Why Sacramento State’s win in the Causeway Classic is about more than beating a rival
Kevin Thomson may be sore for a day or so, maybe even a week, but he’ll take it. Pass the ice bags and hand over the trophy, too.
Sacramento State’s gritty quarterback attempted a career-high 55 passes Saturday afternoon at Hornet Stadium, and he carried the ball another 24 times in doing every humanly possible thing he could do to keep the Hornets in fast-forward motion.
And then he sealed it.
Thomson’s 33-yard touchdown burst with 5:51 left to play on a perfectly executed deception play call proved to be the back breaker that No. 4 Sac State needed to extend its improbable season.
The Hornets defeated UC Davis 27-17 in the 66th Causeway Classic in front of an announced crowd of 19,882, with Thomson’s fingerprints and cleat marks all over it.
And then there was Thomson and friends later hoisting and embracing the Causeway trophy, a heavy cylinder-like piece that has extra meaning now. Some coaches and players passed around lit cigars.
In moving to 9-3 overall and 8-1 against Division I FCS-level teams, the Hornets have plenty to celebrate under first-year coach Troy Taylor and 10 new Hornets assistants. A year after going 2-8 in a season mired in injuries, Sac State clinched a share of the Big Sky Conference championship with Weber State, the Hornets’ first conference title since 1995.
The Hornets also clinched one of the 24 FCS playoff berths, Sac State’s first since 1988, and could earn a top-four seed, meaning an opening-round bye next weekend. The bracket will be announced on ESPNU at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
Thomson has gash marks on his elbows, fingers and face, the price one plays to play the position. His legs felt heavy late Saturday, but the grin was pronounced. He labored through injuries last season and was as curious as anyone about Taylor and the new staff.
“It’ll be worth it,” Thomson said of being sore, laughing. “Everyone bought in the moment Coach Taylor got here. He had full trust in us, which made it easier for us. We knew he was genuine. He put us in a place to be successful as long as we trusted him.”
The trust goes both ways. Thomson wasn’t sharp in the first half, a credit in part to UCD’s attacking defense. He had a pass picked off in the end zone by Da’Von Frazier to give UCD (5-7) a 17-3 lead in the second quarter.
But Thomson kept at it as all great leaders do, engineering decisive scoring drives of 96 and 93 yards. Thomson passed for 300 yards, and his 51-yard touchdown strike to tight end Marshel Martin gave the Hornets the lead for good at 20-17 early in the fourth quarter.
Thomson rushed for 134 yards and two scores, none longer or more needed than that 33-yarder in which he had the option to pitch out or keep it. He kept it, racing down the sideline behind a perfect block by BJ Perkinson. It was a play the Hornets polished this week by Taylor, a master play-caller whose preparation and poise has resonated through the program as he stressed loving the game, loving each other, and winning and losing with humility.
Sac State has done all of that. It is 4-1 at home, the loss coming to the conference co-champions.
The defense also stood tall, doing its part as Sac State outscored UC Davis 17-0 after halftime.
“I feel happiest for our seniors who went through a lot,” Taylor said. “Sometimes when a new guy comes into a program, players wonder, ‘OK, who’s the new guy? How much do they care about us?’ They never blinked this season They’ve been awesome. It’s an unselfish group. We don’t have any bad guys on the team. It starts with the seniors. They showed humility and typically when the seniors do that, everyone else follows.”
He added this on Thomson: “Kevin hung in there, kept competing. He didn’t have a great first half, but without Kevin, none of this happens. He’s the heart and soul of our offense. He’s worked so hard. He’s the best player in the conference.”
Typical of Thomson, he credited teammates and coaches for the season.
“It’s everyone,” he said. “It’s a special team and this is a special moment. We had a lot to play for. We needed this.”
Jake Maier passed for 233 yards for UCD and opened the scoring with a 76-yard touchdown to Khris Vaughn. Maier bows out as perhaps the program’s greatest quarterback, a three-year starter who led the Aggies to their first Big Sky title last season.
This story was originally published November 23, 2019 at 7:24 PM.