San Jose, Calif. - The University of Nevada piled up 517 yards of rushing offense and ran for eight of its nine touchdowns to roll past San Jose State University, 62-7, in a rare Sunday night affair at Spartan Stadium on November 8.
The result puts the Spartans at 1-7 overall and 0-4 in the Western Athletic Conference. Nevada improves to 6-3 overall and maintains a share of first-place in the league, at a still-perfect 5-0. The Wolf Pack's six-game win streak is their longest since a seven-game stretch in 1995.
Nevada had four players eclipse the 100-yard mark on the ground, tying an NCAA record, led by junior running back Vai Taua with 144. Junior quarterback Colin Kaepernick added 115 yards and three rushing touchdowns before leaving the game in the third quarter. Luke Lippincott carried 12 times for 112 yards and two scores. Lampford Mark ran 17 times for 114 yards. Kaepernick was also 9-of-14 passing for 122 yards and a score.
Senior wideout Kevin Jurovich finished with game highs of six catches for 110 yards, matching the late Guy Liggins' all-time San Jose State record for career receptions, now with 149.
After the Spartans went three-and-out on their opening possession, Nevada produced a trio of third-down conversions to take an early 6-0 lead. The first was a 16-yard throw-and-catch from Kaepernick to Brandon Wimberly with four yards needed, the second a 23-yard reception up the middle by L.J. Washington to the SJSU 20 with 13 necessary, and the final one a 19-yard scamper into the end zone, again up the middle, by Kaepernick with no available receivers to throw to, on third and nine. Ricky Drake missed the point-after attempt.
Back-to-back sacks of junior Spartan quarterback Jordan La Secla forced another Philip Zavala punt. The ensuing Wolf Pack possession finally stalled to force a 34-yard Drake field goal after a fourth straight successful third-down conversion, and Drake missed again, wide to the right.
The first quarter ended 6-0 in favor of the visitors after a 54-yard touchdown run by Taua with 26 seconds left was wiped out by a holding penalty. The drive still eventually resulted in a Pack score, Kaepernick this time running 15 yards for his second rushing touchdown of the evening and 11th of the year. Drake's kick made it a 13-0 margin with 12:38 to go in the half.
San Jose State finally registered its initial first down of the game on an 11-yard catch by Jurovich on the first play of its next offensive set. That got things going a little bit, and on second and 10, La Secla scrambled out of several would-be sacks and found redshirt sophomore wideout Josh Harrison on the left sideline for 24 yards. Moments later, with the Spartans across midfield for the first time, Patrick Perry sprinted 13 yards up the middle for a new set of downs to the Nevada 34. La Secla had tosses of 12, four and five yards to Jalal Beauchman, Michael Avila and Harrison, but a holding call ultimately forced a third-and-11 play, with La Secla throwing too long for Jurovich. Tyler Cope's 40-yard field goal attempt was wide to the right, keeping it a 13-0 game.
Consecutive carries of 17, 31, 10 and nine by Mark, Kaepernick down the left side, Mark again, and Taua, took the ball to the SJSU 10. On third and goal from the 4, Kaepernick faked the hand-off, kept it and ran in once more. Drake made it 20-0 at 5:39.
Nevada scored two more times on the ground before the half came to a close, on a three-yard Lippincott carry and a 70-yard burst down the left sideline by Taua with 13 ticks left.
The second half featured Wolf Pack touchdowns by Lippincott with an eight-yard carry, a Kaepernick-to-Washington hook-up for 46 yards, a three-yard run around the left side by Courtney Randall, and a six-yard effort by Mark to cap the evening.
The Spartans got on the board with 10:50 remaining in the final period, when Perry plunged through left end from one yard out for his first touchdown of the season. Cope's kick made it 55-7. The score was set up by a 37-yard La Secla throw to Jurovich down the left sideline, the catch that equaled the all-time record. The drive totaled 83 yards on plays for San Jose State. La Secla also had passes of eight, five, 11 and 17 yards to Jurovich, Harrison, Beachuman and Harrison again, before the long toss to Jurovich got the Spartans to the 2.
La Secla wound up 19-of-28 in the air for 226 yards, with one interception, before giving way to senior Myles Eden on the last possession.
San Jose State travels to Logan, Utah, to take on the Utah State Aggies in another WAC contest next Saturday, November 14, at 1:00 p.m. MST.