Sacramento State rolled over UC Davis in a dominating 27-7 victory during the 67th Causeway Classic at UC Davis Health Stadium, crowning the Hornets as the outright Big Sky champions.
On Saturday, Sac State’s offense came out hot, quickly taking a 7-0 lead after an 11-yard run by senior wide receiver Isaiah Gable on their first possession. A 21-yard field goal from Kyle Sentowski gave the Hornets a 10-0 lead.
“Our boys came out, took the ball and scored first,” said Sac State head coach Troy Taylor. “Usually when we do that we are in pretty good shape and our defense was just incredible the entire afternoon, just giving us tons of opportunities.”
The Hornets defense dominated early on, stuffing the Aggie’s running game and throwing off their offensive rhythm. Davis went three-and-out on its first two possessions and did not see a first down until the second quarter.
By halftime, Sac State was up 24-0 after a punishing 37-yard run from Cameron Skattebo and a 1-yard leaping touchdown from Asher O’Hara. Marcus Hawkins also picked up his third interception of the season.
“They came ready to play,” said UC Davis running back Chris Venable. “They played hard. They wanted it more than us. All we can do is learn from it.”
Davis opened the third quarter with a strong drive up the field but was unable to convert a 44-yard field goal attempt.
Two more interceptions by the Hornet defense and a 49-yard field goal from Sentowski continued Sac State’s dominance, giving them a hefty 27-0 lead.
The Aggies did not see a single point until the final two minutes of the game, but by then it was much too late. With 1:41 to go in the final quarter, C.J. Hutton caught a 16-yard pass to score UC Davis’ lone touchdown.
The game ended with a final score of 27-7, preserving the Hornets’ perfect record in the Big Sky conference and giving them a 9-2 record overall. The Aggies dropped to 8-3 overall.
“They outcoached us, they outplayed us, they did a great job,” Davis head coach Dan Hawkins stated. “In the sporting world, you have to tip your hat to those guys.”
Venable led UC Davis defensively, with a season-high seven solo tackles. Hutton completed five catches for 48 yards. The Aggies tallied 337 yards compared to the Hornets’ 436.
The win and Montana State’s loss earlier that same day crowned Sac State as the outright Big Sky champions and granted them an automatic bid into the 24-team FCS playoffs. In 2019, Sac State was also the Big Sky champion, sharing the title with Weber State.
“When you go undefeated in your conference, I think that says a lot and just speaks to us doing what we needed to do throughout the season,” Sac State quarterback Jake Dunniway said. “We just focused on ourselves and set goals for our own team and tried to play to our standard. I’m really excited for our guys and really proud of all of us.”
On Sunday morning, the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee announced that UC Davis had earned a spot in the playoffs. The Aggies will be heading to Brookings, South Dakota to face off against South Dakota State this Saturday, Nov. 27. Kickoff is slated for 12 p.m.
The winner of that matchup will face Sac State, who earned a first-round bye, on Dec. 3.