FOOTBALL SEARCHES FOR WINNING BIG SKY RECORD AT NORTHERN COLORADO
11/3/2009
Following a 27-24 upset victory over then-No. 21 Northern Arizona, the Sacramento State football team will play the first of two straight Big Sky Conference road games when it travels to Northern Colorado on Sat., Nov. 7, for an 11:05 a.m. PST kickoff.
There will be multiple ways to follow this week’s game. Hornet fans can tune in to KRJY 1240 AM to hear the radio call of Jason Ross and Steve McElroy. Live audio streaming is also available via www.hornetsports.com. Sacramento State will also be featured on BigSkyTV. org. The free package is available for all Big Sky football games as well as any non-conference contest hosted by Sacramento State.
Sacramento State improved to 3-5 overall and evened its Big Sky record at 3-3 with its win over Northern Arizona at home on Halloween. The victory was the first for the Hornets over a ranked team since 2004 and gave the team a chance to finish with six wins for the second straight season. Against the Lumberjacks, freshman Sam McCowan rushed for 130 yards during his first career start and Christian Clark recorded a school-record 4.0 sacks. Despite those two performances, the team had to hold on for the final few moments as NAU’s 55-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right as time expired.
Northern Colorado is 3-6 overall and 1-5 in Big Sky play. The Bears have won two of their last three games, including a 21-17 decision against South Dakota on Saturday in non-league play. In that contest, Andre Harris scored with just over five minutes play to seal the victory. NC was also effective through the air as Alex Thompson caught seven passes for 109 yards and a score.
The Bears boast one of the top defenses in the Big Sky as they enter the week leading the conference in pass defense, ranking third in total defense and fourth in scoring defense.
The all-time series between the two schools dates back just three seasons. Sacramento State has won each of the previous matchups, including a last-second win on a desperation pass in 2007.
Monster Day There was no disguising Christian Clark’s defensive performance against Northern Arizona. The junior was credited with 4.0 sacks and was part of a Hornet defense which tallied five sacks on the day and limited NAU to 84 rushing yards.
Clark set the Sacramento State Div. I-AA/FCS era record for single-game sacks, breaking the mark of 3.5 which was set by Tyson Butler in 2005. The Los Angeles native also tied his career high with eight total stops and set career bests with four tackles-for-loss and six solo stops.
Clark, who was an honorable mention preseason All-American, now leads the team and ranks second in the Big Sky with 1.12 sacks per game. That mark also ties him for sixth nationally while his total of 9.0 sacks is tied for the second highest total in the nation, trailing on Chattanooga’s Josh Beard who has 10.
Clark is also second in the Big Sky and tied for eighth in the FCS with 1.63 tackles-for-loss per game. He also surged into sixth place in school history in career sacks (15.0) and is tied for seventh in career TFLs with 23.0.
Heath Does it Again Augie Heath earned his second Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week award for his efforts against Northern Arizona.
Heath started his day with a fake punt in which he rushed for 18 yards to earn a first down and set up the team’s first score.
For the rest of the game, he had five punts for an average of 41.6 yards per kick. More impressively, four of his five punts were downed inside the 20-yard line and his fifth ended at the 20. Heath’s most important punt came in the final minutes where he pinned NAU at the 4 for its final drive.
Earlier this season, the sophomore was named the Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week after landing five punts inside the 20.
This year, he has three kicks of 50-yards or more, including a 51-yarder against NAU, and has 14 punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
One Man Show After dazzling coaches in training camp, there was little doubt that true freshman Sam McCowan would play during his first collegiate season. What was unforeseen was the fact that McCowan would not only be starting by week eighth but would be the only member of a five-man crew that would be healthy for the game.
Against Northern Arizona, McCowan rushed for a career high 130 yards on 27 carries and scored a touchdown. He received all but three of the carries as Terrance Dailey, Evander Wilkins, Jake Croxdale and Kenslow Smith were all out due to injury.
McCowan took advantage of the spotlight with his first career 100-yard game and averaged 4.8 yards per carry. He also became the first Hornet to accumulate 200 all-purpose yards in a game this season as he added eight receiving yards and a 62-yard kickoff return.
McCowan now leads the team with four touchdowns on the season and his 24 total points ranks second to kicker Chris Diniz (48). The Oxnard, Calif., native is also second on the team with 326 rushing yards and leads the team with an average of 24.4 yards per kick return.
Join the Club While McCowan’s rushing efforts was a career high, he is just the latest member of the Hornets to rush for 100 yards. Since the start of last season, the team has now had five players go over the century mark.
In 2008, Bryan Hilliard, Evander Wilkins and Jake Croxdale each had at least one 100-yard game. Terrance Dailey has posted three games in 2009 before McCowan. Hilliard leads the group with eight career 100-yard games. Dailey is second with three and is followed by Wilkins (two) and Croxdale and Dailey (one each).
Appalachian State is the national leader with seven 100-yard rushers on their roster this season. Sacramento State is second moving one ahead of Lafayette who has four.
Unsung Heroes With all the statistical accomplishments, one group that been overshadowed has been the Hornet offensive line. The group has been steady all season and quite possibly produced their best effort against Northern Arizona.
Sacramento State’s success running the ball against the Lumberjacks has already been documented but the group also did not allow a sack in pass protection.
This year, the Hornets are tied for first in the Big Sky in sacks allowed, giving up only eight this season for 1.0 per game.
Another Big Shott A week after catching two touchdowns against Montana, John Hendershott added his second 100-yard receiving game of the season with five grabs for 106 yards against Northern Arizona.
Hendershott also returned a kickoff 28 yards and finished with 134 all-purpose yards.
Hendershott is now tied for second on the team with Dylan Lane with 29 receptions. His 460 yards also place him second behind Brandyn Reed (32 rec., 460 yards).
Hendershott joined the Hornets in the summer and has worked him way into the rotation. He spent the previous two seasons at Diablo Valley College and then attended Utah State during the spring of 2009 before returning to Northern California.
Who Needs Officials Throughout the year, the officials have received a light day’s work in Sacramento State contests. The Hornets have led the Big Sky in fewest penalties for most of the year and stretched their lead with only two infractions for 10 yards against Northern Arizona.
The number of penalties is tied for the second fewest in the school’s Div. I-AA/FCS era while the yardage total ranks third.
Sacramento State is not the only team to be playing by the rules as Hornet opponents also lead the league in fewest penalties. When playing Sacramento State, the opposition has been called for an average of 51.0 penalty yards per game.
The Winding Road Two of the many key defensive contributions in the win over Northern Arizona came from Durrell Oliver and Dorian Brown. The veterans both have returned to the team in 2009 after sitting out the 2008 season.
Oliver intercepted Michael Herrick in the fourth quarter and now has two interceptions on the year. His total of 36 tackles places him fifth overall.
Brown recorded a career high 10 stops, including eight solos against the Lumberjacks. He is now sixth on the team with 34 tackles.
All By Himself Zach Schrader is the only player in the Big Sky to be ranked in the top five of tackles, interceptions and forced fumbles this season. The junior is third in the league with 10.1 tackles per game, third in interceptions (three) and tied for fourth in fumbles forced with two.
Schrader’s average of 10.12 tackles per game ties him for 21st nationally in the FCS. The national and Big Sky leader is J.C Sherritt of EWU who is averaging 14.00 stops.
Schrader began his collegiate career at Western Washington but was forced to find a new home after the program was discontinued last winter.
First Trip Back This weekend’s trip to Northern Colorado marks the first time the Hornets have returned to the site of the “Great Greeley Grab”. In 2007, Sacramento State trailed 17-13 after giving up a touchdown with 44 seconds remaining. The Hornets took the kickoff and drove just past midfield to set up a desperation pass from Jason Smith as time expired. The pass was tipped at the front of the end zone by Ryan Coogler and gathered by Tony Washington just inside the end line to give the team a 20-17 victory.
A Look at the Bears • The Northern Colorado offense is led by quarterback Bryan Waggener who has completed 60.1 percent of his passes this season with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. Waggener’s favorite target is Alex Thompson who has caught 53 passes and six touchdowns. Andre Harris is the leading rusher with 575 yards and five TDs.
• Defensively, Matt King has 75 tackles to lead the team. Nick Hernon has a team-high 5.0 sacks and is one of three players with at least 3.0 sacks. Max Hewitt has a team beset three interceptions.
• This weekend’s game will be the sixth home game of the year for NC. The team is 2-3 in those games with wins over San Diego and South Dakota.
Big Sky Notes Montana running back Chase Reynolds was named the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 240 yards and a TD against Weber State. Eastern Washington’s Matt Johnson intercepted four passes and earned the defensive award while Augie Heath was the special teams selection.
Following a 27-24 upset victory over then-No. 21 Northern Arizona, the Sacramento State football team will play the first of two straight Big Sky Conference road games when it travels to Northern Colorado on Sat., Nov. 7, for an 11:05 a.m. PST kickoff.
There was no disguising Christian Clark’s defensive performance against Northern Arizona. The junior was credited with 4.0 sacks and was part of a Hornet defense which tallied five sacks on the day and limited NAU to 84 rushing yards.
Augie Heath earned his second Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week award for his efforts against Northern Arizona.
After dazzling coaches in training camp, there was little doubt that true freshman Sam McCowan would play during his first collegiate season. What was unforeseen was the fact that McCowan would not only be starting by week eighth but would be the only member of a five-man crew that would be healthy for the game.
A week after catching two touchdowns against Montana, John Hendershott added his second 100-yard receiving game of the season with five grabs for 106 yards against Northern Arizona.
