Sacramento State University Athletics issued the following announcement on Nov 20.
This week was supposed to be the Causeway Classic. With the season now being postponed until next fall, Hornetsports.com will instead take a look back at previous games played between Nov. 8-14.
BLANKING THE AGGIES
- The week in which the Causeway Classic has been played has fluctuated throughout the years. The teams originally played near the end of the year before switching to an early season matchup for most of the 1990s and early 2000s. When UC Davis joined the Big Sky Conference football, the game was moved to the final week of the year and earned its spot in rivalry week.
- Sacramento State's first win over the Aggies came in dramatic fashion on Nov. 16, 1957. The Hornets prevailed 26-0 under first-year head coach John Baker. The victory was the second shutout in as many weeks for Sacramento State and gave the team it's fifth win of the year. The Hornets finished the season with a 5-4 overall record and recorded a winning mark for the first time in program history.
- Three years later, the team wrapped up the year with a 31-0 shutout of UC Davis on Nov. 19, 1960. The game was the final one coached by Baker as he was replaced by Ray Clemons prior to the 1961 season.
- Clemons began his Sacramento State tenure with a pair of sub-.500 seasons in 1961 and 1962. The team posted a winning record of 5-3-1 in 1963 before breaking out in 1964. That year, Sacramento State went 8-2-1 and won its first conference title as it finished first in the Far Western Conference with a 4-0-1 record. The final game of the regular season came on Nov. 21 where the Hornets and SF State played to a 20-20 tie. That effort was good enough to earn Sacramento State a trip to the Camellia Bowl where they faced Montana State at Hughes Stadium.
- Clemons added to his resumé with another Far Western Conference title in 1966. Unlike the anticlimactic tie in 1964, the team dominated Chico State en route to a 36-0 road victory to end the year. Sacramento State overcame an 0-2 start to the season to win its final eight games and finish 6-0 in league play. The eight consecutive wins remain the longest win streak in school history.
- The most lopsided victory recorded by Sacramento State took place on Nov. 16, 1968 where the Hornets breezed past USF, 76-0. The win remains in a class by itself as the 76-point margin of victory is 16 points beyond the next closest game. The 76 points scored stood as the school record for a game until being topped last season when the Hornets tallied 77 against Southern Oregon.
- Close games against USF were not a common occurrence. Sacramento State won all six meetings between the two schools (1966-81) before the Dons discontinued football following the 1982 season. The Hornets had three shutouts in the six games and surrendered a total of 34 points over the stretch while scoring 254.
- Nov. 19, 1988 marked the first time that Sacramento State made an appearance in the NCAA Div. II playoffs. While the bid was new, the opponent was not as the Hornets were shipped across to the Causeway to face a UC Davis team which they had already defeated earlier in the year.
- Like the first meeting, Sacramento State prevailed, walking away with a 35-14 win in front of nearly 11,000 fans at Toomey Field. The Hornets fell behind 7-0 before tying the game on a 75-yard pass from Tony Trosin to Mark Young. The team's first lead of the game came early in the second quarter when Ed Bueno scored on a 2-yard rush. The Aggies answered with a touchdown of their own before Bueno answered with a 10-yard score to give Sacramento State a 21-14 lead at the half.
- Sacramento State put the game out of reach in the second half with a 34-yard rush from Young and a 55-yard pass from Trosin to Michael Johnson. Those two scores were plenty for a Hornet defense which shut out UC Davis for the final 30 minutes.
- Sacramento State nearly doubled-up the Aggies in the stats, outgaining UC Davis, 464-250. The Hornet defense limited UCD to 79 rushing yards and also picked off a pair of turnovers.
- For a deeper look at the 1988 season, including interviews from student-athletes and coaches, take a look at this story which was written in 2013 for the 25th anniversary.
- John Volek inherited a Hornet program in 1995 which had several question marks. The team was brought back of the chopping block when a student referendum passed in the spring of 1995 to save the team. However, with uncertainty looming, several key players transferred leaving Volek and his new staff with several holes to fill.
- That season started as could be expected with the team going 0-4-1. Things began to turn around with a 12-3 win over Texas State (then Southwest Texas State). The Hornets then went 3-0 in American West Conference play to earn the team's first title 1966.
- The final victory came at Cal State Northridge on Nov. 18 where the Hornets won, 20-16. Sacramento State trailed 16-0 late in the first quarter before rallying for 20 unanswered points. The scoring started with an 8-yard rush from Michael Stewart with 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Abe Snobar pulled the team within two when he caught a 26-yard pass from Tony Corbin early in the fourth quarter. The Hornets took the lead just 44 seconds later when Alex Estrada returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown.
- Stewart led all players with 161 rushing yards and averaged 5.6 yards per carry while Corbin threw for 114 yards.
- Two of the most impressive passing performances came during this week in back-to-back years by Garrett Safron. In the Causeway Classic on Nov. 17, 2012, Safron completed 37-of-67 pass attempts to set school records in both categories. His attempts total remains the most in program history while his completions were only topped his total of 41 against Montana the following year.
- On Nov. 16, 2013, Safron led the Hornets to a wild 43-42 win at Portland State where he threw for a school record 554 yards and four touchdowns. He is the only quarterback in school history to throw for over 500 yards in a game. In fact, Safron owns the top four passing performances all-time by a Hornet with his other totals being 463, 425 and 412 yards.
- In the game against the Vikings, Sacramento State took a 3-0 lead on a 24-yard field goal from Brad Cornish on the team's opening possession. That lead was the only one for the team until the final 30 seconds of the game. DJ Adams did most of the damage for Portland State as he rushed for 249 and five touchdowns. His final TD was a 66-yard run which gave PSU a 42-31 lead with 9:25 left to play. The Hornets trimmed the lead to 42-37 when Safron hit Austin Dotson for a 26-yard pass.
- Portland State was able to chew nearly six minutes off the clock and opted to attempt a 4th-and-1 instead of kicking a field goal with 1:43 remaining. Adams was met at the line by Antonio Hayes and Todd Davis to give Sacramento State a chance. Morris Norrise had a 14-yard gain and Dotson added a 19-yard reception early in the series. Shane Harrison had catches of 11 and 34 yards around a 6-yard pass to tight end Cole Hikutini. Safron capped the drive with a 4-yard pass to Hikutini with 30 seconds showing. The defense then closed the door when Osagie Odiase picked off Collin Ramierz.
- Shane Harrison, DeAndre Carter and Morrise Norrise became the only trio of Sacramento State receivers to each have 100 receiving yards in a game. Harrison led the team with nine catches for 138 yards. Norrise finished with seven grabs for 126 yards and a touchdown and Carter caught five passes for 133 yards, including a 78-yard touchdown.
Source: Sacramento State University Athletics
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