The Sacramento State football team looked to get the ball rolling on Saturday, with their spring football game at Hornet Stadium.
The spring game is a day where players on the team participate in a mock-game that gives chances to showcase talents that may not be seen and to compete for a starting position or backup.
Getting the action started in the first quarter, starters were split up between green and white before taking the field for both offensive side and defensive side of the ball. Due to a leg injury to last season’s starting quarterback senior Kaiden Bennett, redshirt freshman quarterback Carson Conklin got the go ahead nod to kick things off.
Conklin started hot, completing his first three passes of the opening possession, hitting senior wide receiver Jared Gipson across the middle for a big catch and run to the 37-yard-line. That was not the only positive takeaway in that exchange as senior safety Anta’Veon McKenzie laid a big hit on Gipson to knock him out of bounds that got a verbal response from the defensive sideline.
Looking to provide a spark for the offensive side of the ball, Conklin dropped back and scanned the right side of the field finding redshirt wide receiver freshman Danny Scudero on a deep post route for the first touchdown of the day, making it 7-0 for the Green team.
“Top thing is just staying consistent, always being in the film room and weight room,” Conklin said. “Football is really always a game of inches, so you have to stay technical in everything you do.”
The defensive side of the ball started to find their rhythm with a forced three and out prompting a quarterback change in the third possession for the offense. Redshirt freshman quarterback Joey Cook took over, starting his first play of the drive with a 3 yard scramble out to the left.
Last season the defense’s ability to stop the run game was lackluster. The Hornets ranked as one of the worst defenses against the run game giving up 164 yards per game. This spring game had a clear emphasis on being present and stuffing open gaps resulting in multiple tackles for loss.
Taking the time during camp to ensure defensive keys are understood as a whole, should ensure another efficient season for the Hornets.
Redshirt freshman nickelback Fata Puloka got his recognition with a tackle for loss in the final minutes of the first quarter. The defensive line put together two sacks in the drive against Cook, showing their ability to get off blocks and attack the quarterback which will be key considering they finished 4th in the Big Sky with 25 sacks last season.
Although the defense showcased some eye opening moments, they ultimately could not slow down the offensive side of the ball. Conklin used his ability to break the pocket and find his receivers. He finished with 142 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“Being able to extend the play and put the ball in my playmakers hands is important,” Conklin said. “Anderson Grover made a couple great plays on the sideline just showing everything doesn’t always go according to play.”
RELATED: Hornets showcase skills at Sac State pro day with NFL scouts in attendance
Great plays and catches from the wide receivers were seen all day from top to bottom of the lineup, keeping up where they left off in last season’s play in terms of talent and playmaking ability.
“Everybody needs to be a playmaker and that’s going to be different, we just want guys to be a playmaker in their own way,” wide receiver’s coach Keyshawn Colmon said. “We want to see them make plays in the blocking game, or in the air, we just want to be a threat at all times.”
The last touchdown came from sophomore running back Zeke Burnett who barreled his way down the middle for a short run and score to establish the run game with a highlight in the ending moments.
“It’s very early in the season but I think our running backs will be a big part of establishing our offense in order to even throw the ball,” running back’s coach Donnel Pumphrey said. “For all my guys I try and emphasize if you don’t want to come off the field you have to be able to do everything.”
It was an all around efficient day for both sides of the ball who have been waiting for game-like action and a chance to compete. The game was closed out with sophomore kicker Evan Kiely who made five field goals from 21, 23, 28, 39 and 44 yards while missing two attempts from 33 and 41 yards. The Green team finished the game 24-12 against the White team.
“We have a great tradition here of scoring points in the last five years and being top in the country every year on both sides,” assistant head coach and offensive line coach Kris Richardson said. “There’s still a lot of pieces with guys coming in with recruiting, so we just keep getting better until game one and then let them fly.”
The Hornets will begin fall camp in early August to prepare for their first game of the 2024 season on Thursday, Aug. 29 at San Jose State.
