The San Jose State Spartans (2-3) rolled into Laramie to take on the Wyoming Cowboys (2-3) this weekend and WR Danny Scudero demoralized the Pokes secondary early, scoring 4 times in the first half, but an incredible 4th quarter comeback saw the Cowboys come out on top, winning 35-28.
“Great fight from our team for 60 minutes,” head coach Jay Sawvel said. “It was pretty ugly for 47 of [them], and pretty beautiful for about 12 of [them].”
The first quarter was an explosive affair for both teams. The Spartans drove down on their first possession and capped it with a 43-yard TD bomb from QB Walker Eget to WR Danny Scudero, getting things started. Both teams stalled on consecutive drives, but the Pokes quickly found something to celebrate after Deion DeBlanc fielded the punt and rumbled down the field for an electric 73-yard punt return TD.
The Spartans quickly fired back with a big play of their own however, with Eget launching another pass to Scudero, this time for a 72-yard TD, putting San Jose back on top. The Eget to Scudero connection was just getting warmed up, and after a Pokes drive stalled again, they completed a 7-yard TD to start the second quarter, making it 21-7 SJSU.
With urgency, Kaden Anderson engineered a scoring drive of his own, and found WR Michael Fitzgerald for a TD on a 35-yard strike after scrambling out of the pocket, ending a solid 75-yard drive.
Just when it seemed like the Pokes could rein in the Spartans, SJSU reeled off a 98-yard kickoff return that was barely short of a TD. The next play, Scudero found the endzone again on a 2-yard reception for his 4th TD of the half, making it 28-14.
Before the second quarter ended, the Cowboys would go for it on 4th down in the redzone and come up short, while also letting the clock run out as they attempted a field goal with 2 seconds remaining, having two chances to score and walking away with nothing.
At the break, Eget had tossed for 232 yards and 4 TDs, all to Scudero, but ended the half with 3 straight punts. Meanwhile, Anderson had a comfortable 168 yards in the air with 1 TD.
The third quarter got off to a similar bang as the first, but this time, it was all defense. Wyoming forced a punt after they stalled on offense, but Deion DeBlanc wouldn’t return this one, muffing it and handing the Spartans the ball at the Wyoming 10 yard line. The defense would not settle for that though, and DE Tyce Westland walloped Eget and forced a fumble, giving the Pokes the ball back and averting another score.
Neither team seemed like they wanted to score in the second half, and they went back and forth. Anderson threw two interceptions, while the Spartans missed two field goals. After the first half, the tone had completely changed and the score stayed 28-14 into the last act.
Even 5 minutes into the 4th quarter, it was a dismal outlook for Wyoming, with SJSU driving and still up by two scores. With the game about to tip completely out of Wyoming’s hands, something incredible unfolded.
The Pokes rushed Eget and got a hand on his quick pass, deflecting it into the SJSU linemen, before it bounced into the hands of Brayden Johnson who ran it 63-yards for the score. This moment was paramount. The entire Pokes team was fired up, and the momentum they gained was palpable.
The defense got back to work, forcing a punt and putting the ball in the hands of Kaden Anderson, who had only led one TD drive the entire game while throwing two second half interceptions. That precedent was set, but after the spark, the offense wouldn’t be following it. Anderson and his unit were crisp, but still found themselves in a sticky situation, facing a 4th and 5 at midfield.
That’s when DeBlanc found redemption, reeling in a short pass and fighting for every inch to tumble over the first down line and keep the drive alive. Two plays later, the Cowboys found paydirt after Charlie Coenen grabbed an Anderson pass and sprinted 22 yards to the endzone, tying the game at 28 with just 2:44 remaining.
Again, the defense was called upon, and they answered. After the early hiccups, they didn’t allow a SJSU score since the 10 minute mark in the second quarter, and it seemed like they had figured it out. Sure enough, they stood tall and forced another punt with just a minute left.
The new look Pokes offense made it seem like a whole different team had taken over for the unit who had struggled through three straight losses. After a closer look however, it was that group of familiar faces who had become a formidable force. A field goal was all they needed to win, but that would be too easy for Anderson and the offense. A 52-yard Sam Harris screen pass on their first play put them in range, and a 28-yard Terron Kellman scamper two plays later would put a bow on the incredible comeback.
The Cardiac Cowboys scored 21 unanswered points in less than 10 minutes to snatch the victory from the Spartans. The same offense which dragged itself through 3 straight losses erupted for 157 yards and 2 TDs in the fourth quarter to lead the Cowboys back to the win column.
Anderson ended the contest with 304 yards passing and two TDs, finding 11 different receivers over the course of the night. The running back room was no different, with Harris and Kellman running for over 40 yards each and leading the way for 6 separate ball carriers. It was a true team effort, with the special teams, defense, and offense all scoring TDs.
“Credit goes to the players,” Sawvel said. “It’s a players’ win, a players game.”
After the win, all the pain of the losing streak was gone and the Pokes were relaxed, confident, and happy to show what they are capable of.
“It’s so nice to battle with your brothers,” Anderson said. “There is outside noise…but what really matters is what’s going inside that locker room. We knew we were going to win that game.”
Even with the win, Anderson wasn’t ready to disregard the mistakes and what needed to be worked on moving forward.
“I have to stop making stupid mistakes,” he said. “I’ve got throwing picks for one.”
In the end though, Anderson pointed right back to his comrades on the field.
“I’m so happy for this team,” he said. “It was a really good win.”
The Pokes travel to Colorado Springs to take on Air Force next weekend, and Cowboys fans hope that the momentum that Wyoming tapped into late this Saturday will carry into their next game. They continue their Mountain West campaign against the Falcons with an early afternoon, 1:30 PM kickoff next Saturday.
