SAN JOSE — After an optimistic debut, freshman quarterback Daniel Rolovich makes his second straight start on Saturday as San Jose State tries to snap a road losing streak that began in 2002.
The Spartans (4-3, 2-1 Mountain West) haven’t won at Nevada’s Mackay Stadium since a sophomore quarterback named Marcus Arroyo helped lead SJSU to a 49-30 win over the Wolf Pack on Oct. 21, 2000. That was 12 visits ago, and a breakthrough on Saturday in Reno would go a long way in keeping these Spartans in the hunt for the Mountain West championship as well as getting them one step closer to becoming bowl eligible.
“It’s definitely a huge game for us in terms of our goals for the whole season, and we have to win it. Nevada also has to win too; it’s a must-win for both of us,” San Jose State coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “Having been there last year and a couple other times in my career, it’s a tough place to play, so we’ve got to find a way to get our team ready to play.”
San Jose State quarterback Daniel Rolovich (5) throws at SJSU’s first training camp football practice on the practice field at San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Nevada (2-4, 1-2 MW) has lost four of its past five games, the lone win a 30-13 victory three weeks ago at UTEP.
Rolovich took over last week after senior Luke Weaver was benched. He didn’t learn of his promotion until pregame warmups, but handled business in a 24-11 win at UTEP. Rolovich got off to a slow start, but completed 12 of 23 attempts for 193 yards and threw one touchdown. He also didn’t throw an interception.
“I thought the first drive he was just going in there and missed some throws, but he put the ball down and bounced off people as he ran and made two big-time deep ball throws,” Niumatalolo said. “It kind of shows who he is; he’s not afraid. A freshman coming in, playing on the road, I thought he played tremendously.”
Rolovich is the son of Cal assistant head coach Nick Rolovich. SJSU offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann and Nick Rolovich worked together from 2016-2019 at the University of Hawaii, where Rolovich was the head coach from 2016-19. The two coaches’ connection helped the Spartans land the younger Rolovich, a three-star quarterback who threw for 2,435 yards and 28 touchdowns at Novato’s San Marin High School.
Rolovich threw a touchdown pass on San Jose State’s first drive of the game at UTEP and led 7-0 at halftime, but as the teams returned to the field for the second half, Stutzmann pulled Rolovich aside and told him, “‘The reason why you’re starting is because you can cut it loose,’ and I know a bunch of Roloviches, and I know those guys can cut it loose. Show me you’re a Rolovich.”
The freshman guided San Jose State two touchdowns on their first two series of the second half and they kicked a field goal early in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Miners for good. The Spartans have emphasized improving their offense by attacking with explosive pass plays, and against UTEP, Rolovich threw SJSU’s longest play of the season: a 63-yard pass to wide receiver Carson Clark on their first series of the second half.
San Jose State quarterback Daniel Rolovich throws a pass during a game against UTEP on Oct. 17, 2026 at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. (Courtesy of San Jose State Athletics)
In addition to another week of practice for Rolovich as the starter, the Spartans’ offense will get back running back Jabari Bates, who missed last week’s game because of injury. Bates leads the Mountain West, averaging 92.6 yards per game.
Running back Viliami Teu had a standout performance in the win over UTEP, rushing for 156 yards and two touchdowns in place of Bates. Teu may see an increased role against the Wolf Pack defense, which allows 183 rushing yards per game.
“What (Viliami) was able to do Saturday night built a lot of trust in not just the coaches but also players. We see now that we got two really good dynamic backs,” Stutzmann said.
SJSU’s defense, which comes off an 11-sack performance against UTEP, will have its work cut out for it against a dominant Nevada rushing attack.
Wolf Pack running backs Dominic Kelley and Herschel Turner Jr. are both top 6 in the conference in rushing yards.
With Nevada quarterback Carter Jones missing last week’s game due to injury, backup quarterback AJ Bianco got injured in place of Jones. The Wolf Pack starting quarterback entering this game is in question.