Sacramento State lights up Central Arkansas for 602 yards to even record at 2-2
The postgame fireworks lit up the sky, well above Hornet Stadium, on Saturday night, and that was after Sacramento State lit up the Bears of Central Arkansas in a nonconference contest to turn a slow-start to the season into rolling momentum.
In amassing 602 yards of total offense with waves of fresh legs maximizing the “Go-Go” offense, the FCS No. 22-ranked Hornets rolled their visitors from the United Athletic Conference, 45-16.
Sacramento State started the season with a 20-3 loss at FCS No. 2 South Dakota State, then dropped a crushing 20-17 loss at FBS-member Nevada in Reno and have since turned on the gas. Seventy-two new players under first-year coach Brennan Marion and an army of new Hornets coaches have found their footing and groove, outscoring their last two opponents 94-44.
Marion said he was “embarrassed” after a so-so first half last week before the “Go-Go” got going, but there were no such concerns this time as a crowd of 13,253 watched five different Hornets reach the end zone and the defense record a season-best eight sacks, the third-most in program history, which dates back to 1954.
“The first half was exactly what we were looking for as far as starting fast and come out alive with some energy — electric,” said Marion, wearing a “Go-Go” cap and a shirt that had 916 on it, representing Sacramento’s area’s code. “We have to develop a killer punch.”
That punch was rooted in the offensive line under position coach Kris Richardson. The unit allowed no sacks last week in beating Mercyhurst of Pennsylvania 49-28 and none on Saturday.
Cardell Williams impressed in his second successive Hornets start at quarterback, the Tulsa transfer completing 15 of 20 passes for 252 yards and a 9-yard touchdown to Sam Adams II for a 14-0 lead. Williams also rushed eight times for 66 yards and two scores. Jaden Rashada played the fourth quarter and fired a 50-yard scoring strike to Ernest Campbell to cap the scoring, the third touchdown of 50 or more yards for the speeder transfer from Texas A&M.
A week after powering his way for three rushing touchdowns, Damian Henderson II rushed 15 times for 137 yards and electrified with an 85-yard scoring burst, the longest TD run for the Hornets since Ryan Mole went 87 yards in 2004.
This long gainer was a lot of ground to cover in a flash for the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Colorado State transfer who was a prep star in Los Angeles.
So, yes, the much talked-about, highly anticipated “Go-Go” is going just fine. Against Mercyhurst, five different Hornets reached the end zone. It’s a trend the coaches expect to continue.
“I know we were in a panic there early in the season because we didn’t put up 1,000 yards in the first games and score 50,” Marion said with a smile. “But our offense has been successful throughout the years (at various stops) by playing basketball on grass.”
Defense flexes a ‘No-No’ effort
The Hornets defense muscled up and became something of a “No-No” unit in stalling the prolific Bears. Dylan Hampsten had 2.5 sacks and Jayland McGlothen two as six Hornets took part in taking down a quarterback.
Oscar Moore had seven tackles, and Anta’Veon McKenzie and Alex Rocha six each for Sac State. The team had 12 tackles for loss.
Landen Chambers rushed 22 times for 108 yards and a score for Central Arkansas, but there were few yards for the other running backs. Four other backs combined to rush for 22 yards, and quarterback Luther Richesson had minus-43 yards rushing on 14 attempts, mostly because of the eight sacks allowed.
“We had a lot of guys rotating in, some explosive guys,” said Hampsten, a transfer from San Jose State. “We had a great game plan.”
Marion said he stressed to his defensive coaches after the spring ball sessions that the defense needed a boost.
“I told them that we’re not where we need to be and we’re going to overhaul every single defensive lineman and every rush end that we can, and that’s what we did,” Marion said. “Our last sack was by a true freshman, who whoops our a-- every day in practice on scout team, Micah Mosley. He is a freak. We have guys who can really affect the passer, so I’m excited about that group. to continue to grow and develop.”
Marion will weed out anyone not on board
From the gloom of an 0-2 start, everyone in Hornets green — players, coaches and staff — are bouncing a bit more in their step.
Sacramento State has a chance to keep it rolling with Cal Poly (2-2) visiting Hornet Stadium on Sept. 27 in a Big Sky Conference opener, followed by games against Weber State (2-2) and Northern Colorado (2-2) before an ESPN-televised game against powerhouse Montana, winners of 19 Big Sky crowns and ranked fifth in the FCS boasting a 3-0 record.
The eternal optimist, Marion never lost an ounce of confidence after the 0-2 start, not with the way he’s wired and not with the abundance of skill, speed and ferocity the Hornets have. But for all of his good sheer, Marion can drop the hammer, and he will continue to do so to keep this train rolling.
“I don’t get my confidence from people or opinions or places,” Marion said. “I get it from God. Anytime you have a great story, there’s adversity. Everybody wants want an undefeated season, a perfect thing, and that’s not real life. That’s not how it works. We needed those two games (to open the season) because those games exposed a lot of people who were here for the glitz and glamor, and it really got us down to the nitty-gritty on who guys are, the team guys.”
He added, “I told the players this week that we’re going to win by addition, subtraction and multiplication here, not division. Anybody’s who’s trying to divide us, we have to get rid of.”
This story was originally published September 20, 2025 at 10:49 PM.