The 70th Causeway Classic was going in favor of No. 5 University of California, Davis, as they led 21-14 in the third quarter.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Carson Conklin orchestrated a six-minute drive to take Sacramento State down the field and put them in the red zone, attempting to tie the game up.
On a third-and-6, Conklin dropped back to pass, stepped up in the pocket to avoid pressure and scrambled to his right. He hurled a pass into the middle of the field, where a leaping senior pass catcher Jared Gipson was waiting to snag it and tie the game up to 21-21.
“They did it all year,” Sac State head coach Andy Thompson said about his team. “They kept on coming back. Was a very resilient group. I was very proud of how they got themselves ready to go and continue to play until the last whistle.”
The game started off with the Hornets and Aggies appearing equally matched, with each team putting up 7 points in the first quarter. The second quarter made things interesting, with the Aggies pulling away to give themselves a 7-point lead heading into the half.
UC Davis started their second quarter of success with 13:27 remaining in the half after forcing a Sac State three and out.
The Aggies took the ball down the field with a 42-yard rocket from senior quarterback Miles Hastings to junior receiver Samuel Gbatu Jr. The drive was capped off with senior running back Lan Larison running into the endzone for a 1-yard touchdown, bringing UC Davis to a 14-7 lead.
On the Hornets’ response drive, Conklin did his best to one-up Hastings by launching a 47-yard strike down the left sideline to senior pass catcher Anderson Grover.
When Sac State reached the red zone with a chance to tie it up, Conklin rolled to his right and went to Grover again, but the ball was tipped and intercepted by UC Davis’ junior linebacker David Meyer.
The Aggies took advantage of the miscue with a seven-play drive, three of which came from Hastings’ arm. First to Gbatu Jr in the middle of the field for 37 yards, then a 23-yard pass to senior receiver Trent Tompkins and then a 26-yard reception for Gbatu Jr down the left sideline.
To polish off the drive, Hastings faked a run and threw over the middle to connect with senior tight end Winston Williams, putting the score at 21-7.
Conklin launched a 22-yard strike into the endzone and connected with a diving senior receiver Jared Gipson to make the score 21-14, just before the halftime break.
Earlier in the week, Gipson said he wanted his last game for the Hornets to be his best game. He tallied up four receptions for 53 yards and two touchdowns, bolstering the Hornets offense in the middle of the game to give them a fighting chance.
According to Sac State Athletics, Gipson ends his time as a Hornet with the sixth most receptions, catches and tied for sixth in touchdowns in school history.
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The third quarter was all positives for the Hornets. They held the Aggies to only 37 total yards, compared to their 87 yards.
After Conklin tied the game up, the Hornet defense stepped up and put the Aggies in an unenviable position. Redshirt freshman Fata Puloka sacked Hastings for an 8-yard loss on second-and-8, putting Davis well behind the chains.
Unable to convert on the third down, the Aggies punted and allowed the Hornets to once again go down the field. The drive stalled out, after a short run and two incomplete passes forced the Hornets to settle for a field goal to gain the lead for the first time in the game, 24-21.
“You guys came to our practice. There’s good energy; they stayed with it,” Thompson said about the team’s spirit. “It’s a lot easier to be that guy when things are going well, but you learn a lot about yourself when you go through adversity. And we had adversity this year, and they continue to push through.”
The fourth quarter started off with a bang, as Aggies’ senior receiver CJ Hutton caught a 29-yard rocket from Hastings. Larison finished the drive off with a 12-yard touchdown run up the middle.
Larison ended the game with 221 total yards and three touchdowns. He had 152 rushing yards and 69 receiving yards.
The Hornets struggled to run the ball in the game, only totaling 68 rushing yards. Sac State averaged 2.4 yards per carry.
“Our defense is just made for the run stop,” Aggies’ junior defensive back Rex Connors said. “Our defensive line is a big part of that. A lot of what they do goes unrecognized.”
UC Davis scored again halfway through the fourth, when Hastings tossed an 8-yard pass to the back of the endzone to Williams, who snagged it while tapping his toes before falling out of bounds.
Unwilling to go down easy, the Hornets went down the field within 4:21 minutes and scored, with Conklin making magic happen. He stepped up, broke a tackle and scrambled to his right. He then turned around, ran to the left and threw a 16-yard dot to the front pylon, connecting with junior running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver.
Conklin then found Grover on the out route to the right side of the endzone, for the Hornets’ two-point conversion to make it a 3-point game at 35-32.
Four consecutive times, Larison put the Aggies on his back to prevent the Hornets from having a chance to comeback. The game-breaking play was Larison’s final carry, going up the gut for a 59-yard touchdown.
“Definitely a dagger,” Larison said about whether or not the touchdown felt like a final blow.
UC Davis head coach Tim Plough said he did not see Larison’s score as the dagger and wanted to ensure his team kept fighting.
“I told my staff immediately, ‘Get to the sideline and be ready to do it again,’” Plough said. “They’ll be back.”
In five plays, Conklin took the Hornets down the field and launched a strike down the left sideline to redshirt freshman Danny Scudero for a 30-yard gain. Scudero made a move and took it into the endzone, making the score 42-39.
Conklin completed 32 of his 44 passes for 389 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. He also broke the single-season passing record by a freshman quarterback for Sac State.
The Hornets attempted an onside kick, but Larison secured it, ending the Hornets’ hopes of pulling off an upset.
“If you’re gonna kick an onside kick, we’re gonna make sure it’s going to number three, hopefully,” Plough said. “I’ll put my kids’ lives, family, on the line with that guy getting the onside kick.”
The Hornets’ season comes to an end with a 3-9 overall record, as a result they will miss the postseason for the first time since 2018 when they had a 2-8 record.
“Give them a lot of credit. They’re a good football team,” Thompson said of UC Davis. “And wish those guys luck in the playoffs.”
