A crowd of 17,127 witnessed the Sacramento State football team finish out its season with a 31-28 victory over the UC Davis Aggies in the 56th annual Causeway Classic game at Hornet Stadium today.

This is the first Causeway Classic game Sac State won at home since 1999 and is its second consecutive victory in the annual rivalry game.

The game served as an emotional tribute to legendary Sac State coach Bob Mattos who is battling cancer.

Sac State players paid their respects by wearing Mattos’ name on the backs of their jerseys. The coaches sported T-shirts with a quote that Mattos often used during his coaching career: “It’s time to strap up.”

With the victory, Sac State ended the season with an overall record of 5-6 and a conference record of 4-4.

It was a game of comeback for Sac State.

The game began slowly, but the Hornets managed to get the first points on the board with a 37-yard field goal from Sac State kicker Chris Diniz.

The Aggies then took control of the game after a 13 play, 80-yard drive for a touchdown. They led 7-3 and held the lead until late in the fourth quarter.

By the end of the second quarter, UC Davis scored one more touchdown to go into halftime up 14-7.

Beginning in the second half, Sac State head coach Marshall Sperbeck made some changes for the offense by putting in junior Mcleod Bethel-Thompson at quarterback.

“Mac was given a chance today to be a star and he really pulled through,” Sperbeck said. “I always believed he performed better of the bench and he proved it.”

In the second half, Bethel-Thompson made some key plays to make a Hornet victory possible.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Bethel-Thompson completed a 39-yard pass to wide receiver Brandyn Reed for a touchdown, making the score 21-17.

Down 28-23 with 41 seconds left in the game, Bethel-Thompson completed a pass for a first down.

With 20 seconds left on the clock, Bethel-Thompson hit Reed with a 13-yard pass for a touchdown. Sac State took the lead 29-28.

To complete the play, Jon Krebs created the opportunity for the Hornets to earn a two-point conversion play on a pass from Bethel-Thompson.

Bethel-Thompson said that his motivation came from being optimistic.

“I just knew that I had to stay humble in this game,” Bethel-Thompson said. “We didn’t know what the outcome would be.”

UC Davis head coach Bob Biggs was quick to give credit to Sac State’s performance.

“Well, I have to give credit where credit is due. They just made plays and we didn’t make enough – it’s very disappointing,” Biggs said.

Sperbeck said he was elated and proud of his team’s efforts.

“I’ve told these guys all year that they should never quit. They kept fighting back – this win feels great,” Sperbeck said.

Britney Rossman can be reached at [email protected].