San Jose State’s turnovers prove costly in 26-16 loss to Air Force

SAN JOSE — Three turnovers doomed San Jose State’s chances against Air Force on Saturday, leading to a 26-16 loss at CEFCU Stadium, the Spartans’ third loss in their last four games.

When Air Force quarterback Liam Szarka threw a 12-yard touchdown to wide receiver Quin Smith to gain a 23-13 lead with 9:11 left in the fourth quarter, the game was beginning to seem out of reach.

On the next drive, a field goal by Spartans kicker Denis Lynch brought San Jose State within one score with 5:43 left in the game. It would be as close as the Spartans (3-6, 2-3 in Mountain West) would get.

Air Force (3-6, 2-4 MW) put the game away on its final drive. The Falcons drove methodically down the field eating up the game clock, capping it off with a 33-yard field goal with 31 seconds remaining to make it 26-16 and effectively ending SJSU’s hopes.

Air Force won the time of possession battle 35:51 to 23:34, allowing the Falcons to notch just their second win in their last eight games.

After only scoring six points in the first half, Spartans running back Steve Chavez-Soto scored on an 8-yard touchdown run and kicker Mathias Brown had a 29-yard field goal as SJSU pulled within 16-13 at the start of the fourth quarter.

But ultimately, it was a first half filled with self-inflicted errors that made the deficit too much to overcome.

With San Jose State pinned at its own 2 in the final two minutes of the opening half, quarterback Walker Eget’s pass was deflected by the Air Force defensive line. Eget then batted it in the air and running back Lamar Radcliffe caught it in the end zone, where he was taken down for a safety making it 16-3 Air Force.

With 8:43 to go in the first quarter, Eget went down with an injury after a 12-yard scramble for a first down. Eget left the game and was replaced by Xavier Ward, who fumbled on a read option play giving the ball to Air Force.

When Eget returned to the game, he threw two consecutive interceptions on the next two drives. The second interception came when SJSU opted to go for a fourth and five at its own 22 yard-line.

Eget finished the game 27-for-42 passing for 334 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.

Air Force utilized its triple option offense to milk the clock and keep SJSU’s explosive offense off  the field. The Falcons’ ball dominance included a 15-play, 81-yard drive that took 8:37 off the game clock. The long drive was capped off with a 3-yard scoring run by Szarka, making the Ward fumble costly. Szarka punched in a quarterback sneak and took a 14-3 lead, capitalizing on both turnovers.

San Jose State had a difficult time dealing with the Falcons’ running game as Air Force rolled up 261 yards rushing. The Falcons’ Owen Allen ran for a game-high 109 yards on 20 carries, while Szarka gained 87 yards on 25 attempts, including the two TD runs.

After a two-game homestand, SJSU will be back on the road next Saturday to face Nevada (1-7, 0-4 MW), the current last-place team in the Mountain West. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.