When it was over, the Sac State band played on Eastern Washington?s Field, while Hornet football players joined them and belted out the Hornet Fight Song.

That could mean one of two things: either Sac State has gone mad, or the Hornets finally won a Big Sky Conference game.

For the first time since 1998, Sac State football has won a conference road game, as it went to Eastern Washington on Saturday and took home a 25-22 victory at Woodward Stadium in Cheney.

“They were doing it (celebrating) more for throwing the demons off their back after three tough losses,” head coach John Volek said. “We made the final play of the game.”

That final play came when junior Jimmy Sanchez kicked a 23-yard field goal as time expired and Sac State improved its overall record to 5-3, and 3-3 in conference play. Eastern Washington fell to 4-4 and 3-2 in the Big Sky.

“This was a really big win. We all rushed Jimmy after the kick because we wanted one of these (conference road wins) for the longest time,” senior Lamont Webb said. “And it was our first win versus Eastern Washington. We played together as a team.”

In the win, Sac State?s senior running back Charles Roberts rushed for 90 yards on 22 carries, and he scored one touchdown. His effort boosted his career yardage to 6,091, good enough to pass Tony Dorsett for 13th place on the all-time college-rushing list. Volek believes that Roberts? production has not dropped off, although his rushing yards have dipped compared to previous years.

“His total production was over 150 yards. If you add receiving yardage, his production is the same as previous years,” Volek said. “That is what people are ignoring.” The Eagles, who had won all of the previous eight games versus the Hornets, scored first with a 25-yard field goal in the first quarter by Troy Griggs.

Late in the first quarter, Roberts made a 35-yard catch, while senior receiver Scott Towne hauled in a 25-yarder to set up Sac State?s first touchdown.

This set up back-up quarterback Garrett White?s second quarter touchdown from one-yard out to give Sac State a 7-3 lead. White replaced quarterback Ricky Ray when the Hornets neared the goal line.

During the second quarter, Sac State?s Michael Johnson, Jr. caught a 46-yard bomb from Ray, moving the Hornet down to the Eagles? 21-yard line. However, Sac State came away with no points when Sanchez missed a 26-yard field goal.

Eastern Washington scored a touchdown with 14 seconds to go in the half when Lamont Brightful scored on a 13-yard run to give the Eagles a 9-7 lead.

In the second half, sophomore defensive back Brandon Coleman intercepted his second pass of the game and the turnover paid immediate dividends for Sac State. Volek was happy to see his defensive back come through in a big way.

“A lot of people have been picking on Brandon this year,” Volek said.

Coleman was named the Big Sky Conference?s Defensive Player of the Week.

Another defensive hero for Sac State was senior linebacker Anthony Daisley, who led the Hornets with 13 tackles, three of which were for a loss.

In the third quarter, Roberts ran in an eight-yard touchdown, and Jon Morrissey caught the two-point conversion from Ray, putting Sac State ahead15-9. Roberts also threw a 23-yard pass to senior Lamont Webb during the drive to get the Hornets inside the Eagles? 10-yard line.

Ray completed 17 passes in 24 attempts while throwing for 236 yards in the win.

After an Eagle field goal, Brightful caught a 70-yard touchdown pass from Fred Salanoa and Eastern Washington held a 19-15 advantage with 14 minutes left in the game.

Midway through the final quarter, Ray scored on a quarterback sneak for Sac State, giving his team a 22-19 lead. The touchdown was Ray?s sixth rushing score of the season.

Eastern Washington tied the score on a field goal with just under four minutes remaining in the game, but leaving time for Sac State to go for the winning score proved to be a costly mistake.

Immediately, Ray connected with Towne on a 43-yard pass, putting Sac State at Eastern Washington?s 26-yard line. For the game, Towne led the Hornets with four catches and 91 yards receiving.

After that, the Hornets moved the ball inside the 10-yard line and Sanchez won the game with his field goal. At this point, the Hornets? players, coaches, band and fans who made the trip celebrated the conference road win like they had just won a championship.

Sac State will travel to Hughes Stadium to play UC Davis, who is 7-0, in the Causeway Classic on Saturday at 2 p.m.