There were some bumps along the way but San Jose State’s persistence allowed it to outlast Eastern Michigan 27-21 in a game that went down to the wire on Friday night.

It helped that the Spartans had strong performances in nearly every phase of the game – they piled up 453 yards on offense while also allowing just 281 yards on the road to the Eagles.

The Spartans proved to be clutch after entering the fourth quarter trailing 21-17.

“Our guys still fought back. Things looked bleak, and our guys just continued to keep fighting in spite of all the odds that we had to go against,” San Jose State head coach Ken Niumatalolo said.

Here are some takeaways from the Spartans’ nail-biting victory:

Hoch and Bates deliver career games 

Wide receiver Cooper Hoch had a career night, recording his first 100-plus-yard game with 115 receiving yards, and catching his first two career touchdowns. He also secured a 51-yard career-long reception.

Hoch has quickly proven to be a serious deep threat, averaging 23 yards per catch through two games this season. His ability to get open downfield is a staple of SJSU offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann’s ‘spread and shred’ scheme.

If this pace continues, Hoch will have the opportunity to be a big factor in SJSU’s offense as the team continues to feel the void left by former Spartans receiver Danny Scudero, who transferred to Colorado.

Spartans running back Jabari Bates also enjoy his best game as a collegiate. He recorded his second career 100-plus-yard game on Friday. He finished with 119 rushing yards on 20 attempts and averaging six yards per carry.

Bates was the Spartans’ most consistent offensive player, having positive plays throughout the game and should be a key part of the offense in weeks to come.

SJSU’s defense stands strong 

The Spartans’ defense allowed just 14 points and forced EMU to go scoreless on its last seven drives.

SJSU’s defense put together a complete game as EMU averaged four yards per carry, boosted by Amareon Blue’s 50-yard touchdowns run just four minutes after halftime.

Besides that play, the Spartans forced the Eagles to go 3-of-16 on third-down conversions, and 1-of-4 on fourth-down conversions.

The defensive performance started with SJSU’s defensive line, which spent a majority of the night in EMU’s backfield.

Standout effort came from defensive lineman Etu Finau, who had a career-high six tackles; Justin Stearns, who had three quarterback hits and a tackle for loss; and Jeremiah Tuiileila, who had a 14-yard tackle for loss.

Linebacker Dylan Lee set the tone, leading the team with nine tackles as well as grabbing the game-sealing interception.

SJSU’s secondary held its own, only allowing EMU quarterback Noah Kim to throw for 174 passing yards. Kim also struggled with accuracy while completing just 24 of 43 attempts. Still, the unit wasn’t able to capitalize on all of their opportunities – a couple of would-be interceptions by the Spartans were dropped.

“Bojay (Filimoeatu) did a phenomenal job in having our guys ready. I thought he and the whole defense bounced back,” Niumatalolo said. “Dylan Lee and Nas Danielson, our inside linebackers, played great. I thought our corners did some good things.”

SJSU shows clutch gene 

Last season, the Spartans suffered four one-score losses because of late-game defensive miscues and missed field goals.

In the Spartans’ first opportunity to make up for those mistakes, they certainly did. Newly acquired transfer kicker Trajan Sinatra went 2-for-2. The ex-Idaho State kicker was good from 45 and 49 yards — his 49-yarder with 1:37 left in the game provided the Spartans with a 6-point lead.

When it was time for the defense to make a stop, it did, with Lee’s interception and EMU’s final possession ending with four consecutive incompletions to force a turnover on downs.

“The whole time we were just thinking to keep fighting. We knew it was going to be a hard, tough-fought game,” Lee said. We just went out there and gave it our all every play, and it worked out.”

SJSU will return to San Jose for its home opener against Cal Poly SLO at 6 p.m on Sept. 12 at CEFCU Stadium