A BRIEF PREVIEW

• Two teams that had little trouble earning a victory last Saturday will meet in a rare night game at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 4, as No. 7/7 Sacramento State plays at No. 4/4 Montana. The game will start at 5 p.m. PT from Missoula, Mont.
• The Hornets scored the final 37 points of the game against Idaho State and defeated the Bengals 51-16 on Homecoming last Saturday. Sacramento State compiled nearly 600 yards of offense and recorded four interceptions on defense in the most complete win of the season for the team. The victory improved the Hornets to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in Big Sky games.
• The Hornets dropped to seventh in this week's Stats Perform FCS media poll and remained seventh in the AFCA FCS coaches poll. Last week, the team was placed eighth in the initial FCS Selection Committee rankings.
• 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 aired on KMAX31 and ESPN+. Jay Kohn (play-by-play) and Marty Mornhinweg (color) will bring the action on a game produced by Scripps Sports.

OPPONENT PREVIEW: MONTANA

• Montana (7-1, 4-1) hosted Northern Colorado on Saturday and crushed the winless Bears, 40-0. The game was scoreless after the first quarter before the Griz scored 14 points in the second, 12 in the third and 14 in the fourth quarter.  Montana's defense limited Northern Colorado to just 94 yards of offense in the game while the Griz finished with 455.
• The Griz offense has been balanced this season as the team averages 184.1 passing yards and 174.0 rushing yards per game. Clifton McDowell has emerged as the starting quarterback where he has thrown six touchdowns without an interception. McDowell is also the team's second leading rusher with 42.6 yards per game and three TDs. Keali'i Ah Yat debuted at QB against UNC and completed 9-of-13 passes for 89 yards and a score.
• Montana is the best team in the nation against the rush, limiting opponents to 75.8 rushing yards per game and 2.6 yards per carry. The Griz have 49 tackles-for-loss as a team, including 21 sacks. Montana has also intercepted 13 passes this year while throwing only five of their own.
• Head coach Bobby Hauck improved to 123-35 with the most recent victory. That tied Hauck with Jerome Souers  (Northern Arizona) as the winningest head coach in Big Sky Conference history.

A LOOK AT THE MOST RECENT ACTION

• Sacramento State scored the final 37 points, compiled 587 yards of offense and intercepted four passes in a 51-16 win over Idaho State on Homecoming at Hornet Stadium.
• True freshman Carson Conklin made his collegiate debut midway through the second quarter and completed 14-of-21 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Conklin came into the game with the Hornets trailing 16-14 and immediately led the team on a 7-play, 61-yard touchdown drive which was capped by 13-yard pass to Devin Gandy to put Sacramento State on top for the remainder of the game.
• Conklin hit Carlos Hill in stride for a 69-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter. Elijah Tau-Tolliver added to the lead with a 4-yard rush and Michael Johnson finished the barrage with an 8-yard dash for his first carer score.
• The Hornets drained the clock in the fourth quarter, using a 12-play, 53-yard drive to score the game's final points on a 6-yard pass to Marshel Martin for the All-American's first touchdown of the year and the 26th receiving TD of his career.
• The Hornets rushed for 273 yards while averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Redshirt freshman Zeke Burnett led the team with nine attempts for 143 yards.
• Idaho State entered the game as the most prolific passing team in the FCS. The Bengals threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns in the first half but were slowed in the second half. The Hornets limited ISU to just 137 passing yards in the final two quarters and held a team scoreless in a half for the second time this season.
• Brock Mather, Kylen Ross, Cameron Broussard and Mitchell Wolfe each had interceptions for the defense. The four picks tied the school record which has now occurred 11 times. The most recent occasion came against  Southern Oregon on Aug. 31, 2019.

HALF A CENTURY

• Sacramento State's 51 points against Idaho State marked the 32nd time in school history that the team has posted 50 or more points in a game. The total was the most this season and the highest since the Hornets lost to Incarnate Word, 66-63, in the quarterfinals of last season's FCS Playoffs.
• Scoring 50 has become a semi-regular occurrence for the team as Saturday's game was the sixth time in the last four seasons played.
• The Hornets have scored 60 or more 10 times, including a school-record 77 against Southern Oregon in 2019. The performance against Idaho State was the first time Sacramento State finished a game with 51 points.

A CENTURY AND MORE

• The Hornets added another 100-yard rusher when redshirt freshman Zeke Burnett rushed for a 143 yards on just nine carries against Idaho State. Burnett needed only two of those nine rushes to reach 100 yards as he had 55-yard and 50-yard carries. Those two attempts are the longest and third-longest, respectively, by a Sacramento State rusher this season.
• Burnett's effort follows Elijah Tau-Tolliver who had 100 yards on eight carries against Montana State. Tau-Tolliver had a 53-yard TD run in that game to help his cause. The two carries by Burnett and the long by Tau-Tolliver are the only rushes of 25 or more yards by a Hornet running back this season.
• Combined with a pair of 100-yard rushing games from quarterback Kaiden Bennett (101 vs. Texas A&M-Commerce; 100 at Stanford), Sacramento State has three players who have rushed for over the century mark in the same season for the ninth time since 1980.
• This year's team joins the 2017 squad to become the only year where each 100-yard rusher eclipsed the plateau for the first time in their career. The 2017 team was represented by BJ Perkinson, Elijah Dotson and Kevin Thomson.

WHERE DID HE COME FROM

• Carson Conklin made his collegiate debut against Idaho State when he entered the game with just over five minutes to play in the second quarter. Conklin responded by completing 14-of-21 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns. He became the first true freshman to play quarterback for the team since Nate Ketteringham in 2015. Ketteringham played in the final six games, starting five, that season.
• Conklin came to the Hornets last spring after graduating from Centennial HS (Corona, Calif.) a semester early. That early enrollment allowed Conklin to go through spring practice at Sacramento State.
• The Yorba Linda, Calif., native was a three-star recruit as a senior. At Centennial HS, he threw for 2,300 yards and 25 touchdowns. Team went 24-4 overall and 14-1 in league games during his three seasons.
• Conklin split time in high school with Izzy Carter who is currently a true freshman at South Florida. Carter was also the MVP of the Under Armour Next All-American Camp and played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

I'LL TAKE THAT

• Sacramento State tied a school FCS-era record with four interceptions against Idaho State. The game marked the 12th time since 1993 that the team has had four interceptions in a game. The most recent occasion came against Southern Oregon in 2019. The last time the team had four picks against an FCS program was in 2017 against Incarnate Word.
• All four interceptions against the Bengals came from different players. Linebackers Brock Mather and Mitchell Wolfe as well as safeties Cameron Broussard and Kylen Ross each had an interception. Mather, Broussard and Ross each recorded their second pick of the year while Wolfe earned the first one of his career.
• Sacramento State now has 10 interceptions as a team from seven different players. The one thing missing from this year's team is a long return on an interception. The longest return by a Hornet this year is 13 yards by Broussard. Conversely, opponents have seven interceptions this year and average 24.1 yards per return with a long of 61 yards.

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

• Sacramento State had seven offensive players score a touchdown in the victory over Idaho State. The last time that feat occurred was in a 50-0 win over Northern Colorado on Sept. 14, 2019.
• Against the Bengals, the Hornets received rushing touchdowns from Michael Johnson, Elijah Tau-Tolliver and Coleman Kuntz. The team also had receiving touchdowns from Marshel Martin, Carlos Hill, Devin Gandy and Jared Gipson.
• The touchdowns for Johnson and Martin were the first of the season for both and now gives the team 15 offensive players with a TD this year. Johnson's score came on an 8-yard rush and was his first as Hornet. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Martin scored the 29th touchdown of his career. His total includes 26 receiving scores, two rushing TDs and one on an onsides kick return.
• Gandy and Hill are tied for the team lead with three receiving scores this year. Gandy has had one touchdown in the last three games after having one touchdown in 2021 and not scoring last year.
• Hill's 69-yard touchdown was the longest play from scrimmage for the Hornets this year. Hill ranks second on the team with 27 receptions and 371 yards. Last season, he caught five passes for 73 yards and did not have a touchdown.
• Kuntz has 16 receptions this season for 198 yards at tight end. However, both of his scores have come on short-yardage rushes. He had a 1-yard TD against Northern Arizona and a 2-yard score against Idaho State.

THE MAGIC NUMBER

• Both Sacramento State and Montana enter this week's game needing one more victory to reach seven wins against NCAA Div. I opponents this year. That number has historically been the mark needed to guarantee a berth into the FCS Playoffs.
• This year could be a little more complicated as 43 teams currently have a chance to reach seven Div. I wins this season. South Dakota State leads the pack as the only team with eight wins. Delaware, Lafayette, Furman, Chattanooga and UIW each have seven Div. I wins while 15 other teams could hit the mark this weekend.

BOUNCE BACK ABILITY

• Since the start of 2019, Sacramento State is 6-1 following a regular season loss.
• The team's first loss in 2019 came at Arizona State (19-7) and was followed by a 50-0 home win over Northern Colorado. The next week, the Hornets dropped a 34-20 game at Fresno State but responded with a 48-27 victory at home over Eastern Washington.
• In 2021, Sacramento State lost its home opener to UNI (36-14) and then fell at Cal (42-30) for its only two-game losing streak in the last four seasons. The Hornets got back on track the following week with a 23-21 win at Idaho State.
• After extending its regular season winning streak to 23 games, Sacramento State lost at Idaho (36-27). The Hornets picked up a win the following week after defeating Northern Arizona (31-30). Sacramento State bounced back from a loss to Montana State with a dominating win over Idaho State last week.
• The last time Sacramento State lost back-to-back Big Sky Conference games came in 2018 when the Hornets went 0-7 (one game was canceled due to air quality).

RANKINGS REHASH

• For just the third time in school history, Sacramento State began the season ranked among the top 25 in the FCS preseason polls. The only other times the Hornets started the season in the top 25 came in 2011 when the team was 24th in the Stats poll and last season where the team debuted at seventh.
• Despite its largest win of the year, Sacramento State remained seventh in the Stats Perform media poll and dropped one spot to seventh the AFCA FCS Coaches poll.
• This week marks the 35th time since the start of the 2019 season that the team has been ranked in the top 25 and the 27th consecutive game. Prior to that season, the team only played seven games as a ranked squad between 1993-2018.
• The Hornets were picked third by the Big Sky head coaches in the preseason poll and fourth by the media. Montana State was selected to finish first in both the coaches and media polls.
• Preseason polls have not been an accurate prediction of how the team will finish. In 2019, Sacramento State was unranked until the seventh week of the season and ended up cresting at No. 3 in both the coaches and media poll. That same year, the team was selected to finish  11th in the Big Sky Coaches poll and 12th by the media.
• In 2021, the Hornets were picked fifth by both the coaches and the media. That year the team went undefeated to win the league title and entered the playoffs as the No. 4 national seed.
• Last season, Sacramento State was picked second by the coaches and third by the media before finishing the year undefeated in Big Sky play.

PART OF HISTORY

• Linebacker Armon Bailey, once again, led Sacramento State with eight tackles against Idaho State. The game was the 19th for Bailey with at least five tackles and his ninth straight. Bailey also moved into the school career top 20 list as he now has 201 career tackles.
• Bailey leads the Hornets with 69 total tackles this season. His average of 8.6 tackles per game places him second in the Big Sky this season and 36th in the FCS.
• The Vallejo, Calif., native has four games with at least 10 tackles in 2023 all of which came in a five game stretch. His first double digit came at Stanford where he had a career high 11 stops. He matched that total a week later at Idaho and then had 10 tackles against Northern Arizona. After finishing with eight tackles at Northern Colorado, he had 12 tackles against Montana State. He became the first Hornet since Austin Clark in 2017 to have three consecutive games with double digit tackles. During the last six games, Bailey is averaging 9.7 tackles per game.
• Bailey tallied a team-leading 88 tackles last season. He had at least four tackles in all 13 games and had five or more in 10 games. That stretch included three consecutive games with nine tackles. He now has 183 career tackles and is just 17 shy of cracking the school top 20.
• The senior was named first team all-Big Sky in 2022 and was a preseason all-conference choice prior to this year.

Career Tackles    Total    Needs
14. Ramon Payne (2001-04)    212    11
T15. Carlos Williams (1996-99)    210    9
T15. Marcus Bruce (2015-19)    210    9
17. Jeff Badger (2009-12)    206    5
T18. Osagie Odiase (2010-13)    202    1
T18. Tyson Butler (2003-06)    202    1
20. Armon Bailey (2018-pres.)    201    ---

THAT LOOKS NORMAL

• Tight end Marshel Martin continued his resurgence with a team-leading six receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown against Idaho State. The yardage total was easily the best for Martin this season, surpassing his previous high of 32 yards at Northern Colorado. His receptions also matched his output from that game. Jared Gipson is the only other player on the team to go over 100 receiving yards in a game this year with 108 yards against Northern Arizona.
• Martin now has six career 100-yard receiving games. He had two in 2021 before three last season. Last year's efforts included back-to-back games with over 100 yards in the FCS Playoffs as he had 10 catches for 149 yards against Richmond and 12 receptions for 144 yards against Incarnate Word.
• After suffering an injury on the opening drive of the season at Nicholls, Martin was limited for the majority of the first half of the season. He did not play against Texas A&M-Commerce and saw reduced action at Stanford and Idaho and against NAU. Over the last three games, he has 18 receptions for 154 yards (8.6 yards per rec.).
• Martin appeared to have scored his first touchdown of the season early in the third quarter when he caught a pass at the 38-yard line, split the defense and then leapt for the goal line. However, after review, it was determined he lost possession of the ball before crossing the goal line resulting in a touchback. Martin did breakthrough midway through the fourth quarter when he caught a 6-yard floater from Carson Conklin.
• The senior has at least one reception in 43 of 44 career games in which he has appeared. His lone exception was last season's contest against Idaho where he played one snap.
• Martin landed on every preseason FCS All-America team this offseason after being named to the second team by The Associated Press, Stats Perform and the AFCA in 2022. Martin led the team with 879 receiving yards, 65 receptions and 12 receiving touchdowns.
• The senior has now accumulated more receptions (179), receiving yards (2,271) and receiving touchdowns (26) 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
3.    DeAndre Carter (2011-14)    2,760    489
4.    Morris Norrise (2010-13)    2,650    379
5.    Marshel Martin (2019-pres.)    2,271    ---

Career Receiving Touchdowns    Total    Needs
1.    DeAndre Carter (2011-14)    35    9
2.     Fred Amey (2001-04)    27    1
3.     Marshel Martin (2019-pres.)    26    ---

Career Receptions    Total    Needs
3.    DeAndre Carter (2011-14)    207    28
4.    Pierre Williams (2018-22)    182    3
5.    Marshel Martin (2019-pres.)    179    ---

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

• Part of last season's record breaking season was the unheralded play of the offensive line. The Hornets used the same starting five in all 11 regular season games and did the dirty work for a record-setting rushing performance.
• An injury to Troy Stiefel in the Causeway Classic forced Sacramento State to make a change up front for the team's two FCS Playoffs games. Overall, the Hornets used just two combinations on the offensive line for all 13 games.
• This year has been a different story as Sacramento State has already seen five unique starting fives in the trenches through the first eight games of the year. The Hornets have yet to start its anticipated starting lineup on the offensive line this season.
• Only Jackson Slater (left guard) and Nathan Mejia (center) have started all seven games at the same position. Slater has now started 30 consecutive games on the line dating back to 2019 while Mejia has 21 consecutive starts in the middle of the line.
• Ivan Garza joins the pair in starting all eight games this year but has split time at right tackle (four games) and left tackle (four games). Garza has started 31 consecutive games which is the longest streak among offensive players on the team and trails only Jett Stanley's 33-game streak among all Hornets.
• Sacramento State has counted on Aidan Meek, Troy Stiefel, Kenndel Riley, Kaden Richardson and Jordan Stanley to start games on the line this year. Meek opened the year as the starter at right tackle but suffered a broken clavicle while making a tackle on an interception return at Nicholls. He returned to the lineup to start at right guard at Northern Colorado and moved back to right tackle this past week against Montana State.
• Riley had the longest gap between starts as he was in the unit against Nicholls at right guard in the opener but was injured against the Colonels. Riley returned to the position against Montana State.
• Kaden Richardson filled in at right guard for four  games (weeks 2-5). Richardson, who is the son of offensive line coach Kris Richardson, is also the team's backup center and plays on special teams.
• Troy Stiefel is in his seventh year at Sacramento State where he has started 29 games. Stiefel missed the first two weeks of the season while recuperating from a knee injury but seized the starting position at left tackle for three games (weeks 3-5).
• Jordan Stanley rounds out the eight players who have started games on the line this year. Stanley played for the Hornets in 2019 but then left the program before returning last spring. He has started at right tackle against Texas A&M-Commerce and Northern Colorado.

FINDING HIS TARGET

• Quarterback Kaiden Bennett enters this week's game with a completion percentage of 64.8 percent (136-210). That mark ranks second in school history, trailing only Asher O'Hara who completed 81-of-111 attempts last season (71.4 percent). The highest completion rank among Hornets with at least 200 attempts in a year is Garrett Safron who was 245-of-383 (64.2%) in 2012.
• Bennett's passing efficiency of 144.6 would place him 10th on the school single-season record list. If that mark holds, it would move him past current offensive coordinator Bobby Fresques (142.2, 1991) for the last spot in the school top 10.
• Bennett will likely end up in the top 10 for single-season total offense by a Hornet. His current mark of 2,074 yards leaves him 369 yards shy of 10th place. His average of 259.3 yards of total offense per game ranks seventh in school history. He also remains the team's leading rusher this season with 407 yards. His four rushing touchdowns are tied for the second most on the team.
• Bennett's path to Sacramento State was a winding one. After playing at Folsom High School where he threw for 8,500 yards and rushed for over 2,000, he graduated midyear and enrolled at Boise State. Bennett then moved to Nevada in the fall of 2020 before transferring to Sacramento State.
• He appeared in five games for the Hornets in 2021 and six in 2022 all in a limited roll. Bennett did not throw or rush for a touchdown in either season.

GETTING A KICK OUT OF IT

• Sacramento State has had great success on special teams this season. The Hornets rank second in the FCS in net punting with an average of 43.18 yards.
• The team has used two punters during the year with Cal McGough handling the majority of the duties. McGough has 19 punts with an average of 45.4 yards. He set a career long with a 62-yard punt against ISU. McGough has just three touchbacks in 48 career punts while landing 25 inside the 20-yard line. Connor Stutz has punted three times this year where he averages 45.7 yards per attempt.
• Kicker Zach Schreiner made a 30-yard field goal against the Bengals as well as all five of his PATs. Schreiner is now 11-of-14 on field goals during his first season with the team and a perfect 31-of-31 on extra points. His next field goal will move him into a tie for 10th in school single season history.

Single-Season Field Goals    Total    Needs
T7. Chris DIniz (2010)    13    2
T7. Scott Brown (1998)    13    2
T7. Jim Couch (1991)    13    2
T10. Chris Diniz (2009)    12    1
T10. Juan Gamboa (2008)    12    1

QUICK HITTERS

• Sacramento State's victory at Stanford was the team's fourth over an FBS opponent since 2011. The Hornets now have wins over Oregon State (2011), Colorado (2012), Colorado State (2022) and Stanford. Only North Dakota State has more FBS victories in that span as the Bison have won five. Eastern Washington is tied with Sacramento State with four wins.
• The Hornets swept the Big Sky Players of the Week after win for the first time in school history with Kaiden Bennett (offense), Armon Bailey (defense) and Zach Schreiner (special teams) earning the  awards.
• The four sacks recorded by Northern Arizona were the most allowed by Sacramento State since 2018 (prior to Kris Richardson's arrival as o-line coach).
• Dating back to 2021, Sacramento State is 19-1 when holding the opponent under 60 percent passing. The only team to beat the Hornets when completing less than 60 percent of its passes was South Dakota State in the 2021 FCS Playoffs.
• The Hornets played 71 players in the victory over Idaho State. The team had 11 players credited with a rush, seven have a reception and 28 make a tackle.
• Since the start of 2019, Sacramento State is 9-4 against a ranked opponent in the regular season. This week's game will be the seventh involving two top-10 teams in program history.
• Dillon Juniel is second in the Big Sky and 12th in the FCS with 1.4 passes defended per game.
• Sacramento State has at least one sack in all but one game (MSU) this season.