The Hornets are off to their best start in 15 years as they rolled to a 59-14 victory over Menlo College Saturday night at Hornet Stadium.

Sacramento State moved into a tie with Eastern Washington for first place in the Big Sky Conference after improving to 3-1, a record they have not had through the first four weeks of the season since 1999.

The Hornets came out of the tunnel fired up and did not waste any time jumping out to an early 21-0 lead by the 13:17 mark of the second quarter. That lead would increase to 35-7 by halftime and was never in serious danger of being squandered.

Sac State ate up Menlo’s defense to the tune of 273 total rushing yards, good for a 7.2 yard average per carry.

Five rushing touchdowns were scored by five different Hornet players, with linebacker Darnell Sankey being one of them. On just the third carry of his career and his only one of the game, Sankey banged one into the end zone from a yard out with two minutes left in the first quarter.

The junior insists it was just another day on the job.

“I just do what I can to help us win,” Sankey said. “They called my number and I just responded with my best effort.”

His best effort was an impressive one as he racked up another 17 tackles on the defensive side of the ball, putting him at a total of 56 on the young season.

Never one to gleam in his own accomplishments, Sankey gave high praises to his teammates.

“The defensive-line and secondary both did very well,” he said. “I couldn’t even be in a position to make those plays without my guys doing their job.”

Quarterback Garrett Safron continued his electric play, completing 17 of 25 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 56 yards.

Running back Jordan Robinson led a dynamic Hornet offense with 129 all-purpose yards. His 114 yards on the ground made him the first Sac State running back with consecutive 100-yard rushing games since 2012.

The unsung hero of the night was wide receiver Isiah Hennie, stealing the show with an 89-yard kick return for a touchdown to end the third quarter. The home crowd at Hornet Stadium erupted when the 5-foot-7, 150-pound freshman took it all the way to the house for his first career score.

“That was my first one ever,” Hennie said. “It was one of the best moments of my life.”

Coach Jody Sears was happy with the win but said complacency is not an option.

“I’m proud of these guys, they’re playing some great ball,” Sears said. “But we’re not satisfied yet. Our goal is to bring a championship to this program and we’ve still got work to do.”

The Hornets will get back to work Saturday, Sept. 27 as they hit the road for their first conference match against foe Idaho State with hopes of improving to 4-1.