By BJ Querubin — Staff Writer
The San Jose State Spartans (4-6, 1-5 MW) lost a nail-biter against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors for the second week in a row despite a late Herculean-effort from offense.
The expected-shootout lived up to the hype with the Rainbow Warriors (6-4, 3-3 MW) claiming the first annual Dick Tomney Legacy Trophy in an exciting 42-40 win in front of their home crowd.
Hawaii’s shining star was first-year quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, who played like anything but a freshman.
Cordeiro was a man amongst boys Saturday night, torching the Spartans through the air and on the ground. The freshman QB had 364 total yards, three passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns.
Cordeiro was assisted by two fellow teammates who also had monster performances.
Sophomore running back Miles Reed rushed for 124 yards and one score, while senior wideout Jojo Ward had 170 receiving yards on only seven receptions.
Defensive woes continue to plague the Spartans week in and week out, costing the team much-needed wins that are within arms-reach late in games.
In spite of the SJSU’s defensive inefficiencies, its offensive playmakers came up big.
Wide receivers Tre Walker and Isaiah Hamilton both had 100-yard receiving games, the second-straight week where multiple Spartan receivers have achieved this feat.
Senior running back DeJon Packer, who has been relatively quiet this season, outdid himself for 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns. His pair of touchdowns mark the third time he has done so this season.
After passing for 438 yards last week, veteran quarterback Josh Love had himself another special night, throwing for 375 yards and two touchdowns.
While this Spartan offense continues to evolve, the defense remains as the number one Achilles heel for this squad.
Though this team has an unreliable defense, there is one Spartan the team can always count on.
Freshman kicker Matt Mercurio was perfect during Saturday’s contest, making all four of his field goals which adds on to his impressive record of consecutive made field goals at 14.
Saturday night was a chance for the Spartans to notch a conference win and reach the .500 record mark.
Looking ahead, SJSU’s defense will need to step up big time in the next two weeks, where the team has found itself in a must-win situation in order to become bowl-eligible.
The Spartans will have to catch a quiet plane ride home after a heartbreaker like this.
On the flip side, they should take care of business against a less talented UNLV team, especially with extra time to prepare and rest following their bye week.
Follow BJ on Twitter @BeeJayCue
