By Haddy Barghouti (HB_SportsBeat) – Spear Reporter | Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Danny Scudero catches the ball and gains yards after the catch during San Jose State’s 16–14 loss to Central Michigan on Friday, August 29. (Photo by Alexis Corona-Aguilar – The Spear)
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Danny Scudero had a bright debut for SJSU, posting a career-high performance with nine catches for 189 yards and a touchdown.
Scudero had nearly 50 yards more than his previous career high of 140 against UC Davis last season. He almost outgained the entire Spartan offense, as he had 189 out of the team’s 383 yards.
“We should be extremely grateful for Danny, he’s a big-time player,” Redshirt Senior quarterback Walker Eget said. “We finally got to see what he can do on a big stage and can’t wait to see what he does the rest of the season.”
Eget connected with Scudero for a 45-yard touchdown early in the third quarter, giving the Spartans their first lead of the season while he and junior wide receiver Leland Smith accounted for the team’s only touchdowns of the day.
“My teammates and my coaches, the energy on the sideline, it’s great despite the loss, everybody battled to the end, and this is just a team you want to play for,” Scudero said. “You got great coaches from the top down and you don’t want to come off the field with these guys.”
Scudero’s 189 receiving yards ranked third in the nation through Week One, behind only UNLV’s Jaden Bradley with 256 and Wyoming’s Chris Durr Jr., who had 190.
“Everything he did wasn’t a surprise; he’s been doing that, we knew what he could do,” head coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “Awesome kid, great kid, and you know, the season’s only going to get better for him.”
For Scudero, it was also a special homecoming moment for him, returning to his hometown of San Jose after playing for Sacramento State for two years and in front of a crowd with all kinds of family and friends.
“My parents were able to come out to the game but the loss strings, so I’d rather walk out of here with the win, but I gotta turn the page,” Scudero said.
Scudero’s breakout game could solidify him as Eget’s top target after starting just four games at Sacramento State last season.
“We all put in a lot of work, and I’m just glad that we were able to see a glimpse of it, but we’re gonna fine-tune everything and get back out there and grow from this experience,” Scudero said.
Scudero looks to build on his season next week as the Spartans travel to Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium to take on Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns on Saturday at 9 a.m. Pacific Time.
