San Jose, Calif. – Sophomore tailback Yonus Davis’ career-high 150 yards rushing and two touchdowns led the San Jose State University football team to a 27-10 victory over New Mexico State University at Spartan Stadium on Saturday, November 19, in a battle of squads looking for their first Western Athletic Conference win of 2005.

Davis’ 150 yards came on 16 carries, and marked a second successive 100-yard game for the Skyline High product after a 16-carry, 136-yard effort at Fresno State on November 5. It was his first two-touchdown performance as a Spartan.

The win, first-year head coach Dick Tomey’s first WAC triumph in charge of San Jose State, improved the Spartans’ record to 2-8 overall and 1-6 in the conference. Tomey now has 34 WAC victories as a head coach, 10^th-most on the all-time list, having led Hawai’i to 33 WAC wins between 1979-86. New Mexico State remained winless at 0-11 overall, 0-7 in the WAC.

The Spartans held their opponent scoreless in the opening quarter for the first time in 2005, as the teams traded a total of five punts through the first 15 minutes. San Jose State finally broke the deadlock just 30 seconds into quarter number two, as Davis went around the left side and into the end zone to cap a nine-play, 78-yard drive.

BOTH TEAMS MISS OPPORTUNITIES

San Jose State missed a chance to extend its advantage with less than nine minutes to go. The Spartans, who entered the game 11-for-19 on fourth down this season (.579), went for it on fourth-and-two. Davis again ran around the left side, only to see his touchdown negated by a holding penalty. Freshman Jared Strubeck’s ensuing 35-yard field goal attempt was wide left.

The visiting Aggies squandered a golden opportunity to get on the board late in the half, starting a drive at the Spartan 18-yard line, but parlaying it into an unsuccessful fourth-and-25 attempt following a 15-yard personal foul penalty and three ejections, and a five-yard false start penalty. The sequence left San Jose State in front, 7-0, with 5:12 to play before the break.

FIELD GOALS TRADED LATE

The Spartans then drove 63 yards in 10 plays to finally widen the gap, a 22-yard field goal by Strubeck making it 10-0 in favor of the home side at the 2:18 mark.

Despite a pair of quarterback sacks by Spartan senior defensive end Justin James around a 48-yard pass play from junior Aggie signal-caller Royal Gill to A.J. Harris, New Mexico State managed to get in the scoring column in the waning moments of the half as Foley connected on a 25-yard field goal with 23 ticks remaining. The pair of sacks increased James' team-leading total to eight on the year, and gave the Spartans 26 sacks as a team for 2005, their most since 1992.

DAVIS BUSTS LOOSE

Davis got San Jose State off to a great start coming out of the locker room, scampering down the left sideline for an 84-yard touchdown on the second play of the half. The run was Davis’ longest as a collegian, and tied for the seventh-longest run from scrimmage in Spartan history, matching Frank Slaton’s 84-yard effort against New Mexico in 1968. Davis now has four touchdowns on the year.

Strubeck tacked on a 20-yard field goal at the end of a 13-play, 51-yard drive which took up 5:15 on the clock, to make it 20-3 in favor of San Jose State with 1:13 left in the third.

The teams each tallied a late touchdown. Senior Spartan cornerback Trestin George intercepted a pass by Joey Vincent, who had replaced Gill, and ran 30 yards for the score with under two minutes to go. It was George’s team-leading third interception of 2005, fifth of his career, and second for a touchdown. Freshman teammate Christopher Owens added a second pick-off of Vincent with seconds remaining, Owens’ second as a collegian and the ninth interception by a Spartan player this year.

Vincent hit sophomore Nick Cleaver with a one-yard pass for the lone Aggie touchdown with 50 seconds left. The 10 points were the fewest San Jose State has allowed since a 29-0 home shutout over Grambling State to open the 2003 season.

Redshirt sophomore Spartan quarterback Adam Tafalis wound up 20-of-34 passing for 222 yards in leading an efficient offense which did not commit a single turnover. The senior wide receiver tandem of captain Rufus Skillern and John Broussard had six receptions apiece, with Broussard catching at least one pass for the 21st game in a row. Senior tight end Bryan Watje led the Spartans with 79 yards on four grabs.

Senior Paul Dombrowski collected a school-record 16 receptions for New Mexico State, the most-ever catches by a San Jose State opponent, for 133 yards. Gill and Vincent combined to complete 40 of 64 passes for 336 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. The Aggies managed just 10 yards rushing on 17 attempts.