San José State University's most dominant running game in four years propelled the Spartans to a 35-24 victory over the University of Hawai'i in a Mountain West football game. The win kept the Spartans (5-0, 5-0 Mountain West) as one of the nine remaining Football Bowl Subdivision's (FBS) undefeated teams and in first-place percentage-wise in the Mountain West with a regular-season finale against the University of Nevada, Friday, December 11. Off to its first 5-0 season start since the 1939 team finished 13-0, San José State rushed for a season-high 288 yards including 154 yards in a dominant first quarter taking a 21-0 lead. Senior Tyler Nevens led the way with career bests of 152 yards and two touchdowns on only 16 carries. His runs of a career-long 72 followed up by a 10 yard burst capped the Spartans' explosive first quarter. Teammate Kairee Robinson supplemented Nevens' best day as a a Spartan with one of his own. The shifty tailback outfoxed the Rainbow Warriors defense for 111 yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts. His 2-yard scoring run near the end of the third quarter quelled a Hawaii (3-4, 3-4 Mountain West) rally and boosted the Spartans back to an 11-point lead, 28-17. What looked relatiely easy at the start of the game became a struggle in the middle two quarters as Hawai'i chipped away at the San Jose State lead. Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, wild early, settled down using Hawai'i's short and intermediate passing game leading to a pair of touchdown passes of 10 yards to Dae Dae Hunter and 11 yards to Rico Bussey cutting the Spartans' lead to a precarious, 21-17. But, perhaps, the drive of the season, an 18-play, 70-yard march which included a pair of fourth-down short-yardage runs by Nevens set up the Robinson scoring run. Neither Nick Starkel nor Nick Nash were as sharp in the passing game as earlier in season. On the throwing end of several dropped passes, Starkel completed 11-of-23 with an interception for 167 yards and touchdown passes to Isaiah Holiness and Tre Walker. Walker's catch-and-run 50-yard reception was only his second catch of the afternoon, but he made the most of on a slant pass from moving left to right, cutting across the entire field and turning the final 20 yards to pay dirt with 12:04 to go in the game. The Spartans finish the next-to-last regular season week in a first-place percentage tie with Boise State that did not play for a second consecutive weekend due toCOVID-19 protocols. San José State can clinch a spot in the December 19 Mountain West Championship with a win when it faces the University of Nevada, Friday, December 11. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at a site to be announced. The CBS Sports Network will televise the game.