True freshman QB dazzles in college debut as No. 6 Sacramento State blows by Idaho State

Carson Conklin arrived to the postgame media session Saturday night with an expression of pride and relief.

Sacramento State’s true freshman quarterback from Centennial High School of Riverside County had a cross inked into his cheek from an eye-black marker with a shock of black hair. He looked like he had just cruised in from the beach, but he had spent the better part of three exhilarating quarters of action sporting a helmet in his introduction to the land of NCAA college football.

Conklin played like he belonged in this Big Sky Conference contest on Homecoming night at Hornet Stadium in front of 13,733 fans. He completed 14 of 21 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns, absorbed no sacks and then said all the right things after a 51-16 rout of Idaho State.

The No. 6 Hornets outscored the Bengals of Pocatello 27-0 in the second half and had four interceptions to slow the most prolific passing attack in the FCS. Sacramento State improved to 6-2 on the season and 3-2 in the Big Sky. The Hornets are now 6-0 all-time against Idaho State on Homecoming, dating to 1997, and 10-1 all-time against the Bengals in Sacramento.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Conklin impressed in summer camp while competing for the quarterback job after enrolling in the winter quarter as an early high school graduate. The plan Saturday was to let him take some snaps in the second quarter to see what he could do. He didn’t suddenly see the field because starting quarterback Kaiden Bennett was off his game, though Bennett has labored a bit with a tender shoulder in recent weeks. Bennett passed for 79 yards on 7-of-11 passing against Idaho State. He had a 23-yard touchdown strike to Jared Gipson to open the scoring and rushed for 54 yards on 11 carries.

The Hornets liked what they saw in Conklin and chose to ride that hot hand on a cool night. He had touchdowns of 13 yards to Devin Gandy and 69 yards to Carlos Hill, the longest play from scrimmage for the team this season.

Bennett was there to root Conklin on the entire time, the sort of feel-good team culture that has bonded the program since the turnaround from also-ran to powerhouse in 2019. The results include three consecutive Big Sky championships and a current group that is closing in on another FCS playoff berth with three regular-season games to play.

“I’m on Cloud Nine; great team win and couldn’t have done it without anyone else,” said Conklin, already sounding the part of a team guy. “Wide receivers making plays, offensive line blocking their (butts) off. Everyone played great. We talked about (playing) this week. Stay ready. Everyone gets butterflies before a big game, but at the end of the day, it’s football. That was pretty fun.”

Asked the last time he had this much fun in football, Conklin paused for a moment and offered: “Thursday!”

Praising teammates

Conklin praised his teammates for backing him, thanking quarterbacks such as Bennett and Carson Camp for coaching him up and coaches for believing in him. This included head coach Andy Thompson and offensive coordinator Bobby Fresques, who called “a great game,” Conklin said.

“Not surprised,” Hornets senior linebacker Brock Mather said of Conklin’s effort. “We see what he can do in practice. I was anxious to see what he could do. He’s got this unique swagger to him.”

Said Thompson: “He likes to run this offense. His attitude is really good. It’s great to see him play. The guy most excited for him was KB (Bennett). He got hot and kept going.”

Conklin’s 69-yarder to Hill pushed the Hornets ahead 30-16 with 7:53 left in the third quarter. Elijah Tau-Tolliver made it 37-16 late in the quarter with a 4-yard scoring run to blow it open. Conklin capped the scoring with a 6-yard TD pass to preseason All-American tight end Marshel Martin with 8:30 remaining and dazzled in his debut as the first true freshman quarterback to see action for the Hornets since 2015.

Will Conklin and Bennett share duties next week at No. 7 Montana? The coaches will determine that later, after they soak this game in for a few hours.

Run game and defense shine

The Hornets’ run game took pressure off Conklin, rushing 49 times for 273 yards behind excellent line play under position coach Kris Richardson. Zeke Burnett, a redshirt freshman out of Elk Grove High School, had his best day, rushing nine times for 143 yards with runs of 55 and 50 yards. Bennett rushed 11 times for 54 yards.

Sacramento State delighted in its second-half defensive effort against a team known as the “Throwin’ Idahoans” under first-year coach Cody Hawkins, the former UC Davis offensive coordinator. The Hornets needed a strong response a week after allowing No. 2 Montana State, the leading rushing team in the FCS, to leave Hornet Stadium with a 42-30 victory,

Sacramento State allowed 155 yards passing in the first half but only 137 after that. Hunter Hays passed for 193 yards and two touchdowns, but the Bengals managed just 42 yards rushing on 19 carries for a 2.2 average. Idaho State is 3-5 overall and 3-2 in the Big Sky.

Thompson said he told his team at the half, when the Hornets led 24-16: “Let’s put it together. Stop making mental mistakes and let’s play our best half of football.”

The Hornets had four interceptions on defense, one each by Mather, Kylen Ross, Cameron Broussard and Mitchell Wolfe. Armon Bailey had eight tackles to lead the Hornets. Mather, of Kern County roots, said that as a linebacker, he appreciates any time he can get his hands on the ball.

“Coming in, we knew (Idaho State) was going to spread us out and pass,” Mather said. “Give all the credit to coach Thompson. It’s always fun (to come up with turnovers). Watching the young guys (play well), I hit my PR on my vertical leap.”