It was a scene that not a whole lot of people
– maybe nobody – expected to see so soon.
Albuquerque, N.M. – It was a scene that not a whole lot of people – maybe nobody – expected to see so soon.
Unbridled joy, wild cheering, exuberant chanting.
This, from fans and players and coaches of San Jose State football?
Unlikely as it seemed even 12 months ago, the Spartans had a celebration that was 16 years in the making Saturday when they knocked off the University of New Mexico 20-12 in the inaugural New Mexico Bowl in front of 34,111 mostly red-clad fans at University Stadium.
Turning in one its best performances of the season, SJSU showed how far it has come in just two seasons under veteran coach Dick Tomey.
After a miserable 3-8 campaign last season and with just eight wins in the past three seasons combined, the Spartans’ first bowl victory since 1990 wrapped up their ninth win of the season that’s their highest total since going 9-2-1 in 1990 and the fourth time in Tomey’s 26 years as a head coach that he won as many as nine games.
“Nine wins for this team is significant,” Tomey said.
The team accomplished so much, it surprised even its quarterback – who deserves much of the credit for this season’s turnaround.
“I probably would’ve called you a liar,” Spartans’ junior signal caller Adam Tafralis said when asked for his reaction if he had been told at the end of last season that he was a year away from quarterbacking a bowl victory.
“I always believed we could, but it was a dream season.”
Tafralis showed the poise Saturday that has been evident all season – and was missing much of his first two years at SJSU.
His mistake-free performance – 11-of-18 passing for 209 yards and three touchdowns – made plenty of people believe in a quarterback that seemingly every time he’s been in there it was only because the coaching staff couldn’t find anybody better.
While still on the field with a beaming smile, Tafralis quickly began focusing on next season, which he said he’d begin preparing for immediately after taking two days off to celebrate Christmas with his family.
“We’ll start working on a 12-0 season,” he said.
The Spartans, who despite playing in the Lobos’ home stadium were wearing their home blue jerseys and parked on the home sideline in front of about 1,500 SJSU fans, controlled the tone of the game throughout.
A slow-paced, grind-it-out first quarter was met by the quick strike offense of SJSU to start the second.
With senior receiver James Jones running a pick route, two defenders jumped on him and senior John Broussard was left wide open as he ran a post pattern. When he caught the ball at about the New Mexico 30-yard line, their wasn’t a defender within a dozen yards and he cruised in for a 76-yard touchdown.
The consensus “biggest play of the game” occurred on the Lobos’ ensuing possession.
UNM’s DeAndre Wright returned the kickoff 60 yards to set his team up at the SJSU 40. The Lobos then effectively moved the ball and set up at the 1-yard line with a first-and-goal.
Two straight runs by Mountain West Conference leading rusher Rodney Ferguson resulted in a loss of one yard and no gain. On third down, UNM gave it to Ferguson again and he was popped by Spartans’ junior linebacker Matt Castelo.
Castelo’s helmet made a perfect hit on the ball and it was knocked loose and caught in the end zone by SJSU’s Damaja Jones, who returned it 57 yards.
“That was the biggest play of the game,” UNM coach Rocky Long said.
Tomey agreed, but also included the two previous plays in the sequence.
“The two plays before the fumble were equally important because we gave ourselves a chance to stop them on third down,” Tomey said.
After that turnover, one of four lost UNM fumbles on the day, any life the Lobos had appeared to be gone.
“It kind of killed their spirit,” said Castelo, who had 18 tackles, two forced fumbles and was named the game’s most outstanding defensive player. “I think all week we showed a lot more excitement. We wanted to prove something.”
Tafralis hooked up with James Jones with 3:59 left in the second quarter on a 36-yard touchdown and the Lobos followed with a field goal to make it 13-3 at halftime.
Late in the third quarter, SJSU put the game away.
With UNM facing a fourth-and-16 and set to punt, the Spartans received a 15-yard penalty for having 12 men on the field. On fourth-and-1, the Lobos elected to go for it from their own 43. Quarterback Chris Nelson fumbled the snap and recovered it short of the first down.
Four plays later, Tafralis hooked up again with Jones, the most outstanding offensive player who caught six passes for 106 yards, and SJSU was in control at 20-3.
UNM added some late points when the Spartans conceded a safety and allowed a touchdown with their reserve defense on the field, but by that time Tomey had already been doused with some victory Gatorade, even though the game wasn’t quite said and done.
“We were celebrating too fast,” he said.
It nearly became really interesting when UNM appeared to recover an onside kick after its touchdown with 15 seconds left cut the Spartans lead to eight. But the recovery was overturned because it came before the ball traveled 10 yards, and the clock ran out to begin the celebration.
For a man that rarely seems satisfied, this was a moment of pure joy and satisfaction for the 68-year-old Tomey.
“This is just such a thrilling event,” Tomey said. “It changes the perception of our program. But it doesn’t change the way we work. We’ve still got our backs up against the wall.”
But at least for a little while, Tomey and the Spartans can celebrate a day 16 years in the making that some thought might never come.
