Alex Stoev
San José State University starting quarterback Walker Eget (5) prepares to take a snap against Stanford’s defense on Saturday. SJSU lost the game 30-29.
The San José State football team is still searching for its first road win of the season, falling to Stanford 30-29 on Saturday afternoon after a dramatic finish.
The Spartans loss came on a game-winning touchdown by Stanford running back Sedrick Irvin, who ran it in with just 19 seconds remaining to seal the Cardinal victory in the Bill Walsh Legacy Game.
With the result, San José State drops to 1-3 while Stanford improves to 2-3.
The Spartans have now lost their last nine games at Stanford, and with this defeat, the all-time series sits at 53-15-1 in favor of the Cardinal.
SJSU now has to wait a bit longer for another road win at Stanford, as its last victory there was in 2000.
SJSU had held a 26-14 lead entering the fourth quarter, and traveling Spartans fans made some noise chanting “Let’s go Spartans” after sophomore wide receiver Danny Scudero’s 5-yard touchdown reception.
However, Stanford responded with two unanswered touchdowns, outscoring the Spartans 16-3 in the final quarter to complete the comeback.
Despite the loss, Scudero finished with 11 receptions, 135 yards and two touchdowns, marking his third game this season with over 130 receiving yards.
Scudero now ranks third in the nation in receiving yards with 514, trailing only Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell II and USC’s Makai Lemon.
The Spartans’ receiving corps continued to shine, as three players surpassed 100 receiving yards in the game.
Alongside Scudero, junior wide receivers Kyri Shoels recorded 147 yards and Leland Smith recorded 101 yards.
This was the first time since 2013 that the Spartans had three players reach 100 receiving yards in a single game.
It wasn’t just the receivers who shone, senior quarterback Walker Eget also set a career high with 473 passing yards, marking his first game this season without a turnover.
“I think the offense, everyone was doing their job, we were all working together. We said this could be a really dangerous offense. I thought offensively we put out a big game; we just gotta finish it,” Eget said.
The Spartans gained a season-high 524 total yards on offense, but their defense also allowed a season-worst 481 yards, as the Cardinal moved the ball effectively throughout the game.
Senior linebacker Taniela Latu remained positive on his defensive end, recording one sack and forcing a fumble late in the first quarter, which was recovered by senior defensive lineman Gafa Faga.
Latu said the Spartans strayed from their game plan at times but stressed it’s not time to panic.
“We just need to put a complete game together on both sides of the ball,” he said. “We’ll watch the film and come back ready to work next week.”
SJSU head coach Ken Niumatalolo acknowledged that the Spartans had opportunities to close out the game on both sides of the ball.
“We got to find ways to make some plays on defense, get people off the field, and we had some chances to put them away,” Niumatalolo said. “Missing that field goal at the end of the half killed us, obviously miss one later on, make those we’re not having this discussion.”
The Spartans experienced a familiar setback as senior kicker Denis Lynch missed two field goals for the third time this season after making his first two attempts in this game.
This time, he missed from 28 and 29 yards, dropping his season total to 4 of 10.
SJSU was one play away, but on 4th and 10, the Cardinal converted their second fourth down of the game, making them 2 for 3, on a 34-yard pass from senior quarterback Ben Gulbranson to junior receiver Caden High, who was left wide-open.
SJSU is scheduled to begin conference play this Friday when it hosts the University of New Mexico at CEFCU Stadium at 7 p.m.