Sacramento State’s offense came to life in the second half of its Big Sky conference opener, but the team remains winless after falling to Idaho State 42-34 on Saturday, Sept. 24.
Sac State (0-4, 0-1 Big Sky) started the game sluggishly, while Idaho State (2-2, 1-0 Big Sky) jumped to a 21 to nothing lead in the first half.
The Bengals held the ball for the majority of the first two quarters and scored three touchdowns with three different offensive weapons.
Idaho State’s quarterback Tanner Gueller capped a perfect 8-for-8 completion in a 91-yard drive with a 21-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Josh Cook, giving Idaho State an early 7-0 lead.
Sac State sophomore quarterback Nate Ketteringham did not complete a pass in the first quarter and only earned 23 overall yards within a mere 3:27 time of possession.
Idaho State quickly capitalized on its ball control by marching down the field for a 13-play, 65-yard drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown from running back Jakori Ford.
This rushing attack was only the beginning for the Hornets’ defense as Bengal running back Michael Dean avoided a defender and shot into the open field for a 62-yard rushing touchdown, his first of two long runs for scores on the day.
“Mikey Dean is special,” Ford told Idaho State Athletics. “Not a lot of players are like him in any conference or division; he is hungry. I am proud of him that when he got his opportunities he made the most of it.”
Trailing 21-0, the Sac State offense found life as Ketteringham created some rhythm with a 10- play, 77-yard drive ending in a touchdown to junior wide receiver Isiah Hennie.
Ketteringham found Hennie again in the end zone for a 8-yard touchdown, after the Hornet defense forced a punt with a little more than two minutes remaining, which brought Sac State within a score of tying the game 21-14.
Momentum continued for the Hornets as freshman kicker Tanner Kuljian made up for an earlier missed attempt and drilled a 20-yard field goal to cut the Bengals’ lead to four.
However, as Sac State’s defense appeared to be holding strong, Gueller and Cook hooked up for a 68-yard touchdown connection, making the score 28-17. Idaho State broke off another huge play as Dean sprinted into the open field for a 91-yard rushing touchdown, bringing his total yardage to 154 on only four rushing attempts.
Ketteringham joined the rushing barrage in the fourth quarter as he rushed for a 13-yard touchdown, but then was picked off in the next drive by Idaho State defensive lineman Nikko Taylor for a Bengal touchdown.
“I was really proud of the offense,” Sac State head coach Jody Sears told Hornet Athletics. “They rushed the ball for 200 yards and threw for over 300…there were so many positive things, but the problem is the self inflicted wounds. You can’t win a college football game with mental errors and we need to cut those mental errors.”
Trailing 42-24, Sac State was given two points after Idaho State’s special teams unit kneeled in the endzone and Ketteringham later added another rushing touchdown to his statistic sheet, bringing the score to 42-34 after a 2-point conversion rush by senior running back Demetrius Warren.
With 2:51 left in the game, the Hornets failed to create a defensive stop and Idaho State held on to win its homecoming game, 42-34.
Sac State will need to get both the offensive scoring and defensive stands in harmony in order to earn the first win of the season as the team returns home to Hornet Stadium against Montana State on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 6 p.m.
