San Jose State QB David Fales Has A Huge First Half

Sep 21, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; San Jose State Spartans quarterback David Fales (10) looks on after throwing an incomplete pass in the first quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium. David Fales threw two touchdown passes in the first half. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

One could say San Jose State quarterback David Fales’ first half performance against Minnesota was OK. The Spartan senior completed 12-of-16 pass attempts for 294 yards and two touchdowns. That’s an absurd 24.5 yards per completion, and a pace approaching 600 yards.

The Golden Gophers responded to Fales’ aerial assault with a consistent and multidimensional run game. Quarterback Mitch Leidner ran for two touchdowns and David Cobb punched in one. The duo accounted for 153 of the Gophers’ 200 first half rushing yards, and their end-zone jaunts gave Minnesota a 20-17 halftime lead.

The juxtaposition of offensive philosophies makes for an intriguing contest, and likely an exciting second half. San Jose State failed to capitalize on numerous opportunities, leaving three consecutive red zone opportunities with just three points.

On the first, Spartan head coach Ron Caragher called for a fourth down conversion attempt that was snuffed out. On the subsequent possession, Fales hooked up with Chandler Jones for a 32-yard deep in Golden Gopher territory, but Minnesota’s De’Vondre Campbell made an aggressive play on the ball to force the turnover.

Jones made up for the turnover by catching each of Fales’ touchdown passes: the first for 76 yards, and the second a laser beam from 32 yards.

Last season, David Fales completed over 72 percent of his pass attempts and scored 33 touchdowns.