A BRIEF PREVIEW

• Following wins over three top 15 opponents in as many weeks, Sacramento State will play its final road game of the regular season as it faces Portland State on Friday night, Nov. 11, at Hillsboro Stadium. The game against the Vikings will kick off at 6 p.m.
• The Hornets improved to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in Big Sky Conference play with a 33-30 win at then-No. 5 Weber State on Saturday in a rainy and windy game. The team will have a new challenge this week as it faces a short week and a Portland State squad which has shown the ability to dangerous on offense in recent weeks.
• Sacramento State remains second in the Stats Perform media poll and moved up a spot to second in the AFCA FCS coaches poll. The Hornets have been ranked in the top 10 in each poll since the preseason.
• Hornet fans can tune in to ESPN 1320 AM to hear the radio call of Jason Ross, Steve McElroy and Danny Sullivan. Live audio streaming is also available via www.hornetsports.com and the Audacy app.
• The game will also be streamed on ESPN+. Matt Richert will handle the play-by-play and will be joined by Scott Hermo for analysis.

OPPONENT PREVIEW: PORTLAND STATE

• Portland State improved its record to 4-5 overall and 3-3 in the Big Sky with a 35-21 victory over Northern Colorado on Saturday. The Vikings fell behind 14-0 before scoring 35-unanswered points.
• Sophomore quarterback Dante Chachere leads Portland State in passing and rushing. Chachere, who's a native of Fresno, Calif., averages 197.6 passing yards and 51.6 rushing yards per game. He has passed for 18 touchdowns  with seven interceptions and added six rushing scores.
• The Viks boast arguably the best receiving corps in the Big Sky comprised of Beau Kelly, Nate Bennett and Mataio Talalemotu. Kelly leads the trio with 565 yards on 38 receptions and has four scores. Bennett also has 38 receptions for 413 yards while Talalemotu has appeared in two less games than the other two but leads the team with eight receiving touchdowns on only 19 catches. He had a 66-yard touchdown against UNC.
• The Portland State defense is led by Broderick Harrell who has 52 total tackles, including three for loss. E.J. Ane has been a menace for opposing teams with eight TFLs, including six sacks. The defense has forced 10 turnovers this season with eight interceptions and two fumbles.
• Bruce Barnum is in his eighth season as the Portland State head coach and owns a 30-48 overall record.

ALL BY THEMSELVES

• Sacramento State is the only FCS team to win nine regular season games in the last three fall seasons (2019, 2021, 2022). The Hornets won nine games in both 2019 and 2021 and currently are 9-0 with two games remaining this season.
• Montana State, North Dakota State and Florida A&M have the potential to join the Hornets as nine-game winners each season. Montana State has eight wins this year while the other two sit at seven. Each of the three schools has two games remaining in 2022.

EYES ON THE PRIZE

• With two games remaining in the regular season, Sacramento State is within striking distance of a couple of major school records. At their current averages, the Hornets could claim the school single-season record for points, points per game, rushing yards, rushing yards per game and scoring margin.

Single-Season Rushing Yds    Total    Needs
1.    1999    2,584    124
2.    1995    2,564    103
3.    1998    2,510    49
---    2022    2,461    ---

Single-Season Touchdowns    Total    Needs
1.    2019    63    13
2.    2014    60    10
3.    1999    53    3
    2017    53    3
---    2022    50    ---

Single-Season Points    Total    Needs
1.    2019    464    79
2.    2014    458    73
3.    1999    414    29
    2017    414    29
---    2022    385    ---

LET'S GO STREAKING

• Sacramento State improved on its best start in school history getting to 9-0 with the win at Weber State. Prior to this season, the previous best start was 6-0 set in 1991.
• This year's team became the fourth in school history to win nine games in a season. Three of those four seasons (2019, 2021 and 2022) have come under head coach Troy Taylor.
• The record for victories in a year is 10 which came in the 1988 season. That year, the Hornets were 8-2 in the regular season before advancing to the NCAA Div. II semifinals with a pair of victories.
• The Hornets have won 17 consecutive Big Sky Conference games. The team's last loss came against Weber State (36-17) at home on Nov. 2, 2019. That defeat is the only conference loss suffered by Troy Taylor in his three seasons.
• Sacramento State has won its last 13 road games against FCS teams and its last nine road games against all opponents. The team's last road loss came at Cal on Sept. 18, 2021. Its last road loss against an FCS team was against UC Davis on Nov. 17, 2018 in a game played in Reno, Nev., due to poor air quality.
• Sacramento State became the last undefeated team in California this season at the NCAA Div. I, II or III level on Oct. 22 when UCLA lost at Oregon.
• The Hornets have also been well received by the computers as Sacramento State is currently ranked 50th in the Massey ratings. That makes the team the top ranked FCS program in the ratings and places them ahead of Auburn (55th), Texas A&M (56th), BYU (58th), Boise State (64th), Nebraska (70th), California (74th), Arizona State (77th), Stanford (80th), Miami (82nd), Fresno State (90th), San Diego State (93rd) and Arizona (98th).

RANKINGS REHASH

• Saturday will mark the 22nd time since the start of the 2019 season that Sacramento State will play as a team ranked in the top 25. Prior to Troy Taylor's arrival as head coach, the Hornets had only played seven games while ranked in the Div. I-era (1993-2018).
• The team is ranked second in the Stats Perform media poll and third in the AFCA FCS coaches poll for the fourth straight week. The ranking is the highest in school history. Sacramento State's previous high was No. 4 in the final week of the 2019 season.
• Since 2019, Sacramento State is 19-3 overall and 19-1 in the regular season when ranked in the top 25.
• Sacramento State opened the year in the FCS top 25 for just the second time in school history (2011). The Hornets were picked seventh in both the Stats Perform media poll and the AFCA Coaches poll.

THEY KEEP GOING AND GOING...

• Sacramento State has faced three of the best rush defenses in the Big Sky the last three weeks and responded by outperforming the opponents' average in each game. The Hornets tallied 180 yards against a Montana defense which entered the game giving up 76.2 rushing yards per game. The next week, Sacramento State rushed for 299 yards against an Idaho front which had only allowed 78 rushing yards per game against FCS opponents this  season. This past week, the Hornets had 204 rushing yards against a WSU unit which had allowed 116.0 yards per game and had only given up triple digits one time during the season.
• Sacramento State dropped to fifth in the FCS in rushing yards per game at 259.0. Davidson leads the FCS at 372.2 per game while Montana State is second, and tops the Big Sky, at 288.3
• Sacramento State has rushed for over 300 yards in three games this season: Utah Tech (378), Northern Colorado (332) and Eastern Washington (385). The EWU and UT games rank third and fourth in school Div. I history and are the most by a team which did not include All-American running back Charles Roberts.
• Cameron Skattebo recorded the 15th 1,000-yard rushing season in school history with his effort at Weber State. Skattebo now has 1,050 yards and averages 116.7 yards per game which leads the Big Sky and ranks seventh in the FCS.
• Against the Wildcats, he was held to a season-low 65 yards but still managed 4.3 yards per carry. That performance snapped his streak of four consecutive 100-yard games.
• A lot of the credit can be pointed towards the offensive line where the Hornets have used the same starting five on the offensive line in every game this year. The unit which is comprised of Troy Stiefel (LT), Jackson Slater (LG), Nathan Mejia (C), Brandon Weldon (RG) and Ivan Garza (RT).
• Skattebo was named third team all-Big Sky a year ago. He rushed for 520 yards and scored six touchdowns while averaging 9.12 yards per carry.
• Skattebo came to Sacramento State in the fall of 2020 following a stellar career at nearby Rio Linda HS. With the Knights, he rushed for 6,192 career yards and 69 touchdowns. As a junior he was named the area player of the year and was an all-state selection with 3,550 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns while leading Rio Linda to the CIF 5-A state title.

Career Rushing Yards    Total    Needs
9.    Garrett Safron (2011-14)    1,906    336
10. Ryan Mole (2004-05)    1,626    56
11. Mark Schulz (1984-85)    1,571    1
12. Cameron Skattebo (2021-pres.)    1,570    ---

Single-Season Rushing Yards    Total    Needs
5.    Rob Harrison (1986)    1,334    284
6.    Michael Stewart (1985)    1,161    111
7.    Elijah Dotson (2018)    1,154    104
8.    John Farley (1982)    1,137    87
9.    Troy Mills (1990)    1,103    53
10. Donald Hair (1985)    1,097    47
---    Cameron Skattebo (2022)    1,050    ---

IT'S ALMOST AUTOMATIC

• After scoring late in the previous two games, Asher O'Hara wasted little time finding the end zone at Weber State. The quarterback scored on the team's first drive of the game on a 3-yard plunge. He later added a 1-yard rushing touchdown and had his most prolific passing game of the year, throwing for 162 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown pass.
• O'Hara now has a rushing touchdown in all nine games this year and has scored in 12 consecutive regular season games dating back to last year. In his two years at Sacramento State, O'Hara has rushing touchdowns in 16 of 21 games played.
• He enters this week with 16 rushing touchdowns which is the most by a quarterback in school history and places him fourth all-time at Sacramento State behind Charles Roberts (22 in 1999; 18 in 1998; 14 in 2000) and Troy Mills (17 in 1991).
• Dating back to last season, O'Hara has accounted for 39 touchdowns as a Hornet (25 rushing, 13 passing, 1 receiving). Counting his time at Middle Tennessee, O'Hara has rushed for 40 touchdowns and thrown for 41 scores in five seasons.
• O'Hara currently ranks second on the team with 690 rushing yards while averaging 4.7 yards per carry. The school single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback is 751 by Garrett Safron in 2014.
• O'Hara has also been highly efficient through the air. He has completed 50-of-66 pass attempts this season, including a perfect 10-of-10 at Colorado State. He currently has a pass efficiency rating of 161.4 which would rank 10th in school history if he met the minimum.

Career Rushing Touchdowns    Total    Needs
3.    Donald Hair (1985-85)    30    5
    John Farley (1980-83)    30    5
5.    Jordan Robinson (2013-16)    25    ---
    Troy Mills (1990-91)    25    ---
    Asher O'Hara (2021-pres.)    25    ---

Single Season Rushing TDs    Total    Needs
2.    Charles Roberts (1988)    19    3
3.    Troy Mills (1991)    17    1
4.    Asher O'Hara (2022)    16    ---

Career Rushing Yards    Total    Needs
15. Pedro Lewis (1991-93)    1,487    135    
16. Tyronne Gross (2002-04)    1,448    96
17. John Scorza (1967-68)    1,357    5
18. Asher O'Hara (2021-22)    1,352    ---

FINDING PAYDIRT

• Jake Dunniway's 9-yard touchdown pass to Marshel Martin midway through the third quarter marked the 11th consecutive game he has thrown a TD dating back to last season.
• Dunniway was efficient against the Wildcats, completing 5-of-9 pass attempts for 65 yards and a score. The completions and attempts were both season lows and were reduced by the bad weather.
• The senior is now ranked among the top 10 in nearly every career passing category in Sacramento State history. Earlier this year, he passed quarterbacks coach Bobby Fresques in completions, attempts, yards and touchdown passes.
• Dunniway was named third team all-Big Sky as a quarterback in 2021. He played in all 12 games, earning the start in nine where he threw for 2,576 yards and 12 touchdowns. The senior's 63.2 completion percentage and 8.94 yards per pass placed him third in school single-season history while his pass efficiency of 148.6 ranked fourth in the Hornet record book. Dunniway had four 300-yard passing performances, including a career best 370 at Cal and 331 in the FCS Playoffs against South Dakota State. He was named the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week after a 328 yard, two touchdown effort against NAU.

Career Passing Yards    Total    Needs
6.    Tony Corbin (1995-96)    4,866    157
7.    Jake Dunniway (2019-pres.)    4,709    ---

Career Pass Attempts    Total    Needs
6.    Mike Sullivan (1981-83)    663    96
7.    Jake Dunniway (2019-pres.)    567    ---

Career Completions    Total    Needs
5.    Mike Sullivan (1981-83)    365    16
6.    Tony Corbin (1995-96)    351    2
8.    Jake Dunniway (2019-pres.)    349    ---

Career TD Passes    Total    Needs
4.    Jason Smith (2007-09)    38    6
5.    Tony Corbin (1995-96)    34    2
    Mike Sullivan (1981-83)    34    2
7.    Ricky Ray (1999-2000)    33    1
8.    Greg Knapp (1982-85)    32    ---
    Jake Dunniway (2019-pres.)    32    ---

AMONG THE GREATS

• Pierre Williams led Sacramento State with 74 receiving yards and tied for the team lead with four receptions at Weber State. Williams averaged 18.5 yards per catch against the Wildcats and had a long of 27 yards.
• The senior has caught at least one pass in all nine games this season and has scored a touchdown in four contests.
• This year, Williams ranks second on the team with four receiving touchdowns, 364 receiving yards and 27 receptions.
• In 2021, Williams led the team with 764 yards and ranked second with 50 receptions. His average of 73.8 yards per game was easily the best among Hornets. If you remove the Northern Colorado game (where he was limited to the first series and didn't catch a pass), Williams averaged 83.0 yards per game.
• During the year he had a three-game stretch where he went over the century mark with 122 yards against UNI, 121 at Cal and 130 at Idaho State.
• Williams is one of three players in program history to have at least eight 100-yard receiving games in his career. The other two are Fred Amey (14 games) and DeAndre Carter (10)  who both were named FCS All-Americans during their career and played in the NFL.

Career Receiving Yards    Total    Needs
2.    DeAndre Carter (2011-14)    2,760    148
3.    Morris Norrise (2010-13)    2,650    38
4.    Pierre Williams (2018-pres.)    2,612    ---

Career Receiving Touchdowns    Total    Needs
2.     Fred Amey (2001-04)    27    8
3.    Marshel Martin (2019-pres.)    21    2
4.    Morris Norrise (2010-13)    19    ---
    Pierre Williams (2018-pres.)    19    ---

Career Receptions    Total    Needs
3.    DeAndre Carter (2011-14)    207    45
4.    Pierre Williams (2018-pres.)    162    ---

STARTING OVER

• Marshel Martin had his streak of 31 consecutive games — every game of his career — with at least one reception come to an end when he played just one snap in the home win against Idaho. Martin was back in the lineup at Weber State and responded with four catches for 70 yards and two scores.
• His first touchdown was on a 48-yard pass from Asher O'Hara and was the longest pass play of the season for the Hornets. He added a second TD midway through the third quarter giving him his fourth multi-TD game of his career and second of the season.
• Despite essentially playing one fewer games than most players on the team, Martin still leads the Hornets with 38 receptions for 507 yards and eight touchdowns.
• The Vallejo, Calif., native has had at least 75 receiving yards in four games this season, including four of the last six. He set a season high with six grabs for 103 yards against Northern Colorado.
• His second touchdown at Weber State broke his own school record for receiving touchdowns by a tight end. Martin now ranks first with eight scores this season, second with seven in 2019 and is third with six in 2021.
• The junior has now accumulated more receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns than any other non-wide receiver in school history.
• Martin was named first team all-Big Sky in 2021 and was a second team All-American by the AFCA. He was recognized by HERO Sports as a Freshman All-American in 2019 and a Sophomore All-American in 2021. Martin was also a preseason all-Big Sky choice and preseason All-American heading into 2022.

Career Receiving Yards    Total    Needs
5.    Mike Carter (1968-69)    1,834    128
    Lamont Webb (1997-2000)    1,834    128
7.    Jaelin Ratliff (2015-18)    1,749    43
8.    Nnamdi Agude (2012-15)    1,712    6
9.    Marshel Martin (2019-pres.)    1,706    ---

Career Receiving Touchdowns    Total    Needs
2.     Fred Amey (2001-04)    27    6
3.     Marshel Martin (2019-pres.)    21    ---

Career Receptions    Total    Needs
5.    Isiah Hennie (2014-17)    139    9
6.    Shane Harrison (2011-15)    134    4
7.    Marshel Martin (2019-pres.)    130    ---

PILING ON

• Linebacker Armon Bailey added to his team-leading total with eight stops at Weber State. Bailey now has 64 tackles this season and has had eight or more in four straight games and six of the past seven.
• The Vallejo, Calif., native also leads the team with 9.5 tackles-for-loss and 4.0 sacks. He has previously twice been named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week.
• Bailey debuted for the Hornets in 2018 where he played in seven games. The next year he was in the lineup for eight of the first nine before missing the last three contests of the season. After having the 2020 season canceled, he returned in 2021 and started the year with three TFLs at Dixie State. However, he would play in just two more games during the season after suffering another injury.

COPY AND PASTE

• Kicker Kyle Sentkowski has been nearly robotic over the last three games, making a field goal and converting four PATs in Sacramento State's wins over Montana, Idaho and Weber State to account for seven points in each game.
• After missing his first two field goal attempts of the season, the senior has made his last 11, including his last five from 40-plus yards. His most recent field goal was  a 43-yarder at Weber State which gave the Hornets a 10-point lead with under two minutes remaining.
• Sentkowski was named the Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance at Eastern Washington. He finished the game with 10 points and has scored in double figures four times this year.
• With the Hornet offense scoring touchdowns at an unprecedented rate, Sentkowski has moved into third place in the school single-season list with 50 PATs this season.
• He ranks second on the team this season with 83 points, trailing only Asher O'Hara's 102.
• In 2021, he earned first team all-Big Sky honors after setting the school single-season record with 21 made field goals and ranking seventh in the Hornet record book with 39 PATs.

Career Field Goals    Total    Needs
2.    Juan Gamboa (2005-08)    36    4
3. Devon Medeiros (2015-19)    34    2
4. Kyle Sentkowski (2019-pres.)    32    ---

Career PATs    Total    Needs
2.    Scott Brown (1996-99)    107    13
3.    Juan Gamboa (2005-08)    95    1
4.    Kyle Sentkowski (2019-pres.)    94    ---

Single Season PATs    Total    Needs
1.    Brad Cornish (2014)    56    6
2.    Devon Medeiros (2017)    52    2
3.    Kyle Sentkowski (2022)    50    ---

THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY

• The victory at Colorado State not only was the first against an FBS team for head coach Troy Taylor, it also moved him into fifth place in school history for total victories with 21 at the time. Taylor, who now has 27 wins, trails just Bob Mattos (84 wins), Ray Clemons (70), Marshall Sperbeck (35) and John Volek (31).
• However, Taylor's winning percentage of .794 (27-7) is easily the best in program history. He earned his 20th victory in his 27th game at the helm of the Hornets. Ray Clemons had held the record for the fastest Sacramento State coach to 20 wins, needing 39 games between 1961 and the first game of the 1965 season.
• Part of Taylor's success has been the ability for his team's to win on the road. Sacramento State is 13-0 in road games against FCS teams and 14-3 against all opponents with the only losses coming at Arizona State, Fresno State and Cal.
• The Hornets are 11-0 in Big Sky road games since 2019. Prior to that season, Sacramento State won just 24 Big Sky road games in 23 seasons in the conference.

JUST THE FACTS

• Dating back to 2019, the Hornets have now defeated 22 of the last 23 Big Sky teams it has faced.
• Sacramento State has had four games this season with at least seven penalties and three games with three or less. The team had a high of 12 flags for 105 yards at Cal Poly and a low of one for five yards at Colorado State.
• Sacramento State has posted three straight winning (2019, 21-22) seasons for just the first time since 1984-86.
• The Hornets have yet to allow an opponent to complete 60 percent of their pass attempts this season. Conversely, Sacramento State has been at 60 percent or higher in seven of nine games this year.
• The two lowest points allowed averages in the school's Div. I history have come in the last two seasons.

SERIES FACTS

• After facing each other every year from 1983-2014 (except for 1993), the Hornets and Vikings have only played each other three times since 2015. Strangely, the last four meetings have all been in Sacramento meaning this week will be the Hornets' first game in Portland since 2013.
• PSU leads the all-time series 23-13 but Sacramento State has won four of the last five and seven of the previous nine meetings.

CONNECTIONS

• Sacramento State does not have any players from the state of Oregon. Running backs coach Malcolm Agnew played his first two collegiate seasons at Oregon State.
• Portland State has 44 players from California on its roster. Included in that group is safety Robert Holt (Monterey Trail HS), junior David Joseph (Del Campo HS) and  senior Moses Finau (Burbank HS) who are all from Sacramento.

SERIES LEADERS
Sacramento State
Rushing:
262, Jordan Robinson (23 att., 4 TD), 2016
185, Charles Roberts (25 att., 3 TD), 1998

Passing
554, Garrett Safron (34-50, 1 INT, 4 TD), 2013*
367, Tony Trosin (31-48, 0 INT, 3 TD), 1988

Receiving
163, Zebede Brye (5 rec, 1 TD), 1989
158, Tony Washington (9 rec, 1 TD), 2008

Tackles (1980-pres.)
17, Dexter Alcala (12-5, FF), 2013
16, Ryland Wickman (9-7, TFL), 1997
16, J.B. Cahoon (8-8), 1994

Portland State
Rushing (1980-pres.)
249, DJ Adams (26 att., 5 TD), 2013
247, Charles Dunn (31 att., 1 TD), 1998

Passing (1980-pres.)
464, Matt O'Connor (24-46, 2 INT, 5 TD), 1996
464, Terry Charles (29-45, 2 INT, 3 TD), 1992

Receiving (1980-pres.)
208, Art Williams (10 rec, 4 TD), 1998
188, Lavonte Kirkland (13 rec, 0 TD), 2009

Tackles (190-pres.)
14, Tim Upshaw (5-9, PBU, Sack), 1989
13, Brett Rodarte (5-8, INT), 1986
13, Josh Ratliff (8-5, 4.5 TFL, Sack), 2003