Still shining bright: Ray bounces back

A smidgen of doubt was in the air. Ricky Ray, known to many as “Ray Gun,” looked unstoppable in his first three starts as the Hornet’s quarterback, throwing for 795 yards, nine touchdowns and, most importantly, no interceptions against the Montana, UC Davis, and Montana State. But in Sac State’s 52-49 loss to Weber State on Oct. 2, the Shasta Junior College transfer showed kinks in his Green-and-Gold armor.

Ray threw three interceptions and fumbled once, leading to seven Wildcats points. One of the interceptions stopped a Hornet drive on the Weber State five-yard line. The mistakes buried the Hornets in the crucial conference game.

Rest easy, the “Ray Gun” has recharged.

In a must-win game against Portland State Saturday, Ray completed 18-of-22 passes for 244 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Hornet’s 41-14 trouncing of the No. 20 Vikings, which were previously 3-0 in Big Sky Conference games.

“If we play a full game like we did today,” Ray said, “I don’t think there is anybody that can stop us.”

Charles Roberts, playing with cracked ribs and sporting a flak jacket for protection, gained only 94 yards. It was his lowest total since he rushed for 88 yards Nov. 22, 1997 against Cal Poly. Ray & Co. picked up the slack.

“I think the difference between this week and last week was that the people around Ricky stepped up,” offensive coordinator Bruce Pielstick said. “Ricky was pretty much the same.”

Ray was looking to bounce back.

“At Weber State, we knew we blew it,” he said. “But we just play hard and keep at it. If we win out (in the next five games), we should go to the playoffs.”

And that is where the fun begins. The Hornets have proven their ability to win the back-against-the-wall kind of game, their next test is a bit tougher. Five games: Three on the road, four against Big Sky teams — no room for error.

Winning takes some getting used to.

“We came in to this year without that big winning tradition,” Ray said. “A couple of key players are new so we are still trying to build that mesh.”

So six games into the 1999 campaign, and Ricky Ray has become a Hornet household name. A native of the Redding area for almost his entire life, the 19-year old junior said that Charles Roberts was a big reason why he chose to become a Hornet.

“I knew what he had done last season and that he would take a lot of pressure off of me,” Ray said. “It makes it so much easier when you can hand the ball off to him and then run the play action pass.”

Phone calls, visits, and proximity. Those were ultimately the reasons Ray came to Sacramento. Coach Volek and his coaching/recruiting crew were persistent in their pursuit of the quarterback. And why wouldn’t they be? Ray’s last season at Shasta College was about as productive as they come. He was named the Junior College Offensive Player of the Year and named to the JC Gridwire All-America team after leading his team to a school record 352 points and a Pacific Graffiti Bowl appearance in 1998. He led the state in passing yards with 2,759 (287.5 per game), completing 189-of-307 attempts. A gun-slinging shootout against Merced College last year showcased Ray’s firepower. In a 73-71 triple-overtime victory, he threw for six touchdowns and ran for three more to break the state record and tie the national record with nine scores.

Who knows if the National Football League awaits. For now, he will play for today, and take it as it comes.

“I am just playing to play,” Ray said. “I am probably a little underrated but I’m just going with the flow. If I get a chance (in the NFL) it would be fun to try. You’ve got to try.”