Sac State football routs Northern Arizona in 44-0 blowout victory

The Hornets shut out NAU and amassed 657 yards of total offense

Ayaana Williams

Sophomore tight end Marshel Martin (16) cuts upfield behind sophomore wide receiver Parker Clayton (11) at Hornet Stadium on Oct. 23, 2021. The Hornets shut out the Lumberjacks 44-0 on Saturday.

Brandon Bailey
October 23, 2021

Despite entering Saturday’s homecoming game against a high-powered Northern Arizona offense, the Sacramento State football team dominated the Lumberjacks in a 44-0 blowout victory. 

It was the second Big Sky shutout in school history and the biggest margin of victory in program history. 

“Anytime you get a shutout it’s pretty amazing,” said head coach Troy Taylor. 

Sac State finished the first half with a 37-0 lead and a total of 517 yards of total offense. 

Sac State’s offense got going early as they drove the length of the field on their first drive of the game to Northern Arizona’s 20-yard line. 

It looked like the Hornets would score on a diving touchdown from junior quarterback Asher O’Hara, but his diving efforts resulted in a fumble and the Lumberjacks obtained possession on a touchback.

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Isabelle Juarez
Sophomore punter Sam Clark (91) takes practice punts before the second half on Oct. 23, 2021, at Hornet Stadium. The Hornets blew out the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 44-0.

It wouldn’t be long before the Hornets would bounce back with a field goal and O’Hara would redeem himself on a one-yard rushing touchdown and his “evil twin” junior quarterback Jake Dunniway was the first one to praise O’Hara on the sideline. 

“I love watching him succeed,” Dunniway said. “We play the same position, so I know exactly what he’s going through and vice versa. I feel like every time I’m doing well he’s the first one to greet me and when the quarterbacks are playing well, you feel like your offense is succeeding.”

It was a first half dominated by the Hornets as they marched down the field with a balanced rushing and passing game and had four different players reach the endzone.

The Hornets showed just how deep they could be as a running back group amounting a total of 247 rushing yards. Freshman running back Cameron Skattebo debuted in his first game of the season after suffering from mononucleosis for the first four weeks and ran away with his opportunity amassing 117 yards on 10 carries. 

“It’s great to play football again,” Skattebo said. “Coach Taylor gave me an opportunity to play divisional football, and I got my opportunity today. I’ve waited my time and I’m doing the best to succeed.” 

 

Coach Taylor spoke highly of the Hornets depth in the backfield. 

“They’re all dangerous and they can all contribute, they just need an opportunity,” Taylor said. “[Skattebo] got his opportunity today, and he took advantage of it.” 

Sac State’s offense was too much and Northern Arizona’s scorching hot offense simmered down as the Hornet defense applied pressure throughout the first half. 

This included an interception from senior safety Malik Jeter, which extended the Hornets’ streak of consecutive games with an interception to five.

“We’re just doing a good job going out there and executing the call, having great communication across the board, making our checks and playing good football,” Jeter said. 

It was a stagnant third quarter between both teams as neither got on the board. Northern Arizona drove the ball down to Sac State’s 11-yard line but could not convert, resulting in a turnover on downs. 

Despite a slow third quarter the Hornet offense  kept their foot on the gas as O’Hara connected on a 43-yard bomb to freshman wide receiver Chris Miller only a minute into the fourth quarter. 

 

The Hornets dominated the Lumberjacks and finished the game with a total of 657 total yards. 

Sac State will hit the road next Saturday, Oct. 30 to face off against Northern Colorado University at 12 p.m.