Sacramento State’s penalties feed Ohio’s 27-point first half in 48-7 homecoming loss

Sacramento State gave Ohio too many extra chances to make homecoming competitive. The Hornets committed 12 penalties for 130 yards in a 48-7 loss Saturday night, repeatedly helping the Bobcats stay on the field before the game was out of reach.

Ohio scored on its first five possessions and led 27-0 at halftime. Duncan Brune supplied two rushing touchdowns, Will Hryszko made two field goals, and Victor Rosa scored after consecutive pass-interference calls advanced the Bobcats toward the end zone.

The result left Sacramento State 1-6 overall and 0-4 in the Mid-American Conference. Ohio improved to 5-2 and 3-0 with its fourth consecutive win.

Carter wants the avoidable flags gone

In postgame interviews recorded by reporter Tony Ray Harvey, coach Alonzo Carter singled out late hits and unsportsmanlike penalties as mistakes his team had to remove. He said the Hornets had nine penalties for 100 yards before halftime, compared with three for 30 in the second half.

The full interviews, filmed at Hornet Stadium after the October 17 game, are here:

The opening Ohio drive showed how hard Sacramento State was making its task. The Bobcats traveled 82 yards in 11 plays, with Hornet penalties helping them move downfield before Brune's three-yard touchdown run.

Rosa's second-quarter score followed two pass-interference penalties on successive snaps. Sacramento State then compounded the problem on offense: Jackson Sharman was intercepted by Barry Dillon on the first play of the next possession, giving Ohio a short field for Hryszko's 37-yard field goal.

Brune's 14-yard touchdown run finished another sustained drive and completed the 27-point first half. Ohio had not needed to punt.

The long pass removes the suspense

Any hope of a halftime reset lasted only four Ohio plays. Nick Poulos hit Preston Bowman for a 67-yard touchdown, pushing the lead to 34-0. Poulos finished 11 of 14 for 165 yards and also ran for 48.

Ohio continued to score with other players involved. Levi Davis ran 14 yards for a touchdown, and Irving Brown later broke a 50-yard run before finishing that possession from the two. The Bobcats accumulated 265 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

Brian Salazar Jr. threw Sacramento State's only touchdown, a 38-yard pass to Kenyon Shabazz early in the fourth quarter. Carter said afterward that Sharman remained the starter while praising Salazar's work in relief.

Sacramento State finished with 267 total yards and three conversions on 12 third downs. Ohio gained 468 yards and committed no turnovers. The Hornets' penalties kept their defense working early; their inability to sustain scoring drives meant the Bobcats never had to protect a narrow lead.