How often is a college quarterback flagged for a facemark penalty? Once will be enough for Cardell Williams after Sacramento State avoided an 0-3 start by beating Mercyhurst 49-28 last Saturday. Brennan Marion’s first win as the Hornets coach was not as easy as the final score would suggest.
Williams got caught with his hand in more than a cookie jar on a 1-yard run in the second quarter. The penalty derailed a drive that had covered 45 yards in just four plays, leaving the Hornets with a second-and-25 at the 50. Sacramento State was on its way to the red zone until a yellow flag flew.
Three more penalties were called during the Lakers’ ensuing possession. Elias Mullican was called for pass interference to give Mercyhurst a first down at the Hornets 3. The Hornets stopped the Lakers on second-and-goal at the 1 and appeared to do it again on third down until another flag flew..
Sacramento State had 12 players on the field. Mercyhurst scored on the next play and then tried a little trickery on the extra-point attempt with the offensive linemen splitting wide left and right. Who knows if it would have worked because defensive tackle Jayland McGlothen stopped the play by jumping offsides.
Mercyhurst opted for a two-point conversion after the ball was moved half the distance to the goal. That left Sacramento State with an 18-7 deficit, a defense deflated by penalties and an offense that was leaking oil after needing just four plays to go 74 yards for a touchdown on its first possession.
Fewer than six minutes remained in the first half for Sacramento State to get its act together. The Hornets used the first 3:18 to score when Damian Henderson II’s 19-yard dash capped a 78-yard, nine-play drive. The defense then stopped the Lakers on fourth-and-5 at the Sacramento State 46.
Williams needed just nine of the remaining 32 seconds to throw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Ernest Campbell. Marion brought his “Go-Go” offense from UNLV to Sacramento State and it appeared the Hornets had figured out how to make it go. That was evident in the time of their scoring drives.
The Hornets’ seven scoring possessions consumed 17:43. The Lakers took nearly as much time (17:17) for three touchdowns. Mercyhurst scored 10 points in the second half, but it took 13:23 to do that. Sacramento State reached the end zone on all four of its second-half possessions in 8:09.
Running the ball has not been a problem for the Hornets, who rank third in the Big Sky Conference by averaging 173 yards a game. They are third in rushing touchdowns with six. Henderson scored three against Mercyhurst and his 30-yard touchdown run with 2:48 left in the game sealed the deal.
What is a problem for Sacramento State is the inconsistency of quarterbacks Cardell Williams and Jaden Rashada. The two transfers have combined to complete 50.8 percent of their passes, the second-lowest percentage in the Big Sky. The Hornets have the third-fewest pass attempts at 65.
Rashada struggled in the opener at South Dakota State and was knocked out early at Nevada on Sept. 6. Williams relieved and threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Ernest Campbell late in the first quarter to break a 10-all tie. That one play accounted for nearly half of Williams’ 158 passing yards.
Williams completed 11 of 14 passes with a costly interception. Jonathan Maldonado returned it 36 yards for a touchdown to put Nevada ahead with 2:17 left. Williams was 4-for-4 for 58 yards in the last possession, which ended in disappointment when Grant Meadors missed a 42-yard field goal.
And that was after holding penalties nullified two touchdowns for Sacramento State in the final 17 seconds. The Hornets avoided such suspense against Mercyhurst and hope to do so again against Central Arkansas on Saturday at 6 p.m. Rapper DDG will perform after the game.
