Sacramento State plows Portland State, closes in in Big Sky football title
Three seasons in, and Troy Taylor likes what he sees.
Actually, the Sacramento State coach is delighted with the product he has been paramount in building and unleashing on the NCAA FCS circuit since his arrival in 2019. And this train is just getting warmed up.
No. 12 Sacramento State pounded streaking Portland State 49-20 Saturday night at Hornet Stadium to remain in a first-place tie in the Big Sky Conference with No. 3 Montana State.
Now the Hornets zero in on a showdown in Yolo County for even bigger prizes. The Hornets are 8-2 overall and 7-0 in the Big Sky, the top league in the FCS. In their way: UC Davis. The Hornets charge into the Causeway Classic showdown with the aim of a securing double-bonus. A victory assures Sac State of its second Big Sky crown in three seasons; the other intent is to secure an FCS playoff berth. There was no fall 2020 season due to the pandemic.
Sac State’s seven-game winning streak is the program’s longest since Lyndon Johnson was in the White House, when gas prices were 31 cents a gallon and a new house in a nice neighborhood could be had for $21,000. That was in 1966, when the then-Division II Hornets under coach Ray Clemons closed the season with a still-standing school-record eight-game winning streak.
Sac State is 14-1 in the Big Sky since Taylor took over because the Hornets execute the same script: They are prepared, in shape, deep and talented. The program has connected the generation gap from yesteryear by having scores of ex-Hornets come by as honorary team captains.
There is also the binding theme that makes it all work. Taylor is big on players who love the sport and each other, much more than just how good all of that sounds. The Hornets live it. They have two quarterbacks leading the show in Jake Dunniway and Asher O’Hara, and it works because they insist on making it work. Sac State has used different running backs, different receivers, different linemen and different defenders, be it by injury or guys showing their worth in practice.
“They’re really selfless, they’re well prepared and a joy to be around,” Taylor said of his team. “It’s nice to win. They enjoy being around each other and going to school. We don’t have prima-donna guys. They play for each other. It is nice to win, but it’s all the, all the little things, the day-to-day enjoyment. You get to play 11 (regular-season) games. You’d like to win them all, but you’ve got to enjoy the other stuff, too.”
Sac State honored 16 seniors on Senior Night, including 10 who were key starters on the 2019 title team, including top defenders in linebacker Marcus Hawkins and defensive lineman Josiah Erickson. But this is a young team with some of the top talent still with a season or more to go. That includes the junior quarterbacks. Jake Dunniway passed for 281 yards and 4-yard touchdown to Cameron Skattebo for a 21-7 Hornets lead.
O’Hara, more of the running threat, leads the team in rushing this season. He had 108 yards rushing on 13 carries, and his 9-yard scoring run made for a 42-14 lead early in the fourth quarter before the starters came out. O’Hara has rushed for eight touchdowns this season. He also hit Marshel Martin for an 8-yard touchdown for a 28-7 lead as the Hornets ended Portland State’s three-game winning streak, and most likely, any FCS playoff hopes.
Skattebo, a freshman running back from Rio Linda High School, had 86 yards rushing and a 38-yard scoring run in which he broke free and still looked for anyone to stiff arm. That score gave Sac State a 35-7 lead. Sac State had 543 yards of offense and moved to 13-0 when scoring first since the start of the 2019 season and 15-0 when entering the fourth quarter with a lead in that time.
Sac State had two interception returns called back due to penalties, but freshman Devin Gandy returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown for a 14-7 lead, and he kept on grinning well after the game. His assignment? Can’t say these guys haven’t been coached up to be ready.
“We did what we’re told to do,” he said. “I knew that was a big turning point.”
Across the hall from Sac State’s news conference setting, the Hornets celebrated. It’s been a theme all season, or the last two, actually. Respect the opponent, appreciate every victory, and sing and chant a bit.
“We work really hard throughout the week and we get a team win like this, it’s hard not to celebrate,” Dunniway said. “We love each other, and we’re having some fun.”
Sized up the coach, “We knew we were going to get (Portland State’s) best and we wanted to make sure we gave them our best. We want to extend the season as long as we can.”