College football: No. 7 Sacramento State evens the score, beats Northern Iowa
A year ago, the University of Northern Iowa paid a visit to Sacramento State and left cleat marks all across Hornet Stadium, and then some.
The Panthers delivered an 18-point victory, one that Hornets coach Troy Taylor said following the rematch on Saturday night was as bad as it felt — “we took one on the teeth.”
The Hornets left Cedar Falls on Saturday with their unbeaten record and faces intact. Ranked seventh in the FCS Coaches Poll, Sacramento State beat UNI 37-21 for the program’s first 2-0 start since 2000.
What’s more, Taylor and his coaching staff are 10-0 on the road against FCS team since taking over the Hornets program before the 2019 season, and they savored this one against a program that has flags for 16 conference championships and 22 FCS playoff berths displayed on the walls of the UNI-Dome.
“I can’t tell you how much respect i have for (UNI),” Taylor said after the game in a media session. “I played them when I was at Eastern Washington (as an assistant), and last year. We’ve got some really mentally tough guys, and we’re resilient playing through the ups and downs of the game.”
Sacramento State had six turnovers against UNI last season, regrouped and defended its Big Sky Conference championship. The Hornets had no turnovers Saturday and were again balanced, garnering 12 first downs on the ground and 13 through the air. Sacramento State rushed for 190 yards and passed for 254.
Jake Dunniway passed for 199 yards and a touchdown to Marshel Martin, the 16th of Martin’s Hornets career. Asher O’Hara rushed for 69 yards as the running threat for the Hornets’ 1-2 quarterback punch. He scored on three 3-yard runs, including the first score and the final one. The final one with 41 seconds left came off a long interception return by Martu Mapu, who had seven tackles and forced a fumble with a jarring hit.
Cameron Skattebo rushed for 110 yards on 11 carries for Sacramento State, which plays at Colorado State on Sept. 24. Theo Day, whom Sacramento State defensive coordinator Andy Thompson said has the best arm of any quarterback the Hornets will face, passed for 270 yards and two touchdowns for UNI.
A week after missing two field goals, preseason All-America kicker Kyle Sentowski made field goals of 29, 30 and 38 yards, the last one coming with 3:40 left for a 30-21 lead.
Said Skattebo of what the Hornets have done and are doing in terms of resolve and results, “We set that standard of what we’re all about.”