SAN JOSE — Ashton Jeanty ran for 159 yards and three touchdowns as No. 13 Boise State did enough to hold off San Jose State 42-21 Saturday in front of a crowd of 20,517 at CEFCU Stadium.
SJSU is now all but eliminated from conference championship contention with its third conference loss.
The Spartans opened up with two passing touchdowns for a 14-0 lead to immediately put the Mountain West conference leaders on edge.
Quarterback Walker Eget spread the ball around the field and finished 34-for-50 for 446 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions and a fumble.
They had the opportunity to score on the third drive of the game inside the 5-yard line on fourth down but ran a trick play to an offensive lineman that zapped the momentum from the crowd.
Boise State would outscore SJSU 42-7 after that second quarter play as it wound up scoring five touchdowns in the second half.
Tied at 21 in the third quarter, Eget ran for 9 yards on fourth-and-2 near midfield but he fumbled at the end of the play, once again draining the momentum the Spartans were building.
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Wide receiver Nick Nash broke the SJSU single-season reception record with a catch in the third quarter to top Noel Grigbsy’s 89 receptions in 2011. Now with 95 receptions this season, Nash finished with 9 catches, 96 yards and a touchdown. In the first drive of the second half, Nash had five catches for 89 yards and the touchdown to complete the drive.
Still, Justin Lockhart was the Spartans’ leading receiver with 10 receptions, 172 yards and a touchdown.
Up next:
The Spartans will be back home for a 7 p.m. game against UNLV on Friday.