SAN JOSE — Now that San Jose State must win its final three games just to become bowl eligible, a matchup against the last-place Nevada Wolfpack would seem to be just what the Spartans need. However, they’ll have to do something they haven’t accomplished in 25 years.
Saturday afternoon’s game takes place in Reno, where the Spartans have only won once in the history of the program. They have lost 10 straight games in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada since Jarmar Julien scored three rushing touchdowns in the final eight minutes to seal a 49-30 win back in 2000.
San Jose State (3-6, 2-3 Mountain West) also has yet to win on the road this season and is coming off a frustrating home loss to Air Force.
“It’s not like we’re Ohio State, we’re struggling ourselves,” San Jose State coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “We just need to focus on ourselves. They’ve been in a lot of close games and had opportunities to win, just like us.”
The Spartans have let fourth-quarter leads slip away in three of their losses. But in the 26-16 loss to Air Force, it was the offense that struggled to keep San Jose State in the contest, contributing to their third loss in the past four games.
Despite leading the FBS in passing yards per game (332.6), the Spartans had three turnovers and allowed a safety against the Falcons. Their defense, ranked No. 8 in the Mountain West by allowing 419.56 yards per game, limited the conference’s third-ranked scoring offense to seven points below its season average.
Entering the Air Force game, quarterback Eget had not thrown an interception since September 7 against Texas. However, against the Falcons, he threw two picks. Meanwhile, FBS-leading receiver Danny Scudero (1,126 yards) was held to just 41 yards receiving and did not find the end zone in the loss.
“It never felt in the game that the defense was stopping us,” offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann said. “We stopped ourselves.”
Up next is Nevada (1-8, 0-5 MW), which has played some of the top teams in the Mountain West close, including a 20-17 loss to Fresno State and a 24-22 loss to New Mexico. Wolfpack defensive lineman Dylan Labarbera is second in the Mountain West in sacks with 6.5.
San Jose State struggled to give Eget time to throw the ball against Air Force, which resulted in heavy pressure and batted passes at the line. In the Spartans’ three wins, they have a plus-four turnover margin, but in their six losses, they have a minus-eight turnover margin.
Niumatalolo emphasizes the importance of the team getting off to a fast start against the Wolfpack. The Spartans’ defense achieved this last week against the Falcons by forcing them to go three-and-out on their first two drives, but the offense was not able to match the effort, settling for a field goal and losing a fumble on their first two drives.
“Starting fast is our mantra every week,” Niumatalolo said. “Our offense came out fast against Hawaii, but our players are human. It’s not like you can press a button and they will come out fast.”
The Spartans’ defense had one of their stronger showings of the season, limiting Air Force to 302 yards of total offense. The Falcons average 438 total yards of offense per game. The Spartans, who have struggled in pass coverage this season, were not tested too much by an Air Force offense that is option-heavy and had 63 rushing attempts compared to just 10 passing attempts.
This week against Nevada, San Jose State faces the worst passing offense in the Mountain West. Nevada ranks last in passing yards per game (153.67), last in total passing touchdowns (7), and has thrown the most interceptions (17).
The Wolfpack started the year with Chubba Purdy, brother of 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, before giving the keys to true freshman quarterback Carter Jones after Purdy struggled. Carter has thrown for 661 yards, three touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
San Jose State’s defense ranks 11th in passing yards allowed (281 yards per game), and defensive coordinator Derrick Odum hopes the unit can build upon one of its better outings of the 2025 season.
“There have been some moments that we would have liked to get better at, that’s just football,” Odum said. “There’s been no pointing fingers. They’re a close-knit group and always looking to improve every week.”
Nevada’s defense ranks around the middle of the pack in both rushing defense (152.89 yards allowed per game, sixth in MW) and passing defense (230.67 yards allowed per game, seventh in MW).
San Jose State’s offense hopes to get back on track after a rough outing against Air Force. Their wide receiving corps features Scudero paired with Kyri Shoels (680 receiving yards, fourth in MW) and Leland Smith (643 receiving yards, sixth in MW), making one of the most dynamic receiving rooms in the country.
Eget leads all of FBS with 2,941 passing yards.
While the passing offense has always excelled, the Spartans have seen a boost in their ground game since freshman running back Steve Chavez-Soto emerged as part of a dual-headed backfield alongside Lamar Radcliffe.
Chavez-Soto earned significant playing time during SJSU’s win against New Mexico on October 3. The week prior, he was only on the scout team and received playing time due to injuries to Floyd Chalk IV (who redshirted), Jabari Bates, and Viliami Teu.
Since getting his shot, Chavez-Soto has rushed for 300 yards, scored seven touchdowns, and is averaging 5.7 yards per carry in five games played.
“He approached everything like he’s the starter from day one,” running backs coach Michael Smith said. “That builds confidence in not only me but the whole coaching staff.”
With bowl eligibility on the line, San Jose State cannot overlook any opponent in its remaining three games.
“We recognize it’s a hard place to win,” Niumatalolo said. “We’re looking forward to this challenge.”
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