SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State never trailed, surpassed 600 yards of total offense and tallied nine sacks on the way to a 45-16 win over Central Arkansas on Saturday at Hornet Stadium.
 
With the victory, the 22^nd-ranked Hornets evened their record for the first time this season at 2-2 overall. The Bears dropped to 1-3 on the year.
 
Sacramento State amassed 602 yards of total offense while averaging a whopping 9.9 yards per play. The team's performance was the highest offensive output since setting the school record with 738 yards against Incarnate Word in the 2022 FCS Playoffs. The team threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for four scores on 262 yards.
 
Individually, Damien Henderson II rushed for a career-high 137 yards, Cardell Williams rushed for two TDs and completed 15-of-20 passes for 252 yards, and Jordan Anderson led the team with 98 receiving yards.
 
The Hornets defense also compiled some massive numbers. The team posted 13 tackles-for-loss, including eight sacks. The sack total ranks third in school history and was the most by the team since tallying 10 against Idaho State in 2011. Dylan Hampsten had 2.5 sacks, Jayland McGlothen added two, Deven Wright, Josh Cashiola and Micah Mosley each had one and Xavier Williams had a half sack. With the help of 48 sack yards, the defense limited UCA to 87 rushing yards and 282 total yards.
 
Sacramento State took control of the game in the early moments, scoring three first-quarter touchdowns. Rodney Hammond capped an 85-yard drive on the opening series of the game with an 8-yard touchdown run. Sam Adams II then doubled the lead with a 9-yard reception on a Cardell Williams pass. Three minutes later, Damian Henderson II broke free for an 85-yard rush to make it 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.
 
The scoring slowed in the second quarter as Cardell Williams posted the first points with a 3-yard keeper with 5:12 left to play. UCA answered with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Luther Richesson to Tyrell Pollard with 17 seconds left in the half. However, the extra point bounced off the upright, giving the Hornets a 28-6 lead at the break.
 
Sacramento State accounted for all 10 third-quarter points beginning with a 21-yard rush from Williams and ending with a 27-yard field goal from Grant Meadors with three seconds showing.
 
Central Arkansas trimmed the deficit to 38-16 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter as Landen Chambers scored on a 1-yard rush and the Bears turned a fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff into a 38-yard field goal.
 
Sacramento State answered with a 50-yard bomb from Jaden Rashada to Ernest Campbell. The reception was Campbell's third TD of at least 50-yards this season, with one coming in all three games he has appeared. The redshirt freshman is just the second player to hit that mark in Sacramento State history and trails only Andre Lindsey who had four 50-plus yard TDs in 2017.
 
The Hornets will conclude their three-game homestand on Saturday, Sept. 27, against Cal Poly in the Big Sky opener for both teams.
 
NOTES

• Sacramento State scored 40+ points in consecutive games for the first time since 2022.
• The team also eclipsed 500 yards of total offense in back-to-back games for the first time since 2022.
• Henderson's 85-yard touchdown was the longest run by a Hornet since Ryan Mole went 87 against Montana State on Nov. 6, 2004.
• Eight players caught at least one pass and six had carries in the game for Sacramento State.
• The game was the first against Central Arkansas in program history.