Elias Mullican did this sort of thing regularly in high school: impacting games with head’s-up play, and then savoring every bit of it.
The Sacramento State sophomore cornerback earned MVP honors while a key cog with the Rocklin Thunder in the best league in the region, the Sierra Foothill League. A 3-star recruit, Mullican was on National Signing Day a nice get for the Hornets, whose coaches mine the Sacramento Valley for prospects and then mold them into their system and philosophy as they seek Big Sky Conference championships and FCS playoff berths.
But sometimes it takes time to hit the field in college, where rosters for top FCS-level programs such as Sacramento State include guys who have been in place for years and have a head start on the newcomers. Mullican redshirted his first season with the Hornets in 2022 and saw action in two games last season, recording no tackles, as he waited his turn.
That time is now. Last Saturday at Texas A&M Commerce, Mullican had two interceptions to help lead the defense , returning one 35 yards on fourth down for a touchdown and a 13-0 lead that led to a 34-0 victory. This momentum sends the FCS-ranked No. 10 Hornets to Northern Arizona on Saturday in high spirits to open Big Sky play.
Mullican was named the Big Sky’s Co-Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts. What a way to cap Mullican’s second career start, and what a stretch for the Hornets defense under coordinator and head coach Andy Thompson.
“Sometimes, it takes a little time for things to click, and Elias has jumped on his chance, his opportunity,” Thompson said. “He’s worked hard. It hasn’t been easy. Here’s a guy who was a star at Rocklin High School, a and he’s third string at first here. People asking him if he’s playing. He’s earned it. That pick-6, I loved it. We needed it.”
In winning their last two games after opening with competitive losses at FBS-level San Jose State and Fresno State, Sacramento State has posted back-to-back defensive shutouts. The only points allowed in a 34-7 win over Nicholls was a tipped-pass interception return to the end zone.
The Hornets have allowed 36 total rushing yards in the last two victories combined. Sacramento State had seven sacks against Nicholls and six against Commerce, and the team moved into a tie for second place in the FCS in sacks. Broken down even more by Hornets sports information guru Brian Berger, the Hornets are riding a streak of 126 minutes, 54 seconds without allowing a point. The last time the Hornets defense allowed a point was midway through the fourth quarter at Fresno State.
Road shutouts are not easy, certainly, and the Commerce effort marked just the third time Sacramento State has done so since 1971.
Thompson said the Hornets will succeed this season if the team’s depth contributes. It has, and that includes Mullican, a terrific athlete at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds. He played running back, receiver, cornerback and safety at Rocklin, earning multiple Sacramento Bee All-Metro honors in leading the Thunder to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I finals in 2021.
His collegiate moment, at last, arrived in Texas.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time, so it feels good,” Mullican said after the game. “It was a surreal moment for sure. Taking that to the house I feel really sparked the offense to be like, ‘Okay let’s get it going,’ and the defense was juiced up. Going over to the sideline, the vibes were good, everything was good.”
The vibes are good all over, the benefit of victory.
Sacramento State took its lumps in the early losses, including players sidelined with injury, a byproduct of a game big on hitting. But depth counts, and so does resiliency, and the Hornets are not short on either.
“I’m proud of the last two weeks, how we responded being 0-2, because that’s not an easy task and the guys have stuck together,” coach Thompson said. “We are going to need the depth to go through an eight game Big Sky schedule.”
No. 10 Sacramento State (2-2) at Northern Arizona (2-2)
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
On air: ESPN1320, ESPN+
Of Note: The Hornets have been road warriors with this week marking the program’s fourth away game in five weeks. Elijah Tau-Tolliver has rushed for 100 or more yards three times for Sacramento State, including a career-best 127 against Commerce. This represents the first time Thompson will play at Northern Arizona as a head coach, a place where he was assistant head coach and defensive coordinator from 2015-18 before landing at Sacramento State. NAU was held to 24 points in losses to FBS-level Arizona and to FCS Incarnate Word and has scored 111 in wins over small-college Lincoln of Oakland and Utah Tech. Ty Pennington has passed for 568 yards and no interceptions for NAU, and he’s rushed for three scores. NAU is led by first-year coach Brian Wright, who headed Division II Pittsburg State of Kansas, where he went 33-8. He was the offensive coordinator at Montana State of the Big Sky in 2010 and 2011.
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