By Kellen Concentine — Reporter
1. SJSU (5-7, 2-6 MW) vs Arkansas (2-10, 0-8 SEC)
Football Sept. 21, 2019 31-24
Not only was this the first win against an SEC team in Spartan history, but it was also the first win over a team in a power 5 conference since the 2006 victory over Stanford.
This win was the biggest one for senior quarterback Josh Love while at SJSU. He had a career-high 32 completions on the day with 402 yards and two touchdowns. Wide-out Tre Walker snagged 12 catches for 161 yards.
Current graduate student Spartan quarterback Nick Starkel was actually the starter for the Razorbacks. But he didn’t have a great outing, as he threw five interceptions to his future teammates.
This game went down to the wire, and it looked like SJSU would end up losing another close one. However senior running back Dejon Packer was able to cap off a 75-yard drive with a rushing touchdown to take a six-point lead. The first play of the next possession was an interception from senior defensive back Bobby Brown II to seal the deal.
The Spartans walked into Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas with a goal of making history, and they did just that.
2. SJSU (14-16, 7-11 MW) vs SDSU (19-14, 9-9 MW)
Basketball Feb. 7, 2017 76-71
This win against San Diego State was the first one since Jan. 30, 1999.
The Spartans and the Aztecs were both coming off back-to-back conference wins.
Sophomore forward Brandon Clarke led SJSU with 22 points and seven rebounds. He went 8-of-9 from the field in the second half. Freshman Terrell Brown recorded 13 points, four rebounds and two steals.
With 25.2 seconds, sophomore Jaycee Hillsman received an offensive foul on an inbound play. SDSU junior guard Trey Kell responded with a deep 3-pointer to bring the lead to 74-71 with 19.4 seconds left.
Senior guard Isaac Thornton was intentionally fouled after. He went 2-for-2 at the line to make it a five-point lead.
Kell took another deep shot, but missed off the back of the rim. Immediately after the miss, students rushed the court to celebrate with the players and coaches.
The Aztecs went on to miss the NCAA Tournament for the first season since 2005. Head coach Steve Fisher announced his retirement on April 11, 2017 after 18 seasons at SDSU.
3. SJSU (6-6, 4-4 MW) vs Fresno State (10-1, 7-1 MW)
Football Nov. 29, 2013 62-52
The battle for the Valley Trophy is one of the biggest rivalries in the Mountain West, and the 2013 Battle for the Valley Trophy was the highest scoring match-up to date, with a combined score of 114.
During this shootout, we saw two future NFL quarterbacks throw for 500+ yards and 6 six touchdowns each, SJSU’s senior David Fales and Fresno State’s senior Derek Carr.
Sophomore receiver Davante Adams led the Bulldogs with 13 catches, 264 yards and three touchdowns. For the Spartans, receivers Tyler Winston, Kyle Nunn and Chandler Jones combined for 470 yards and five touchdowns.
The game went down to the last drive, where senior linebacker Keith Smith picked off Carr to seal the deal for SJSU. This ended his streak of 305 straight passes without an interception.
As Fresno State walked out of what was then Spartan Stadium with it’s only loss of the season, Spartan fans began to chant “overrated”.
4. SJSU (7-4, 3-2 PCAA) vs 10 Baylor (10-2, 8-0 SWC)
Football Nov. 1, 1980 30-22
During the 1980 season, Baylor finished first in the Southwest Conference. It was the first time the Bears reached 10 wins in a single season.
Senior linebacker Mike Singletary was the leader of Baylor’s defense with 15 tackles per game. Junior running backs Dennis Gentry and Walter Abercrombie combined for 2,096 rushing yards on the year.
The Spartans were led by freshman running back Gerald Willhite. He scored 11 touchdowns on 245 attempts for 1,210 yards and also recorded 494 receiving yards.
Baylor was 7-0 and ranked 10th in the nation coming into the game while SJSU was only 4-3.
Head coach Jack Elway was only with SJSU for one year prior to the 1980 season, making this his first big win.
5. SJSU (17-12, 7-6 PCAA) vs 12 Virginia (24-10, 7-7 ACC)
Basketball Dec. 21, 1979 83-79
The Cavaliers were led by 7-foot-4 freshman center Ralph Sampson who went on to win ACC Rookie of the Year. The Virginia player averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds on the year.
Wally Rank was the leading scorer for SJSU, scoring 16 points per game.
Virginia and SJSU were both invited to the Cable Car Classic at Santa Clara University. The Spartans were able to beat the 12th ranked Virginia and Santa Clara to earn first place.
SJSU went on to win the Pacific Coast Athletic Association Tournament and made the NCAA Tournament but lost to Missouri in the first round.
Follow Kellen on Twitter @KC_Journalism
