College football: Sacramento State run game beats Idaho

The coaches didn’t have to convince the big guys in the trenches what to try next on Saturday night. It was unanimous: Run with flair, run with power, run with purpose and run those Vandals right out of the stadium.

No. 2 Sacramento State overcame two interceptions that allowed No. 14 Idaho to take the lead in this Big Sky Conference showdown of league unbeatens, then the Hornets went to the ground with the aim of gashing the upstart Vandals of Moscow. Running the ball and running time off the clock, Sacramento State prevailed 31-28 when quarterback Asher O’Hara attempted one of his trademark up-and-over dives at the goal line, and then the defense sealed it with a spirited stop, delighting a crowd of 17,241.

The Hornets moved to 8-0, a program first, and they extended their regular-season winning streak to a program-record 16, dating back to last season. Sacramento State the previous week rallied to beat storied Montana 31-24 in overtime with O’Hara finishing off the Grizzlies with a touchdown run on a game televised on ESPN2.

Saturday’s crowd at Hornet Stadium represented the largest in school history outside a Causeway Classic rumble with rival UC Davis. It was the fourth-biggest crowd ever for the Hornets, who started playing football in 1954.

“Another day at the office,” Hornets coach Troy Taylor said with a laugh. “Guys on the sideline were convincing me to run the ball. Our offensive line was great. The receivers blocked hard. They’re real warriors when we run the football.”

Sacramento State is so balanced offensively that it torches teams with the pass behind Jake Dunniway, and it can run as well as any program in the wide-open and prolific FCS. Sacramento State rushed for 299 yards against Idaho with Big Sky leading rusher Cameron Skattebo rumbling for 134 yards, his fourth 100-yard effort in succession.

O’Hara ran for 129 yards and a touchdown, and he threaded the needle on a touchdown strike to Pierre Williams for a 24-7 lead before Idaho charged back. O’Hara now has 36 touchdowns in 20 games with Sacramento State, and none of them are boring on the goal line. Even he isn’t sure if he’ll soar or just run it it. It’s all by feel.

“I’m not as strong as Skatt, so I’m not running through people,” O’Hara said. “I don’t predetermine what I’ll do, but it’s fun to score.”

Like he did against Montana, O’Hara was visibly ecstatic after his late scores, jumping and celebrating. Same with the crowd, which has finally become a thing for a program that aims to three-peat as Big Sky champions.

“Some people have a nose for the end zone, smell the end zone, and he definitely has that,” Taylor said of O’Hara. “Great vision. A complete warrior. The nicest kid you’ll ever meet, and then he competes.”

Game balls to the offensive line, a unit that has started every game this season. This is the foundation of the offense, under the tutelage of assistant head coach Kris Richardson, the line coach. That line, left to right, is: Troy Stiefel, Jackson Slater, Nathan Mejia, Brandon Weldon, Ivan Garza.

“We love to put our heads down and move the ball,” Weldon said.

Said Skattebo, “They do a helluva job. I never doubt our linemen.”

Skattebo joked he pleaded for the ball on the goal line.

“I said, ‘Give it to me!’ I got stopped, Ash went in,” Skattebo said. “It’s awesome to see him in the end zone.”

Gevani McCoy passed for 207 yards for Idaho, enjoying its best team in years, and he hit Hayden Hatten for three touchdowns.

The last two unbeatens in the Big Sky are Sacramento State and No. 3 Montana State, both at 5-0. The teams will not play this season, unless it’s in the playoffs.

The Hornets play at No. 5 Weber State on Nov. 5. Idaho is 5-3 and 4-1, losing close opening games at FBS members Washington State and Indiana.

This story was originally published October 30, 2022 7:22 AM.