Niners Embarrass Packers in Primetime 37-8; Improve to 10-1

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photo from sfgate: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) is sacked by San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, center, and San Francisco 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead, bottom, during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019.

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA — Sunday Night’s highly anticipated matchup between the 49ers and Packers probably made NBC decision makers second guess themselves, as the flexed-in game turned out to be a complete drubbing. San Francisco dominated Green Bay 37-8, improving to 10-1 on the season, solidifying themselves as a legit Super Bowl contender.

It’s San Francisco’s largest win over their rival since they shutout Green Bay 35-0 in 1954.

The consistent questioning of who the Niners have beat can finally be laid to rest, after they handed Aaron Rodgers his second-worst performance of his career, throwing 20 of 33 for 104 yards and a touchdown before being pulled late in the fourth quarter. He was held to a career-worst 1.7 yards per dropback, following a bye week.

The pressure got to Rodgers early and often, as the Niners pass-rush hit him ten times, sacking him for five, and forced a fumble at his own 14 on the opening possession. Fred Warner was credited with the strip-sack, while Nick Bosa picked it up but got stopped short of scoring his first career touchdown at the two-yard-line.

It wouldn’t matter though, as Tevin Coleman punched it in on the next play to give San Francisco the early lead.

Arik Armstead led the charge on defense, sacking Rodgers twice, bringing his season total to ten on the season and putting him Top Five in the league. Bosa was also credited with his eighth sack on the season, bumping him to 12th in the NFL, and just 0.5 behind his older brother, Joey.

The Niners’ offense struggled in the early going, despite being handed excellent field position. Until three minutes to go in the first half, where they strung together 13 points in the final moments’ thanks to a 42-yard catch and run from Deebo Samuel for a TD and two Chase McLaughlin field goals to give them a 23-0 halftime lead.

Green Bay finally got on the board in the third quarter, when Bay Area native, Davante Adams, scored his first touchdown of the season, bringing the game with 15 after a two-point conversion.

However, the celebration was short-lived when the Niners fired back immediately with a quick 57-second, 75-yard touchdown drive. 61 of them came on George Kittle catch-and-run, where he completely burned the cornerback on a post-corner route in the middle of the field, before turning on the afterburners to find pay dirt, making it 30-8.

Kittle finished with six catches for 129 yards in his first game since Halloween, where he went down with ankle and knee injuries. Shanahan later confirmed that Kittle played through a broken ankle. Techincally, a chipped bone, though stable, Kittle still needed to battle through the pain. When asked about the pain, Kittle shrugged and said, “that’s football.”

Raheem Mostert ran in San Francisco’s final score from 15-yards out, finishing with six carries for 45 yards and the TD.

Green Bay’s offense only mustered 198 yards, with Aaron Jones chipping in 38 on the ground. Entering the game, Jones led the NFL in rushing TDs with 11. San Francisco’s defense completely dominated Green Bay in every facet.

The Packers picked up their first third-down conversion of the game on the second to last play, with just 1:04 remaining. Holding the Packers to 1/15 on third-down, the Niners were only a minute away from shutting out the Packers on third-down for the first time since 1999.

“They’re just relentless. They play 11 guys so strong, so complimentary of one another with the pash rush, the coverage, our linebackers. It’s incredible to see how smothering all 11 guys can be and that is what they do week in and week out,” said Mike McGlinchy.

Jimmy Garoppolo shined bright and avoided any costly turnovers in a magnificent performance, where he completed 14/20 for 253 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, he gave a killer sideline speech that kicked the Niners’ offense into gear when it struggled after the opening possession.

The Niners couldn’t have started their toughest stretch of the season any better, destroying Green Bay at home. They’ll now carry confidence into back-to-back road games against playoff teams in Baltimore and New Orleans.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Some sports news to be thankful for this Thanksgiving

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sfgate.com photo: San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) celebrates after scoring against the Green Bay Packers during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019.

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

Thanksgiving Day sports fans will be around the table during the Turkey dinner and they will talk about some of the things Bay Area sports fans should be grateful for this year. For example.

-Colin Kaepernick will never play again for the 49ers.The most unpopular man in the country,poll says 91% of the American people do not want him back in the NFL. The 49ers 10-1 record is tied for the best in the NFL with the reigning champion New England Patriots after the 12th week of action.

-The City of Oakland dropped the lawsuit against the Athletics.Other obstacles remain, but the 2019 season is ending on a good note after another 97 wins and and another playoff-wild card berth.

-The Oakland Athletics do not have to share the Oakland Coliseum with the Raiders anymore.Green and Gold will take over Silver and Black at the Coliseum from now on,until they build their new ballpark at Howard Terminal or at the current location.

– San Francisco Giants bullpens will not be on the field,but behind TrIples Alley,which will be reduced from 421 feel to a hitter-friendly 380. Only teams in MLB remaining with bullpens on the field are Oakland and Tampa Bay. 2020 will be the first year that Oracle Park will not have the bullpen on the field, but 2019 (after the Giant season and in the fall)is when the team made the change.

-Golden State Warriors playing in their first year at their new home, Chase Area in San Francisco a state-of-the-art sports facility. Fans can watch and “grow together”with their new cast of future star players. The Warriors and the Boston Celtics are the only two teams in history of the NBA to have played for the championship five consecutive seasons. 2019-20 will not be the case for the Warriors. -San José Sharks has dug out from their 4-10-1 start and are now over .500 with 12-11-1 record as of Sunday November 24.

-The Big Game.University of California Berkeley fans are grateful as the Golden Bears beat Stanford Cardinal 24-20 for the first time in a decade.

-San José Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2019 inducted John Doyle, All American. Doyle is a Bay Area soccer icon, starring at the high school, club, college, Olympic & professional levels who represented USA Soccer at the highest level.

Wishing you and your family a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving Day.

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” – Charles Dickens

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for Oakland A’s baseball  and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford faces a tough test in season finale against Notre Dame

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Photo credit: gostanford.com

By Ana Kieu

According to Stanford assistant director of communications Mark Soltau, you could’ve heard a mouth guard hit the floor in the Cardinal locker room following Saturday’s 24-20 loss to the Cal Golden Bears in the 122nd Big Game.

Players sat in silence in front of their lockers with heads bowed or stared into space. Most showered quickly and left. That was how painful it was.

“We let down nine senior classes that have won this before and 10 including this one,” said senior inside linebacker Curtis Robinson. “It’s definitely not a good feeling.”

Another near-miss snapped a streak of nine consecutive victories against the Bears–the longest in series history–ending Stanford’s school record of 10 straight trips to the postseason.

“To lose the axe is a tough pill to swallow,” junior tight end Colby Parkinson said. “This one is going to hurt for a while.”

Stanford has battled through injuries all season and took another hit Saturday on the opening kickoff. Junior wide receiver Connor Wedington–one of the top playmakers in the Pac-12–returned it 37 yards, but was hurt on the play and didn’t return.

It has been that kind of season for Stanford, who has been short-handed most of the way due to a number of players getting hurt. The Cardinal has started 38 different players, with 18 seeing their first action, including eight true freshmen.

“I don’t want to blame the injuries,” said Robinson. “Football happens. You hope it doesn’t happen in the massive amount that we’ve had and it’s very unfortunate. But we have never at any point in the season made an excuse and we won’t for the rest of the season.”

LAST SHOT
Stanford (4-7, 3-6 Pac-12) concludes the 2019 campaign on Saturday at home against No. 15 Notre Dame (9-2), who beat Boston College on Saturday, 40-7. The Fighting Irish lead the overall series, 20-13, but the Cardinal has won three of the last four meetings and seven of the last 10, including five straight at home. The winner earns the Legends Trophy.

“It’s going to be a test of our character,” Robinson said. “It would be easy for anyone off the street to just quit because we don’t have a bowl game and we’re not having a great season. Anybody can do that.

“If we come out and we show that we prepared like we would for any other game, with the motivations of any other game, I think that will be a good sign for the program. And I don’t expect anything less from our team.”

Added Parkinson, “We have a group of guys that are strong and willing to fight. And that’s what we’re going to do next week.”

DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS
Senior defensive end Jovan Swann played an inspired game. He finished with five tackles, had a career-high three tackles for loss and a sack. Swann also blocked a field goal late in the second quarter, the first of his career, and the fourth blocked kick by the Cardinal this season.

Senior inside linebacker Andrew Pryts led the unit with a career-high 10 tackles, and the Cardinal produced nine tackles for loss.

BIG GAME DEBUTS
Fourteen true freshmen played against Cal: Wide receiver Elijah Higgins (first start); offensive tackle Walter Rouse; offensive guards Barrett Miller and Jake Hornibrook; cornerbacks Kyu Blu Kelly and Zahran Manley; inside linebacker Aeneas DiCosmo; safeties Brock Jones, Spencer Jorgensen and Jonathan McGill; running backs Austin Jones and Nathaniel Peat; tight end Bradley Archer; punter/kicker Ryan Sanborn.

“This game had all the emotion–much more than all the other games,” said Rouse, who made his 10th consecutive start at left tackle. “I really felt like the seniors and the coaches emphasized that and the importance of this game. I just can’t describe the feeling.”

Sanborn was a questionable participant until late in the week. He rallied to convert a career-long 48-yard field goal in the second quarter and calmly gave Stanford a 20-17 lead with 2:33 remaining in the game on a 44-yarder. Sanborn also punted three times, made both extra point attempts, and two of his four kickoffs went for touchbacks.

“That’s just what we’re here to do,” Sanborn said. “You have to be able to put it through the pipes whenever you’re out there.”

Sanborn said the loss stung.

“Obviously, it didn’t go the way we wanted,” Sanborn said. “I would have loved to have been able to send our seniors out on the right note. We just have to use it for fuel for the next 364 days.”

SCOUTING THE IRISH
Stanford and Notre Dame have faced one common opponent: USC. The Fighting Irish edged the Trojans, 30-27 in South Bend, Ind., while the Cardinal fell in Los Angeles, 45-20. The latter came in the second game of the season for Stanford and marked junior quarterback Davis Mills’ first collegiate start.

Last year’s game at Notre Dame was the first time in series history that both teams entered with a top-10 AP ranking. The eighth-ranked Fighting Irish defeated the No. 7 Cardinal, 38-17, its first loss to Notre Dame since 2014.

THEME GAME
Saturday is Fan Appreciation and Senior Day for Stanford. Seniors will be recognized on the field prior to the game.

NOTES
Senior wide receiver Donald Stewart grabbed his first career scoring pass from Mills on a 40-yard reception … Sophomore wide receiver Michael Wilson matched his career-high with six catches for 43 yards … Sophomore wide receiver Simi Fehoko made three catches for 55 yards, including a 43-yarder. He has five receptions of 40 or more yards this season … Junior wide receiver Osiris St. Brown had a career-best five catches … Fifth-year senior running back Cameron Scarlett rushed for his 23rd career touchdown, one shy of No. 8 on the career list at Stanford … Ex-Cardinal standout John Lynch, general manager of the San Francisco 49ers, was honored prior to the game as part of the program’s 125-year celebration of Stanford football … Shayne Skov, served as Stanford’s honorary captain. A fearless competitor at inside linebacker and an inspirational leader, Skov was named Associated Press All-America third team and All-Pac-12 first team in 2013. Skov ranks No. 6 on the school’s all-time list for career tackles with 353 and played with four NFL teams, including the 49ers.

QUOTE
“To me, it’s Rivalry Game 2. It’s a way for us to end the season strong.” — Curtis Robinson on playing Notre Dame.

Raiders throttled by Jets in New Jersey 34-3

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photo from sfgate.com: New York Jets’ Brian Poole (34) breaks a tackle by Oakland Raiders’ Hunter Renfrow (13) to score a touchdown after intercepting a pass during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019, in East Rutherford, N.J

By Jeremy Kahn

It seems that Derek Carr does not like to play in the cold weather, and it was cold in the Meadowlands on this day.

The temperature was 43 degrees, but that did not hurt Sam Darnold, who threw two touchdown passes and ran for one and the New York Jets simply destroyed the Oakland Raiders 34-3 at MetLife Stadium.

With the loss, Carr is now 2-9 in games where the temperature is 50 degrees or below and he was pulled from the game by head coach Jon Gruden late in the third quarter.

Carr ended up going 15-for-27 for 127 yards passing and also threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. It was the first interception that Carr threw in four games against the Jets since joining the NFL in 2014.

Darnold went 20-for-29 for 315 yards, as he topped the 300-yard plateau for the fourth time in his career. He also threw touchdowns to Robby Anderson and Ryan Griffin, as the Jets scored 34 unanswered points after falling behind 3-0 on a Daniel Carlson field goal.

The Jets went into the locker room with a 10-point lead and put the game away on their first series of the third quarter, as Darnold found Braxton Berrios, who got all the way down to the Raiders one-yard line after a 69-yard pass play. Darnold then found a wide-open Griffin on the next play.

You knew that things were not going well, as the Jets number one ranked defense stopped Alec Ingold on fourth-and-1 for no gain and gave the ball back to the Jets inside the Raiders 40-yard line.

Jets head coach Adam Gase slipped into his bag of tricks on the ensuing series, as Darnold handed the ball off to Bilal Powell, who flipped it over to Jamison Crowder, who then tossed it back to Darnold, who a great pass that Anderson caught for a 30-yard completion. Three plays later, Darnold found Anderson for a one-yard touchdown pass to give the Jets a 24-point leads.

The Jets closed out the scoring on the Raiders next series, as Neville Hewitt deflected a pass that went into the hands of Brian Poole, who returned the interception 15 yards for the touchdown.

Josh Jacobs was held to 34 yards on 10 carries, as he entered the game ranked fourth in the NFL in rushing.

Carlson hit a 48-yard field goal their only points of the afternoon, and then the Jets were forced to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Sam Ficken.

It looked like the Jets tied up the game, as Demaryius Thomas caught an eight-yard touchdown pass from Darnold; however, Daniel Brown was called for offensive pass interference after the Raiders challenged the call.

UP NEXT: Once again, the Raiders will stay on the road, as they will travel to Arrowhead Stadium, where they will face the Kansas City Chiefs on December 1.

NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum: Keefe gets win in 1st game at helm for Leafs; Sharks top Isles in OT; plus more

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photo from sports.yahoo.com: Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe proud to be a Leaf, gets his first win as head coach.

On the NHL podcast with Daniel:

1 Big shakeup in Toronto: Babcock out as Maple Leafs coach; Keefe gets win in first game in charge

2 Logan Couture scores in OT, Sharks cool off red-hot Islanders

3 Flames will ignore social media and not trade Johnny Gaudreau

4 Ex-Shark Joe Pavelski sparks shootout win for Dallas over the Blackhawks

5 NHLPA files a grievance to challenge Jets’ suspension of Dustin Byfuglien

NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum is heard each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Return Of The Axe: Garbers, Cal responds late to capture the 122th Big Game, 24-20

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By Morris Phillips

STANFORD — Chase Garbers began the week as a question mark, unable to practice, and an unlikely participant in the Big Game against Stanford.

He ended the week, standing tall in the end zone after scrambling 17 yards for the winning score as Cal shocked Stanford, 24-20, with two touchdowns in the game’s final eight minutes.

“To make some of the throws that he made on the last drive and then the scramble for the touchdown, those are huge plays,” coach Justin Wilcox said of Garbers. “And I think people are going to be talking about that drive for a while.”

With Cal facing the possibility of a tenth consecutive loss to their Bay Area rival, Garbers and receiver Nikko Remigio stepped up, firmly planting their names on the face of the rivalry. Garbers started the day tentatively, throwing instead of taking an opportunity to run for a first down in the second period. He finished the Big Game as a duel threat, throwing for 285 yards, and running 13 times for 72 yards as well.

Remigio finished with nine catches for career-best 157 yards. With 7:44 remaining, and Stanford leading 17-10 while holding Cal scoreless in the second half to that point, Remigio broke free in front of the goal post and caught a 17-yard, game-tying touchdown from Garbers. Then on Garbers game-winning touchdown, Remigio’s block on Stanford safety Jonathan McGill near the goal line created space for the quarterback to score.

Ironically, Remigio had a pair of second quarter drops against USC the previous week that helped the Trojans break open a close game and go on to a 41-17 victory over Cal. On Saturday, Remigio had the best game of his career.

“Nikko did a great job,” Garbers said. “He was missing a couple of games due to injury, but he played one of his best games I’ve ever seen him play today. And awesome to have a wideout like him who is so versatile.”

Stanford’s Davis Mills played well enough to be the game’s hero, by completing 26 of 35 passes for 283 yards in place of the Cardinal’s injured K.J. Costello. But two interceptions in the third quarter hurt Mills’ effort, including the first career interception by Cal’s Daniel Scott.

Both teams came into the game with numerous injuries, and Stanford reportedly played with 25 players unavailable. But the game was competitive throughout, and well played, with Davis’ interceptions the only turnovers for either team. Both teams avoided penalties as well, committing just four each.

The win gave the Bears (6-5, 3-5) bowl eligibility for the second, consecutive year with one game remaining next weekend at UCLA. The loss insures that Stanford will finish with a losing record for the first time in 10 years. The Cardinal had made bowl appearances in each of those 10 seasons.

Stanford completes their season with a home game against No. 16 Notre Dame next weekend.

Cal fans stormed the field after the game surrounding the Axe–the game’s signature prize–as well as enthusiastically greeting the players. Evan Weaver, Cal’s record-breaking linebacker, was congratulated by his father, and Remigio got emotional when meeting his family.

“I was sitting there crying like a baby,” Remigio said. “It was an indescribable experience.”

Garbers also had the chaotic scene create an indelible memory for him as well.

“I saw a bunch of people rushing the field and a lot of people jumping. I was trying not to get knocked over. But it was awesome to see the Cal fans get up on the field and celebrate with us because it really means a lot to them and us,” Garbers said.

Barracuda power their way over Eagles 6-2

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photo from sjbarracuda.com

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda didn’t have to wait long to get revenge on the Colorado Eagles. They scored six unanswered goals, including three on the power play, to take down their Pacific Division rival 6-2 on Saturday afternoon at SAP Center.

Only 16 hours after a tough 4-1 loss to the same Eagles team, San Jose snapped out of their funk and split the two-game series with Colorado. The ‘Cuda now have 13 points on the season and went 2-2 on their four-game home stand.

San Jose (6-10-0-1) jumped out to another fast start when Alex True sent a pass back up to Thomas Gregoire at the right point. Gregoire threw a wrist shot at the net, where Lean Bergmann deflected the puck past Eagles goalie Antoine Bibeau for his fifth goal of the season at the 2:42 mark of the first period.

Just under four minutes later, San Jose doubled its lead when Joachim Blichfeld intercepted a clearing attempt by Kevin Connauton. Danil Yurtaykin quickly passed it to Joel Kellman and the Swedish forward backhanded a centering pass back to Blichfeld, who fired a one-timer past Bibeau for a tic-tac-toe goal, his team-leading seventh of the season at the 6:36 mark.

The ‘Cuda completed their first period three-goal output on the power play just a little over half way through the opening frame. A give and go passing display between Jonny Brodzinski and Gregoire led to the Quebec native teeing up a slap slot just above the slot that rocketed past Bibeau for Gregoire’s second goal of the season at the 11:10 mark.

Bibeau was sent to the showers during the first intermission as he was replaced by Adam Werner in the second period after giving three goals on 10 shots.

San Jose continued their dominance in the second period scoring two more goals. Just like the first period, both goal came in the first 10 minutes of the period.

Sasha Chmelevski, playing in his first game back since October 30th when he was out with a lower body injury, did some nifty skating into the Eagles zone as he went past two Eagles defenders before putting a backhand shot on goal that Werner stopped but couldn’t handle the rebound. Maxim Letunov’s attempt deflected over to Jeffery Viel who cleaned up the rebound into the back of the net for his fourth goal and San Jose’s second power play goal at the 2:09 mark.

“Yeah it felt great,” said Chmelevski about how healthy he feels. “I didn’t even know if I was going (to play) today with everything that’s been going on (with my injury). I just wanted to help out the team anyway I could and I’m just happy we won.”

Just under three minutes later, Letunov sent a pass behind the net that Evan Weinger collected and fed back to Jayden Halbgewachs, who quickly turned toward the net with a backhander that slid past Werner’s five-hole for Halbgewachs third goal of the season at the 4:53 mark.

Colorado (9-8-0-0) had a chance to score before heading into the second intermission when Jacob Middleton went into the sin-bin for hooking with two minutes left in the middle frame, but San Jose’s penalty kill kept the Eagles from cashing in on their opportunity.

The ‘Cuda made it 6-0 in the third period with their sixth different goal scorer when Chmelevski won a face off over to Halbgewachs. The Saskatchewan native then skated over to the right slot when he snapped a wrist shot that Chmelevski tipped past Werner for his third goal of the season and San Jose’s third power play goal of the game at the 4:27 mark.

“I feel like when we play with passion and like that will, there’s not a lot of teams that can stop us. Today I thought I provided a little bit of a spark for the team. And I thought that’s what we needed to win today,” said Chmelevski.

Colorado broke ‘Cuda goalie Josef Korenar’s shutout bid with a little help from the referee. A clearing attempt by Keaton Middleton hit off the ref’s skate that allowed the Eagles to sustain pressure inside the zone. After a two point-blank chances by Colin Campbell were stopped by Korenar, the rebound trickled out to a wide-open Erik Condra who tapped it into an empty net for his third goal of the season at the 10:12 mark.

Sheldon Dries completed the scoring when he came crashing in to put home a rebound off a Jayson Megna shot was kicked out to the left of the crease for a power play goal. Dries’ eighth goal of the season came at the 15:50 mark.

Korenar finished the afternoon stopping 39 of the 41 shots he faced for his fifth victory of the season. Werner nine saves on 12 shots in mop-up duty.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 3/7 on the power play. Colorado was 1/3. The three power play goals for the ‘Cuda were a season-high.

The three stars of the game were…
1) Chmelevski
2) Korenar
3) Gregoire

The announced attendance was 3,385.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda travel down to San Diego to take on the Gulls on Wendesday 11/27 at 7:00 pm at Pechanga Arena.

San Jose State gets blown out at home by Portland State, 91-76

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateMBB

By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State men’s basketball team concluded its homestand with a game versus the Portland State Vikings on Saturday evening at Provident Credit Union Event Center. SJSU also hoped to win their third straight game.

On the contrary, SJSU was unable to keep the winning ways rolling. Portland State had the game from start to finish.

The Spartans played from behind from the get-go as the Vikings jumped out to an 11-point lead at the 10:22 mark before Richard Washington swung the momentum back to the Spartans’ favor with a deep 3-pointer. Zach Chappell scored the next 9 SJSU points with three triples to cut the deficit to 3 at 26-23. But the Spartans just couldn’t keep  up as the Vikings closed out the first half with a 14-6 run to take a 40-30 lead into the locker room.

Portland State showed no signs of slowing down out of the break. The Vikings extended the lead to 16 at the second media timeout at 52-36. The Vikings’ 15-2 run then put the game out of reach as they claimed a 24-point advantage. SJSU turned the ball over five times in the span and finished the night with 20 turnovers.

SJSU, however, didn’t go down without a fight. Seneca Knight sparked an 11-0 SJSU run that cut the lead down to 69-56 with 5:13 to go before a Portland State 3 put an end to it. After a pair of Chappell free throws, the lead was cut to 11, which was as close as the Spartans would get. Portland State hit free throws in the final minutes to shut the door and pick up their second win of the season.

The Spartans (3-3) were held to a 40% shooting clip and was 28% from behind the arc after putting up 25 shots. They made just 3-of-10 in the second half.

SJSU got most of their points (47) from off the bench as Washington (18) and Chappell (17) combined for 35 points. Knight, who was held scoreless until 7:36 remaining, finished with 17 points of his own. Washington pulled down a team-high 8 boards.

Despite a poor start from the free throw line in the first half, SJSU fared well in the second half, going 16-of-17 from the charity strip

Portland State (2-3) was led by Matt Hauser’s game-high 24 points. Hauser was one of six Vikings to reach double-digits. The team shot 44% for the evening.

The Spartans head to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Oregon State Beavers on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 8 pm PST.

SJSU loses heartbreaker on the road against UNLV, 38-35

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateFB

By Ana Kieu

After a bye week, San Jose State football headed to the desert to take on the UNLV Rebels on Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium. SJSU had hoped to bounce back following a tough 42-40 loss at Hawaii on Saturday, Nov. 9. Sadly, that didn’t happen for the Spartans.

UNLV took an early 7-0 lead on a short touchdown run. SJSU’s Bailey Gaither made a nice grab and the Spartans were in the redzone for the eventual touchdown, courtesy of DeJon Packer, who plowed it in for the touchdown. However, the extra point was no good, so the Spartans settled for the 6 points to cut the Rebels’ lead to 7-6.

The Spartan offense made a great scoring drive, but it was soon silenced by UNLV. The Rebels turned a pair of deflected pass interceptions into touchdowns for a 21-6 lead midway through the second quarter.

SJSU trailed 21-6 at halftime. The Spartans looked to mount a second half rally, but came up just short in the end.

SJSU scored 22 points in the third quarter compared to UNLV’s 3 points. DeJon Packer chipped away at the Rebels’ lead using a 65-yard catch and run. The Spartans made it a 1 score game, thanks to a Packer touchdown and a 2-point conversion. The Spartans trailed 21-14 midway through the third. The Rebels tacked on a long field goal, keeping the Spartans down by 6 in the third.

SJSU had the ball, which led to Tre Webb making a huge play and wrestling the ball away from the Rebel receiver for a turnover. The play was under review and the call stood. Spartan ball at the 1st and 10 and the UNLV 23-yard line. The Spartans tacked on another touchdown when Jack Snyder pulled off the catch and score late in the third. Then, the Spartans took the lead over the Rebels.

UNLV, however, scored 14 points in the fourth quarter compared to SJSU’s 3 points. The Spartans trailed by 3 midway through the fourth, but persevered as Tre Walker made an incredible catch in the endzone to help the Spartans to another lead. Then, SJSU was back in front, 35-31, thanks to an amazing pitch and catch from Josh Love to Tre Walker. Walker had himself a day with 11 catches, 123 yards and 1 touchdown.

The defense got a stop late in the fourth, UNLV punted and SJSU looked to add to its lead with a little over four minutes left in the game. A huge gain allowed the Spartans to be in the Rebels’ redzone. The Spartans converted a third down inside the 10 as they trailed by 3. Then, a batted ball led to a UNLV interception so the Rebels kneeled out the clock and won 38-35.

SJSU wraps up the regular season at home versus arch-rival Fresno State on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 pm PST.

Sharks Sink Islanders 2-1 in OT; Loss Snaps Isles’ 5-game Win Streak

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photo from sfgate: San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture, right rear, is congratulated by left wing Evander Kane (9) and defenseman Brent Burns, front right, after scoring against the New York Islanders during overtime in an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. The Sharks won 2-1.

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks beat the New York Islanders 2-1 in overtime Saturday. Marcus Sorensen and Logan Couture scored for San Jose, while Martin Jones made 27 saves for the win. Casey Cizikas scored for New York and Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves in the loss.

“We didn’t help ourselves tonight by getting in the box but we still found way and I thought it was a pretty gutsy effort,” said Sharks Head Coach Peter DeBoer. That was in reference to the six penalties in a row that the Sharks had to kill for the win. Sharks forward Evander Kane said: “We killed a lot tonight, let’s be honest. I mean we did a great job with the penalty kill and Joner was fantastic in stopping, some key saves there in some real dangerous scoring areas.”

The New York Islanders are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, with just one road loss before Saturday’s game. Asked whether that added value to the win, Logan Couture said: “The big thing was, I mean we saw all the teams around us before the game, they won. So we wanted to keep pace. You know, we’re right in it now, after a horrendous start. We’ve given ourselves an opportunity to make a push here and collect some more points. I think that’s enough motivation right there.”

A scoreless first period was marked by speed and offense from the Sharks as they out-shot the Islanders 8-1 in the first seven minutes of play. By the end of the period, the Sharks had an advantage in shots 13-7 and had won 73% of the face-offs. Barclay Goodrow won five of those face-offs and lost none. Each team took a penalty, each team killed one. The Sharks had four shots during their power play, the Islanders had none.

The second period started with a fight 37 seconds in, between Brenden Dillon and Casek Cizikas after a hit on Mario Ferraro.

Almost seven minutes in, Martin Jones had to make a save on a breakaway by Brock Nelson before the rest of his team arrived to help defend the zone. They made quick work of that and went the other way with Mario Ferraro and Marcus Sorensen attacking two on one. Ferraro’s pass bumped almost gently off of Sorensen’s stick and around Semyon Varlamov. Assists went to Ferraro and Joe Thornton.

Less than 30 seconds later, New York tied it up with a goal from Casey Cizikas. Adam Pelech’s shot went off of Cizikas’s body as he fought Brent Burns for position in front of the net. Assists went to Pelech and Ryan Pulock.

The Sharks challenged the goal for goaltender interference. The replay did look a good deal like the disallowed goal in Las Vegas Thursday, but the only contact with Jones was Brent Burns’ stick as Cizikas pushed his way through it. The goal was upheld and the Sharks were shorthanded but killed the penalty. They killed another at 12:08 when Lukas Radil was called for tripping Scott Mayfield. And another at 16:42, when Kevin Labanc was called for slashing Anthony Beauvillier. Over the course of those four power plays, the Islanders got credit for four shots.

Over the period, the Islanders had ten shots and the Sharks had only six. In the face-off circle, their dominance dwindled to 58%.

The Islanders were back on the power play early in the third period. This time it was Patrick Marleau in the box for tripping Scott Mayfield. This time the Islanders brought some real pressure to bear, getting three shots on goal and spending very little time retrieving the puck in their own end. The Islanders had another chance at 12:26, their sixth power play in a row, when Kevin Labanc went to the box for tripping.

In the third period, the Islanders out-shot the Sharks 11-5 but the game remained tied. The Sharks had some time to recover from the endless penalty kills during the pre-overtime break.

Exactly half way through overtime, Evander Kane picked up a drifting puck that Brent Burns left behind. He had to battle for possession but he got it and eventually found Logan Couture in front of the net for a game-winning shot.

The Sharks finished the game with a 53% winning percentage and the Islanders had 28 shots to the Sharks’ 26.

The Sharks next play on Monday in Los Angeles against the Kings at 7:30 PM PT.