Sacramento State found themselves in a close battle with the Cal Poly Mustangs in San Luis Obispo that ultimately ended in a 26-23 loss due to turnovers late in the game.
Both teams appeared evenly matched in the first quarter, each failed to build any sort of momentum. The Hornets attempted a fourth down conversion, but were unsuccessful and both teams suffered a drive-killing penalty.
Each team had under 100 yards of offense and only two third downs were converted in the first 15 minutes.
“Kids fought and played hard and we just didn’t execute enough plays to win, but I’m proud of their effort,” Sac State head coach Andy Thompson said. “We got to get things cleaned up so we can finish the season strong.”
The only points scored were from a 31-yard field goal by Cal Poly with 1:24 left in the first quarter.
“They’re well coached, got a couple good D-linemen, good secondary and you know they fly around,” redshirt freshman quarterback Carson Conklin said about Cal Poly’s defense earlier in the week.
On the first play of the second quarter, Conklin rolled out to his right and chucked the pigskin 27 yards down the right sideline into the hands of wide-open junior receiver Devin Gandy.
Following an incomplete pass, Conklin tossed it to fellow redshirt freshman, receiver Danny Scudero who managed to shimmy his way for seven yards and into the endzone for the first touchdown of the game.
Celebrations were short lived however, due to the Mustangs sophomore signal caller Jackson Akins taking his team down the field for a touchdown in four plays.
After a 15-yard completion, Akins hit senior pass catcher Evan Burkhart down the middle for a 43-yard gain.
Akins followed that up with a short completion for seven yards and then sent a strike to junior pass catcher Logan Booher for a touchdown.
The Hornets had a chance to match, Conklin marched the Hornets down the field with help from senior pass catcher Anderson Grover who rumbled his way for 24 yards off a short pass to the left side of the field.
The drive stalled after Conklin was sacked for a loss of eight yards and senior kicker Zach Schreiner was called upon to sink a 45-yard field goal to tie the game up, 10-10.
Akins helped the Mustangs gallop down, converting a fourth and short and eventually launching a 22-yard rocket to the right side of the endzone to land in Booher’s hands.
Both teams had drives that ended in field goals before the half, leaving the score at 20-13 in favor of the Mustangs at halftime. The Hornets allowed 270 total yards in the half with 243 yards coming through the air.
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The Hornets’ defense made their presence known in the second half, forcing four three and outs and accumulating three sacks in the third quarter.
The second half started with senior defensive lineman Pate Haunga giving Sac State their first sack of the game, which forced Cal Poly to punt back to the Hornets.
The Hornets failed to end their drive with a touchdown, but Schreiner was sent back out and cut the Mustangs’ lead to 4 points.
Sac State got the ball back after yet another drive ended for Cal Poly, due to defensive linemen, redshirt freshman Fata Puloka and senior Ben Ahio combining for the sack.
Conklin and crew got back to it with a 26-yard pick-up from senior receiver Jared Gipson had the Hornets set up in the red zone. Gipson ended the game with 11 catches for 130 yards.
“Just trying to win. I wasn’t really thinking about the catches, nothing, I just wanted to just get a win,” Gipson said about his mindset during the game.
Conklin looked to the left and slung it over a defender to Grover, who twisted his body and snagged the ball out of the air for a touchdown to give the Hornets a lead, 23-20.
Sac State’s young gunslinger ended the game with 2 touchdowns and 308 passing yards, while completing 33-of-51 passes.
Akins led his team down the field in a nearly six-minute drive that resulted in a field goal, due to sophomore linebacker Hunter Boeddeker getting the Hornets the third sack.
The fourth quarter was similar to the first with each team failing to sustain drives, but three costly mistakes changed the result of the game.
Sac State was in position to attempt a field goal to tie the game, but junior running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver was called for a personal foul after the second down play that set the Hornets back 15 yards.
The Hornets were then out of field goal position and were forced to punt after losing 4 more yards on a third and 23 pass.
The next drive for the Hornets ended when Conklin was pressured and retreated backward on first down. Cal Poly’s junior defensive lineman Soni Finau strip-sacked him for 18 yards and the ball was pounced on by the Mustangs.
Sac State’s defense came to the rescue bending, but not breaking. Their effort forced the Mustangs to settle for a field goal to make it a three-point game with 5:07 left.
Conklin routinely connected with Gipson as the Hornets marched down the 17-yard line with 1:24 remaining in the game.
Conklin saw a chance to scramble and took it, scampering through the middle of the field until he was hit at the 2-yard line. The ball popped out and everyone went jumping to recover it, but the Mustangs got on it first and the Hornets’ comeback drive ended on a final sour note.
CAL POLY WINS‼️
Fumble at the goal line seals the Mustang win at home #ExperienceElevated pic.twitter.com/0Q8Sy8mBL3
— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) November 17, 2024
“He’s a young player, he’s got a lot of talent and he’s fine, he’s going to be good,” Gipson said about Conklin.
The Hornets’ last game of the season will be the Causeway Classic at home against UC Davis at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
“Like every other week, just go out there and play our hearts out and just try to win,” Gipson said about the mindset heading into their last matchup.
