No. 11 Sacramento State hits the road, rolls Texas A&M Commerce in best outing of season
After opening the season with competitive losses to higher-division FBS programs San Jose State and Fresno State, the Sacramento State Hornets have found their groove against programs of their size and division.
A week after blitzing then-No. 24 Nicholls by four touchdowns in their home opener, the FCS-ranked No. 11 Hornets continued to roll, taking their act on the road to rout Texas A&M Commerce 34-0 at Memorial Stadium on a hot and humid Saturday night.
Starting his second successive game, Carson Conklin passed for 154 yards and two touchdowns, hitting Elijah Tau-Tolliver and Jared Gipson. Elias Mullican of Rocklin High School returned an interception 35 yards late in the first half to make it 13-0 as the defense pitched another shutout to improve Sacramento State’s all-time mark against Commerce to 2-0.
Against Nicholls, Sacramento State (2-2) did not allow any offensive points, giving up only an interception return for a score during the 34-7 victory.
Hornets coach Andy Thompson stressed this week that his team had to play four quarters to prepare for another run at a Big Sky Conference championship. The Hornets delivered.
“It’s good to play four quarters,” Thompson said after the game.
Sacramento State seeks its fourth Big Sky crown since 2019 as the Hornets head to Northern Arizona next week for the program’s fourth road game of the early season.
Tau-Tolliver rushed for 127 yards, Ezra Moleni rushed for a score, Zach Schreiner made two field goals and the defense smothered the Lions, who lost to UC Davis 36-22 on Sept. 7 and to Grambling last week, 35-28 in overtime.
A week after producing seven sacks, the most in a game for the Hornets since 2011, Sacramento State recorded six more, including 1.5 by Will Schalde. Linebacker Will Leota, the FCS National Player of the Week after his strong showing against Nicholls, led Sacramento State with five tackles, and Mullican had two interceptions in his best outing with the Hornets, who sent in waves of players to maximize depth, to off-set team injuries and to stay fresh.
Mullican’s touchdown off the interception boosted the Hornets, Thompson said.
“Great play by him,” the coach said. “He’s got some great ball skills.”
The Hornets allowed just one sack after yielding none the previous two games. Commerce fell to 0-4.
This story was originally published September 21, 2024 at 7:50 PM.