Walker Eget threw for 385 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winning 18-yard strike to TreyShun Hurry with 1:55 left in the game, as San Jose State ended the regular season Friday with a 34-31 nonconference win over visiting Stanford.
Hurry adjusted to an underthrown back-shoulder ball in the front-left corner of the end zone, capping a three-play drive. It started at the Cardinal 37 after Isiah Revis made a diving interception of Ashton Daniels’ third-down pass over the middle.
Eget completed 33 of 49 passes with an interception for the Spartans (7-5), who await their bowl destination. His favorite target, as usual, was Nick Nash, who had eight catches for 91 yards and two scores. Nash, a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award given to the nation’s best receiver, ended the regular season with 104 receptions and 16 touchdowns.
Daniels hit 26 of 40 passes for 252 yards with a score and three interceptions for Stanford (3-9) while rushing for 91 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. His 1-yard run with 7:39 remaining gave the Cardinal a 31-27 edge.
But Stanford mistakes were the deciding factor. It not only lost the turnover battle 3-2 but committed 10 penalties for 115 yards.
Stanford initiated scoring at the 5:49 mark of the first quarter when Emmet Kenney connected on a 24-yard field goal to cap a drive of just over seven minutes. The Cardinal reached the 10 earlier in the drive but false start and holding penalties kept them out of the end zone.
San Jose State got its passing game going for 17 points in the second quarter. Eget connected with Nash for touchdown passes of 20 and 2 yards in less than four minutes, giving the Spartans a 14-3 lead with 5:25 left.
Stanford got into the end zone for the first time with 42 seconds remaining on Daniels’ 12-yard strike to Emmett Mosley V, but San Jose State took the momentum and three more points to the half. Kyler Halvorsen connected from 45 yards as time expired, making it 17-10 at the break.
–Field Level Media