San Jose State QB Kenny Potter to test UNLV defense

Both starting quarterbacks in Saturday’s game between UNLV and San Jose State are capable of making big plays. Look no further than ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays for proof of that.

Rebels redshirt freshman Dalton Sneed made the highlights Oct. 1 when, in his first collegiate start, he turned a near safety into a 91-yard touchdown run during a 45-20 win over Fresno State at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Spartans senior quarterback Kenny Potter was showcased on ESPN during the offseason, when on May 5 he threw a football from the top row of CEFCU Stadium in San Jose, California, into a trash can on the field.

A video of his feat — which was accomplished wearing flip-flops — quickly went viral, with more than 100,000 views. The fun-loving Potter said it was a spur-of-the-moment thing and that he nailed the throw on his fifth or sixth try.

“We were just messing around,” he said. “Me and the quarterbacks were just kind of walking off the practice field and said, ‘You want to go up there and throw some balls and see if we can land it in a target?’ We saw the trash can, we tried it out, and one happened to go in. We got it on video, but we didn’t think it would go viral.”

Potter was the most accurate passer in the Mountain West last season, when he completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 1,964 yards and 15 touchdowns en route to earning honorable mention all-conference honors. He ranked 34th in the nation in passing efficiency (142.28 rating) and was named Most Valuable Player of the Cure Bowl after leading San Jose State to a 27-16 win over Georgia State.

Against UNLV last season, Potter went 30-for-48 for 329 yards and two touchdowns in the Spartans’ 33-27 overtime victory. The teams will meet at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at CEFCU Stadium.

His numbers are down this season — he has completed 58.5 percent of his passes for 1,252 yards and nine touchdowns and rushed for four scores. He has been under constant pressure, as the Spartans have allowed the most sacks in the country with 38.

“We’ve really struggled at protecting our quarterback. In all fairness to him, that’s a factor,” San Jose State coach Ron Caragher said. “He is a very athletic quarterback, so when the pressure’s on, you want an athlete to be able to run. We still believe in Kenny Potter.”

Potter, who ran for 415 yards and seven touchdowns last season, scored the game-winning touchdown Oct. 15 against UNR on a 3-yard run with 50 seconds left in a 14-10 victory. It’s one of two wins this season by the Spartans (2-6, 1-3).

“This isn’t the season we were expecting, but we’re going to see what kind of team we are coming down the stretch,” Potter said. “We know we’re a much better team than our record shows. If we put a full game together, we can beat anybody on our schedule.”

Potter has overcome adversity before. A three-sport star at San Pedro (California) High School, he tore ligaments in his ankle in the final volleyball game of his senior year, and the injury delayed the start of his college football career by a year.

“It was tough because I felt I could get a scholarship and get looked at by schools, then I got hurt and had to start all over,” he said. “I got through it by staying positive.”

Despite earning Los Angeles City Section Co-Offensive Player of the Year honors, Potter didn’t receive any college scholarship offers. He went the junior college route and transformed a Long Beach City College squad that was 0-10 the season before he arrived into a 9-2 team two years later.

“It always motivated me to not only prove people wrong but prove myself right, that I knew I could play at this level,” Potter said. “People looked past me, but I went to Long Beach City and drove myself to put in the work and time to get the scholarship offer I wanted.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.