In a game that was dominated on all levels by Sacramento State, the Hornets defeated the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 38-9 in the first home game of the season.

The Hornet defense held the Lumberjacks’ explosive offense to just 187 total yards, 200 yards less than their season average.

“We keep talking about hard work,” said coach Marshall Sperbeck. “The kids have to see it pay off. When you don’t get that reward, they start to doubt. We stayed the course and today it paid off.”

Jason Smith went 13-32 for 233 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions while playing with an injured finger. The Hornets scored first on a 74-yard touchdown pass up the middle from Smith to Ryan Coogler early in the second quarter and didn’t look back.

“I saw the ball, locked it in, got upfield, saw green…and it was time to go!” said Coogler. “It was a really nice ball by Jason, he led me into it.”

The Hornet defense held strong after a Smith interception at Sac State’s own 12-yard line. On a critical third down, Jody Johnson made a textbook tackle to stop NAU from scoring and held the Lumberjacks to a field goal.

The Hornets then ate up the clock with a six minute drive that culminated with a 40-yard field goal by Juan Gamboa with only 47 seconds left in the half.

With a few seconds left, NAU got a good kick return and were threatening deep in Hornet territory. As Lumberjacks quarterback Lance Kriesien went back to pass, it was deflected by Mike Brannon, and batted around in the air. It came down in the hands of Cyrus Mulitalo and he was off to the races, going 60-yards for a Hornet touchdown with 14 seconds left on the clock.

“I read the screen, got over the top and the ball got tipped. I knew I could get it, anytime the ball is in my hands I’m trying to score. I just followed my blocks and it gave us a lot of momentum going into the half,” said Mulitalo. “Playing at home was our biggest motivation, to get all that support in front of friends and family.”

That touchdown was Mulitalo’s second of his career at Sac State, and the first interception of the season for the Hornets.

Mulitalo finished the game doing it all- a sack, an interception returned for a touchdown and a few short yardage runs that were key to the victory.

“That play I think really broke NAU’s back,” said Sperbeck. “The more success you have, the kids start believing it.”

With a 17-3 lead going into the half, the Hornets didn’t lose steam heading into the third quarter.

“Those were important big plays,” said Coogler. “As a senior out there, it’s important to make those plays, get that momentum and start that fire.”

As the second half began, the Hornet defense was stifling and the offense continued to roll. After an 18-yard hookup from Smith to Coogler that put Sac State on the five, Jason Smith rolled out and ran it in from the two to complete an eight play 63-yard drive to increase the lead to 24-3.

“Slant routes across the middle were pretty open,” said Smith. “We tried to exploit that early.”

The Lumberjacks got on the board once more with a 22 yard touchdown catch from All-American wide receiver Alex Watson that just escaped the reach of Jody Johnson in the corner of the endzone.

With five minutes left in the third, it was still 24-9, after the Hornets blocked an NAU point after attempt.

On the following drive, Sac State went 81 yards on eight plays finished by a Smith 19-yard touchdown to wide receiver Dylan Lane to extend the lead to 31-9 and all but extinguish any hopes of a Lumberjacks comeback.

The Hornets pounded the ball down the field one more time using running back Bryan Hilliard on almost every play.

Hilliard completed the drive with a nine yard touchdown run to put the Hornets up for good at 38-9, and give him 20 carries for 100 yards in only three quarters of play.

“Each week we’ve had different kids step up,” said Sperbeck. “Today Bryan Hilliard came in and stepped up. When you practice hard, you get a chance to play. He got his shot today. I don’t care what year you are, you’re gonna get a chance- and the practice effort will pay off.”

The Hornets tallied 422 yards of total offense for the game, in what was by far their best performance yet.

Coogler finished the game with three receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown.

“The biggest thing is, we’ve been working really hard ever since Coach Sperbeck got here. It’s been a constant grind, and we knew we had to get that W.”

It was a big win for the Hornets coming home after a three-game road trip. Next they will set their sights on Weber St. and try to improve on the current (1-3) record overall and (1-1) in the Big Sky.

“This is part of the environment we are trying to create, and traditions take time to develop,” said Sperbeck. “Today we started it.”

The Hornets play at Weber St. on October 6th. Sac State’s next home game will be on October 13th against Montana at 2:05 in Hornet Stadium.

Galen Kusic can be reached at [email protected]