Although it was a valiant and respectable effort by Sacramento State against the Fresno State Bulldogs, the Hornets just couldn’t move the ball on Saturday, amassing 52 plays for only 102 total yards from scrimmage, losing by a final score of 24-3.

In front of more than 35,000 fans at Bulldog Stadium, the Hornets defense did well, forcing four fumbles and recovering three before being worn down by the Bulldog offense. Fresno State pounded away with a balanced attack of 475 yards and total domination of the clock and field position.

Fresno got on the board first after a couple of stops by the Sac State defense with a 22 yard touchdown pass from Tom Brandstater to Bear Pascoe with only two minutes left in the first quarter. Fresno’s offense wasn’t amazing, but its defense was, giving its offense plenty of opportunities to score. Fresno forced the Hornets to punt eight times and only allowed them 10 first downs.

The Hornets scored its only points in the second quarter when Juan Gamboa kicked a 21-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 7-3. From there on in, the offense couldn’t get anything going. The only other time the Hornets got close to scoring was Gamboa’s 37-yard field goal attempt, but was blocked instead.

Clifton Smith had a 30-yard touchdown run for the Bulldogs and Lonyae Miller added a 3-yard run to score. Fresno scored their final points on a 47-yard field goal by Clint Stitser, which sealed the deal.

In Hornet redshirt freshman quarterback Jason Smith’s debut, he went 13-23 for 60 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Ryan Coogler had six receptions for 41 yards and moved into 10th place on the all-time receptions list at Sac State with 81. Tavon Jones led Hornet rushers with 17 carries for 49 yards, but the offense couldn’t put together enough solid drives and only made it inside the red zone twice.

Junior linebacker Cyrus Mulitalo led the defense with 16 total tackles. Senior defensive back Brett Shelton was also a major contributor with 14. Safety Brent Webber added 10 tackles and cornerback Jody Johnson had seven. It was that type of night for the Hornets, with a lot of Bulldogs in the wrong backfield.

Even with the lopsided statistics, it is the smallest point deficit the Hornets have suffered against a Division 1-A opponent since 1992. The Hornets were only penalized three times for 21 yards and had no turnovers. The lack of mistakes is a good sign that this team is more disciplined and focused than in years past.

The Hornets don’t play next week, but will have time to regroup until traveling to face Portland State on Sept. 15. The first home game isn’t until Sept. 29 when they take on Northern Arizona at Hornet Stadium.

Galen Kusic can be reached at [email protected].