A win is a win, by any measure.

It was not the 41-7 thrashing of Saint Mary’s that was last year’s season opener, but Sac State opened this season with a 24-21 win to open this season’s campaign versus Saint Mary’s.

Behind the running of Charles Roberts, defense of Anthony Daisley, and kicking of Jimmy Sanchez, Sac State got the much anticipated 2000 season underway with a victory.

Roberts, who rushed for 219 yards in 27 carries, took the season’s first carry for 14 yards, and Ricky Ray hit senior Scott Towne for a 12-yard pass as the Hornets marched right through the Gaels on the game’s first drive. Roberts then mixed in a 28-yard run, before senior fullback Mike Wooster rammed in from two yards to make the score 7-0.

Saint Mary’s quarterback Gus Papanikolas then answered with a 40-yard run and a 30-yard touchdown pass to J.C. Serrano, tying the game at seven.

Shortly before the end of the first quarter, Roberts rattled off runs of 15 and 42 yards on consecutive plays, before he culminated the drive with a frenzied 21-yard touchdown gallop early in the second quarter. This gave Sac State a 14-7 advantage.

On the ensuing possession, the Hornets’ defense stepped up for Sac State. On third down and five from the Hornets 38-yard-line, senior defensive back Elton Gabourel, forced an incomplete pass with a vicious hit on the Gaels’ Leonard Harmon. This ended the Gaels’ march and gave the ball back to Sac State.

“We’ve been hearing, ‘let’s see what the defense does’,” offensive lineman Terence Wagner said about the other side of the ball. “Well, this week, it was defense.”

The next two drives by Sac State were slowed by penalties, as the Hornets were penalized 14 times for 153 yards on the day.

“I’m very disappointed with the penalties that took us out of the red zone,” said head coach John Volek. “We have got to clean that up.”

Despite the penalties, Sac State went into the half up 14-7, a lead that could have been larger. On the last play of the half, senior Lamont Webb was stopped five yards short of the goal on a fake field goal attempt.

“Earlier, there wasn’t anybody out there,” Webb said, on why the Hornets tried to go for quick six. “We thought we could catch them off guard.”

The second half started out the way the first did, only this time it was the Gaels who had the long, opening drive. Papanikolas topped it off with a 26-yard touch down strike to Eric Billeci, pulling his team within a point at 14-13. But the score remained in the Hornets favor as the Gaels botched the extra point attempt.

After a Roberts fumble, Saint Mary’s threatened, but its special teams failed again. Gaels’ kicker Brad Scheppler hit the cross bar on a 42-yard field goal attempt.

Sac State took advantage of the miscue with a 39-yard touchdown connection from Ray to Gary Austin Jr., only to have it called back because of a holding penalty. All was not lost though, as four plays later, Sanchez booted a 48-yard field goal, giving the Hornets a four point lead.

Head coach John Volek was especially impressed by the performance of Sanchez, a junior transfer from Sacramento City College.

“He made the field goal, they missed the field goal,” Volek said. “I’m very pleased with the way the special teams played.”

The Hornets held on to the 17-13 lead going into the fourth a quarter, with Roberts already at the 200 yard mark in rushing yards. The 200 yard marker, something Roberts surpasses quite often, is no longer a surprise for the running back’s teammates.

“I’m glad that that is,” Wagner said. “Now it’s 235 yards for Charles or it’s not a very good game.”

On the Hornets initial drive in the last quarter, Ray threw a-24 yard touchdown to a wide open Webb, extending the Sac State advantage to 24-13 with 9:48 to go.

Saint Mary’s made the score 24-21 with 1:08 left when Papanikolas hit Clint Wilson for a 24-yard score. A Saint Mary’s 2-point conversion followed the score.

The game was sealed when senior tight end Jon Morrissey caught the onside-kick attempt cleanly.

“Jon felt bad about his drops,” Volek said, referring to a couple earlier incompletes. “But Jon caught the biggest ball of the game today.”

Throughout the victory, one constant for the Hornet defense was the play of Daisley. He recorded eight tackles, forced a fumble and earned a sack. Daisley was a big key to the Hornets slowing down the option, the heart of the Saint Mary’s offense.

“I haven’t played against the option since I was in high school,” Daisley said. “But I know he (Papanikolas) was thinking about me, because he was switching things.”

The Hornets will host Cal Poly this Saturday at 6:05 p.m., at Hornet Stadium.