SACRAMENTO – Idaho was seeking a late building block for first-year coach Thomas Ford Jr., an encouraging finish for a team that won’t be going to the playoffs. Sacramento State needed a win to stay in the Football Championship Subdivision playoff picture.

It appeared the Vandals would be playing the spoiler role when they took their first lead late in the fourth quarter. But the Hornets couldn’t afford a loss.

Sacramento State pulled out all the stops during a do-or-die possession and reclaimed the lead with nine seconds left, rallying for a 23-20 Big Sky Conference win over the Vandals on Saturday night at Hornet Stadium.

Idaho (4-7, 2-5 Big Sky) scored the go-ahead touchdown with 3:17 on the clock after quarterback Joshua Wood capped an 11-play, 91-yard drive with a 10-yard TD run.

The Hornets (7-4, 5-2) converted a fourth-and-2 on their final drive and later picked up a fourth-and-14 on a 20-yard pass from Cardell Williams to Jordan Williams, who caught an 18-yard sideline pass on Idaho’s 2-yard line moments later to set up Cardell Williams’ game-winning keeper.

The Vandals’ defense gave up plenty of yards (458), but held firm in the red zone on several drives, preventing Sac State from scoring a touchdown until the late stages of the third quarter. Idaho’s offense took a while to get going, but scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to erase a 10-point deficit.

Wood completed 15 of 26 passes for 162 yards and threw an early interception. He also rushed for a team-high 117 yards and a TD on 14 carries as Idaho totaled 355 yards . Tailback Nate Thomas scored on a 7-yard run early in the fourth. Senior running back Elisha Cummings had a carry early in the game, but didn’t appear for the final three quarters.

Cardell Williams went 14 of 18 for 176 yards and a touchdown. The Hornets’ ground game carved through Idaho’s defense. JaQuail Smith rushed for 122 yards on 14 carries and Rodney Hammond Jr. had 120 yards on 26 attempts.

The win buoyed Sac State’s postseason hopes ahead of a difficult road game next weekend against a top-10 UC Davis team. The loss was a deflating one for Idaho, which was knocked out of playoff contention last weekend but sought to finish on a positive note. The Vandals close their season next weekend in the Kibbie Dome against rival Idaho State. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday.