San Jose State’s 55-10 loss to Nevada on Saturday afternoon in Reno got out of hand before SJSU had a chance to get going.
Three first-half turnovers led the Spartans (3-7, 2-4 Mountain West) to a 31-0 halftime deficit and they had five turnovers in the game, marking the end of their hopes for bowl eligibility.
Nevada (2-8, 1-5) snapped a 16-game losing streak in conference play with its last conference victory coming against New Mexico on Oct. 28, 2023. It was SJSU’s worst loss since a 52-3 defeat to Army in October 2018.
Spartans quarterback Walker Eget, the nation’s leading passer entering the matchup, had only 45 passing yards in the first half and finished the game 11-of-23 for 74 yards, no touchdowns and a career-high three interceptions. At the end of the third quarter, Eget was benched for freshman quarterback Robert McDaniel, who also tallied an interception.
Freshman quarterback Tama Amisone also saw playing time on the Spartans’ last two offensive drives, leading the Spartans to their only score of the game on a 12-yard scramble. He was 4-for-5 passing for 59 yards.
The scoring began when the Spartans lined up to go for a fourth-and-4 from the Nevada 38 on San Jose State’s second drive of the game. Eget threw a pass to the left, Wolf Pack linebacker Nakian Jackson intercepted the ball and returned it for a touchdown, making it 7-0 Nevada.
On the first play of the Spartans’ next drive, running back Lamar Radcliffe fumbled, giving the ball right back to Nevada. Five plays later, the Wolf Pack scored on a 7-yard shovel pass from quarterback Carter Jones to former quarterback-turned-gadget player Chubba Purdy, the brother of 49ers quarterback Brock.
After a three-and-out by the Spartans offense, Nevada drove 78 yards and used nearly eight minutes of clock to score again on a 30-yard Jones pass to running back Caleb Ramseur.
Eget’s second interception of the game came via Wolf Pack defensive back Murvin Kenion III, who returned it to the SJSU 13-yard line. The next play, Purdy burst through the Spartans’ defense for a 13-yard rushing touchdown, establishing a 28-0 lead less than five minutes into the second quarter and leaving the Spartans with little hope of a comeback.
Prior to the matchup, Nevada was averaging 14 points per game and had not beaten an FBS team this season.
Nevada had the worst total passing offense in the Mountain West heading into this game, but the true freshman Jones went 16-for-19 for 195 yards and two touchdowns.
The Spartans struggled to stop Ramseur as he rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown in addition to his receiving score.
Steve Chavez-Soto led SJSU with 47 yards on eight carries and Kyri Shoels was the Spartans’ top receiver with three catches for 47 yards. Star wideout Dany Scudero managed just 29 yards on four receptions.
SJSU will be back on the road to face off against San Diego State (7-3, 4-1 MW) on Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
