Sophomore Safety Camron Mbewa |
Running back Jesse Chatman rushed for 298 yards and scored four touchdowns including a 1-yard plunge in overtime to give Eastern Washington a 42-35 win over Sacramento State Saturday night at Fred Anderson Field.The Eagles improved to 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the Big Sky Conference. The Hornets dropped their fourth-straight game to fall to 2-5 overall and 1-4 in league games.
Entering the contest as the No. 2 rusher in the nation, Chatman added to his resume by setting the EWU single-game record and also taking possession of the career rushing record. Three of his scores on Saturday were from the one yard line with his longest touchdown coming on a 23-yard scamper in the third quarter.
Sacramento State was led by freshman running back Kendall Riley’s career-high 113 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns. The Sacramento native joined junior Derard Barton as the second Hornet running back to surpass the century mark this season.
Freshman quarterback Ryan Leadingham finished 16-of-30 for 192 yards including a 15-yard touchdown to junior tight end Russell Gardner in the second quarter. Freshman Fred Amey led the receiving corps with five receptions for 79 yards.
Defensively for the Hornets, sophomore strong safety Camron Mbewa led the squad with 14.5 tackles while also blocking a punt and returning it 45 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Senior defensive end Drew Bogetti recorded the lone Hornet sack.
Sacramento State got off to a quick start when Riley scored from four yards out with 6:32 left in the first quarter. Leadingham then found Gardner to start the second quarter and Mbewa returned the punt block with 9:15 left in the first half to give the team a 21-0 lead.
From that point, Chatman scored his first TD with 5:18 remaining in the quarter. Lamont Brightful made it a seven-point game with a 43-yard scored on a reverse and EWU tied the game when Fred Salanoa hooked up with Chris Cwik with 1:51 left on the clock.
Derard Barton returned the lead to the Hornets with a 1-yard score midway through the third quarter but Chatman answered with TDs at 7:27 and 0:29. Riley tied the game with a TD at the 11:15 mark of the fourth quarter.
The two teams combined for 77 points, 702 yards and 11 touchdowns in the game.
Sacramento State will return to Fred Anderson Field on Saturday, Oct. 27, for the 48th-annual Causeway Classic. Tickets for the game can be purchased at the Sacramento State and UC Davis box offices or by logging on to www.tickets.com.
