The Sacramento State football season will come to a close this Saturday at 1 p.m. when the Hornets head to Aggie Stadium to take on longtime rival UC Davis. This contest will mark the 61st annual Causeway Classic between the two schools who play just 22 miles apart.

Sac State (6-5) will look to finish the year with three consecutive victories, and a seventh win would match its highest total record since the 2000 season. Coach Jody Sears took a moment to reflect on his first season in Sacramento, as he addressed the media Thursday during the Causeway Classic press conference.

“It’s been a ride,” Sears said. “We’ve had some ups and downs, but our guys have persevered through it all. I’ve been extremely blessed to have such professional, mature senior leadership during my first year here.”

UC Davis (2-8) notched its first win against Div. I competition by defeating Cal Poly by a final score of 48-35 last week. The Aggies boast a record of 43-18 against the Hornet’s football team that they have faced since 1954.

Sac State rallied late in last week’s game to edge out Portland State, 48-41. Trailing by ten after three quarters, the Hornets’ defense denied the Vikings of any points in the fourth. With less than four minutes to play, wide receiver DeAndre Carter broke the tie with a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown.

The game-breaking play was the Hornets’ third special teams score of the season and earned Carter his second Root Sports Big Sky Player of the Week award in as many weeks. Carter was also named as a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, an honor given to the top offensive player in the entire Football Championship Subdivision. The last Hornet to make that list was Fred Amey in 2004.

Carter will finish his career at Sac State with his name attached to nearly every school receiving record, but remains focused on the one game remaining on the schedule. The senior expressed increased motivation to win a Causeway Classic; a victory that has eluded him thus far into his Hornet career.

“We just want to go beat UC Davis,” Carter said. “Especially us seniors, because we’ve never done it. It would be the highlight of the season and my football career as a whole.”

Much like Carter, quarterback Garrett Safron will also conclude his Hornet career as the leader in nearly every statistic at his position. His 3,909 yards of total offense broke the school record that he set last season and his per-game average of 355.4 passing yards currently leads the FCS.

Even with a historical career coming to a close and a bevy of personal accolades, Safron was all business when asked about his approach to his final Causeway Classic.

“It all starts with the offensive coordinators drawing up a great game plan,” Safron said. “The offensive line always does a great job of creating room for the playmakers to go to work.”

The quarterback did take a moment to reflect on his journey from a walk-on freshman to an accomplished team captain in the wake of his final game.

“I’ve built a lot of relationships with these guys, they’re my brothers,” Safron said. “It means a lot to go out there and lead them one last time.”

The Hornets’ defense will face another freshman quarterback in UCD’s Ben Scott, who has thrown for 16 touchdowns with only four interceptions. Running back Gabe Manzanares has also been effective, most recently compiling 200 yards against Cal Poly.

Among the leaders on that defense is linebacker Henry Fernandez, also a senior and team captain. Fernandez echoed desire to go out with a win over the Aggies, and credited strong teammate chemistry and relentless work ethic to the program’s improvements.

“We’ve gone through a lot of adversity,” Fernandez said. “The way this team has fought and battled says it all. It’s the end of the season and we’ve still got guys going out in practice everyday and giving everything they’ve got. That’s why we consider this season a success, regardless of where we end up in the standings.”