SJSU starting to make a statement
With a fresh start and fresh faces, San Jose State (2-3, 1-0 MW) jumped into conference play with a 35-28 win over the New Mexico Lobos (3-2, 0-1 MW) in front of 12,109 at CEFCU Stadium Friday night.
Led by Spartan QB Walker Eget’s razor sharp performance, it was a team effort of crazy numbers and still immense potential laying in wait.
“It wasn’t just me,” said a consummately modest Eget. “I thought it was one of the best team wins we’ve had here in a long time.”
In a first-half marked by quick passing and deft running anchored by another solid effort from the offensive line, the Spartans struck fast and hard with equal doses of both.
“We’ve always felt our offensive line not only has the potential to be the best in the Mountain West, but really, also in college football too,” Eget boldly described. “With their size, speed and intelligence, they’re still reaching new levels and will continue to keep doing that.”
It was an offensive performance that tallied 480 total yards (327 yards passing, 153 yards rushing).
An early 12-play, 75-yard drive capped by Spartan freshman running back Steven Chavez Soto’s four-yard TD run — immediatley followed by a 67-yard scoring drive culminating with a TD catch to receiver Matthew Coleman set up by Spartan safety Larry Turner-Gooden’s interception off a failed UNM double-reverse.
With his first touches, Chavez-Soto is an out-of-the-blue mystery for most.
“We have a great staff here at San Jose State who gets you really ready for the game no matter where you are on the depth chart and it showed today,” said Chavez-Soto. “I just showed the fruits of our labor tonight.”
Chavez-Soto also credited running back Jabari Bates for his readiness and a quiet, but supremely confident performance mindset.
“I’m a little bit of everything in my opinion,” said Chavez-Soto in comparison to the running back room. “I can get north-south and east-west. I just feel that I can do it all.“
But Eget was the conductor of this show.
It was a first-half of witnessing Eget in an immediate zone going 13-14 for 161 yards and two touchdown passes highlighted by a 70-yard man-child TD bomb to Danny Scudero.
The Lobos trying to lean on their foundational ground game found a stout SJS defense holding UMN to just 39 yards on the ground in the first-half and only 76 rushing yards in all for the game; far under New Mexico’s 174-yard per game average.
Lobos’ QB Jack Layne shot back going 14-of-18 for 178 passing yards fueling New Mexico’s 17-point second quarter spurt with UNM down by only four at the half 21-17.
Layne carried the Lobos with 344 yards passing of the 420 total offensive yards, but had no touchdown passes and three INTs.
With the Lobos opening the second-half with three offensive penalties deep in their own territory, the Spartans leveraged it right away.
Eget immediately struck back with a 39-yard pass to Scudero leading to Chavez-Soto’s second touchdown run of the night and yet another 100+ yard receiving outing for Scudero (seven receptions, 151 yards receiving).
Then, Eget immediately struck back again.
With Eget slinging the ball all over the field forcing Lobo linebackers into coverage, the Spartans’ offense was humming. It was an 11-play 86-yard drive with a highlight high-point catch in the back of the end zone to receiver Leland Smith that pushed SJS to a 35-17 lead in the third quarter.
“The Walker and the offense I saw in camp was what I saw tonight,” said head coach Ken Niumatalolo.
Also in that same third quarter drive, San Jose State reached 100 yards rushing.
Leading the Spartan defense was two Jalen Bainer interceptions.
The Spartans tallied three INTs in total on Layne with Bainer’s seven tackles, one sack and TFL showcasing SJS’ defensive effort.
“From the trust in our coaches, I just stick to what I know with the trust we’ve developed in our techniques,” said Bainer. “And I just try to make plays when I can and take advantage of all my opportunities.”
As the football gods go, the momentum slowed and shifted as it seemingly always does going into the fourth quarter.
New Mexico tacked on 11 fourth-quarter points by continually pressing the Spartan defense to the very end.
“We still have to get our eyes better,” said Niumatalolo on the Lobos’ offense. “They spread you out in so many ways and they have an athletic quarterback who is so elusive that it stretches and stresses a defense.”
“We still have to get more disciplined with our eyes, but it’s easier said than done,” added Niumatalolo.
It was what the Spartans did to close out the game that should go down as salvo shot to the conference.
With running backs Chavez-Soto, Lamar Radcliffe and Eget, the Spartans ran seven straight running plays for three straight first-downs to run out the clock to cap the game.
Soto-Chavez with 14 carries, 71 yards and two touchdown runs; Radcliffe with 15 carries and 64 yards tempered a near-complete game with Eget steering the campaign Friday night.
“They’ve got a great chemistry,” said Niumatalolo describing the wavelengths between OC Craig Stutzmann and Eget. “He calls what he likes and there’s great collaboration between those two. Because of that mutual respect, they have a great bond and it’s helping us now.”
“Between all the coaches, on the headset it’s pretty cool to hear what’s going on,” added Niumatalolo. “It was pretty seamless.”
San Jose State is on the road next week to face Wyoming for the next Mountain West chapter and to what expects to be more of that potential to be realized.
Category: General Sports
