The 54th annual Causeway Classic ended in a pattern that Hornet games have followed all season – with the opponent squeaking out a narrow victory.

“This rivalry is a great atmosphere- it’s special for the communities and it represents college football,” Sacramento State head coach Marshall Sperbeck said.

Sac State held UC Davis to two net yards rushing on 34 attempts and put up 452 yards of total offense on the Aggie defense, but once again could not overcome turnovers at critical times during the game.

“Our defense was on the field for 88 plays, but we found a will and a way to make plays in the fourth quarter,” UC Davis head coach Bob Biggs said. “Give credit to Sac State, their defense is as good as any we’ve seen all year. To their credit, they were moving the ball on offense at will during the third quarter.”

Sac State came back from a 16-0 deficit in the second quarter, but could never overcome the one touchdown lead the Aggies managed to hold for the duration of the game. The final score was 31-26.

“They kept coming and coming, and we just kept playing. I think a lot of young guys came up big,” senior UC Davis defensive end James Amos said. “They (Sac State) are a better team than their record indicates.”

With the loss, Sac State drops to 1-8, and 1-5 in the Big Sky Conference. The win puts UC Davis at 4-6 for the season and continues the streak of eight straight Causeway Classic wins.

“These guys didn’t give up,” Sperbeck said. “I think the effort level of this team has been outstanding all year. As the game went on, there were so many emotional ups and downs; it was who could sustain it the longest. Davis was able to play more consistent throughout the game.”

Quarterback Jason Smith went 23-52 for 266 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. Two of those interceptions came in the final five minutes of the game, a problem that has plagued the Hornets this season. One of the biggest plays of the game was in the second quarter when Davis cornerback Adam Cook intercepted Smith’s pass and ran it back 87 yards for an Aggie touchdown

“There is no one that hurts more than Jason right now,” Sperbeck said. “He’s going through a difficult time as a quarterback. He’s had opportunities to bring the team down the field, but you have to go through hard times before success comes.”

The momentum shifted when Davis snapped the ball over the head of the punter Emmanuel Benjamin on the first play of the fourth quarter. Benjamin wisely kicked the ball out of bounds for a safety.

This resulted in a penalty. If the Hornets had accepted the penalty, it would have been Sac State ball deep in Davis territory, with a chance to tie the game.

Instead, Sac State declined the penalty, took the safety, got two points and the ball. On the ensuing kickoff and drive, the Hornets were stopped at the UC Davis 30, and turned the ball over on downs.

“My thought was we had good momentum- take the two points, as well as get the ball back. It was the best situation at the time,” Sperbeck said.

The Hornets dominated for most of the game and marched all over the field on an Aggie defense that allowed 25 first downs and 186 rushing yards. Freshman running back Bryan Hilliard carried the ball 16 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns, both from 28 yards out. Junior Travon Jones had 11 carries for 92 yards, averaging 8.4 yards per carry.

Hilliard explained his two 28 yard runs could also be attributed to the help of the offensive line.

“Basically everyone did their assignment. Everybody executed,” he said. “It was exciting to be able to help the seniors out. To actually be able to play in this game was exciting.”

It was costly turnovers and a couple untimely holding penalties that ended up hurting the Hornets to a point in which they could not recover from.

Senior wide receiver Tyler Fannuchi had a great game with six catches for 82 yards and his first career touchdown, a 20 yard reception on fourth down of the first play of the fourth quarter. Smith found eight different receivers, Tony Washington had seven receptions for 42 yards and Ryan Coogler had three for 49 yards.

“We knew we would have to keep scoring on offense, they were moving the ball really well,” sophomore UC Davis cornerback Kymm Snowden said. “In a game like this, you gotta keep fighting every play.”

Davis quarterback Matt Engle threw for 302 yards, going 20-31 and two touchdowns.

The Hornet defense amassed four sacks, and now has a total of 30 on the season. Senior linebacker Mike Brannon had six tackles and a sack. Brannon has four and a half sacks and 22 tackles in his last two games, bringing him to a total of 67 tackles and seven sacks on the season.

Dorian Brown added a sack and Cyrus Mulitalo had nine tackles to lead the Hornets. Brett Shelton had eight tackles and Brent Webber seven with a pass breakup, his eighth of the season.

“We just gotta finish things up for the season on a positive note,” senior wide receiver Ryan Coogler said.

Sac State will take on Northern Colorado (1-9) next week at 11 a.m. in Greeley, Colorado. The Hornets will be home for the last game of the season at 2:05 p.m. on Nov. 17 against Idaho State.

Galen Kusic can be reached at [email protected]