FORT COLLINS, Colo.—In the final seconds of the game, quarterback Matt Faulkner looked down the field and saw a chance at another breakthrough for San Jose State.
Faulkner hit wide receiver Jabari Carr in stride for a go-ahead 38-yard touchdown to help the Spartans snap a 16-game road losing skid with a 38-31 win over Colorado State on Saturday.
“He’s a fast guy and he went out there and got it,” Faulkner said. “It’s an awesome feeling.”
It’s also a feeling the Spartans (2-3) haven’t experienced very often in recent seasons. This was the first time they’ve won back-to-back games in three years. The victory marked their first road win since beating Idaho on Nov. 1, 2008. Perhaps most notably of all, it’s their first non-conference road win in nine years when they knocked off Illinois.
For a change, the plane ride home will be upbeat.
“Been too long,” senior tailback Brandon Rutley said, referring to the win.
Rutley was a big part of the win as he amassed 131 rushing yards to compliment two touchdowns before limping off the field in the third quarter after spraining his left ankle.
The Spartans lost some of their steam without their powerful tailback while squandering a 31-17 lead.
But with the game tied and 3:30 remaining, Faulkner guided the Spartans down the field and found a wide open Carr, a freshman who bolted past the Colorado State secondary for the winning touchdown.
Cornerback Ronnie Yell ended a last-gasp effort by the Rams (3-2) when he intercepted a long pass from Pete Thomas in the game’s waning seconds.
Faulkner threw for 313 yards and two scores, including one to tight end Ryan Otten, who finished with 112 yards receiving.
Rutley did a lot of the damage against the Rams in the first half as he scored on runs of 12 and 23 yards, in addition to recording his second straight 100-yard game. He ran for 209 yards in a win over New Mexico State last weekend.
After being tackled awkwardly in the third quarter, Rutley hobbled off the field in pain. He didn’t budge from the bench as trainers and teammates checked on him.
Late in the third quarter, he limped into the locker room with the aid of crutches, but returned in time to celebrate the win with his teammates.
“The guys just wanted to get it done,” said Rutley, who vowed to be back for the game next week at Brigham Young. “They were going to find a way to get it done with or without me out there.”
Rutley and Faulkner are attempting to lead the Spartans back down the path toward respectability this season and victories like this cement the belief system.
“We’ve got to come back and do it the next week and the next week and the next week,” Faulkner said. “It’s a long season. But we’re picking it up, especially after starting off 0-3. We needed to do this.”
In years past, the Spartans may have found a way to give the game away, especially with two costly turnovers in the second half.
But this isn’t that team anymore.
“Last week we broke the dam down,” San Jose State coach Mike MacIntyre said. “They didn’t feel like they could do it and now they know they can. I just think that confidence level is there.”
The Rams trailed 31-17 with 3:32 left in the third quarter but rallied behind the play of Thomas. The sophomore hit Thomas Coffman in stride for a 47-yard TD pass to pull CSU within a touchdown.
Thomas then tied the game with 11:33 remaining as he raced in from 9 yards, leaping over several San Jose State defenders at the goal line.
The Rams had a chance to take the lead with 3:30 left, but Ben DeLine’s attempt at a career-long 48-yard field goal drifted wide left.
The Spartans took over at their 30 and methodically drove down the field for the winning score.
Thomas finished with 387 yards passing and three TD passes for the Rams.
“We just left too many plays on the field,” Thomas said, which is an assertion that CSU coach Steve Fairchild won’t argue.
“When you turn the ball over three times like we did, you’re going to let anybody in the game,” Fairchild said. “They deserve the win.”
Behind a powerful first-half performance by Rutley, the Spartans took a 24-14 lead into the locker room. Rutley had 104 yards as San Jose scored its most points in a first half in four years.
The lead could have been even more convincing had the Spartans not fumbled inside their own territory just before halftime. Chandler Jones caught a pass over the middle and ran into the back of a teammate, causing the ball to pop free. Shaq Bell pounced on it for CSU, securing the possession.
Five plays later, Thomas hit Lou Greenwood for a 25-yard score, their second TD connection of the half.
Before that, the game’s momentum heavily favored San Jose State. Safety Duke Ihenacho returned a fumble 20 yard for a score, the first time the Spartans have done that in nearly seven years.
These days, it seems like they’re updating quite a few marks and accomplishing positive things that have not been done in quite some time.
“We’ve changed,” Rutley said. “And we’re going to try to display that each week.”
