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MAC Football

Eastern Michigan spoils Sacramento State's FBS debut in 28-17 victory

Sac State’s offense came alive in the fourth quarter, but Noah Kim and the Eagles had already done the damage.

Jack Dann

— 4 min read
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Eastern Michigan spoils Sacramento State's FBS debut in 28-17 victory
Photo credit: Walt Middleton Photography (courtesy of Eastern Michigan Athletics)

Initially, a game of attrition was afoot between host Eastern Michigan (1-0, 1-0 MAC) and FBS newcomer Sacramento State (0-1, 0-1 MAC). 

Nine straight drives ended in punts, with neither team able to break through the other’s defense in their first conference action of the 2026 campaign. 

By the final minutes of the first, however, seventh-year quarterback Noah Kim could no longer be denied. 

Several chunk plays to veteran wideouts Nick Devereaux and Benson Prosper spotted the Eagles deep into Sac State territory on the final plays of the first. Two plays into the second, Kim kept the ball himself and dove into the end zone. 

After a blocked punt set up a Hornet field goal, Kim and the Eagles took the field again. A holding penalty, followed by a pair of positive rushes by sophomore running back Amareon Blue took Eastern Michigan over the fifty-yard line. 

Kim rolled out of the pocket, uncorking a 40-yard bomb to sophomore wideout Kozy Isaac to extend the lead to 14-3. 

While the Eagles rolled, the Hornets couldn’t find answers on offense. The offensive line struggled to protect quarterback Carson Conklin, and when he had time, his passes were off-line. Sac State hadn’t earned a fresh set of downs thus far, and was reeling, searching for a lifeline. 

Deep into Eastern Michigan’s end of the field, their nightmare continued.

Conklin was drilled by sophomore Quincy Byas, and fumbled into the waiting arms of Marvell Eggleston. Three plays later, the score was 21-3, powered by a Braydon Bennett rushing touchdown. 

The Hornets earned their first first down on their next drive, but it was ultimately fruitless, punting it away for the sixth time. As Eastern Michigan ground the clock down, it felt as if the game was slipping away from Sac State before the halftime whistle blew. 

On third down, Kim dropped back, but was met by Sac State’s Fata Puloka, who popped the ball out of his hands and to defensive lineman Xavier Williams. Williams rumbled into the end zone, scoring Sac State’s first FBS touchdown in shocking fashion. 

“I came around the corner, I saw a ball, and I went,” Williams said. “I was a little limpy, I thought I was cramping up and I almost got caught, but I saw the end zone and told myself that I had to get there.” 

The half ended 21-10 in favor of the Eagles, though the Hornets certainly looked to be carrying some momentum into the break. 

Head coach Alonzo Carter’s defense came out of the locker room rejuvenated, holding Eastern Michigan scoreless in the third. The offense couldn’t match the defensive fire though, managing fallow drives on both of their third-down possessions.

“We were telling each other, ‘go out there and die on the field,’” junior wide receiver Onterrio Smith Jr. said. “We’re here for a reason, we’re not going to bow down to anyone.”

Early into the fourth, the Hornets committed a costly penalty, with a pass interference call placing the Eagles near the red zone. Kim capitalized once again, finding Nick Devereaux with a gorgeous lob to extend the lead to 28-10 a few plays later. 

This play ignited Sac State’s offense, which roared to life in response to Devereaux’s score. 

Leading that charge were two unlikely faces. It started with true freshman Isaiah Ene, who took his first collegiate snap 37-yards downfield in a Marshawn Lynch-esque rumble, shaking off several Eagle tacklers to move the chains. 

Riding the momentum of Ene’s run, Conklin found Smith for a pair of long gains. Smith, who eclipsed his career high on both catches, ended the night as the Hornets’ leading receiver, with nine receptions for 88 yards. 

“This was my first time really starting,” Smith said. “I always knew I could do it, Conklin trusted me, my coaches got me in a rhythm.”

Carter rewarded the hot hand, giving Ene the ball on the one-yard line to cut the deficit to 28-17.

In response, Sac State’s defense forced a quick punt, giving the Hornets a chance to make it a one-score game with most of the fourth quarter to play. 

Conklin and the Hornets started to roll, powering their way to midfield, bolstered by big catches from Raiden Brown and Matthew Coleman. 

On a short second down, Conklin rolled out of the pocket, searching for Smith downfield. Senior defensive back Jason Marshall read it like a book, leaping in front of Conklin’s pass and icing the game for Eastern Michigan. 

Conklin ended the night 25-for-46, with 221 yards and an interception. He was sacked just twice but was hit nine times over the course of the game. 

“Conklin started off slow, but he picked it up,” Carter said. “You can look at the numbers. It wasn’t looking pretty early, but he kept fighting."

Conklin’s foil, Noah Kim, dealt.

Kim converted 27 of his 39 passing attempts for 279 yards, and scored three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). He spread the ball across multiple targets, with four Eagle receivers racking up over 40 yards. 

Both teams struggled to run the ball effectively, but the Hornets’ run offense was anemic. Ene’s 44-yard fourth quarter performance avoided a negative number of rushing yards in the contest. 

“We’ve got to be able to run the ball better,” Carter said. “We got behind, so we really couldn't establish the run like we wanted to.” 

With the loss, the Hornets will have to wait for their first win as an FBS program, while the Eagles captured their 500th win as a program with the victory.

The Eagles will take on San Jose State at home next week on Friday, Sept. 4th.

The Hornets return to Sacramento for their first home game as an FBS member, hosting HBCU Mississippi Valley State on Saturday, Sept. 5th. 

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