Sacramento State left the locker room at halftime down 17-0 to their rival UC Davis in a game that could have clinched a fourth consecutive berth to the FCS playoffs.
With the Hornets getting the ball after the half, Sac State head coach Andy Thompson went with junior quarterback Kaiden Bennett to lead the offense after freshman quarterback Carson Conklin struggled in the first half.
After two short runs, the Hornets found themselves in a third-and-5 situation, a spot the Hornets had struggled with up to that point not converting a third down in the first half.
As the rain poured down Bennett bought time, escaped the pocket and found senior tight end Marshel Martin IV. Martin caught the ball, but as he turned up field the ball slipped out of his hands and right into the arms of UC Davis’ junior linebacker Teddye Buchanan.
“Frustrating day would probably be the word for everybody,” Thompson said. “I thought they played really hard and they’ve given everything to Sac State. When you lose, it’s not a great feeling, but I am proud of how they were and how they competed.”
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It was that type of day for Sac State, when they needed a play UC Davis was there to make it for them. Despite this, the game was not out of reach. The Hornets out-gained the Aggies 388 to 308 yards and had plenty of opportunities to come back.
Just before halftime, Sac State had the ball at the Aggies’ 3-yard-line, but Conklin missed a wide-open Martin in the end zone on fourth down keeping the Hornets scoreless.
Sac State got the ball back in UC Davis territory down only 17-7 and looked poised to get points. But a failed trick play that ended in a loss of 15 yards ended the drive and forced the Hornets into another turnover on downs.
The Hornets’ offense finished just 3 of 13 on third down conversions and only converted one fourth down of the six they attempted. Sac State failed to stay ahead of the chains and averaged a third down distance of almost eight yards.
UC Davis’ defensive front dominated this game only allowing the Hornets to run for 27 yards on 20 attempts. The Aggies also got home twice and put pressure on both of Sac State’s quarterbacks consistently throughout the game.
“They were stout and physical,” Thompson said of the UC Davis defense. “They did a good job of tackling and that combination was good.”
The lone bright spots of a disastrous offensive day were senior wideout Carlos Hill and Bennett. Bennett returned to his Stanford form, escaping pockets and buying time for big plays, he finished with three touchdowns and completed 68% of his passes.
Hill almost single-handedly willed the Hornets to their first scoring drive, totaling three catches for 61 yards on that drive alone. He ended with a career-high 10 catches for 144 yards and a touchdown.
“Carlos, he’s one of those guys who goes and gets the ball,” Bennett said. “I just love getting the ball in his hands.”
After allowing a touchdown on the Aggies’ first drive, the Hornet defense was stout and kept the game well within reach as the offense floundered. UC Davis was held scoreless from the early second quarter until the early fourth quarter.
“Their offense early on gave us a few run fits that were a little bit different,” Thompson said. “I thought our tackling improved in the second half.”
A pair of senior linebackers, Armon Bailey and Brock Mather, were instrumental in the Hornets’ defensive rebound. Bailey led the team in tackles with nine and tackles for loss with two.
Here is Sac State’s resume going into selection Sunday:
7 wins featuring 30-23 win over Stanford and a 38-24 opening week win against Nicholls
4 losses with 3 coming against ranked opponents and the 31-21 Causeway defeat@SH_Sports https://t.co/ae6h6yW5Sn
— Jack Freeman (@JackFreeman_13) November 18, 2023
This loss leaves the Hornets at 7-4 and on the bubble for an at-large bid for the FCS playoffs. If the Hornets do make the playoffs, they will be on the road for the first time in program history.
“No doubt,” junior safety Gavin Davis-Smith said when asked if the Hornets are a playoff team. “You look at our losses this season, each week we came back. We watch the tape, see what we could do better and bounce back.”
For now, Sac State must await a decision from the FCS playoff committee, which will make the selection for the top 24 teams in the FCS tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. on ESPNU.
“It’s not in our hands,” Thompson said. “We’ll see how we do tomorrow morning if someone is going to let us play, but it’s out of our hands at this point.”
