The Mountain West Conference battle continues for Sacramento State football, but this time they head to Valley Children’s Stadium to face off against the Fresno State Bulldogs on Saturday.
The Hornets’ first game of the season had plenty of bright spots and reasons for positivity, but it ultimately resulted in a loss. There are plenty of things to clean up if they want a chance at winning against the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs’ and Hornets’ first games had parallels with each team battling tougher competition, but ultimately collapsing in the fourth quarter.
The Hornets lost 42-24 to the San Jose State Spartans, with their 5 turnovers being quite the eyesore. Similarly, the Bulldogs lost to the defending national champions, the Michigan Wolverines, 30-10 with two turnovers from junior quarterback Mikey Keene.
“Being able to finish games is going to be a big thing the rest of this year,” senior offensive lineman Jackson Slater said. “But still a lot of good things that I think we can build on for the rest of the year.”
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Angry Runs
Junior running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver had an impressive debut as the lead back for the Hornets with 22 rush attempts for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Spartans.
Senior quarterback Kaiden Bennet and senior running back Ezra Moleni added to the run game with three attempts for 39 yards and 32 yards, respectively.
“We can make the holes, but if they don’t hit them, then nothing’s going to happen,” Slater said. “It’s a team game and we’re lucky to have a lot of good guys behind us.”
The run game was on fire and based on Fresno State’s performance against the Wolverines, it is a weak spot the Hornets can look to exploit.
The Bulldogs allowed 163 rushing yards in their season opener and with the Hornets putting up 200 rushing yards against the Spartans, it could be a recipe for a long game for the defense.
Hot Potato
The Hornets were more loose with the ball than ever and in a tightly contested game for three quarters, five turnovers did them in.
“It’s one of those things you want to work on in practice,“ Sac State head coach Andy Thompson said. “We got to work on our ball security and kind of have everybody do their job.”
The Bulldogs faced a similar problem, their junior quarterback Mikey Keene had two crucial interceptions last week.
Being loose with the football is always a risky game, but even more so when a team is attempting to pull off an upset. The team’s chemistry needs to be perfect when battling against tough opponents.
“Most of the time the turnovers come from not just one person, but maybe two people on one play not doing it,” Thompson said. “And so it’s a collective awareness to try to improve our ball security and I know our guys will.”
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Reading the quarterback, fighting through the contact on the sideline with the receiver and keeping his foot in bounds, senior safety Murvin Kenion III snagged the Hornets’ only interception of their season debut.
Despite the quick start, the Hornets’ defense gave up 324 passing yards and four touchdowns through the air. Their biggest problem was locking down the Spartan’s senior star receiver Nick Nash.
This time they will have to lock up the duo of sophomore receiver Jalen Moss and senior receiver Mac Dalena, who each had six receptions with 97 and 67 yards respectively.
“I know they got a lot of speed on the outside,” Kenion III said of the Bulldogs. “We just got to do our job as the back seven and make plays in the back end because that ball is going to be in the air a lot.”
Sac State also allowed 123 rushing yards against the Spartans with 94 rushing yards from junior running back Floyd Chalk IV. The Bulldogs struggled with their ground game against Michigan with 42 rushing yards from the backfield.
Predictions:
Ryan Lorenz, Sports Editor: After the outing Sac State had against the Spartans, the run game looked like something they could lean on, but if the ball is turned over the run game goes out the window. The Bulldogs’ offense might just be too much for the Hornets’ defense, especially if they have trouble protecting the ball.
Sac State: 21, Fresno State: 28
Adam Camarena, Sports Editor: After a gut-wrenching loss to the Spartans, the Hornets should look to dominate the ground early and impose their will against Fresno State if they want a chance. The Bulldogs’ defense might give the Hornets issues as they held the Wolverines to just 13 points in the first three quarters. If the Hornets want to even up their record, they have to protect the ball and finish off long drives.
Sac State: 23, Fresno State: 27
Jack Freeman, Editor in Chief: Sac State’s showing against San Jose State proved to me that the Hornets are still one of the top teams at the FCS level. However, much like last season, they can’t get out of their own way. While I believe this is a winnable game for Sac State, they have to show the ability to beat their turnover demons before I pick them to pull off an upset.
Sac State: 28, Fresno State: 38
