Sacramento State football will look to win its third consecutive game as they hit the road to face Idaho State for the team’s first Big Sky Conference matchup Saturday, Sept. 27.

Sac State (3-1) boasts its best record through four games in fifteen seasons. Idaho State (1-2) is coming off a bye week and looking to break even in the win column in front of a home crowd.

The Hornets have won four consecutive meetings with the Bengals and have the upper hand in the all-time series at 11-6.

Sac State has found early success this season by getting consistent production on both sides of the ball. The Hornets’ offense enters this week averaging 41 points and 426 total yards per game. Their running game has been especially strong while accounting for 775 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.

Their defense can be credited for securing extra possession, as the Hornets recovered five fumbles and intercepted five passes; four of those interceptions came last week against Menlo.

Linebacker Darnell Sankey continued to knock down everything in his path in route to 17 total tackles, putting him at 56 through four games. The junior intends to do more of the same on Saturday with hopes of spoiling the Bengals homecoming night.

“Homecoming or not, it doesn’t matter,” Sankey said. “We’re still going to do what we do: execute and make plays.”

Wide receiver Isiah Hennie had a breakout effort against Menlo, returning a kick 89 yards for his first career score. The true freshman hopes to build off that success going forward.

“It definitely helped my confidence a lot,” Hennie said of the big return. “It was such a great feeling that I can’t wait to go out and try to do it again,” he added.

Hornets’ coach Jody Sears wants to see smart and disciplined play from his team in what he says is their toughest opponent since facing Cal in week 2. Although pleased with a 3-1 record, Sears did voice concern about decreasing the penalty yards against this heightened competition.

“We’re going to have our hands full with a really good team,” Sears said. “If we think we can show up there and not correct some of these mistakes we’ve been making, we’ll be in for a long night.”

The statistics vindicate Sears’ awareness of a talented team. Even with a losing record, Idaho State has put up some respectable numbers through three games. The Bengals have been no slouch in the running game as they come into week 5 averaging 171 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns per game.

Contributing to the run game is junior running back Xavier Finney the team’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2013. He has carried 79 times for 379 yards and 2 touchdowns this season.

The Hornets will look to follow up a four-interception performance last week by containing Bengals quarterback Justin Arias. The redshirt junior has completed 76 of 133 passes with just three interceptions on the young season, which is good for an efficiency rating of 121.9.

Sears did, however, take a moment to acknowledge the strong and growing chemistry with a team that is still relatively new to him. Although he has only been at Sac State a matter of months, he is encouraged by the squad’s rapid improvement and willingness to participate in a teammate-led culture.

“I’m really proud of these guys for buying in,” Sears said. “I’m very pleased with the way they’ve been leading our team.”

Hornets’ fans can listen to the by clicking here. Game time is at 1:05 p.m.