FORT COLLINS, Colo.----- San Jose State University's return to Mountain West football action was marred by mistakes that led to Colorado State forging a 16-7 halftime lead and a 32-14 victory over the Spartans.
San Jose State's nine-game conference winning streak going back to the final game of the 2019 season ended before a Colorado State Homecoming crowd of 34,780 – the fourth largest crowd in the short history of Canvas Stadium that included Spartan alums linebacker and former assistant coach Larry Kerr, defensive back K.C. Clark and quarterback Mike Perez in the house.
Colorado State (2-3, 1-0 Mountain West) methodically marched down the field on its first possession, an eight-play, 75-yard drive, and scored on a 1-yard run by Jaylen Thomas to open the scoring. The Rams would rely on a ground game that netted 217 of their 449 yards of total offense to keep the ball away from the Spartans and maintain a lead the rest of the way. Colorado State ran 76 offensive plays compared to the Spartans' 53.
San Jose State (3-3, 1-1 Mountain West) was on the brink of tying the score at 7-7 on its first possession, but a Nick Nash pass attempt across his body was thrown behind an intended receiver and intercepted by safety Jack Howell at the Colorado State 21-yard line. The Rams cashed in on Cayden Camper's first of a school-record six field goals on the turnover for a 10-0 lead.
Nash and the Spartan offense didn't have the same level of success as it did the week before against New Mexico State. He completed 11-of-22 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Of the Spartans' 11 possessions in the game, only three started outside the San Jose State 30-yard line and two of them resulted in touchdowns.
The first was a two-play, 50-yard drive after Colorado State punter Ryan Stanhouse shanked a punt out of bounds at midfield. A pass down the middle to Isaiah Hamilton for 32 yards and an 18-yard pass to a wide open Derrick Deese, Jr. in the front left corner of the end zone with 2:22 in the second quarter cut the deficit to 13-7.
The second was a 68-yard drive with Hamilton beating his defender again on a 34-yard play for the final score of the game.
In between, Camper kept the scoreboard operator busy with his field goals. His 22-yard conversion which appeared to be deflected by the Spartans' Kenyon Reed went through the uprights on the final play of the second quarter for a 16-7 Rams' halftime advantage.
But it was quarterback Todd Centeio's, third-and-10, 60-yard connection with wide receiver Ty McCullough in front of the Colorado State sideline that gave the Rams a 23-7 third-quarter lead that was the biggest play of the game. Centeio completed 19-of-23 passes for 232 yards and the touchdown to McCullough.
At the .500 plateau for the third time this season, the Spartans turn their sights to their Homecoming game, Friday, October 15, hosting San Diego State in a 7:30 p.m. conference contest in CEFCU Stadium. The CBS Sports Network will televise the game nationally.
