San Jose, Calif. - San Jose State University stormed back from a 20-point deficit, scoring 21 unanswered points, to defeat Stanford University, 35-34, in its football home opener in front of a third-largest Spartan Stadium crowd of 29,321 fans on a perfect, sunny afternoon on Saturday, September 9.
Junior tailback Yonus Davis rushed for a career-high 184 yards on 23 carries as part of a 342-yard team rushing effort for San Jose State, the first time the Spartans have reached the 300-yard rushing mark as a team since October 23, 2004. It was the third 100-yard game of Davis’ career.
San Jose State was able to overcome a career-high, four-touchdown passing day for senior Stanford quarterback Trent Edwards, holding the visiting Cardinal without a single point following the halftime break.
TEAMS COMBINE FOR 55 POINTS IN FIRST HALF
The game featured an entertaining and high-scoring first half. After forcing Stanford to go three-and-out on the opening possession of the game, San Jose State went 57 yards on 11 plays in 4:04 to take the early lead. The drive culminated in a one-yard keeper by junior Spartan quarterback Adam Tafralis, with sophomore Jared Strubeck tacking on the extra point. Davis accounted for 32 of the 57 yards on the drive, carrying six times for 30 yards, including a 17-yard gain to the left side on the second play, and adding a two-yard reception.
Stanford’s next drive faltered at the San Jose State 36, but junior Dwight Lowery fumbled the ensuing punt by Jay Ottovegio, with Stanford recovering at the Spartan 17. On the very next play, Edwards found freshman wide receiver Richard Sherman for a 17-yard touchdown completion. Aaron Zagory’s extra-point attempt, however, was wide left, leaving SJSU with a 7-6 edge. The miss would prove to be crucial in the end.
Derek Belch’s kick-off for Stanford bounced and was not touched by a Spartan player, allowing the Cardinal to recover at the SJSU 19-yard line. The Cardinal again turned the miscue into a touchdown, as Edwards hit senior wideout Evan Moore on fourth and two on a similar play as the first score, this time for 11 yards. Zagory’s attempt was good, giving Stanford it’s first lead at 13-7 with 1:54 left in the first quarter.
Stanford would score 27 unanswered points in all. Edwards threw to sophomore tight end Jim Dray for 19 yards to cap a seven-play, 84-yard drive which included a 48-yard completion to Moore down the left sideline on third and nine following a scramble by Edwards, and senior fullback Nick Frank plunged one yard for a touchdown in the second quarter for a 27-7 Cardinal cushion. The latter touchdown drive was set up by a Clinton Snyder interception of Tafralis deep in SJSU territory.
PAIR OF 80-YARD TOUCHDOWN DRIVES IN SECOND QUARTER
The Spartans put together a pair of 80-yard touchdown drives over the final 9:03 of the half. The first one took seven plays and 2:32 off the clock, with Davis rushing six yards to the right and into the endzone. A nifty pass-and-catch by Tafralis and senior wide receiver James Jones went for 33 yards just ahead of the scoring play. The next Spartan scoring sequence went for 11 plays and 3:39, ending with Tafralis rolling right and finding junior running back James T. Callier for an 11-yard touchdown catch with under a minute left.
In between the two long Spartan drives, Edwards and Moore hooked up for a 14-yard touchown. Zagory’s extra point, at the 4:33 mark, would cap the scoring for the Cardinal on the afternoon. Stanford headed into the locker room with a 34-21 lead at the break.
San Jose State took the opening kick-off of the second half and went 80 yards yet again, in six plays, with Patrick Perry rushing around the left side for an eight-yard touchdown to pull SJSU within six points at 34-28. Davis had a 36-yard run to help set up the score. Davis and Perry rushed for 59 and 19 yards, respectively, on the drive.
SPARTANS REGAIN LEAD FOLLOWING TURNOVER
Junior linebacker Demetrius Jones helped put an end to the next Stanford drive, forcing junior running back Anthony Kimble to fumble at the SJSU 27-yard line, with Trae Jackson on the recovery. The Spartans needed two spectacular plays to regain the lead for the first time since it was 7-0. Davis busted a 31-yard run down the right side, ahead of a run by James Jones which went for 42 yards for an SJSU touchdown. Jones ran to the left, completely switched his field, took a key block from Tafralis and beat Stanford defensive back Brandon Harrison to the right sideline and into the endzone. Strubeck’s extra-point made it 35-34 in favor of SJSU with 8:45 remaining in the third quarter.
Stanford looked like it would answer right back in the back-and-forth affair, but Lowery made up for his earlier fumble by stepping in front of Moore in the back of the endzone to make his second interception of the season on third and goal from the SJSU 10, and keep his team’s lead intact.
The start of the fourth quarter saw San Jose State beginning a drive at midfield, nursing the narrow advantage. Following an unsuccessful fourth-and-one attempt by the Spartans, SJSU forced another Ottovegio punt. San Jose State regained the ball with exactly nine minutes remaining. The subsequent drive was kept alive by key third-down conversions by Perry with a 12-yard run and Broussard with a seven-yard reception from Tafralis, as the Spartans took the clock all the way down to 2:12. On the afternoon, the Spartans were seven-of-11 (.636) on third down.
LATE FUMBLE SEALS VICTORY
With Stanford getting the ball at the 20-yard line, Edwards quickly got his Cardinal to the 47 in two plays. After an incompletion, Edwards found Moore up the middle for a short gain, but senior cornerback Rakine Toomes’ hit forced Moore to fumble, with Demetrius Jones coming up with the loose football.
Tafralis finished 14-of-16 passing for 110 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Fellow junior Sean Flynn saw his first action at quarterback in a Spartan uniform, entering the game late in the first quarter and throwing a five-yard completion in his only attempt.
James Jones wound up with seven catches for 82 yards, and added 57 yards on the ground on two rushes. Perry carried 12 times for 68 yards. Junior punter Waylon Prather had three punts for 101 yards, with the second one a clutch play where he had to jump high to retrieve the snap, and got a 42-yard kick off in time to the Stanford 20.
Edwards was 18-of-28 for 233 yards, the four touchdowns and one interception for Stanford. Toby Gerhart and Kimble ran for 83 and 57 yards, respectively. Sherman made six grabs, including his touchdown, for 71 yards, while Moore had 84 yards on four catches and two touchdowns.
Following a bye next week, San Jose State will continue a stretch of four straight home games on Saturday, September 23, hosting Cal Poly. Approximate kick-off time at Spartan Stadium will be 3:00 p.m.