KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Senior running back Tyler Nevens netted a game-high 94 yards on 15 carries in San Jose State football's 23-3 road loss against Western Michigan in the first-ever meeting between the programs. The Spartans dropped to .500 (2-2) on the young season while Western Michigan improved to 3-1.
- Nevens was one of the bright spots for a Spartan Offense that struggled to find much success against the staunch Bronco Defense. SJSU finished with 119 yards of offense and committed three turnovers.
- The Spartan Defense played well with nine tackles for loss, including four sacks. Kyle Harmon made a game-high 10 tackles (seven solo), including 0.5 stops behind the line.
- Viliami Fehoko secured a pair of sacks for the defense. Rico Tolefree and Christian Webb also tallied a sack.
- Freshman Quarterback Walker Eget saw his first collegiate action after starting quarterback Nick Starkel was forced to leave the game early with an injury. Fellow freshman Natano Woods also saw time under center.
- Kicker Matt Mercurio buried his lone field goal attempt, a 32-yarder that opened the scoring for both teams on SJSU's opening drive of the game.
- Western Michigan scored 23 unanswered after allowing Mercurio's opening drive field goal. Quarterback Kaleb Eleby threw for two scores and 200 yards. Junior running back La'Darius Henderson scored the Broncos' other touchdown on a one-yard rush inside the final 30 seconds of the first half, sending Western Michigan to the locker room with a 13-3 advantage.
After racking up some 8,700 miles of air travel in the last two weeks between trips to Honolulu and Kalamazoo, the Spartans will finally get a chance to play in front of the comfort of their home fans next Saturday when they welcome New Mexico State to the South Bay for a 7:30 p.m. kick. The game will be aired live on NBC Sports California.
Gallery: (9-25-2021) Football at Western Michigan