By Ernie Gonzalez: (@superego1012)
San Jose State (1-10, 0-6 MW) has now lost against all five West Division opponents this season following a forgettable 59-14 defeat in Nevada (2-8, 2-4 MW) Saturday afternoon.
It’s back-to-back 45-point losses for an SJSU team that has been outscored 111-21 in November.
It would make for serious wonder where the Spartans would rank in the MW this season if their turnover numbers were cut in half. SJSU has given away a free football 39 times this season after five were added today, and are now the worst team in the FBS with a -26 turnover margin.
Before there were turnovers though, there were points, as running back Tyler Nevens got things started for the Spartans with a 12-yard TD in the first quarter. It was Nevens’ first touchdown of the season and his second 100-yard game, finishing with a career-high 118.
The Wolf Pack answered back quickly, scoring 38 points in a quarter-and-a-half. The break didn’t put a pause on Nevada, as the Pack put up another 21 in the two frames that followed.
After the Wolf Pack scored 59 straight points, third-string Spartans quarterback Michael Carrillo connected with fourth-string running back Sean Pinson with 17 seconds remaining in the game for a 12-yard score, the first touchdown of both their careers.
As for Nevada, junior defensive back Dameon Baber single-handedly outscored the Spartans by having himself a career day with three interceptions and three total touchdowns.
Baber is just the third defensive player in NCAA history to return three touchdowns in a game.
Barber returned two interceptions, including one from endzone to endzone with a school-record 105-yard pick-six. His other score came after the Wolf Pack blocked a punt. Barber picked it up and trotted past the goal line for six more.
Spartan starting quarterback Montel Aaron had himself a nightmare of a game, completing just 50 percent of his 18 pass attempts for only 108 yards and three interceptions, all to Baber. Aaron was sacked five times.
Nevada quarterback Ty Gangi on the other hand, had a game to remember connecting on 16/23 for 232 yards and 3TDs, finding his senior wideout Wyatt Demps seven times for 115 yards and 2TDs.
The Spartans will fly back home today and get set for another week of road preparation. Next week’s game is in Fort Collins for another prayerful matchup against the red-hot Colorado State Rams on Nov. 18.
