SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The No. 19-ranked Sacramento State football team remained unbeaten in the Big Sky Conference with a convincing 44-0 victory over Northern Arizona on Homecoming at Fred Anderson Field at Hornet Stadium on Saturday night.

The Hornets are now 5-2 overall and 4-0 in league games. The team has won its last four contests and sits atop the Big Sky standings with Montana State as the only undefeated teams in the league. Northern Arizona in 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the Big Sky.

The shutout was only the second in a Big Sky Conference game for Sacramento State since joining the league in 1996. The margin of victory was also the largest in a Big Sky game for the Hornets while NAU was blanked in a conference game for the first time since 2005.

"We did a great job of taking away the run game and minimizing any big plays and that was the goal," Sacramento State head coach Troy Taylor. "The offense was able to sustain drives and that a great combination when you can have success on both sides."

Sacramento State dominated the first quarter but had to settle for a 3-0 lead. The Hornets outgained NAU, 224-12, and held the ball for nearly 12 of the 15 minutes. The team's first drive stalled when Asher O'Hara attempted to reach for the pylon but fumbled the ball out of bounds for a touchback. After the defense made a stop, the Hornets got on the board with a 30-yard field goal from Kyle Sentkowski.

Sacramento State broke the game wide open in the second quarter with 34 points to take a 37-0 lead at the break. The total set the school record for second-quarter points of 28 which was set in 2019 against Southern Oregon. The barrage began when O'Hara O'Hara scored on a 1-yard rush in the first minute of the second quarter. The score capped a seven-play, 81-yard drive and was O'Hara's sixth rushing touchdown of the year.

The run continued with a 13-yard pass from Dunniway to Parker Clayton for his first TD of the season. Marshel Martin added to the total with a 1-yard rushing score. Martin went in motion and took the handoff before cutting through the line.

Cameron Skattebo picked up his first collegiate touchdown with a bulldozing run up the middle to make it 30-0 with 3:30 left in the half. The final score of the opening period came on a 13-yard pass from Dunniway to Clayton for his first multi-touchdown game of his career.

The halftime stats were staggering as the Hornets amassed 517 yards of offense on 51 plays while limiting NAU to 37 yards on 24 plays. Dunniway completed 18 of his first 19 passes of the quarter for 314 yards with two touchdowns and O'Hara added 32 passing yards.

Action cooled in the second half as the Hornets used the final two quarters as an opportunity to play several young players. The lone touchdown came early in the fourth quarter when O'Hara connected with freshman Chris Miller for a 43-yard bomb down the right sideline for Miller's second touchdown in as many games.

Overall, the Hornets combined 656 yards of total offense which ranks third in school single-game history. The team limited NAU to 226 yards and the defense extended his scoreless streak to 79 minutes, 25 seconds dating back to the win over then No. 5 Montana last weekend.

Dunniway recorded his fourth career 300-yard passing game — and third of the season — as he finished with 328 yards and two touchdowns on 21-of-25 with an interception. O'Hara was 5-of-7 for 82 yards and a score.

Skattebo made the most of his first extensive playing time. The freshman gained 117 yards on 10 carries (11.7 yards per carry) with a touchdown. Nine different players had carries in the came as the team finished with a season-high 246 rushing yards and scored three TDs on the ground.

Ten Sacramento State players caught passes in the game led by five receptions for 117 yards from Martin. The performance was the first 100-yard game for the tight end during his collegiate career.

Munchie Filer III paced the defense with seven tackles and had a pair of pass breakups. Kameron Rocha finished with six tackles while Dominick Sanders and Marte Mapu each had five.

Sacramento State will play at Northern Colorado on Oct. 30 before returning home to face Cal Poly on Nov. 6.

NOTES

• Sentkowski moved into tie for 10th place in school single-season history with his 11th field goal of the year.
• Sacramento State's last shutout came in 2019 when it defeated Northern Colorado, 50-0, in a non-conference game between two Big Sky schools.
• The last conference shutout for the Hornets came on Oct. 8, 2011 at Northern Colorado, 14-0, in a game marred by torrential rain.
• Dunniway is now tied for sixth in school history with four 300-yard passing games.
• Pierre Williams caught two passes in the first half to extend his streak to 29 consecutive games with a reception.
• Center Thomas Parker had his streak of 29-consecutive starts come to an end as he did not play. Parker was replaced by freshman Nathan Mejia in the starting lineup giving the Hornets three freshmen on the line.
• The game marked the first time this season that a Big Sky team has been shutout by an FCS opponent.
• Martin became just the third Sacramento State tight end to have 100 receiving yards in a game joining Chris Kelly (two times) and Marlan Meggers.
• Skattebo is the 36th Hornet to rush for 100 yards in a game.