Highland Park, N.Y.----- Quarterback Josh Love passed for 314 yards and three touchdowns and kicker Matt Mercurio converted all four of his field goal tries as San Jose State University never trailed in a 34-29 victory over Army West Point.
Love was 20-of-31 without an interception as the Spartans (4-4) are at the .500 mark for the fourth time this season ending a two-game losing streak. He connected with wide receivers Isaiah Hamilton for 19 yards to opening the scoring and Bailey Gaither from 21 yards for San Jose State's final touchdown. In between, he found running back Kairee Robinson for an 18-yard scoring play.
Mercurio extended his streak of consecutive field goals to 10 with kicks of 30, 23, 38 and 28 yards. His first field goal of the game at the 14:42 mark of the second quarter gave the Spartans a 10-7 lead, an advantage they would not relinquish the rest of the game.
The win was sparked by the return of linebacker Ethan Aguayo, who had missed three games after an injury in the Air Force contest. Aguayo, second nationally in tackles per games at the time of his injury, was in on 11 tackles, one of three Spartans with 10 or more tackles.
Though Army (3-5) outgained San Jose State, 429 to 402 and the Spartans' defense was on the field for more than 36:00 for the second week in a row, there were timely plays that led to victory. There were a season-high five quarterback sacks – two each by linebackers Jesse Osuna, who had a single-game season-high 15 tackles, and Rico Tolefree, and one each by Kyle Harmon.
The win on the shores of the Hudson also was a hard-hitting one. By the middle of the third quarter, Army quarterbacks Jabari Laws and Kelvin Hopkins. Jr., who rushed for three touchdowns against the Spartans a year, were on the sidelines. Number-three quarterback Christian Anderson, who had played in just one game for the season, was a handful for the Spartans rushing for 87 yards and scoring on fourth-quarter runs of 1 and 33 yards to keep the Black Knights in contention to end a three-game losing streak.
San Jose State also came up with game's only takeaway when Harmon recovered a fumble by Army wide receiver Cam Harrison who was hit by defensive back Tre White making his first start of the season.
Unlike recent losses at Nevada and to San Diego State, San Jose State started fast from the opening kickoff scoring first on the Love-to-Hamilton touchdown pass with 11:44 to go in the first quarter.
Army answered the first time the Black Knights had the ball with a methodical 15-play, 87-yard drive covering 9:45 of the first quarter.
The first half was one of the best this season for the Spartans' offense. Possessions against Army usually are at a minimum. San Jose State scored on all five of its first-half opportunities and held a 23-10 halftime lead.
Gaither's juggling and tap-dancing touchdown catch in the back of the Army end zone on the first play of the fourth quarter gave San Jose State a 29`-17 lead.
That's when the Spartans' special teams play came to the forefront. Maligned a week ago by a kickoff return for a touchdown and punt return opportunities that went awry, San Jose State pulled off its first two-point PAT conversion in three years with Love finding Tre Walker open in the end zone after a simple spin move on his defender giving the Spartans a 31-17 lead.
Though Anderson scored the first of his two touchdowns with 8:42 remaining, the Black Knights failed to convert the extra point attempt due to a bad snap from center leaving the score at 31-23.
Then, it was San Jose State's turn to run the football with purpose. Though Army rushed for 326 yards, it was the 39 yards that Robinson and DeJon Packer combined on to set up Mercurio's final field goal of the game from 28 yards that provided a much-need cushion. Packer finished with a season-high 63 yards thanks to consecutive runs of 19 and 14 yards that energized the San Jose State sideline.
After Anderson dashed and darted his way for the game's final points on the scoreboard, the San Jose State special teams needed to come up with one play and it did when Army kicker Landon Salyers onside kick attempt rolled out of bounds in front of the Spartan sideline.
A kneel down by Love and the Spartans could begin celebrating their second road win of the season on a transcontinental flight home.
