Sophomore Ryan Leadingham became the school’s all-time leading passer.

The win improved Sacramento State to 4-7 overall and ended the team’s Big Sky Conference season with a 3-4 record. The Wildcats fell to 3-7 overall and 1-6 in league games.

Nick Chournos completed a strong performance with a 2-yard touchdown with 4:51 remaining in the fourth quarter to give WSU a 38-26 lead. Chournos scored three touchdowns and recorded a career-high 223 yards to lead the Wildcats.

The Hornets returned a squib kickoff to the 40-yard line, and after two incompletions, the team had its drive extended by a pass interference call against Weber State. Ryan Leadingham then moved the team downfield with a 20-yard pass to Kenan Smith. Demario Franklin forced Smith to fumble on the play but the ball was recovered by Sacramento State’s Shawn Brown allowing the drive to continue. Following an 11-yard pass to Gary Austin and three rushes, Kendall Riley scored from one yard out to make the score, 38-33.

On the ensuing onsides kick, Bret LeVier lofted a ball to the right side of the field which was mishandled by Wiley King and recovered by the Hornets’ Najib Magee at the WSU 39-yard line. Leadingham found Caleb Jones on a 7-yard pass to move the ball to the 32 before the winning touchdown. On the play, Leadingham threw a lateral to Smith and the former high school quarterback went down the middle of the field to Johnson who caught the ball at the 1-yard line and fell into the end zone for his first touchdown of the season. The Hornets added a two-point conversion pass from Leadingham to Jones to go ahead by three, 41-38.

Weber State returned the kickoff to the 20-yard line and Tate Bennett completed a 31-yard pass to Justin DeFour on fourth down. The Wildcats then took advantage of a pass interference call against Sacramento State to take the ball down to the Hornets’ 27-yard line. After two incompletions, Bennett threw to the right corner of the end zone for DeFour but the Wildcats were called for offensive pass interference with just five seconds remaining. The penalty moved the team out of field goal range.

The two teams were tied, 7-7, after the first quarter. WSU struck first on a 55-yard TD by Chournos before Sacramento State answered on a 9-yard dash by Garrett White. The Hornets moved ahead in the second quarter on a 37-yard field goal from Bret LeVier and a 12-yard score from White.

DeFour closed the gap to three points, 17-14, with a 10-yard TD reception from Bennett before LeVier made a 19-yard field goal. The Wildcats ended the first half scoring, and took a 21-20 lead into halftime after Bennett threw an 8-yard strike to Scott Peery.

WSU opened the second half with a field goal from Joe Johnson and a 7-yard score from Chournos to take a 31-20 lead. LeVier added 22 and 27-yard field goals before Chournos scored his final touchdown of the game.

The two teams combined for 79 points, 54 first downs and 1,105 yards of total offense. Sacramento State ended the game with 511 yards while the Wildcats amassed 594.

Individually, Chournos led all players with his 223 rushing yards while Bennett was 24-for-34 with 349 yards and a pair of touchdowns. DeFour paced the WSU receiving corps with seven grabs for 126 yards.

Sacramento State was guided by Leadingham who was 22-of-40 for 305 yards and a score. Leadingham, who now has 5,213 career yards, became the school’s all-time leading passer moving past Mike Sullivan who had 5,085 yards between 1981-83. White had 17 rushes for 68 yards and Fred Amey grabbed four passes for a team-leading 109 yards. LeVier’s four field goals also set a school Div. I-AA record eclipsing the previous record of three which was set three times.

The Hornets end their season next Saturday, Nov. 23, against Humboldt State. The game marks the first time since 1988 that Sacramento State has played the Lumberjacks. Prior to the start of the 1:05 p.m. game, the team will honor its 16 seniors who will be playing their final contest.

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