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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Shootout witnessed by a precious few

Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The highest-scoring regulation game in NCAA Division I-A history was played in front of a nearly empty house.

Just 4,093 people attended San Jose State’s meeting with Rice on Saturday night, and many left Spartan Stadium before Brian Nunez intercepted a pass with 2:18 left and scored the last of a record 19 touchdowns, capping the Spartans’ jaw-dropping fourth quarter comeback for a 70-63 victory.

Sure, the game meant little to anyone but the players, their families and the rest of the Western Athletic Conference — but it turned into a chapter of high-octane history.

“This is one of the wildest things I’ve seen,” San Jose State coach Fitz Hill said. “The conventional rules of football did not apply. You had to score to win.”

The numbers were ridiculous — and completely appropriate for a game played just down the freeway from the headquarters of video game maker EA Sports.

The teams combined for 1,089 yards. Rice ran a school-record 100 plays for 634 yards, and San Jose scored 10 touchdowns despite controlling the ball for less than 18 minutes.

To be fair to those who left early on a chilly San Jose evening, Rice was doing most of the scoring early in the game. Its wishbone offense chewed up yards — 570 on the ground — and scored 34 points before the second quarter was five minutes old.

San Jose State trailed by 27 points in the second quarter, then fell behind by 14 with eight minutes to play.

“It was just a great game back and forth for the fans to see,” said Rice coach Ken Hatfield, whose team set the NCAA record for most points in a loss. “It’s what the WAC is all about, a lot of explosiveness.”