Sports two.
Follow Ricardo on Twitter @SJSURicardo