FOOTBALL HEADS BACK ON THE ROAD TO FACE EASTERN WASHINGTON ON SATURDAY

10/28/2008

The Sacramento State football team will return to the road for the third time in its last four games as it travels to Cheney, Wash., to face Eastern Washington on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 2:05 p.m. The Hornets enter the game with a 3-5 overall record and a 1-4 mark in Big Sky Conference games. The team is also riding a season-long three-game losing streak after a 31-20 loss at home to Montana State last
There will be numerous ways to watch or listen to this week’s game. Hornet fans can tune in to KRJY 1240 to hear the radio call of Jason Ross and Steve McElory. Live audio streaming is also available via www.hornetsports.com. Live video streaming is also an option through www.bigskytv.org.

In what is becoming a discouraging trend, Sacramento State again fell behind early against Montana State and was never able to recover. The Hornets trailed 17-0 at halftime and eventually fell behind 31-7 before a late push made the final score 31-20.

Bryan Hilliard led the team with 96 rushing yards for the second consecutive game and also scored two touchdowns. However, the Hornets averaged just 4.1 yards per play and had three turnovers plus a blocked punt in the loss.

Eastern Washington is a team which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Football Championships Subdivision playoffs last season. The Eagles opened this year with one of the toughest schedules in the nation, facing Texas Tech and Colorado and have gone 3-2 in the following games. Junior quarterback Matt Nichols ranks eighth nationally in total offense with 303.14 yards per game. Defensively, Greg Peach is the national leader with 2.00 sacks per game.

The Eagles lead the all-time series, 13-3. However, what little success the Hornets have had against EWU has come at Woodward Field. Sacramento State is 3-4 all-time in Cheney including a 21-20 win two seasons ago. Conversely, the Eagles are 9-0 all-time in games played in Sacramento.

A complete version of the notes can be viewed by selecting the link at the top of the page.