Coach Tomey, San Jose seeking to upset NU

It was dramatic, heroic and a memory that will last a lifetime - particularly the lifetime of San Jose State junior quarterback Kyle Reed.

With 37 seconds left in the game and no time-outs left, Reed was sacked for a three-yard loss with the clock headed towards zero. The Spartans hurried back into an offensive formation.

Then it happened.

Reed found teammate and senior wide receiver Kevin Jurovich with some room in the end zone, and 17 yards later, SJSU was up 13-10 and held on for the comeback win over UC Davis after trailing 10-0 at half.

"I think that was my first time being able to rally my team together like that," Reed said. "The last two plays were very exciting for me. We were able to rally and my team supported me. I felt that they believed in me, which made me motivated to make a play for my team."

It was the first time Reed had played football in nearly 3 1/2 years.

It wasn't a bad night for the new face of the Spartans considering he went 14-of-18 through the air for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

One should also note that Reed ran for 28 yards on seven carries, 20 more than Western Michigan's rushing offense put up against Nebraska.

Reed transferred to San Jose State from the University of California-Berkeley after realizing his playing time would be extremely limited.

Reed was told by the Golden Bear coaching staff that he wouldn't even have a chance of seeing the field until his senior year, and even then, it would probably be a battle between him and another quarterback hopeful.

That wasn't good enough for Reed. He quickly left Cal and went to San Jose for a fresh start. Reed had to lose a year of eligibility because of NCAA regulations on transferring, but with one game - or half a game - under his belt, Reed says he knows this was the right decision.

Reed was just one of several transfers from Pac-10 Conference schools to choose San Jose as their new home.

"The team was very excited to have us as a part of their team," Reed said. "Coming from Cal, I was highly recruited at San Jose. They were the first people I called once I wanted to leave (Cal). They were excited I wanted to be a part of their team, and I knew I was going to have to earn my spot."

Reed did just that. Coming into this season, Reed was tabbed as the third-string quarterback in the spread offense of San Jose State. That quickly changed as the Spartan offense sputtered in the first half of the season-opener, and Reed was given his chance.

After capitalizing on the opportunity Reed is now the starter as his team heads to Lincoln this Saturday to take on Nebraska.

The Huskers will be the first collegiate opponent Reed will face as a starter, and he said the opponent doesn't really matter to him - he's just glad to start.

The junior quarterback did say, however, that he realizes the atmosphere he will be in this Saturday will be a little out of the ordinary.

"They have a rich heritage of great football, but I'm not looking at the name Nebraska or what they're about," Reed said. "I'm focused on preparing and getting myself to be the quarterback I need to be. It'll be loud and exciting, but where we play doesn't have anything to do with it. It could have been UC Davis, and I still would have been excited."

The excitement level will be up for Reed's opponent as well as NU is now 1-0 on the early season after a 47-24 win over Western Michigan. The first win in the Bo Pelini era has fans around Lincoln pumped up about the program again, but the opposing coach isn't a stranger to taking on the Huskers.

SJSU Coach Dick Tomey is preparing for his fourth career meeting with NU, and he knows what it takes to beat them - he did it back in 1998, a year after Nebraska's last national championship.

Tomey led the Arizona Wildcats then, and was able to knock off NU 23-20 in the Culligan Holiday Bowl.

It was a win that made Tomey the only Division I-A coach in the 1990s to beat both Nebraska and Miami in bowl games.

This is a coach who has faced Nebraska greats Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne and now gets to take a shot at Pelini.

Saturday's just another game.

"I've been (to Nebraska) many times to play," Tomey said. "I think our players will enjoy the environment just because Nebraska fans may be the best fans in college football. They help create a great environment. We have a lot of respect for their team. It looks like Coach Pelini has them going in the right direction."

It's a direction Tomey will be looking to change come Saturday, as he takes on NU for the fourth time as a head coach. Tomey's road record has been less than glamorous the last couple of years considering the Spartans only won one road game in 2007 and just two in 2006.

With the quick 1-0 start for SJSU, Tomey and the Spartans are hoping to make it a really quick start by going 2-0 - something they haven't done in over half a decade. Tomey is confident in his Spartans heading into the tough road game, and he says their first game might help them on Saturday more than many would expect.

"Obviously, we got ourselves in a hole in the game, but I firmly believe that winning a game like that will do our team more good for our psyche than winning 50-0," Tomey said. "All in all, it was a really gratifying evening, but we understand that we have to be a lot better this week for the chance to win. We are playing a much better football team."

spencerschubert@dailynebraskan.com