By Aaron Johnson (@voz_aaron1) – Spear Reporter | Senior wide receiver Nick Nash celebrates in the endzone after scoring a touchdown (photo by Nick Orozco Co-Executive Editor of The Spear)
It was third-and-2 on Stanford’s own 23 yard line with a 31-27 lead and 2:45 left in the game. If the Cardinal (3-9, 2-6 ACC) were able to get a first down it could have been the final nail in the coffin for a Spartans (7-5, 3-4 MW) loss.
Instead, junior quarterback Ashton Daniels threw an ill-advised pass that fell in the hands of SJSU junior defensive back Isiah Revis.
“On third and short my eyes just went to the nearest passing threat and I see he’s running up the field,” Revis said. “Once I’m on top of his route I turn my head back and see the quarterback is passing it. I see his ball in the air right in front of me and I just lay out for it.”
The decision made by the Cardinal came as a surprise to the Spartans defense.
“I was thinking they were going to run the ball and run the clock out to get the first down,” junior defensive back DJ Harvey said. “But they tried us and Revis capitalized.”
SJSU would not pass up on this chance to respond and following the turnover junior quarterback Walker Eget would find sophomore wide receiver TreyShun Hurry for an 18-yard touchdown. This brought the score to the final of a 34-31 win for the Spartans.
Hurry would be the team’s second leading receiver with four receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown.
“(Hurry) is someone who makes big plays,” Eget said. “He doesn’t get the same recognition as someone like Lockhart or Nash but he made the play of the game. He’s never phased by anything.”
Eget finished the game with 385 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.
Senior wide receiver Nick Nash became the Spartans single season record holder for receiving touchdowns with 16 as he caught two in the second quarter. Nash finished the game with eight receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns.
“It was awesome seeing that during the game,” Nash said. “It’s a huge accomplishment and a testament to how hard all of us have worked this season.”
Nick Nash catches the ball for touchdown number 16 on the season, a school record | photo by Nick Orozco (Co-Executive Editor of The Spear)
While Nash and senior wide receiver Justin Lockhart have garnered the most attention this season, this game showed SJSU spreading the ball out in the passing game more than any other week.
Five players totaled over 40 yards receiving with them being Nash (92, 2TD), Hurry (71, 1TD), senior wide receiver Sebastian Macaluso (62), sophomore wide receiver Matthew Coleman (52) and Lockhart (48, 1TD).
“Guys are going to get open, it’s just getting them the ball to make plays,” Eget said. “That’s the biggest thing because this offense is really explosive.”
While the result was in the Spartans favor, it did not always look like they would come on top.
On the second play of the fourth quarter Eget fumbled the football and it was picked up by junior offensive lineman Peseti Lupuaho. Instead of going down, Lupuaho tried to run forward and then was hit, lost the ball and Stanford would recover the ball in the Spartans endzone for a touchdown making the score to 27-24 with SJSU still with the lead.
“(The offensive line) does not work on ball security at all during the week so if you get into one of those situations you have to get down,” head coach Ken Niumatalolo said.
The next drive the Spartans drove all the way down to the Stanford 14-yard line where Eget would throw an interception on a pass intended for Nash in the end zone.
“It just took all the life out of us,” Niumatalolo said. “There’s a lot of ebbs and flows of the game, with a credit to our young men we just keep fighting.”
The Cardinal drove down the field and scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Daniels bringing the score to 31-27 in favor of Stanford.
Lockhart had a 75-yard touchdown called back on an intelligible receiver downfield call on sophomore offensive lineman Joseph Harbert in the first quarter negating what would have given the Spartans their first lead of the game.
Freshman kicker Mathias Brown had two penalties for kicking the ball out of bounds on a kickoff, bringing Stanford to good field position on two different drives.
It was a sloppy win but it was the seventh victory for the Spartans which strengthens their chances to get a bowl game.
Freshman running back Lamar Radcliffe was the Spartans leading rusher on the game with 43 yards on seven carries. This was the most action Radcliffe has seen all season.
With the regular season under wraps, the Spartans now wait for word on what bowl game they will be playing in and the win wraps up the first year for the Spartans under Niumatalolo.
“I love these guys, I’m so grateful to be here,” Niumatalolo said. “It doesn’t feel like work to me, it’s been a pleasure coaching these guys.
