PASSING TIME
SJSU has 2-0 start after aerial attack prevails in four-hour marathon
SAN JOSE >> San Jose State beat New Mexico 38-21 on Saturday night at CEFCU Stadium behind another sensational performance from quarterback Nick Starkel.
The graduate transfer from Arkansas threw for 467 yards and five touchdowns, completing 34 of 47 attempts, as San Jose State opened a season 2- 0 for the first time in 33 years.
In a marathon Mountain West Conference game, there were 52 passes, a slew of replay reviews and 35 points on the scoreboard — all before halftime, which finally arrived some two hours after the 4 p.m. kickoff.
San Jose State put the first points on the board when Nick Starkel found Tre Walker for a 37-yard touchdown in the first quarter. The Spartans increased their lead to 14- 0 in the second quarter when Starkel found Isaiah Hamilton on a 43-yard dime.
That touchdown woke up the v isitors. New Mexico, which didn’t play last week and couldn’t play host to San Jose State this week because of COVID-19 issues in its home county, responded when Tevaka Tuioti hit Cedric Patterson III from 39 yards, cutting the deficit to 14-7.
The Spartans got the twotouchdown lead right back when Starkel found Walker, who made an acrobatic tip-toe catch while falling to the ground for a 26-yard touchdown.
The Lobos immediately responded. On fourth- and- goal from the 4-yard- line, Tuioti scrambled before finding Andrew Erickson, slicing the Spartans’ lead to 21-14.
New Mexico kept rolling to start the second half, tying the game 21-all as Tuioti snuck in from the 1-yard line.
Matt Mercurio kicked a 35yard field goal the next possession to give SJSU a 24-21 lead.