In the state of Utah, under a constant cover of clouds and rain, Sacramento State prepared to play their second Big Sky Conference game under extreme conditions.
After a lightning delay pushed back kickoff by nearly two hours, the game began with rain still pouring down and a northern wind dropping the temperatures to near freezing.
After a pair of fruitless drives to open the game, the Hornets acclimated and the Go-Go offense roared to life. The Hornets would rush for 397 yards as a team, with three players eclipsing triple digits. The former represents the second-most team yardage in school history, and the latter was the first time Sac State has managed to do so.
“I’m proud of our O-Line for being physical,” head coach Brennan Marion said. “It was great to see the guys we’re developing make the right reads this week. We were able to be explosive in the run game.”
Despite just a single completed pass in the first half, junior quarterback Cardell Williams shined by leading the offense in rushing yards with 139 yards and scoring a trio of touchdowns. This was an important performance following a Cal Poly loss, in which Williams threw three first-half interceptions.
Rallying around Williams and responding was the focus expressed by the Hornets during the bye week, and they managed to do that in a big way.
The Hornets would score rushing touchdowns on the following five drives, building a lead that would prove to be insurmountable, winning 55-27.
After Weber State started the scoring with an impressive 51-yard field goal, the Hornets responded with a methodical drive that ended with Williams evading multiple defenders for a 10-yard score.
After a stout defensive frame and a muffed Weber State punt, Sac State capitalized on a short field, and senior running back Rodney Hammond Jr. punched in the first of his three scores.
For a moment, the Wildcats appeared to regroup on the defensive end of the ball, but WIlliams got loose on a fourth and 1 attempt, leaving the Wildcat defense in the dust for a 51-yard run.
“I just trusted my coaches,” Williams said.
For every step forward the Wildcats made, the Hornets pushed them two steps back. WIldcat junior quarterback Dijon Jennings scored a running touchdown, but the Hornets promptly responded with back-to-back scores. Freshman running back Jaquail Smith scored a 13-yarder that Hammond followed with his second touchdown to extend the lead to 35-10.
“It felt good, watching the previous games and learning from those guys,” Smith said. “We’ve got real vets; they prepared me for this moment.”
Once again, the Wildcats found some traction and went on a 17-7 run to open the third quarter, but Hammond delivered the dagger on their kickoff.
With his feet on the goal line, Hammond caught the Weber State kickoff, broke a pair of tackles and took it to the house.
“After my first return, I saw some things,” Hammond said. “I knew if I got another opportunity, I knew what I’d do.”
Smith added a 24-yard touchdown for his second score of the game, sealing the game at 55-27.
The Hornets move to 3-3 on the season and 1-1 in Big Sky Conference play.
With concurrent losses from Northern Arizona and Cal Poly, Sac State moves into fifth place in the Big Sky. They’re tied with Eastern Washington and Northern Colorado, with the latter being next week’s opponent.
“We came together and played like the team that we’re supposed to play like,” Hammond said. “We’ve got more to prove, but tonight showed what we can do.”
Sac State returns to the Hornet Stadium for their homecoming game against Northern Colorado on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 6 p.m.