SAN JOSE – Stanford will have to wait another season for that elusive fourth win.
San Jose State scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:55 remaining to win the Bill Walsh Legacy Game 34-31 at CEFCU Stadium.
With the loss, Stanford finished 3-9 for the fourth straight season.
Ashton Daniels threw for 252 yards and ran for a game-high 91 yards but had three interceptions, including one at the Stanford 38 with 2:39 left that set up the winning score. He also had the ball slip out of his hands on fourth-and-6 from the Stanford 43 with 1:08 to play on the Cardinal’s final possession.
The Cardinal trailed 27-17 entering the fourth quarter when the defense created a score against the Spartans (7-5). David Bailey stripped quarterback Walker Eget and the ball was picked up by offensive lineman Peseti Lapuaho, but Gaethan Bernadel forced another fumble that was recovered by Jahsiah Galvin in the end zone.
Cardinal cornerback Colin Wright intercepted Eget on the goal line and returned the ball 46 yards on SJSU’s next drive, leading to a touchdown run by Daniels that gave Stanford a 31-27 lead with 7:39 left.
But the Stanford defense, which ranked 127th out of 133 FBS teams in passing yards allowed (271.1), couldn’t stop the Spartans from regaining the lead. Eget finished 30 of 46 for 348 yards.
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Elic Ayomanor had season highs of 10 catches and 109 yards, and freshman Emmett Mosley V had seven catches for 101 yards and a score for Stanford.
The Cardinal won its first-ever ACC game at Syracuse and beat a ranked Louisville team at Stanford Stadium, but its only other win was against FCS opponent Cal Poly.