Oct. 26, 2013
San Jose, Calif.-----David Fales threw a career-high five touchdown passes and scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak with 0:08 left in the game giving San Jose State University a 51-44 comeback win over the University of Wyoming in a Mountain West Conference game.
Fales completed 27-of-37 for a career best 482 yards without an interception as the Spartans (4-3, 3-1 Mountain West) won their third in a row, all in comeback fashion. San Jose State overcame two 16-point first-half deficits and trailed 30-14 early in the third quarter.
The Spartans began their comeback with a pair of touchdowns in a 77-second span after Wyoming quarterback Brett Smith connected with reserve running back Brandon Miller on an 8-yard scoring play to give the Cowboys its last 16-point lead with 14:36 to go in the third quarter.
For the third week in a row, freshman wide receiver Tyler Winston had a big impact on the game's outcome. Taking a pass from Fales behind the Wyoming secondary, he weaved his way into the end zone from 60 yards out to trim the deficit to 30-21. Winston led all players with nine receptions for 171 yards.
The Spartans got the ball back one play later when Dasheon Frierson recovered a Miller fumble on the Wyoming 30-yard line. Three plays later, running back Tim Crawley raced around left end leaving San Jose State behind 30-28.
With the defense forcing back-to-back 3-and-outs for the first time in the game, San Jose State took its first lead of the night with a six-play, 68-yard drive. A 35-yard completion to Winston put the ball on the Wyoming 16-yard line and two plays later, fullback Shane Smith caught a pass in the front of the end zone and Crawley's run for a two-point conversion gave the Spartans a 36-30 lead.
The Cowboys regained the lead for the last time when Shaun Wick scored from 15 yards out with 11:47 left in the game. Wick rushed for a career best 234 yards and a touchdown as Wyoming gained a season-high 332 of its 599 yards of total offense on the ground.
Tight end Billy Freeman and running back Thomas Tucker, two more freshmen who missed on opportunities to help the Spartans in the first quarter with a dropped pass and fumble, respectively, set up the next San Jose State go-ahead score. Two Freeman receptions for first downs and a pair of Tucker runs for another first down preceded Fales finding Chandler Jones for a San Jose State touchdown for the third time in the game - a 30-yard post pattern. Again, Crawley added a two-point conversion for a 44-37 lead. The pair of two-point conversions would play a role in the game's final outcome.
Jones tied the school record for touchdown receptions in a game for the second time this season with plays of 76 and 8 yards in the first half to go along with the 30-yarder. He was one of three Spartans with at least 100 receiving yards catching four passes for 129 yards.
Wyoming (4-4, 2-2 Mountain West) responded with a game-tying touchdown drive of 80 yards on 11 plays. Running back Tedder Easton scored for the second time on a 1-yard dive with 5:17 remaining and Stuart Williams added the extra-point to tie the game. In the first quarter, Williams had an extra point blocked by defensive tackle Travis Raciti.
The Spartans used its ground game effectively to set up the game-winning drive. Jarrod Lawson, who rushed for a season-high 128 yards converted a 3rd-and-1 situation at the San Jose State 44-yard line with a short gain to keep the drive going. Then, the game's big play came on a 4th-and-1 from the Wyoming 46 when Fales hit Freeman on a 33-yard play down the middle putting the ball at the Wyoming 13-yard line. Freeman had a career night with six catches for 119 yards. Five plays later, Fales ran it in from the 1-yard line for the win.