The Sacramento State Hornets are a team built for the harshest of conditions.
Wind gusts of up to 40 mph rolled through the open-air stadium, and rain fell on the vibrant red turf of Roos Field in Cheney, Washington on Saturday.
On the opening drive, senior running back Rodney Hammond, Jr. hesitated behind the Hornet offensive line then exploded through the developing gap for a 61-yard run that dropped Sac State deep into Eastern territory.
Junior quarterback Cardell Williams capitalized, keeping the ball on a read option and punching in the opening score, an auspicious beginning to a game defined by Sac State’s run game dominance.
Hammond tied his collegiate career-high in the first quarter alone, rushing for 145 yards, before adding an additional 63 yards to pile up over two hundred yards to go with a pair of touchdowns.
“My o-line was blocking real, real good,” Hammond said. “We were seeing holes that we hadn’t seen, and we took advantage of them.”
Freshman running back Jaquail Smith got involved as well, racking up triple-digit yardage and a pair of touchdowns during the game. The duo of Smith and Hammond accounted for 86% of Sac State’s 376 rushing yards, leading the Hornets to a comfortable 35-13 win.
“I thought we adapted well to the weather,” head coach Brennan Marion said. “Our o-line did a great job opening up holes, and our running backs were great at being explosive.”
RELATED: Don’t poke the panda: Explosive Montana offense is too much to bear
Sac State’s defense was more impressive than the 13 total points and scoreless second half from Eastern would suggest. During practice on Wednesday ahead of the game, Marion spoke about making changes to the defense after the loss to Montana, and the improvement was obvious.
“I told them at the end, ‘Welcome back, defense. It was good to see you,’” Marion said. “That’s how we want to play defense. That’s our brand of ball.”
Led by junior safety Koda Akui, who recorded two pass break-ups and one-and-a-half tackles for loss, the secondary flew around in elite coverage.
The defensive line recorded five sacks while bottling up Eastern’s backup, redshirt freshman Jake Schakel, who entered in the first quarter after starting junior quarterback Nate Bell exited with a shoulder injury.
“I’m very proud,” senior defensive lineman Xavier Williams said. “We were called out publicly, we came together and had a self-reflection on what we were doing wrong. We had to play to our standard, and we executed. You see the result.”
Similarly to the Weber State game, where similar conditions hampered Sac State’s ability to pass the ball, Williams struggled to make plays happen with his arm.
He threw an early interception and fumbled a ball in the first half, with both turnovers resulting in scores for the Eagles. Williams ended the game with just three completed passes, but he directed traffic in the backfield well enough to keep the offense rolling. Despite not exercising it, his presence as a scrambler kept the defense honest.
With the win, Sac State keeps their playoff hopes alive, stealing the fourth-place slot in the Big Sky from the Eagles.
“We know what we have to do,” Hammond said. “We thrive under pressure; it’ll just make our story better.”
With three games remaining – Portland State on the road, Idaho at home and then the season finale at Davis for the Causeway Classic – the Hornets will need to win out to sneak into the FCS playoffs.
“Those that win in November get remembered,” Marion said. “1-0 today. We’ve got to get back to work and go 1-0 next week.”
Sac State takes on Portland State on Friday, Nov. 8, in another must-win affair.
