Despite having a quick hook on quarterback Carter Jones and using three players at the position in Saturday’s 51-14 loss to Utah State on Saturday, Jones is expected to remain the Wolf Pack’s starter this week against San Jose State.

Nevada head coach Jeff Choate said he’s going to ride with the team’s true freshman quarterback, who completed 1-of-6 passes for minus-1 yard and two interceptions in the loss to the Aggies. Jones was pulled after five series.

“My motivation in that moment was less about whether I thought Carter was going to be able to go out and continue to play and whether I had trust and confidence in him and it was more about I want to make sure this young kid doesn’t go to a place mentally where he’s lost confidence,” Choate said. “And I’ve had multiple conversations with Carter about that, and I have total confidence in his ability to rebound and lead this team this week.”

A.J. Bianco replaced Jones and completed 6-of-11 passes for 43 yards while rushing three times for minus-8 yards. He was eventually pulled after suffering a hand injury. Chubba Purdy also saw time at quarterback and led both of Nevada’s scoring drives. He completed 3-of-7 passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 10 times for a team-best 45 yards. Purdy also had a fumble on the Utah State 1-yard line after being hit while reaching for the end zone on a scramble.

Each of those players have started games for Nevada this season with Jones getting the most recent four starts. This season, he’s completed 60 percent of his passes for 660 yards with three touchdowns and eight interceptions. In his four starts, Jones has one touchdown pass and seven interceptions. Choate said the turnover issues, which also have plagued Purdy, need to be corrected.

“I think there’s two things,” Choate said. “One is us staying on schedule. The first interception that he threw this year was against Fresno State on a (read-pass option). Ball was tipped, guy made a play. First interception he threw (Saturday) night was the same thing. So, understanding that I may have to adjust my arm slot, right? That’s not a decision. He’s going where he’s supposed to go with the ball. And even his second interception, that was exactly where he was supposed to go with the ball based on the fact they had an up front, looked like they were playing Cover 0, he had to throw hot because it wasn’t going to be protected. A good call by them. They dropped the edge man on the line of scrimmage.”

Choate said continuing to play Jones over the final three games of the season will be beneficial in the long run.

“If there’s a silver lining here, this kid does learn,” Choate said. “He’s a sharp young man. But when you haven’t seen that (look) before, how do you respond? Well, ‘Hey, I made a mistake. Now the next time I see that, I’m going to be prepared for plan B,’ so to speak. We’ve got to do a better job of running the ball consistently because that takes pressure off of him, staying on schedule, doing things he does well within the offense, not asking him to get out of character, and I hate to say it. Nobody wants to hear this. But some of that stuff’s just friggin’ bad luck.”

Despite Jones’ struggles thus far in his career, Choate said he remains all-in on the quarterback.

“I believe in Carter,” Choate said. “I feel like this kid is going to be an exceptional player, and we’re working through some growing pains right now.”