Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Football Beat Reporter
Wasn’t exactly deja vu, but the feeling was eerily similar for SJSU football.
The Spartans (6-4, MW 4-3) went up 6-0 on an Elijah Cooks touchdown reception (Taren Schive’s extra point was blocked), his first of three on the night within the first three minutes of the game.
SJSU’s offense proceeded to watch from the sidelines as Utah State (6-5, 5-2) dumped 21 unanswered points on its head.
Last week against San Diego State, the Spartans went up 14-0 which was followed with 38 unanswered points resulting in a 43-27 loss.
The final in frigid, fingertip-numbing Logan, Utah ended the same – SJSU lost – but an unmistakable resolve was shown.
“That was the thing we didn’t do at San Diego State. We didn’t respond,” said SJSU head coach Brent Brennan following the 35-31 loss. “They responded tonight. I thought that was fantastic.”
Fourth-year quarterback Chevan Cordeiro spearheaded that “response” by throwing for a career-high four touchdowns. His final strike came on a play action call to third-year tight end Jackson Canaan and put the Spartans up 31-28 with 6:42 left remaining.
Canaan’s reception completed a two-possession comeback and gave SJSU their first lead since the opening drive touchdown to Cooks.
However, that lead disappeared in a flash.
Utah State’s Calvin Tyler Jr. stomped into the endzone from three yards out for his third rushing touchdown of the night, giving the Aggies a 35-31 lead with 2:49 left.
SJSU football followed with a four-and-out on the next drive to end the game
“We came charging back and took that lead in the fourth quarter,” said Brennan, “and then we needed to make a stop and we didn’t do that and then we needed to answer and we did not respond on those two situations.”
Before the Spartans crapped out in the two most crucial drives of the game, the Cordeiro-to-Cooks connection was historically phenomenal.
The sixth-year wide receiver notched his first career hat trick and the first one from an SJSU wideout since Chandler Jones against Fresno State in a 62-52 win on Nov. 29, 2013.
“He’s my second eyes,” said Cordeiro, who threw for 257 yards. “He knows what leverage the DB has, inside or outside, we both look at each other and he’ll signal to me what route he wants and we have that connection.”
Cooks finished with 125 receiving yards and his second touchdown curbed the Aggies’ momentum.
“Took a hard hit, but E [Eric] Scott (SJSU wide receiver’s coach) always says, ‘It doesn’t hurt if you catch it’ and it didn’t hurt at all,” said Cooks. “I felt like no one could stop me.”
It slowed the momentum Utah State gained from an embarrassing blocked punt by Ike Larsen that turned into a house call for Jaden Smith on the previous drive.
Utah State third-year quarterback Cooper Legas threw for a career-high 244 yards and fifth-year wide receiver caught Brian Cobbs 10 passes for 122 yards.
Third-year wide receiver Justin McGriff caught Legas’ lone touchdown of the day to extend the Aggies lead 28-16 after Schive’s 41-yard field goal trimmed their lead to five.
Legas gave SJSU football death by a thousand paper cuts. He engineered four perfectly executed touchdown drives utilizing a fast tempo and playing to Utah State’s ability to handle the high elevation.
“Watching film this week you saw he was a fighter,” said fifth-year safety Tre Jenkins, who caught one of Legas’ two interceptions. “He doesn’t like sliding. He puts his pads down to get that first down he did it to us a couple times and just seeing that was challenging.”
Each touchdown drive went at least nine plays, the longest of which was a 15-play, 96-yarder capped off by a 14-yard rushing score from Tyler Jr.
The Spartans’ defense has allowed at least 28 points for the third time in its last four games. They didn’t allow more than 25 in its first six.
Utah State, led by the 125 yards from Tyler Jr., outrushed SJSU 186-84.
“We’ve been fantastic, one of the best teams in the conference and at one time one of the best teams in the country [against the run]. We weren’t tonight,” said Brennan.
The final score tells a story of resolve, but it also tells one of missed opportunities and self-inflicted wounds.
“I don’t know how many drops we had on the night, but there was enough. I don’t know how many missed tackles we had on the night, but it was a good number,” said Brennan. “The blocked punt was a nightmare.”
Fifth-year cornerback Nehemia Shelton dropped an interception in the endzone on the play before Tyler Jr.’s first rushing touchdown to put the Aggies up 7-6.
It floated his way and landed in his bread basket, even hitting him between the two and three on his jersey, but slipped out of his arms.
“We can’t miss tackles, drop passes, and get punts blocked and think you can win games in the month of November,” said Brennan.
SJSU football will face Hawaii next Saturday night for their final game of the 2022 regular season. It will be Cordeiro’s first time playing against the Rainbow Warriors since transferring to San José State last winter.
“We just need to buy in for our last game and finish strong,” said Cordeiro.