Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Football beat reporter
Down 17-14 with 1:14 left in the game, SJSU was knocking on Portland State’s door inches away from the end zone. Placed in a similar situation earlier, quarterback Chevan Cordeiro wasn’t able to deliver the goods.
However this time, with the game on the line, the transfer from Hawaii put his head down and stumbled into the endzone while draped in green and white jerseys.
“I was ready to just give it my all and do whatever I can to get that touchdown,” said Cordeiro after the game.
The game-winning rumble into the endzone was a result of a defense that epitomized the sports cliche, ‘bend don’t break.’
The Vikings outgained the Spartans 395-288 while holding onto the ball for over 15 minutes more than SJSU, but couldn’t bring home the bacon.
Portland State quarterback Dante Chachere threw two interceptions, both egregiously costly. The first came on the San Jose 11-yard-line by a fully-extended Kenyon Reed in the second quarter.
Chachere’s second pick landed in the outstretched arms of linebacker Jordan Cobbs in the fourth quarter.
“I knew they were trying to get something short,” said Cobbs. “I took a chance, I saw it, I was just trusting my instincts and it played out in my favor.”
Cobbs was also involved in the biggest play of the night, but he had an entire infantry of Spartans to help him out.
With three seconds left in the first half and SJSU up 14-7, the Vikings decided to keep the kicking team on the sidelines and take the gamble. It was a fork in the road where one path led to a momentum-shifting, game-tying touchdown and another was a tough-to-swallow goal line stop. Their fate was the latter as running back Andrew Van Buren was stopped dead in his tracks.
When the final whistle blew it proved to be the difference.
For the Spartans, flirting with an upset to an FCS school is not the showing many were expecting.
“I think they did outplay us in some parts of that game,” said head coach Brent Brennan.
“I don’t think it takes anybody really that smart to figure that out.”
The Spartans certainly have their work cut out for them as they head into the heart of SEC country to play the University of Auburn on Saturday, Sep. 10.