Vandals escape with late score
Woolridge’s run puts Idaho alone in first place
DeMaundray Woolridge scored on a 5-yard run with just more than a minute to play to give Idaho a 29-25 Western Athletic Conference football victory over San Jose State on Saturday night at San Jose, Calif., ending a four-game losing streak to the Spartans.
The winning drive was directed by backup quarterback Brian Reader, who took over after starter Nathan Enderle threw his second interception of the fourth quarter.
Woolridge rushed for 93 yards and scored twice for the Vandals (5-1, 2-0), who are seeking their first winning season in 10 years.
Princeton McCarty rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown for the Vandals.
“Winning is addicting,” Woolridge said. “We never quit. It was tough, but we said this game’s not over.”
Trey Farquhar kicked three field goals, including a season-best 52 yards, as the Vandals survived four turnovers, including their first lost fumble of the year, and 11 penalties for 113 yards.
Enderle finished with 216 yards and completed 14 of 26 passes.
Jordan La Secla threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another score for the Spartans (1-4, 0-1). Marquis Avery caught seven passes for 96 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown reception that helped tie the game at 22 early in the fourth quarter.
Duke Ihenacho intercepted a Enderle pass to set up Tyler Cope’s go-ahead 20-yard field goal with 10:46 left, making it 25-22 San Jose State.
Tanner Burns also intercepted a pass for the Spartans, but Idaho held and took over on downs.
Reader completed his only pass for 11 yards and a crucial first down as McCarty and Woolridge ate up most of the yardage leading to the winning score at 1:10.
The Vandals gained a season-high 501 yards of total offense as they doubled their conference win total of the previous two years combined.
La Secla was 31 of 43 with a pair of interceptions for the Spartans.
Kenneth Patten’s interception in the final minute sealed the win for Idaho, which has won two consecutive road games for the first time since 1999.
“Our players have confidence in their ability to get the job done,” Idaho coach Robb Akey said.
New Mexico State 20, Utah State 17: At Las Cruces, N.M., Kyle Hughes’ 28-yard field goal on the final play lifted the Aggies (3-3, 1-1) to a win over Utah State (1-4, 0-1), also the Aggies.
NMSU set up the win by stuffing Utah State quarterback Diondre Borel on a third-and-1 with 2 minutes left, forcing Utah State to punt.
Marcus Anderson ran the punt back to the Utah State 29-yard line. Five plays later, New Mexico State moved the ball to the 11, where Hughes banged it through the uprights.
Seth Smith ran for 103 yards for NMSU.
Robert Turbin gained 187 yards for Utah State.
Fresno State 42, Hawaii 17: Ryan Matthews rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown to lead the Bulldogs (2-3, 1-1) past the Warriors (2-3, 0-2) in Honolulu.
Fresno State quarterback Ryan Colburn threw for 120 yards and two TDs on 12-of-14 passing.
Matthews entered the game averaging 148 running yards a contest, the second-most in the nation.
Idaho 29, SJSU 25
| Idaho | 3 | 9 | 10 | 7 | — | 29 |
| San Jose St. | 7 | 7 | 0 | 11 | — | 25 |
SJS—Harrison 17 pass from La Secla (Cope kick)
Id—FG Farquhar 23
Id—Woolridge 1 run (kick blocked)
SJS—La Secla 7 run (Cope kick)
Id—FG Farquhar 52
Id—McCarty 3 run (Farquhar kick)
Id—FG Farquhar 26
SJS—Avery 38 pass from La Secla (Beauchman pass from La Secla)
SJS—FG Cope 20
Id—Woolridge 5 run (Farquhar kick)
| Id | SJS | |
| First downs | 22 | 20 |
| Rushes-yards | 42-274 | 20-48 |
| Passing | 227 | 299 |
| Comp-Att-Int | 15-27-3 | 31-43-2 |
| Return Yards | 40 | 51 |
| Punts-Avg. | 1-38.0 | 3-48.3 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 1-1 | 2-1 |
| Penalties-Yards | 11-113 | 9-75 |
| Time of Possession | 34:00 | 26:00 |
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Idaho, McCarty 16-125, Woolridge 18-93, Jackson 7-57,
Team 1-(minus 1). San Jose St., Muldrow 9-23, La Secla 9-19, Avery 1-5,
Perry 1-1.
PASSING—Idaho, Enderle 14-26-3-216, Reader 1-1-0-11. San Jose St.,
La Secla 31-43-2-299.
RECEIVING—Idaho, Komar 5-73, Greenwood 4-56, Hardy 2-17, Shaw 1-41,
P.Davis 1-28, Bjorvik 1-9, Small 1-3. San Jose St., Jurovich 8-70,
Rutley 8-65, Avery 7-96, Harrison 3-30, Muldrow 3-24, Otten 1-14, Beauchman 1-0.