SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — A game-winning drive for Sacramento State fell less than a yard away from happening as Cal Poly forced and recovered a fumble just outside the goal line in the closing seconds to secure a 26-23 win at Spanos Stadium on Saturday.
 
The win improved the Mustangs to 3-7 overall and 2-5 in the Big Sky Conference and gave Cal Poly a 22-21 lead in the all-time series. The Hornets dropped to 3-8 overall and 1-6 in league games.
 
The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 23-23. After both teams forced punts, the Hornets appeared poised to score when Anderson Grover used a 12-yard punt return to take the ball near midfield. The Hornets drove to the Mustang 35-yard line before Carson Conklin was strip sacked by Soni Finau and the ball was recovered by Mikey D'Amato. Eight plays later, Noah Serna made his fourth field goal of the game to give Cal Poly a three-point lead with 5:07 remaining.
 
Sacramento State had one final drive in its arsenal. The team converted a 4^th-and-2 and later a 4^th-and-1 to keep the drive alive early in the series. A roughing the passer penalty moved the ball to the Cal Poly 31 with just over two minutes remaining. Two completions to Jared Gipson moved the ball to the 17-yard line and took the ball inside the red zone. Following an incompletion, Conklin was flushed from the pocket but had open space in front of him. The redshirt freshman scrambled through the middle of the field but was hit by Jeremiah Bernard just in front of the goal line. The ball was jarred loose, bounced sideways through the hands of a Hornet, and was eventually recovered by Mason Rivera.
 
Neither team led by more than seven points at any point in the game. The Mustangs scored first on a 31-yard field goal from Serna for the only points of the first quarter. Danny Scudero gave Sacramento State its first lead of the contest with a 7-yard catch and run just 35 seconds into the second quarter.
 
The lead, however, did not last two minutes as Logan Booher hauled in a 15-yard pass from Jackson Akins in the middle of the end zone. The Hornets had an immediate answer of their own with a 45-yard field goal from Zach Schreiner to tie the game, 10-10, with 10:01 left in the half.
 
Booher broke the tie when he worked his way around a Hornet defender to haul in a 22-yard touchdown pass nearly five minutes later. Schreiner trimmed the team's deficit to 17-13 with a 48-yard field goal only to have Cal Poly match the effort with a 33-yarder from Serna as the half expired.
 
Sacramento State started the second half with a renewed energy. The defense forced three-and-outs on the opening two series and the offense responded with a 27-yard field goal from Schreiner and a 10-yard pass from Conklin to Anderson Grover to put the team on top, 23-20, midway through the period. Serna drew the game even with his third field goal of the game, this time a 29-yarder with 55 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
The loss spoiled a career game for Gipson. The senior caught 11 passes for 130 yards as part of the 308 passing yards from Conklin. Prior to Saturday, Gipson had never caught more than six passes in a game. The performance came a year after he had 154 receiving yards against the Mustangs. Anderson Grover added seven receptions for 63 yards and a score.
 
Conklin set a career high with 33 completions on 51 attempts. His completions are tied for the seventh most by a Hornet while his attempts are tied for the fourth most and the highest since 2019.
 
Sacramento State was helped throughout the game by strong kick returns. The team had returns of 39 and 32 yards from Ajon Bryant and a 38-yard return from Michael Johnson. When Cal Poly elected to squib kick, Kyle Koontz and Jayden Flaig was each able to return to ball to the 40-yard line. Overall, the Hornets began seven drives at their own 40-yard line or better during the game.
 
Jackson Akins completed 29-of-45 passes for 305 yards and two scores. Akins connected with 10 different receivers led by Booher who caught seven passes for 69 yards.
 
Sacramento State will conclude the season against UC Davis in the annual Causeway Classic on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m.
 
NOTES

• Schreiner made three field goals in a game for the fourth time in his career. He now ranks second in school single-season history with 18 field goals and is tied for 10^th place with 36 extra points.
• Gipson has 143 career receptions to move past Shane Harrison (134) and Isiah Hennie (139) for sixth place in program history.
• Conklin ranks fourth in single-season school history with 23 touchdown passes. He is also now fifth in a Sacramento State season with 229 completions.
• Conklin also moved passed Mike Lippi (3,140) and Jeff Fleming (3,182) and now ranks 14^th in school history with 3,228 career passing yards.
• The loss snapped a streak of four consecutive victories by the Hornets over the Mustangs.
• Pate Haunga and Hunter Boeddeker were each credited with sacks while Ben Ahio and Fata Puloka shared a sack to account for the team's three sacks which all came during the second half.