The San José State football team struggled offensively in their first road game of the season, falling 38-7 to the University of Texas on Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans faced Longhorns’ quarterback Arch Manning, a Heisman Trophy candidate, who finished the game with 318 yards and five total touchdowns, including one rushing score. All four of his passing touchdowns came in the first half.
SJSU knew they couldn’t afford any mistakes, as Texas entered the game as 37-point favorites. Turnovers were a key factor for the Spartans, who committed four in total, including an early interception by quarterback Walker Eget in the first quarter that was picked off by cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau.“I think looking back at this game, turnovers were something that sort of harmed us,” Eget said.“Especially against a team like Texas, it’s very hard to win when we’re giving them the ball a lot.”
The Longhorns’ defense made it difficult through the air, as Eget, who threw for 308 yards last week, was held to 188 yards on 21 of 42 passing.
An early missed 47-yard field goal by Spartans redshirt senior kicker Denis Lynch at the 10:22 mark kept the team scoreless. Lynch also missed a 50-yarder at the end of the second quarter, dropping him to 0-for-4 on field goals this season.
A few drives later, Texas took their first lead on an 83-yard touchdown pass from Manning to freshman wide receiver Parker Livingstone, who finished the game with two touchdown receptions.
The Spartans now have a total of seven turnovers through their first two games, nearly double of the four they committed in the same span last season.
Despite missed opportunities, Spartans head coach Ken Niumatalolo acknowledged the effort his team put in against a Texas squad that entered the season ranked No. 1 overall.
“I was proud of the effort our guys had,” Niumatalolo said. “They battled to the end, they didn’t quit, they were driving there at the end and we continued to keep battling.”
Eget’s two favorite targets on the day were wide receivers Kyri Shoels and Danny Scudero.
Shoels led the team with 73 receiving yards on eight receptions, while Scudero continued his hot start after a career game with 66 yards on seven catches.
This marks the first time in Scudero’s career that he has had seven or more catches in back-to-back games, according to a Sacramento State football webpage.
The Spartans got on the board at the 8:19 mark with a 4-yard rushing touchdown from junior running back Jabari Bates, who led the team with 44 yards on the ground.
SJSU’s defense made one of its biggest plays of the season by forcing the team’s first turnover. With 38 seconds left in the second quarter, Manning threw an interception to senior defensive back Jalen Apalit-Williams, who returned it 41 yards.
“The biggest thing was all the pressure, we wanted to confuse them,” Apalit-Williams said. “Play around with our coverages, make them think it’s one thing and then be another. At the end of the day, we gotta make sure to do our job because you don’t want to do too much.”
This interception marks Apalit-Williams’ first pick of the season. His previous interception came during the Spartans’ 24-14 victory over Wyoming on October 19, 2024.
“To play against the best of the best is a great opportunity to show people what you’re capable of, because at the end of the day we all grinded to get to the Division I level,” Apalit-Williams said.
SJSU appeared on ABC for the first time since October 21, 2006, when it faced the University of Nevada, Reno.
The Spartans are scheduled to head into its bye week before returning to CEFCU Stadium on Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. to face the University of Idaho.
