Late defensive stand helps FCS No. 4 Sacramento State hold off winless Northern Colorado
In the Big Sky Conference, upsets and frantic finishes are part of the package.
On Saturday afternoon, No. 4 Sacramento State beat host Northern Colorado 21-13. The effort was hardly perfect, but it was good enough to move the Hornets to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big Sky as the program’s quest for a fourth consecutive conference championship rolls on.
Northern Colorado dropped to 0-6 with another close setback, but the Bears pushed the Hornets to the end as Sacramento State needed a stop on downs with 1:30 to go to seal it.
Kaiden Bennett of Folsom High School completed 25 of 31 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 34 yards for the Hornets. The Big Sky all-purpose yardage leader with nearly 300 a game, Bennett hit Devin Gandy for a 15-yard score to give Sac State a 7-3 lead. He later found Ezra Moleni on an 8-yard touchdown for a 14-3 advantage and threw a 20-yard TD pass to Carlos Hill for a 21-10 lead in the third quarter.
The Hornets are used to games going down to the final possession, winning seven of their last eight Big Sky games in that fashion.
“They continue to do that, and it’s a tribute to their work ethic and who they are as people, staying together and being resilient,” Sacramento State coach Andy Thompson said from Greeley, Colorado.
The coach added that allowing 13 points in the wide-open Big Sky is a notable feat.
“In certain situations, we did bend,” Thompson said. “Last game (a 31-30 win over Northern Arizona), we didn’t make any plays on fourth down. This time we did.”
Moleni led Sacramento State in rushing with 93 yards on 16 carries as the Hornets played their second consecutive game without leading rusher Marcus Fulcher, who is nursing a bad foot.
Cameron Broussard had 12 tackles to lead the Hornets, including the final stop. Armon Bailey had eight stops and Brock Mather six. Caleb Nelson broke up three passes.
The Hornets will host No. 2 Montana State at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 21, a game that will be televised by ESPN2.
This story was originally published October 14, 2023 at 4:51 PM.