SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sophomore quarterback Daniel Kniffin completed 22-of-34 pases for 282 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a score to lead Sacramento State to a 41-20 win over Eastern Oregon on Saturday at Hornet Stadium.

After having to punt on its first series and fumbling on its second, Sacramento State found its groove, scoring on its next seven possessions and building a 38-0 lead early in the third quarter. Junior running back Jordan Robinson started the scoring barrage with a 10-yard reception from Kniffin with 3:43 left in the first quarter. Isiah Hennie doubled the advantage with a 21-yard catch and run down the right side of the field in the final seconds of the first quarter.

Hennie added his second touchdown of the game just 90 seconds into the second quarter when he returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown. The return is tied for the sixth-longest punt return for a touchdown in school history. Combined with his 89-yard kickoff return for a score last year, Hennie is believed to be the first Hornet to score on both a punt and kick return in school history.

Robinson tacked on his second touchdown of the game on a 15-yard rush before Brad Cornish converted a 29-yard field with 1:29 left in the half to give the team a 31-0 halftime advantage.

The third quarter began with a 1-yard rush from Kniffin for his first career scoring play. However, EOU (0-2) jumped on the board on the ensuing kickoff when Jace Billingsley returned the kickoff 100 yards for the Mountaineers first points.

Sacramento State's final points came from a 44-yard field goal from Cornish midway through the third quarter. The senior now has 19 career field goals and his tied with Jim Crouch (1990-91) and Roy Arreygue for fifth place in the Hornet record book.

Eastern Oregon scored twice in the final 3:14 of the fourth quarter, taking advantage of a pair of Hornet miscues. After Sacramento State failed to convert on 4th-and-8 from the EOU 20, the team drove 80 yards on 12 plays for its first offensive touchdown. Wide receiver TJ Esekielu capped the drive with a 1-yard rush on 4th-and-goal. The Hornets then fumbled on the next drive leading to an 11-yard touchdon pass from Zach Bartlow to Brenden Kelly.

Sacramento State used three quarterbacks in the game. Along with Kniffin, sophomore Kolney Cassel was 1-for-3 for 14 yards and redshirt freshman Nolan Merker had a 15-yard rush. The Hornets had nine players catch a pass in the game led by eight from senior Shane Harrison for 125 yards who was seeing his first action since 2013. Fellow senior Nnamdi Agude added four grabs for 40 yards.

Robinson led the ground attack with 17 carries for 71 yards and a TD. Junior Hunter Rockwell contributed 41 yards on seven second-half carries, redshirt freshman Jeremiah Reddick had 31 yards (5 att.) and Demetrius Warren added 27 yards (3 att.).

Defensively, senior Darnell Sankey picked up where he left off. Sankey led the team with 12 tackles, including a sack. The linebacker has now recorded at least 10 tackles in his last eight complete games. His 12-tackle performance also moved him into a tie for 20th on the school's career list along with former All-American Anthony Daisley.

Redshirt freshman Joey Banks showed no signs of the injuries which derailed his 2014 campaign. Banks was active early with 11 tackles, including 3.5 for loss.

As a team, the Hornets pushed their winning streak to four games (dating back to last season). That streak is the longest since Sacramento State won the final two games of 1999 and the first two of 2000. The Hornet offense has been prolific during that stretch, averaging 43.0 points per game and scoring at least 41 in all four contests.

On Saturday, Sacramento State compiled 499 yards of total offense while limiting EOU to 244 (121 came in the fourth quarter). The Hornets had 203 on the ground and 296 through the air and averaged 6.7 yards per play.

Bartlow finished 21-of-33 for 163 yards and a touchdown for the Mountaineers. Alonzo Mendoza led the team with 30 rushing yards while Calvin Connors had a team-high 30 receiving yards.

Sacramento State will travel to Washington on Saturday, Sept. 12, to face the Huskies at 11 a.m. The game will be televised by the Pac-12 Network and will be the first meeting between the two schools.

NOTES: Tonight's attendance was 11,735…the Hornets had 26 players appear in the game that did not see action last year…Hennie finished with 149 all-purpose yards…Sacramento State has won its last seven games against non-Div. I opponents.