SAN JOSE — Saturday night’s 45-38 win over Hawaii breathed new life into a San Jose State season that was quickly fading. The Spartans (3-5, 2-2 Mountain West) not only captured their first win in nearly a month but are now back at .500 in conference play after winning the Dick Tomey Legacy Game for the fifth year in a row.
San Jose State had already absorbed four one-score losses this season and had blown fourth-quarter leads in three of their previous four games. But Saturday night at CEFCU Stadium, the Spartans were able to hold on and finish the job.
“Just being able to deliver and finish the game. That’s what we’ve been preaching the last two weeks,” said Spartans quarterback Walker Eget. “It really came to heart and came true.”
Hawaii (6-3, 3-2 Mountain West) entered the game with the fifth-ranked passing defense in the conference, but Eget threw for 458 yards and two touchdowns — both scores went to wide receiver Danny Scudero, who had a career-high 215 receiving yards. SJSU produced 630 total yards of offense in all.
The Spartans still need to win at least three of their final four regular-season games to become bowl eligible. A win over one of the top contenders—Hawaii was in third place entering the weekend—was a big confidence booster.
“To me, this win puts us back in the thick of things,” head coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “I feel like our league is wide open, we play a lot of the guys who are ahead of us, but we have to move on. It’s not time to pat ourselves on the back and celebrate.”
Up next for the Spartans are the bottom two teams in the conference standings: a home game against Air Force on Saturday, then a Nov. 15 game at Nevada, before ending the regular season at first-place San Diego State and a home game against rival Fresno State.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the Spartans’ victory:
### Air Superiority
Scudero had a career-high 215 receiving yards and two long touchdowns (50 and 62 yards). But Scudero, who leads the FBS with 1,085 receiving yards and is second in the nation with 10 receiving touchdowns, wasn’t the only Spartan receiver to have a big day. Kyri Shoels (109 yards) and Leland Smith (113 yards) also went over the 100-yard mark, with receptions exceeding 40 yards each.
It was the second time this season that SJSU had three receivers go for over 100 yards receiving.
“There are so many options in this offense,” Scudero said. “The ‘Spread and Shred’ is definitely a fun offense to be a part of.”
Eget has thrown 268 consecutive passing attempts without an interception; his last interception came in SJSU’s 38-7 loss to Texas in the second game of the season.
“If Eget doesn’t play like that, we don’t win this game,” Niumatalolo said. “He settled down and played lights out.”
### Defensive Struggles Continue
A recurring theme for the defense this season has been its struggles to close out games and miscommunications leading to big plays. SJSU allowed 24 points in the second half on Saturday, including a 68-yard touchdown reception by Jackson Harris on a broken coverage.
“I think we got hesitant because we got beat on a deep ball,” Niumatalolo said. “We got to clean some stuff up.”
Warriors quarterback Micah Alejado was 31 of 46 for 367 yards and three touchdowns against the conference’s eleventh-ranked pass defense (out of 12 teams). Hawaii converted nine of its 14 third-down attempts.
SJSU has allowed 28 or more points in seven straight games.
On the positive side, the Spartans forced four three-and-outs and recovered a fumble that helped swing momentum in their favor.
“In (defensive coordinator) Odum’s Friday meeting, he asked guys ‘what do we need to do to win,’” Niumatalolo said. “One kid said ‘play with some freaking confidence,’ and to me that’s the best answer. It was great to finally get a close win and hopefully that catapults us to the next one.”
### Running Wild
The Spartans have put up big numbers in offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann’s “Spread and Shred” offense, but have struggled to find a consistent running game. It didn’t help when Jabari Bates suffered a season-ending injury during the loss to Stanford, and Floyd Chalk IV, the team’s leading rusher in 2024, opted to redshirt last month and possibly enter the transfer portal.
However, Lamar Radcliffe and Steve Chavez-Soto have blossomed with the increased workload. The tandem combined for 20 carries for 150 yards and four touchdowns against Hawaii, three of those by Chavez-Soto. Radcliffe’s 97 rushing yards were a career-high.
“Hopefully that sends a message that we aren’t just some fluff team that just throws the ball,” Niumatalolo said. “We are a physical team too.”
Radcliffe averaged seven yards a carry, with his longest run going for 25 yards. Both Radcliffe (6-foot-1, 215 pounds) and Chavez-Soto (6-foot, 205 pounds) have great size, speed and are tough to bring down.
“They’re hard runners. For those guys to continuously take those hits and get back up,” Eget said, “I can never imagine playing running back, those guys are men. It’s great to watch them out there.”
https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/11/02/san-jose-state-mountain-west-hawaii-bowl-scudero-eget-tomey/
