Darnell Sankey once again finds himself as the marked man in the middle but this season, the stud Sacramento State middle linebacker is surrounded by a sea of youth.
The Hornets come to Montana State on Saturday evening relying heavily on Sankey, a 6-foot-2, 255-pound battering ram who was an All-Big Sky Conference defensive end just two years ago. The Hornets’ defensive system is predicated on freeing up Sankey to at least have a chance at every available tackle as Sankey currently leads the FCS in tackles per game at 14.2. In front of Sankey is a defensive line featuring three seniors but the rest of the defense features 10 freshman on the two-deep and two sophomore starters.
MSU quarterback Dakota Prukop
Montana State enters the game averaging 46.5 points and 578 yards of total offense per game. Junior quarterback Dakota Prukop continues to be one of the top dual threats in college football. He is averaging 425.8 yards of total offense per game. Young Sac players like redshirt freshman safety Joey Banks and true freshmen defensive backs Elijah Wallace and Manny Scott-Anderson will be tested early and often by the Bobcat offense. But a key matchup on both sides will be the showdown between Sankey and whatever Bobcat tries to stop him.
On Tuesday, MSU offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey called Sankey one of the best in the Big Sky. Sacramento State employs line games and stunts on virtually every down on the interior of its defensive line in an effort to free up Sankey to run sideline to sideline.
“We are trying to play to our strengths,” Sac second-year head coach Jody Sears said. “He is our best playmaker. Whatever we can do to funnel the ball to him, whatever we can do to put him in position to make plays, we are going to do it. For us to have a chance in Bozeman, he has to keep playing lights out.”
“My defensive line does an amazing job of holding up blocks and making sure I have a lot of free lanes,” Sankey said. “I have a d-tackle in (senior) Antonio Hayes who just wastes the guard and the center every play.”
Sac State’s defense has seen improvements in recent weeks. The Hornets held Eastern Washington’s explosive offense to a season-low 28 points in an eight-point loss. Last week, Sac did not allow a defensive touchdown but two fumbles by its offense led to two defensive touchdowns for Northern Colorado and a kick return touchdown by UNC helped boost the Bears to a 27-20 win.
“It’s definitely rough right now because of the two back-to-back tough losses but regardless of the losses, regardless of the record, we still think we can beat anybody in this conference,” said Sac State senior wide receiver Nnamdi Agude, a second-team All-Big Sky pick last season who caught six passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns in Sac’s 59-56 loss to Montana State last season.
Sac State linebacker Darnell Sankey
Sankey’s production has been the key to Sac’s defensive progression. The true senior leads the Big Sky with 71 total tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. At his current pace, he would exceed 160 tackles this season. He is an All-America candidate and on the watch list for the STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year award.
“From my perspective, that’s what I intend to happen and that’s how I prepare,” Sankey said. “I prepare to be the best linebacker in the nation. That’s my mentality every day, every practice, every drill I do. I want to be the best in what I do and I want to be the leading tackler, sack leader, tackles for loss leader, everything. What I’m doing now is what I expect to do.”
Cramsey said Montana State will answer with a priority of locating Sankey pre-snap and an added effort to get a moving blocker to the second level to impede his power.
Montana State has had no problem scoring points or moving the football this season. But the preseason Big Sky favorites have lost two of three Division I games thanks to a defense that has offered no resistance to the opposition.
MSU is allowing 44 points and 526 yards per game to Division I opponents. The Bobcats are allowing opposing quarterbacks a passer efficiency rating of 212.5, dead last in the 123-team FCS. Almost 27 percent of opponents’ passes net at least 30 yards and one in every 4.5 passing attempts has resulted in a touchdown. MSU has given up 21 touchdown drives this season, just six that have lasted more than five plays.
The Bobcats have employed man-to-man coverage on the outside without much safety help for most of the season. Cal Poly does not throw the ball but against EWU and NAU, Jordan West and Case Cookus diced up Montana State’s secondary. West threw for 410 yards and six touchdowns while Cookus threw for 254 yards and four touchdowns. The duo threw one more touchdown than combined incompletions.
MSU cornerback Bryson Keeton in 1-on-1 coverage against EWU wideout Kendrick Bourne
“If they man up, that’s pretty much mano y mano where you have an opportunity to not worry about no safety over the top and all you have to do is beat one guy and make a play,” Agude said. “That’s what I like to see. Bring that on.”
Against NAU, the Lumberjacks took to the air right away, throwing deep passes down the sidelines on the first two drives leading to touchdowns. Montana State shifted safety help over the top in the second quarter, leading to Casey Jahn breaking out for a career-high 175 yards rushing. MSU is currently surrendering 260 yards per game on the ground and have allowed four 100-yard rushing performances in the last three games.
Sacramento State running back Jordan Robinson has rushed for more than 100 yards the last three weeks, including a 149-yard performance last week against Northern Colorado.
“We always go into the game figuring we are going to stop the run,” MSU head coach Rob Ash said. “That’s almost always what we have to do. We still have a few missed fits once in awhile where we are not getting everybody in the right spot. We have to be better coaches and make sure we have every gap covered, every fit right. It it’s pullers, who is underneath the puller, who is outside the puller. The safety has to fit it right. Everybody, it’s the whole group and as coaches, we have to get better fitting everything so we can get the run game stop and make teams one-dimensional. We won’t change that thought process.”
Kickoff for Saturday’s game is at 5 p.m. to cater to the ROOT Sports regional television production. Ash has never lost to Sacramento State in seven previous matchups. All told, Sac State has fallen to MSU on nine consecutive occasions.
“The past doesn’t equaled the future,” Sears said. “I did not know that. That’s the first time I’ve heard that. We will do our best to try to change that this weekend.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez and courtesy of Sac State athletics. All Rights Reserved.
