By Gio Gaxiola — Reporter
It was Halloween night. The cool wind was howling and a full moon lit the night sky. It was the perfect setting for a football game.
The San Jose State football team played host to New Mexico. The game was originally scheduled to be in New Mexico. However due to a massive rise in COVID-19 cases in Bernalillo County, the game was played at CEFCU stadium.
The Spartans were able to secure the 38-21 victory, putting them at 2-0 for the first time since 1987.
The star of the game was graduate quarterback Nick Starkel. Going 34-for-47 with 467 passing yards and five touchdowns. He did leave the game for a brief moment during the start of the 3rd quarter, but came back in to finish the contest.
In only his second game with the team, Starkel has shown he can lead this team to wins.
“When I came in, me and the team instantly clicked and got along from the start,” Starkel said. “It’s the same thing day in and day out. One of my coaches and I talk about ‘stacking bricks’ which the bricks are good plays and see how it looks at the end of the game.”
“His 69-yard touchdown to Bailey Gaither was one of the most beautiful passes I have ever seen,” said head coach Brent Brennan. “This kid is special and I feel he’s just getting started.”
Senior wide receiver Tre Walker etched his name in the SJSU record books on Saturday. His nine catches put him at 157 total receptions in his collegiate career. This put him all alone at No. 5 all-time in career receptions at SJSU. He passed Guy Liggins, Jabari Carr and Tim Crawley. He needs four catches to slide into fourth place.
“Coming in as a true freshman, I never thought I would see my name in the record books,” Walker said. “My mentality is not to break records, but to go out and play football.”
“Tre is one of those kids who just loves to play football. He has been a joy to coach and I can’t wait to see where he ends up on the list when he is done playing,” Brennan said.
The defensive unit was once again led by junior linebacker Kyle Harmon. He tallied 14 tackles in this contest, and has had at least ten tackles in both Spartan games this season.
Many people had SJSU beating NM by a wide margin, but the Lobos put up a fight. Redshirt junior quarterback Tevaka Tuioti did all he could to keep the Lobos in the game. Going 20-for-35 with 294 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also had a rushing touchdown.
The Spartans look to build off of this momentum when they go on the road to face rival San Diego State saturday at 6 p.m.
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