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Bengals' happy ending
POCATELLO -- Sacramento State running backs are making it a habit of gaining more than 200 yards against the Idaho State football team.
Sophomore Bryan Hilliard's 271-yard performance Saturday at Holt Arena was the fifth such showing in the teams' 13-game series, and it ranked as the third-best single-game rushing total in Hornets' history. Yet unlike the past four 200-yard performances, Hilliard's wasn't enough to earn the Hornets a victory. That's because aside from Hilliard's giant day, the Hornets did little else against the Bengals, who were themselves as balanced on offense as they'd been all year.
In Idaho State's 36-33 streak-breaking overtime victory, it didn't turn the ball over, and it didn't put its defense in precarious situations as it had seemingly all season. The victory won't make all the Bengals' problems go away, but it will give them a glaring positive to point to as they prepare for next season. Rushing offense: A The Bengals ran for a season-high 178 yards and three touchdowns, mostly because of senior Kenyon Blue. He became Idaho State's first 100-yard rusher this season with an 18-carry, 111-yard day. He ran for two scores, including the game-winner. Also, senior Ken Cornist made his two carries count; they went for 12 and 13 yards and helped Idaho State emerge from the shadow of their own goal line.
Passing offense: A
Junior Kyle Blum was slightly more efficient in his second start, going 16-of-34 for 342 yards and a touchdown -- a 54-yarder to Blue. He continued to stretch the field, completing three passes of at least 49 yards, and most importantly, he didn't throw an interception. His judicious control of the football contributed to Sacramento State's poor field position; the Hornets only started one drive inside Bengals territory. Rushing defense: F This season's Idaho State's rush defense will go down as one of the three worst in program history, having allowed 232 yards per game. Nine teams ran for more than 200 yards against the Bengals this year, with the Hornets rounding out the bunch with a 255-yard effort Saturday. For perspective: Idaho State allowed 6.0 yards per carry this season; no other Big Sky team allowed more than 4.7.
Passing defense: A
Hornets quarterback Jason Smith had open receivers most of the game but couldn't hit them with accurate passes. Also, his interception came at the end of the first half on a 50-yard prayer, so it seems closer to the truth to say that Smith played poorly than to say the Bengals defense played well. Nevertheless, Smith's 99 passing yards were the second-fewest by a quarterback against Idaho State this year. Special teams: A On the biggest play of their season, the Bengals came through with a daring special teams play. With 51 seconds left, Blue caught a ball nine yards into his own end zone -- and he chose to bring it out. Blue fluttered to the Idaho State 43-yard line, and the Bengals were able kick a game-tying field goal with 8 seconds left. Through the game, the unit played well, too. Jon Vanderwielen averaged 46.2 yards per punt, and the Hornets' longest kickoff return went for 22 yards. Coaching: A The Bengals said all season they weren't going to stop playing hard, and they were rewarded with a season-ending victory. Motivation hasn't been this team's problem, though; suspect run defense and a double-digit deficit in the turnover ratio has been what buried this team in a 15-game losing streak. A week ago, coach John Zamberlin said that when a team loses, the coaches look bad, and when they win, they look smart. Zamberlin and his staff certainly looked wise on Saturday. GPA: 3.33, a B+ on a 4.0 scale Article RatingReader CommentsSubmit a CommentCommenting RulesWe encourage your feedback and dialog. All comments are subject to deletion by our Web staff.
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