Live blog: UNLV blows two-touchdown lead, falls to San Jose State

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Published Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021 | 6 p.m.

Updated Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021 | 11:28 p.m.

For the second consecutive week, UNLV watched a double-digit lead turn into a devastating home loss. This time it was San Jose State plunging the dagger, as the Spartans rallied from a two-touchdown deficit to defeat UNLV, 27-20.

UNLV had a chance for a game-tying drive in the final minutes, and freshman QB Cameron Friel led UNLV the length of the field with some clutch passing. On 3rd-and-11 he hit Shelton Zeon for a first down across midfield, and on 3rd-and-7 he found Steve Jenkins over the middle to the San Jose State 29-yard line. On 4th-and-5, he connected with Zeon again to move the chains down to the 18. Friel spiked the ball with 21 seconds remaining, then found Zeon for an 8-yard gain.

On third down, Friel was sacked by streaking linebacker Kyle Harmon before he even had a chance to complete his dropback. Out of timeouts, UNLV scrambled back to the line of scrimmage for a fourth-down play, but time expired before they could get set for a final play.

Friel finished with 240 passing yards. Charles Williams ran for 94 yards and a touchdown. Kyle Williams caught seven passes for 117 yards.

San Jose State quarterback Nick Nash hurt UNLV with his legs, scrambling for 121 yards and the go-ahead touchdown.

UNLV is now a very disappointing 0-7 on the season, with a trip to Reno to face in-state rival UNR looming next week. Last year UNR destroyed the scarlet and gray at Allegiant Stadium by a score of 37-19.

San Jose State roars back, takes 27-20 lead over UNLV

This game is getting crazy.

San Jose State drove for a game-tying touchdown late in the third quarter, and UNLV answered by driving for what would have been the go-ahead field goal—except Daniel Gutierrez, who had made a a school-record 16 consecutive kicks, had his 40-yard attempt blocked with 10 minutes to play.

From there, San Jose State took over possession, Isaiah Holiness ripped off a 54-yard run, and Nick Nash scrambled inside the left pylon from 15 yards out to give the Spartans a sudden 27-20 lead.

UNLV is now trailing for the first time tonight, and they've got 7:14 remaining to get into the end zone. If they don't this will be the most disheartening defeat of the season.

UNLV leads San Jose State, 20-13

Midway through the third quarter, things seem to be going UNLV's way again.

The scarlet and gray drove for a field goal on the opening possession to extend their lead to 20-13, and they just got a defensive stop on 4th-and-1 at midfield to get the ball back. So if the team was disheartened by the way they botched the end of the first half, they've gotten over it quickly.

Sophomore receiver Kyle Williams is up to 87 yards on five catches; let's see if UNLV targets him as they look to push their lead back into double digits.

UNLV fumbles end of half, lead cut to 17-13

Everything UNLV did right in the first half, they un-did in the final minute.

San Jose State scored the final 10 points of the half, and UNLV's once formidable lead has been trimmed to 17-13 as the teams head to the locker room.

San Jose State kicked a field goal with 1:07 left in the half to make it 17-6, and it looked like UNLV was content to take that lead into halftime. They tried to run out the clock, calling vanilla handoffs, but the normally reliable Charles Williams was stripped in the backfield and SJSU recovered at the UNLV 37 with 16 seconds on the clock.

On the first play after the turnover, Nick Nash heaved a jump ball to the goal line and behemoth tight end Derrick Deese came down with it at the 1-yard line with nine seconds remaining. After a timeout, SJSU running back Tyler Nevens pushed his way into the end zone with 2 seconds left.

It was a very disappointing end to what was UNLV's best half of football all season. But the scarlet and gray will receive the kick to start the third quarter, so they will have an opportunity to regain the momentum.

Charles Williams scores, UNLV leads 17-3

Everything is going UNLV's way, and with six minutes left in the half the scarlet and gray have built a 17-3 lead over San Jose State.

The latest big play came gift-wrapped by SJSU quarterback Nick Nash, as he fumbled while scrambling deep in his own territory; UNLV defensive back Bryce Jackson fell on the loose ball to gain possession at the 18.

Three plays later Charles Williams pushed his way into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown, and UNLV is officially rolling.

UNLV's previous drive ended with a 53-yard field goal by Daniel Gutierrez, who set a school record by hitting his 15th straight kick.

Cameron Friel has hit 8-of-11 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Williams has carried eight times for 28 yards and a TD.

UNLV will also receive the kick to start the third quarter, so assuming they don't collapse in the final minutes of the first half, they've got a chance to gain some serious separation on the scoreboard. And after losing the last three games in the final minutes, a stress-free victory would be a godsend for everyone on the UNLV sideline.

UNLV leads SJSU, 7-3

The game opened with UNLV making a big special-teams play, and now the defense has chimed in with a big play of its own.

San Jose State went for it on 4th-and-1 from the UNLV 9-yard line, and the scarlet and gray defense collapsed the middle of the line to stop running back Tyler Nevens for no gain. Austin Ajiake and Naki Fahina were credited with the tackle.

UNLV now has the ball at midfield and a 7-3 lead as we enter the second quarter. Cameron Friel has looked sharp so far, as the freshman has hit on 4-of-6 passes for 59 yards with one touchdown.

UNLV scores early, takes 7-0 lead over SJSU

This game could not have gotten off to a better start for UNLV.

The scarlet and gray pooched the opening kickoff and San Jose State's returners misplayed it off the bounce, allowing UNLV linebacker Vic Viramontes to fall on the loose ball. Given possession at the SJSU 25-yard line, it only took four plays before Cameron Friel hit Steve Jenkins in the back of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown.

San Jose State came into tonight averaging just 14.7 points in Mountain West play, and they just spotted UNLV seven points to start the game. Marcus Arroyo's squad might not get a more fortunate break all season.

Cameron Friel warming up, should start for UNLV

We're still about 30 minutes from kickoff, but UNLV has already gotten some good news at it appears freshman Cameron Friel will be able to start at quarterback tonight against San Jose State.

Friel, who has started UNLV's last two games in Doug Brumfield's absence, had to be helped off the field late in Saturday's loss to Utah State. He was able to practice in limited fashion this week, and now he's on the field going through warmups, a strong indication that he'll be the man tonight.

Quarterback consistency has been a huge issue for UNLV this season. Through six games, the scarlet and gray have yet to have one of their QBs last through an entire contest.

Could Tate Martell get the call vs. San Jose State?

The first half of the 2021 season did not go according to plan for UNLV football, as the team finds itself winless (0-6 overall, 0-2 Mountain West) despite playing four games down to the wire, including last week's crushing loss to Utah State.

UNLV wasn't able to capitalize on any of its winnable opportunities in the first half, but if the scarlet and gray have learned anything from their close losses perhaps those lessons can be applied tonight, when they host San Jose State (3-4, 1-2 MWC) in a contest that figures to be another tight one.

Three keys for UNLV:

Quarterback question marks

Could this be the week for Tate Martell?

UNLV’s quarterback situation is dire. Junior Doug Brumfield is out with a back injury and freshman Cameron Friel got knocked out of Saturday’s game with a leg injury. Junior Justin Rogers hasn’t shown much in his four appearances this season. So while Martell may not have a full grasp of the playbook after transferring in late in the offseason, head coach Marcus Arroyo may have no choice but to put the ball in Martell’s hands.

And based on the matchup, UNLV is probably going to have to ask its quarterback to make plays tonight. Running back Charles Williams is coming off a career game (221 yards, three touchdowns vs. Utah State), but it would be tough to ask him to handle 27 touches again just five days later. And San Jose State has the 31^st-ranked run defense in the country (3.6 yards per carry allowed). Odds are, UNLV is going to have to sling it at some point tonight.

Martell has only attempted six passes this season (2-of-6, 27 yards). Rogers has attempted 20 (10-of-20, 43 yards). If those are the options, Arroyo is going to have to somehow devise a plan to make it work.

Spotlight on secondary

UNLV sports one of the very worst pass defenses in the country, as opposing quarterbacks have posted a rating of 171.1 against the scarlet and gray this season — the eighth-worst mark among FCS teams. But the beleaguered secondary should be competitive tonight.

San Jose State lost its starting quarterback Nick Starkel to an arm injury a month ago, and the Spartans’ passing game has seriously sputtered since then. They’ve scored just 14.7 points in three Mountain West games, and the aerial attack is non-competitive with backup Nick Nash at the helm; he hasn’t completed more than 50% of his passes in either of the last two weeks (both losses).

It was a rough first half of the season for UNLV’s defensive backs, but as it so happens, this could be a case of catching the right opponent at the right time.

Windmon is the mon

If any UNLV defender is going to make a big play tonight, odds are it’s going to be junior linebacker Jacoby Windmon. His transition from edge rusher to inside linebacker has gone smoothly this season, and Windmon is coming off perhaps his best game as a collegian.

Against Utah State last week, Windmon made seven solo tackles and racked up 4.0 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. For the season he now has 6.5 tackles for loss, the best mark among UNLV players. He has taken over the defense to the point where he is involved in just about every play.

With San Jose State likely to focus on running the ball, look for Windmon to make his presence felt early and often.

What: UNLV (0-6, 0-2 MWC) vs. San Jose State (3-4, 1-2 MWC)

Where: Allegiant Stadium

When: 8 p.m.

TV: CBS Sports Network

Line: San Jose State -4

UNLV leaders

Passing

Cameron Friel: 53-of-86, 61.6%, 619 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs

Rushing

Charles Williams: 120 carries, 620 yards, 5.2 yards per carry, 6 TDs

Receiving

Steve Jenkins: 15 receptions, 223 yards, 2 TDs

Defense

Jacoby Windmon: 58 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks

San Jose State leaders

Passing

Nick Nash: 42-of-75, 56.0%, 575 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs

Rushing

Tyler Nevens: 102 carries, 480 yards, 4.7 yards per carry, 4 TDs

Receiving

Derrick Deese: 25 receptions, 447 yards, 3 TDs

Defense

Jay Lenard: 43 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.