San José, Calif. - In a rivalry known for tight games and dramatic finishes, Saturday's 83rd playing of the San José State-Fresno State series saw yet another chapter written into its wild history.
In this version, the Spartans (5-7, 2-6 Mountain West) used a late offensive surge and a second-half shutout to erase a 14-point deficit and beat the rival Bulldogs (4-8, 2-6), 17-16.
"What a night for our seniors and for our football program," said head coach Brent Brennan after the victory. "That was an amazing win and we're going to miss that class. Those are guys who have stuck with us and battled day in and day out."
Shining in his final game in an SJSU uniform despite wet and windy conditions, senior quarterback Josh Love threw for 290 yards and ran for a touchdown to lead his team to the one-point win. Wide receiver Tre Walker brought in eight receptions for 132 yards, while running back Dejon Packer added 93 yards and the game-winning touchdown with 2:11 remaining.
A fast start for the visitors from San Joaquin Valley saw San José State fall behind 14-0 midway through the first quarter.
It was freshman Matt Mercurio who tallied the team's first points, connecting on a 22-yard field goal with 1:13 left in the opening stanza to cut the deficit to 14-3. The make gave Mercurio 17 made field goals in his final 18 attempts in his first collegiate season.
Coming out of the locker rooms at halftime with a 16-3 deficit, the Spartan defense would save its best performance of the season for last.
It opened the third quarter forcing a Fresno State punt, giving life to an SJSU offense that would start its next drive with a 23-yard carry from Packer. Six plays later it was Love calling his own number, punctuating an 87-yard drive with a two-yard scoring scamper.
Both defenses dominated from that point on as field position became paramount with weather conditions worsening as the night wore on.
The Spartan defense was able to force its second consecutive three-and-out with just five minutes remaining, setting up their offense for a season defining drive. Going 83 yards in seven plays, the final scoring drive of the season got underway with a 9-yard pass to wide receiver Bailey Gaither.
It was back-to-back chunk plays - a 29-yard pass to Walker and a 28-yard run for Packer - that marched the offense into the red zone, and one play later it was Packer again who tied the game at 16-16 with a 10-yard touchdown run.
At that point the result came down to the foot of Mercurio, who calmly converted the go-ahead extra point with just over two minutes to play.
Appropriately, it was a defensive stop that sealed the deal on the rivalry victory. And it was fitting that on Senior Night, senior linebacker Ethan Aguayo was the one to make the final play.
Needing six yards on fourth down around midfield, Aguayo was able to breakup the final Bulldog pass of the night to force a turnover on downs.
Victory Formation ?? Celebrate ?? Claim the Trophy??#SpartanUp pic.twitter.com/iXMiv26L3x
— San José State Football (@SanJoseStateFB) December 1, 2019
"We talked about believing in each other and fighting for each other," Brennan said when asked about what he told the team at halftime. "There were a lot of great moments for our defense out there. It was awesome to see them have a night like that against that team."
Facing a strong Spartan defense all the way through the end, Fresno State ended the contest going 0-for-11 on its final 11 third down attempts of the game. The Bulldogs were just 1-for-12 overall in addition to going 0-for-2 on fourth down.
Led by the signal caller Love, San José State ended the night with a 402-352 advantage in total yards and out-gained its opponent 290-164 through the air.
"We fell back on our training and continued to push when things didn't go right," said Love. "I am honored and blessed to walk off the field as a victor. This is a day I'll remember for the rest of my life."
Love and the Spartans finish 2019 with a record of 5-7, the program's most victories in a season since winning six games in 2015. In addition, the victory marks the program's third win in a regular season finale in the last four years.