SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Carson Conklin threw for 142 yards and a pair of touchdowns and
Zeke Burnett rushed for another as the Green team defeated the White team, 24-12, in Sacramento State annual Spring Game on Saturday at Hornet Stadium.
Conklin, who will be a redshirt freshman in 2024, took the majority of snaps at quarterback during the day, completing 8-of-19 passes. Fellow redshirt freshman
Joey Cook finished 1-of-3 for 11 yards while playing about a third of the series.
The Green team had a quick start, scoring on the opening series of the game.
Elijah Tau-Tolliver had 14 yards of offense during the series.
Jared Gipson had a 25-yard reception to move the ball to the defense 37-yard line and, following a sack,
Danny Scudero caught a 43-yard strike at the middle of the goal line.
Neither team scored on the next four drives to end the first quarter of the game. The Green team again had success early in the second quarter, finding the end zone on a four-play series which began at the defense's 20-yard line. Burnett had rushes of 7 and 1 yards to set up 3rd-and-2 at the 13-yard line where
Ezra Moleni extended the series with a 5-yard gain. On the next play, Conklin found
Anderson Grover who toe-tapped the right sideline of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown.
The defense flexed its muscle in the final three series of the quarter, forcing a three-and-out on each drive.
Following halftime, the Green team produced its longest drive of the day, using 10 plays to cover 55 yards for a touchdown. After a sack on first down, Conklin found Grover for a 24-yard reception along the right sideline. Scudero then had a 12-yard catch to take the ball to the 25-yard line. The offense the ran the ball on the next seven plays before Burnett scored around the right edge of the line from 1-yard out. The series was kept alive by a 1-yard plunge from tight end
Coleman Kuntz on a four-down conversion from the 16-yard line.
Those points proved to be the only ones scored in the quarter as the defense surrendered just one first down on the next three drives.
The game closed with
Evan Kiely attempting seven field goals, alternating between the teams. Kiely was successful on attempts of 21, 23, 28, 39 and 44 yards while missing from 33 and 41.
Sacramento State held numerous projected starters out of the game including quarterbacks
Kaiden Bennett and
Carson Camp, offensive lineman
Jackson Slater, defensive lineman
Brandon Knott and safety
Cameron Broussard.
The Hornets will open fall camp in early August with the first game of the season scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 29, at San Jose State.
RUSHING
Zeke Burnett 6-18, TD; EJ Gable 2-10;
Curron Borders 3-10; Nova Kebelli 3-7;
Ezra Moleni 3-5;
Elijah Tau-Tolliver 2-4;
Coleman Kuntz 1-3;
Michael Johnson 1-3;
Carson Conklin 7-(-6);
Joey Cook 3-(-12).
PASSING
Carson Conklin 8-19-142-0-2;
Joey Cook 1-3-11-0-0.
RECEIVING
Danny Scudero 2-55, TD;
Anderson Grover 3-43, TD;
Jared Gipson 2-33;
Ty Smith 1-11; Elijah Tau-Tollover 1-10;
Makai Cope 1-1.
