San Jose State got back in the win column Thursday night, but it took a two-touchdown comeback to score a 27-20 victory over a Nevada-Las Vegas team that has lost 13 consecutive games.
Spartans linebacker Kyle Harmon sealed the victory with a vicious sack on the final play as the Rebels were 11 yards away from possibly forcing overtime.
San Jose State quarterback Nick Nash, in his fourth start as Nick Starkel’s replacement, shined under the bright lights at Allegiant Stadium, home of the former Oakland Raiders.
The dual-threat QB scored the game-winning touchdown with 7:06 left in the fourth quarter on a 15-yard draw. Nash ran for 128 yards and threw for 213 with no interceptions.
The Spartans also got a couple of TD runs from Tyler Nevens (1, 10).
It wasn’t a picture-perfect triumph, considering San Jose State (4-4, 2-2 Mountain West) lost a fumble on the opening kickoff. Nash also coughed it up in the second quarter.
Both turnovers put UNLV (0-7, 0-3) inside the red zone and turned into touchdowns as the Rebels jumped out to a 17-3 lead.
Momentum shifted with 16 seconds left in the first half, as San Jose State defensive end Cade Hall forced a fumble while UNLV was trying to run out the clock. On the next snap, tight end Derrick Deese Jr. caught a 32-yard pass to set up Nevens’ TD from a yard out with two ticks left.
Deese had five catches for 101 yards in the first half. (He finished with six for 106.)
Trailing 17-13 at intermission, the Spartans (4-4) allowed only three points the rest of the way, recovering three of their own fumbles in the second half – including on back-to-back plays during the game-winning drive.
Next up is a home game against Wyoming (4-2, 0-2), which plays New Mexico this weekend.
