It was a tale of two teams going in different directions.
San Diego State dropped their fourth game in a row Saturday, falling to San Jose State 24-13 as the Spartans won their fifth straight.
The squad also remains in contention for a spot in the Mountain West title game as San Jose State (6-5, 5-2 MW) continued a dramatic turnaround from a 1-5 start.
The Aztecs (3-8, 1-6 MW) have experienced no such transformation, yet they were within reach of the Spartans late, trailing 17-10 as they continued a drive to start the fourth quarter.
Ten plays in, Jaylon Armstead ran for a 21-yard gain, and a personal foul penalty against San Jose State moved the Aztecs to the 16-yard line. Three plays later, he scored a touchdown on a 3-yard run only to have it called back due to a holding penalty.
SDSU had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Gabriel Plascencia to make it 17-13.
San Jose State, granted a reprieve, immediately responded with a six-play scoring drive highlighted by a 57-yard run by Quali Conley as the Spartans would go up 24-13 with five minutes to play.
The Aztecs’ last gasp ended as Jalen Mayden threw an interception, giving San Jose State the ball back with just over two minutes left.
Armstead ran for 134 yards and had a touchdown, while Mayden finished with 117 yards on 15-of-24 passing.
The Aztecs have one game left in the Brady Hoke era, their rivalry game against Fresno State (8-3, 4-3 MW). They’ll host the contest, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 25 at Snapdragon Stadium.