By Niles Hall (@n23hall) – Content Editor | Freshman running back Steve Chavez-Soto and team celebrate against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors on Nov. 1 (Photo by Alexis Corona-Aguilar – Spear Photographer)
Coming off a disappointing 26-16 loss to Air Force, the San Jose State Spartans (3-6, 2-3 MW) will look to rally against the University of Nevada, Reno Wolfpack (1-8, 0-5 MW).
Despite high expectations, the 2025 season has been disappointing for SJSU after four one-score losses have put the team in a rough position.
Now, with three games left against Mountain West rivals in Nevada, San Diego State and Fresno State, SJSU will have to win out to salvage the season and keep bowl game dreams alive.
Statistically, the Wolfpack gives the Spartans a soft landing heading into this do-or-die stretch.
The Wolfpack is in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, ranking last in the Mountain West in both total offense and scoring offense, and its defense is allowing 30 points per game, which is second-worst in the conference.
“When you watch the film, you see that they have really good athletes everywhere they move the ball, just some flukey things happen.” Defensive coordinator Derrick Odum said Tuesday after practice, “They’re kind of like us, they had some really close losses.”
Senior quarterback Walker Eget will look to bounce back after a shaky two-interception performance where he still managed to throw for 350 passing yards.
“He’s the leading passer in the country, so the expectations are high,” SJSU head coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “Looking back at the film, he could have played better, but we didn’t give him time, and that’s a big emphasis up front.”
Along with Eget, sophomore wide receiver Danny Scudero is looking to rebound as the nation’s leader in receiving yards was held to just 41 yards last week, his second-lowest total of the season.
For the Spartans’ offense to get out of Reno with a victory, they need to protect Eget against a stout Wolfpack defensive front, which is fifth in the conference in sacks. Also, limit turnovers and consistently use the run game to open up the pass game.
“They’re fast, so in what we do, you’ve got to go ahead and protect the quarterback and we’ve got to be able to run the football,” SJSU offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann said. “So it’s going to be important for us to play harder and more physical.”
Offensively, the Wolfpack has dealt with inconsistent play at quarterback struggling to find their starter, having to start three this season.
Heading into this game, expect to see true freshman quarterback Carter Jones, who will make his fifth start for the Wolfpack, averaging 165 passing yards, two interceptions and 0.75 touchdowns per game.
“They got three really good running backs, they have three quarterbacks that are really athletic…The film says that they can do a lot of things,” Odum said.
The Spartans will look to leave it all out there, looking to get SJSU’s first win in Reno since 2000, as they face the Wolfpack at 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 15 at Mackay Stadium.
