Sacramento Outpoints Northridge

Charles Roberts didn’t exactly run wild. But the numbers did.

In the highest-scoring NCAA Division I game ever, Cal State Sacramento, behind another record-setting rushing performance by Roberts, outlasted Cal State Northridge, 64-61, in a wild Big Sky Conference game before 7,912 on Saturday night at Hornet Stadium.

Roberts, who last week became the NCAA Division I-AA career rushing leader, moved to fifth on the career list for all divisions with a 157-yard, two-touchdown performance in a game that featured 1,146 yards of offense and a I-AA record 18 touchdowns.

Northridge set a I-AA record for most points scored by a losing team.

Roberts, a 5-foot-6 senior from Montclair High, rushed for one touchdown while raising his career total to 6,366 yards, 31 shy of the Division I record of 6,397 set by Ron Dayne, the 1999 Heisman Trophy winner from Wisconsin.

But the scoreboard told a bigger story.

The combined total of 125 points surpassed the 124 scored when Oklahoma routed Colorado, 82-42, in 1980.

Weber State’s 63-59 victory over Eastern Washington in 1991 was the previous I-AA record.

“I’ve never seen that many points in a Big Sky game,” linebacker Cos Abercrombie of Northridge said.

“I’ve never seen that many points.”

It all added up to another disappointing defeat for Northridge (3-6, 2-5 in Big Sky play) after two consecutive victories made the Matadors optimistic.

“It’s bittersweet,” Northridge Coach Jeff Kearin said. “I’m surprised to hear that [it was a record]. We’ve been playing good defense the last three or four games. [Saturday night] we took a couple of steps back.”

Marcus Brady completed 32 of 54 passes for a career-high 493 yards and four touchdowns.

Brady said the Matadors expected a high-scoring contest against the Hornets (6-4, 4-3).

But not this.

“I would have felt better about it if we had won,” Brady said. “We saw a lot off the film that made it look like we could score quick on them”

Brady had scoring passes of 40 yards to Gil Rodriguez and 23 yards to D.J. Hackett.

The first half ended with Sacramento ahead, 29-26.

For the most part, Northridge did a respectable job against Roberts for the second consecutive season.

The Matadors’ prevented Roberts from making big gains.

Roberts’ longest gain was a 24-yard run in the third quarter amid a scoring drive that gave Sacramento a 49-40 lead.

Roberts’ second-longest gain was nine yards.

“It wasn’t Charles Roberts that beat us,” Abercrombie said.

Added defensive end Erik Gardner: “He’s another running back. They gave him the ball a lot.”

Lewis Blanton, who made a touchdown-saving tackle of Roberts near the goal line in the second quarter, praised the Hornets’ back.

So did linebacker Romeo Brooks, who joined the group assault when Roberts handled the ball.

“I thought we put up a good effort against them,” Brooks said. “It was a stacked defense that did it. It shut him down and confused him.

Roberts had only 69 yards in 15 carries in the first half, his longest gain going for nine yards.

“I came out with that mind set because it was my last home game,” Roberts said. “Not to break any records, but to play hard. It’s been a long four years, a good four years and the record is icing on the cake.”

Northridge scored on four of five first-half drives, all of them lengthy and time-consuming.

Bruce Molock’s one-yard touchdown run gave Northridge a 6-0 lead three minutes into the game.

Four minutes later, Scott Towne caught a 17-yard scoring pass from Ricky Ray to give Sacramento a 7-6 lead.

Before the half was over, Brady had a touchdown run of 30 yards and Julien Sells had a four-yard scoring run for Northridge.

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TOP PERFORMERS

Charles Roberts, CS Sacramento

33 carries, 157 yards, 2 TDs

Marcus Brady, CS Northridge

32 for 54, 493 yards, 4 TDs

HIGH MARKS

Highest scoring games in Division I:

2000

125--Cal State Sacramento 64

Cal State Northridge 61

1980

124--Oklahoma 82

Colorado 42