San Jose, Calif.-----In a game that pitted San Jose State's passing attack against the Louisiana Tech ground game, it was Louisiana Tech spoiling the Spartans' Senior Night in a 45-38 Bulldog victory.
Louisiana Tech (5-6, 4-3 WAC) rushed for 375 yards while the Spartans' Jordan La Secla threw for a career-best 486 yards and five touchdowns, but was intercepted three times.
Louisiana Tech running back Lennon Creer set the tone for the high-scoring first-half on the third play of the game with a 40-yard burst down the left sideline. Creer rushed for 201 of his 252 yards in the first half alone and scored two more times on runs of 1 and 4 yards.
San Jose State (1-11, 0-7 WAC) survived two first-half turnovers and stayed in the game on three La Secla touchdown passes. The first was a 67-yard completion to Jalal Beauchman, two plays after Creer's first touchdown run to tie the score at 7-7.
A 4-yard connection between La Secla and tight end Ryan Otten, their first of two scoring plays, cut the Spartans' deficit to 21-14 with 10:42 left in the second quarter. Creer's third touchdown run was offset by Beauchman's second touchdown reception of the game, a 10-yard play with 48 seconds before halftime, leaving Louisiana Tech ahead, 31-21, at halftime.
The Spartans' final first-half touchdown was set up by Peyton Thompson's 31-yard interception return to the Louisiana Tech 34-yard line.
Louisiana Tech pushed its lead back to 14 points, 38-24, when return specialist Philip Livas scored his eighth career touchdown either on a punt or kickoff return to tie a NCAA record when he took a Harrison Waid punt, reached the right sideline and outraced the Spartan coverage on an 88-yard punt return.
The teams then traded three touchdowns in the final eight minutes of the game. The Spartans answered first midway through the fourth quarter when Otten hauled in a La Secla 18-yard rainbow toss to trail 38-31 with 7:32 to go.
Louisiana Tech quarterback Ross Jenkins ran 5 yards on a 3-and-goal before Beauchman took a 3-yard pass from La Secla for the game's final score.
The Spartans had even more chances in the second half. La Secla was intercepted in the end zone on a third-down attempt and the Spartan quarterback had near misses on long pass attempts to wide receiver Noel Grigsby and Otten.
San Jose State concludes its 2010 season at the University of Idaho, Saturday, December 4, in a 2:00 p.m. game in the Kibbie Dome.