San Antonio, TX (Sports Network) - The San Jose State Spartans took advantage of six Texas-San Antonio turnovers en route to a 52-24 win over the Roadrunners in Western Athletic Conference action at the Alamodome.
Spartans' (5-2, 1-1 WAC) quarterback David Fales completed 17-of-26 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns. Noel Grigsby caught four passes for a game-high 110 yards and a touchdown, while Bene Benwikere paced the defense with 11 tackles, two tackles for loss and an interception.
After being sacked 13 times last week against Utah State, Fales' offensive line did its job this afternoon, not yielding a single sack.
Ryan Polite threw for 302 yards on 20-of-32 passing, while adding two touchdowns and a pick. He also led UTSA (5-2, 1-1) on the ground with 44 yards on 13 attempts. Five different Roadrunners lost fumbles
The visitors came out firing, taking a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter after touchdowns by Grigsby and Blake Jurich.
Two more first quarter touchdowns, a 36-yard reception from Tyler Ervin and Chris Kearney's fumble recovery in the end zone, gave the Spartans a 28-0 lead before the first quarter came to an end.
The Spartans were also the first to strike in the second quarter with Austin Lopez nailing a 25-yard field goal to stretch SJSU's lead to 31-0.
Desperate for a big play, the Roadrunners' got on the board when Polite hit Evans Okotcha for a 69-yard touchdown.
SJSU regained the momentum immediately when Erwin returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a score. UTSA mustered a 41-yard field goal from Kristian Stern late in the second quarter but trailed 38-10 at the break.
Midway through the third quarter, Polite found Kenny Harrison for a five-yard touchdown to cut the SJSU lead to 38-17, but that is the closest the Roadrunners would get. The Spartans kept their foot on the gas, scoring third quarter touchdowns on a De'Leon Eskridge one-yard run and Ryan Otten six-yard reception.
A 50-yard fumble return of a SJSU fumble by UTSA's Steven Kurfehs finished off the scoring and accounted for the 52-24 final.
This was the first ever matchup between these two programs.
Game Notes
