The city of Reno is often noted for various ghost stories and hauntings, but on Saturday afternoon, it became the site of a different kind of nightmare—for San Jose State (3-7, 2-4 MW).
In a disheartening 55-10 loss, the Spartans faced a complete clobbering by Nevada (2-8, 1-5 MW), extending their 26-year winless drought in Reno. “They whipped our butts in every conceivable way,” said SJSU head coach Ken Niumatalolo. “It was an embarrassing performance and it was maybe the worst one in my career.”
Nevada dominated the game, putting up 413 yards of total offense. “Regardless of their record, we knew Nevada was a good team and they came out hot and stayed hot,” said safety Jalen Apalit-Williams. “They took the momentum and never let up.”
The severity of the loss was highlighted by the fact that the last time San Jose State was defeated so badly against a conference opponent was in a 63-12 loss to Fresno State in 1999.
Five Spartan turnovers made Nevada look elite. San Jose State started last week with three turnovers in a half, and the same pattern repeated on Saturday with three turnovers in the first half alone, in a game they were never truly in. Those mistakes gifted Nevada 14 first-quarter points, marking the Wolf Pack’s first-ever scoring spree in the opening quarter of their 2025 season.
“There were holes in our effort early on,” said Niumatalolo. “Things came up everywhere whether it was the pick six or the penalties or the drops.”
Spartan QB Walker Eget’s sixth interception of the season resulted in a 66-yard touchdown return by Nevada linebacker Nakian Jackson. On the very next drive, a fumble turnover gave Nevada a short 30-yard field, leading to another quick score.
“What they threw at us was expected, especially with the type of offense we run,” said Eget. “It was a lot of mistakes on my part and we can’t win like that. It’s on me.”
Still, it wasn’t entirely Eget’s fault—the Wolf Pack owned the second quarter as well. Nevada QB Carter Jones threw his second touchdown pass on a screen to Calab Ramseur, extending the lead to 21-0. Following another Eget interception, the score ballooned to 28-0.
“They had him everywhere,” said Apalit-Williams about Jones’ effectiveness. “He runs hard and threw well. You’ve got to give him credit. He had a good day.”
Who would have imagined that Nevada, often viewed as the bottom of the conference in offense, would double their average offensive output in just one half? They took a commanding 31-0 lead into halftime.
For San Jose, the first half was a nightmare: just 117 yards of total offense compared to their usual 400-plus yards per game, eventually finishing with only 270 total yards.
Though the Spartans managed 72 rushing yards in the first half—a small glimmer of hope—it was mostly quarterback Eget forcing plays on the ground, scrambling for 33 of those yards while the defense heavily covered San Jose’s receiver U.
“I’m just trying to get the first down,” Eget said. “San Jose took a shot on me, so I’ve got to give them my best.”
So, was Nevada just that good, or was San Jose State that bad?
A brief glimmer of hope appeared early in the second half when Mathias Brown nailed a 46-yard field goal on the Spartans’ opening drive. However, that hope faded quickly after Eget’s third interception capped the end of the third quarter.
With the proverbial white flag raised, true-freshman QB Robert McDaniel took over, but he faced an uphill battle. Two offensive line penalties, a sack, and an interception marked his first drive—San Jose’s 10th fruitless offensive possession of the day.
Tama Amisone rotated in next and was the only bright spot for San Jose. With his fleet-footed scrambling ability, Amisone finally found the end zone on a 12-yard run.
Nevada remained relentless. They returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, adding insult to injury.
Last week, Utah State handed Nevada a crushing 51-14 loss; on Saturday, the Wolf Pack turned the tables and delivered a similar beating to San Jose State.
If the pattern of the illogical holds, there may be a chance for the Spartans next week as they visit first-place San Diego State. For now, the nightmare in Reno is one they’ll want to quickly forget.
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/spartans-completely-clobbered-last-place-010826366.html