Spartans Lose Offerpad Arizona Bowl To Ball State, 34-13Spartans Lose Offerpad Arizona Bowl To Ball State, 34-13

Spartans Lose Offerpad Arizona Bowl To Ball State, 34-13

Tucson, Ariz.----- One of the targets for the 22nd-ranked San José State University football team heading into the 2020 Offerpad Arizona Bowl was the striking the bullseye of a perfect record like the 1939 team's 13-0 win-loss mark. Instead, the Spartans will settle for nailing the red ring surrounding the center gold one after a 34-13 loss to Ball State at the Offerpad Arizona Bowl in Tucson, Ariz.

The Spartans' 7-1 record and .875 winning percentage is the best at San Jose State since the 1940 team finished at 11-1 and a .917 winning percentage.

Prior to kickoff, San Jose State's bid to complete an undefeated season was going to be harder without key players, wide receiver Bailey Gaither, offensive linemen Kyle Hoppe and Tyler Stevens, defensive lineman Cade Hall, safety Tre Jenkins, and kickoff return specialist Sharmar Garrett, offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven and defensive coordinator Derrick Odum, all of whom were announced as "unavailable" at kickoff.

Still, the Mountain West champions went into the game with the "next man up" mentality. After all, they were accustomed to playing a lot of men, several times more than 60, in their seven victories before the Offerpad Arizona Bowl.

There were opportunities, like two fumble recoveries by the defense deep in Spartan territory and six possessions, three in each half on the Ball State side of the field. Unlike the regular season when San Jose State took advantage of the takeaways and finished scoring opportunities, the Spartans missed the target.

Outside of receiving the opening kickoff with an opportunity to score first, the first quarter was disastrous. A Ball State "pick-six" interception return by cornerback Antonio Phillips on the fifth play of the game gave the Cardinals (7-1) an immediate 6-0 lead. That play fueled the Ball State sideline leading to two more touchdown drives of 50 and 67 yards and a blocked punt - the first one suffered by the Spartans this season.

When the first quarter was over, San Jose State was trailing 27-0, it biggest deficit in a game this season before halftime and the most points scored in a 2020 contest by an opponent.

As bad as the first quarter was, the Spartans showed some resiliency in the second quarter, but could not cash in on the scoreboard. Three times, San Jose State was on the Ball State side of the field, but had drives end without any points when the Spartans could not convert a 3-and-1 run by Tyler Nevens into first down, a Nick Nash pass from the Ball State 9-yard line that was intercepted in the end zone by Bryce Crosby, and Matt Mercurio missing a 49-yard field goal try.

Quarterback Nick Starkel was 25-of-42 passing for 268 yards and one touchdown but also had three interceptions.  The four combined interceptions were the most thrown by the two quarterbacks this season and were turned into 14 points.
 
The Spartans' two scores of the day came in the third quarter. For the second time in three games, special teams scored on a kickoff return. This time, Charlie Bostic III returned the ball 99 yards for the team's first score.



 
The other Spartan scoring play came with 0:01 left in the third quarter as Jermaine Braddock caught an 8-yard pass from Starkel for what turned out to be the final points in the game.
 

 
Though the Spartans outscored the Cardinals, 13-7, in the second half, three drives stalled at the Ball State 27-yard line in the third quarter and the 13 and 33-yard lines in the fourth quarter. At the same time, the San Jose State defense began playing the way it did all season limiting the Cardinals to six first downs and 131 yards of total offense in the final two quarters.
 

 
 
The loss ended San Jose State's four-game bowl winning streak dating back to the 1990 California Raisin Bowl win over Central Michigan.