SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kameron Rocha intercepted a pass in the end zone with 1:36 remaining to secure a 31-30 Sacramento State victory on Saturday night at Hornet Stadium.

The win improved the 8th-ranked Hornets to 4-1 overall and evened the team's record at 1-1 in Big Sky Conference play. Northern Arizona dropped to 1-4 overall and are also 1-1 in league games. The Hornets have now won three in a row against NAU for its longest streak in the series.

After Sacramento State took a 31-28 lead, Northern Arizona gained possession at their own 35-yard line with 8:31 left to play. The Lumberjacks converted three fourth-down attempts during the drive and moved down to the Hornet 5-yard line with 1:48 on the clock. The first-down rush was stopped by Brandon Knott at the line of scrimmage. Caleb Nelson dropped running back Chase Belcher for a 7-yard loss on a screen pass on second down setting up 3rd-and-goal from the 12. After a Sacramento State timeout, quarterback Adam Damante floated a ball to a receiver in the middle of the end zone where Rocha stepped in front to record his first career interception.

The Hornets attempted to kneel out the clock but left a few seconds showing forcing punter Cal McGough to run around in the back of the end zone before taking an intentional safety with two seconds remaining. NAU had one last ditch attempt on the free kick but, after a series of laterals, were brought down near midfield.

Northern Arizona scored the game's first points with a 3-yard rush from Chase Belcher just over three minutes into the game. The Lumberjacks took advantage of a 60-yard pass to Elijah Taylor for its longest pass play of the season to set up the touchdown.

The Hornets had an answer on its next drive when Carlos Hill toe-tapped the side of the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown — the first of his Sacramento State career. The team then took a 14-7 lead with 1:32 left in the opening quarter when Elijah Tau-Tolliver plunged in from 3-yards out.

NAU swung the lead back in its favor with back-to-back touchdowns to start the second quarter. Devon Sterling had an 8-yard rush just 31 seconds into the quarter but the PAT was missed to make it 14-13. Alex Damante found Chase Owen for a 19-yard touchdown pass and the Lumberjacks converted the two-point conversion to make give the team a 7-point advantage.

Sacramento State knotted the game with 5:25 to play in the first half as redshirt freshman Zeke Burnett scored on a 7-yard rush around the left edge. Zack Schreiner then put the Hornets on top, 24-21, with a 31-yard field goal with 1:26 left in the half. The kick was the eighth made in a row by Schreiner.

NAU started the second half with a major error as the returner took the kickoff and stepped out at the 1-yard line. Playing in the shadow of its own goal posts, the Lumberjacks marched 99 yards on 16 plays and retook the lead on an 8-yard touchdown by Sterling for his second score of the game.

The lead held until midway through the fourth quarter when tight end Coleman Kuntz rushed for a 2-yard score up the middle. The Hornets converted two fourth-down tries during the drive.

The game featured 868 yards of total offense with NAU compiling 450 and the Hornets earning 418. Kaiden Bennett threw for 257 yards and rushed for 76 to account for 333 yards of total offense. Jared Gipson set a career best with 108 receiving yards on a career-best tying five receptions. Kuntz set his career high with five receptions for 51 yards and also scored his first career touchdown.

The two teams were highly efficient on fourth down with Sacramento State converting all three of its attempts and NAU on its five tries.

Armon Bailey led Sacramento State with 10 tackles. He has now crossed into double figures in three consecutive games.

The Hornets will have a bye next weekend before returning to action on Oct. 14 at Northern Colorado. The team's next home game will be a nationally televised matchup against Montana State on ESPN2.

NOTES

• Sacramento State has now won 10 consecutive regular season games at home and 10 consecutive Big Sky Conference games at home.
• The rushing touchdowns by Zeke Burnett and Coleman Kuntz were the first of their careers. Neither had a rushing attempt at Sacramento State until tonight.
• Tonight's attendance of 12,549 was the second straight crowd of over 12K.
• Jett Stanley recorded the team's lone sack, giving him a team-leading 4.5 on the season.