Chevan Cordeiro completed 16 of 26 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns in San José State’s 35-0 shutout road win over the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa on Saturday night.
Spartans’ (4-5, 3-2 MWC) running back Kairee Robinson rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Nick Nash caught six passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns.
Saturday’s win was the first shutout win in the Brent Brennan era and was the first time Hawaiʻi (2-7, 0-4 MWC) has been shutout since 1998.
“This was an awesome win for our football team coming over here,” said SJSU head coach Brent Brennan. “We made some big plays, throwing and catching the ball. I thought Chevan was brilliant. It was a fantastic win and we feel great about it.”
Cordeiro threw his first touchdown pass with five minutes left in the second quarter on an eight-yard throw to Nash in the left corner of the end zone to put SJSU up 14-0.
After Robinson punched in a two-yard rush on the Spartans’ final possession of the second quarter, SJSU went into the halftime break up 21-0.
Robinson struck again in the third quarter when he took a handoff 52 yards to the house to put the Spartans up 28-0. The third quarter touchdown was the longest touchdown rush of Robinson’s career.
With the lead already secured, Brennan inserted the team’s backups on SJSU’s final drive of the game.
Saturday’s game marked the first time Cordeiro played in Hawaiʻi since transferring in 2022. Cordeiro’s family bought upwards of 30 tickets to celebrate his return to his hometown.
“When I come home for break, I really only get to see my parents, grandparents and my two brothers,” Cordeiro said. “I never really get to see my other family and it was good just playing in front of them like the old days. Growing up in Hawaiʻi, family is everything, and knowing that this is my last time playing here, it was emotional for me.”
Robinson also got two touchdowns closer to breaking the SJSU single season rushing touchdown record held by Johnny Johnson (1988) and Deoncé Whitaker (2000) who each had 15.
SJSU will have a bye week before the Spartans are scheduled to play Fresno State on Nov. 11 at CEFCU Stadium. The Bulldogs defeated the University of Nevada, Las Vegas 31-24 on Saturday and gave the Rebels their first loss since Week 2.
