By: Javen Takhar (@javentakhar) – Spear Reporter | Leland Smith (left) and Danny Scudero (right) celebrate against Central Michigan (Alexis Corona-Aguilar – Spear Photographer)
Just after Halloween, the Spartans’ 3 Musketeers at receiver treated themselves to over 100 yards against the Rainbow Warriors on Saturday, Nov. 1.
Sophomore wide receiver Danny Scudero led the room with seven receptions and a season-high 215 receiving yards. He also brought in two explosive touchdowns, both from over 50 yards. This would mark his sixth game this season with over 100 receiving yards.
No SJSU receiver has reached the 200 yard mark since Nick Nash against Kennesaw State on Sept. 14, 2024.
After a physical game against Utah State on Oct. 17, the Spartans had the week off to recover and prepare for Hawaii.
“Definitely a blessing having that bye week right there,” Scudero said. “That’s just a testament to our strength and support staff.”
With the defensive focus on Scudero, the offense spreads to junior receiver Leland Smith and redshirt junior Kyri Shoels.
“He’s [Scudero] been doing an outstanding job, and you know teams are trying to target him and that really opens up the guys on the outside,” redshirt senior quarterback Walker Eget said.
Shoels finished the night with five receptions for 109 receiving yards, earning back-to-back 100 yard games. He hauled in a clutch 43-yard catch on 3rd-and-15 to set up a rushing touchdown from sophomore running back Lamar Radcliffe .
Smith tallied four receptions for 113 yards, racking up 74 after the catch. Eget found him short after a Hawaii touchdown to cut the game to three points, which he sprinted for a 42 yard gain.
“We knew those guys could play. We knew coming in that we probably might have one of the better receiving cores in the country,” SJSU head coach Ken Niumatalolo said.
This is the second time this season the Spartans have had three receivers over 100 yards, the last time being against Stanford on Sept. 27. This would also be the first time SJSU would have multiple games with three receivers over 100 yards since 2013.
“This group of receivers is all about, you know, hard work and knowing their part, just being able to do their job,” Eget said.
The great performances from Scudero, Shoels and Smith helped the Spartans get the well needed 45-38 win.
The trio will look to continue their conference play against Air Force at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, at CEFCU Stadium in San Jose, Calif.
