San Jose, Calif. - San Jose State University dropped a back-and-forth affair to the University of Idaho, 29-25, in its 2009 Western Athletic Conference opener and Homecoming game at Spartan Stadium on Saturday, October 10.
With the defeat, the Spartans are now 1-4 overall and 0-1 in the WAC. Idaho improves to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in league play.
Senior tailback De'Maundray Woolridge's five-yard touchdown run with 1:10 left in the contest put the visiting Vandals on top for a third and final time. The game had five lead changes in all.
To begin San Jose State's initial drive after forcing a punt, junior quarterback Jordan La Secla found sophomore Brandon Rutley on a screen pass to the left that gained 19 yards to the SJSU 45. An 11-yard completion to junior wideout Marquis Avery, and a 12-yard pass to senior Kevin Jurovich, helped move the ball to the Vandal 17. Another screen pass followed on the next play, this time to the right, to Josh Harrison, with the sophomore beating one defender to the edge, breaking a second tackle and tiptoeing down the sideline to sneak into the end zone. Tyler Cope's extra point made it a quick 7-0 lead for the Spartans at the 9:07 mark. The drive went 74 yards on nine plays, in 3:03. La Secla was a perfect 6-of-6 passing for 68 yards to open.
Idaho used a 12-yard gainer on fourth and one by Woolridge on its next possession, and a 28-yard pass from quarterback Nathan Enderle to Preston Davis for a first-and-goal opportunity at the SJSU 7. The Vandals still eventually had to settle for just a field goal, converted from 23 yards by freshman Trey Farquhar for a 7-3 score at 3:05.
The next UI possession began at its own 2 after sophomore cornerback Peyton Thompson expertly downed senior Philip Zavala's punt. Having already gained 24 yards on two plays, Maurice Shaw jumped up over Thompson to make a 41-yard catch down the right side to move the ball across midfield to the SJSU 27. Thompson's corner partner, Devin Newsome, made a nice play to defend an Enderle attempt to Shaw on second and 18, but a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty on third down gave Idaho a fresh set. A 19-yard catch by Eric Greenwood put Idaho first-and-goal again at the Spartan 1, with Woolridge diving up the middle to give the Vandals their first lead. Senior defensive tackle Adonis Davis blocked Farquhar's kick to keep the deficit at two, 9-7, with 11:47 left in the half.
The visitors regained possession and put together an effective drive again, going 69 yards and looking at first and goal at the SJSU 5. Enderle then hit Daniel Hardy on the right side, and as the junior headed toward the goal line, was forced to fumble by sophomore safety Tanner Burns, with Thompson there to recover in the front corner of the end zone for a touchback.
La Secla ran to his left for 17 yards on the Spartans' first snap, with a 15-yard late-hit infraction advancing it across midfield to the UI 48. Rutley then caught back-to-back La Secla passes, the latter on the right flat, evading several tackles for 15 more yards to the 30. A pass interference call a short while later on an end-zone throw to Jurovich put the ball at the UI 7. Two plays later, La Secla took the snap, side-stepped the linebacker and went up the middle for a touchdown to regain the lead. Cope's kick made it 14-9 with 2:47 showing on the scoreboard. The Spartans went the 80 yards in eight plays and just under two and a half minutes.
Thompson picked off Enderle on the second play of the final Idaho drive of the period, right after Burns had stepped up and knocked away a pass, and the Spartans looked to be back in business at the Vandal 20. Short completions from La Secla to Avery and Jalal Beauchman were followed by a 10-yard catch by Jurovich for a first down on third and 10. With less than 10 seconds left, however, La Secla was intercepted himself by JoJo Dickson, with the junior linebacker taking it 37 yards to the SJSU 35. Farquhar's 52-yard field goal with one tick remaining was good, and it was 14-12 at the break.
Idaho converted a first-possession fumble by the Spartans at their 45 coming out of the locker room, into a three-yard Princeton McCarty touchdown to the right, with Farquhar's kick putting Idaho back on top, 19-14. The Vandal drive featured a 47-yard scamper by McCarty to the SJSU 7. The true freshman accounted for 54 yards on three carries.
A 12-yard run and 13-yard catch by junior tailback Lamon Muldrow, around another catch for Jurovich for nine yards, pushed the Spartans across midfield to the UI 46. Back-to-back completions to Rutley for seven yards, and a two-yard run by Avery ended the third period.
On the opening play of the final quarter, La Secla found Avery over the middle with a step or two on the Vandal defensive back, for a 38-yard touchdown. La Secla then found Beauchman for a leaping grab on the right side of the end zone on the two-point conversion and a 22-22 deadlock.
Facing third and nine in their own half, Enderle had his pass over the middle tipped by Max Komar and intercepted by junior safety Duke Ihenacho. The San Jose State drive started at the UI 32, and after a four-yard gain, La Secla hooked up with Avery again for 19 yards and first and goal at the 9. The drive stalled, but Cope's 24-yard field goal moved the Spartans back into the lead, 25-22, with 10:46 still to play in the fourth.
With Idaho driving, Enderle hit Burns on the numbers as he jumped the play on the left side, with the one-time WAC Defensive Player of the Week taking it 35 yards to the UI 33. On a fourth-and-10 play, however, La Secla was pressured and threw too deep for Beauchman.
Idaho came back down the field behind reserve quarterback Brian Reader, and Woolridge went five yards into the end zone, dragging a pile with him, for the deciding score, Farquhar's point-after making for a 29-25 final. Woolridge ran five times for 25 yards in that final sequence.
La Secla's interception on the right sideline with 42 seconds left, to sophomore cornerback Kenneth Patten, sealed the Vandal victory.
La Secla wound up completing 31 of 43 attempts for a career-high 302 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for a team-best 19 yards and a score. Jurovich (75) and Rutley (63) had eight catches apiece, while Avery caught seven balls for 96 yards.
McCarty (125) and Woolridge (93) combined for a large chunk of Idaho's 274 yards of rushing offense on the night. Enderle was 14-of-26 passing for 216 yards and the three interceptions.
San Jose State travels to take on WAC rival Fresno State next Saturday, October 17. Kick-off time at Bulldog Stadium is slated for 7:00 p.m.