A BRIEF PREVIEW

• The Sacramento State football team will make its fourth NCAA FCS Playoff appearance in as many seasons as it travels to North Dakota for a first round game on Saturday, Nov. 25. The game will kick off at 10 a.m. PT from the Alerus Center.
• The Hornets head into the postseason with a 7-4 overall record. The team fell to UC Davis in the 69th Causeway Classic after a 31-21 defeat on Saturday. That loss left Sacramento State at the mercy of the FCS selection committee on Sunday morning.
• The Hornets dropped to 15th in this week's Stats Perform FCS media poll and 16th in the AFCA FCS coaches poll. This week marks the first time since Nov. 15, 2021 that the team has been outside the top 10 in both polls.
• 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+. David Saltzman (play-by-play) and Jay Walker (color) will bring the action.

OPPONENT PREVIEW: NORTH DAKOTA

• North Dakota needed nearly every second of its regular season finale to secure its seventh win and a playoff berth. The Fighting Hawks trailed 21-16 when it got the ball back at their own 24-yard line with 4:53 remaining. UND used 11 plays to find the end zone on a 1-yard run from Gaven Ziebarth with 25 seconds remaining.
• The victory gave North Dakota a 7-4 overall record and a 5-3 record in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The team improved to 6-0 at home this season and is now 110-29 all time at the Alerus Center. Two of those losses have come against the Hornets as Sacramento State won 31-7 in 2013 and 34-27 in 2017.
• The Fighting Hawks own one of the most efficient passing offenses in the FCS. Tommy Schuster has completed 197-of-277 passes (71.1 percent) for 2,119 yards with 18 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Schuster's quarterback efficiency rating of 153.9 ranks 14th nationally. Bo Belquist has caught 61 passes for 682 yard and five scores. Gaven Ziebarth (6.8 ypc, 7 TD) and Isaiah Smith (6.0 ypc, 2 TD) are the leading rushers.
• Wyatt Pedigo and Malachi McNeal spark the UND defense. Pedigo has 68 tackles, including 7.5 for loss and four sacks. He has also forced two fumbles and recovered four. McNeal is close behind with 63 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, and three sacks.
• Bubba Schweigert is in his 10th season as the UND head coach where he owns an 83-70 overall record.  

ALL-BIG SKY ACCOLADES

• Eleven Sacramento State players were named to the all-Big Sky teams, it was announced on Tuesday. The list is highlighted by four players on the first team, including three repeat performers from last season. Two players were named to the second team while five landed on honorable mention.
• Tight end Marshel Martin became the fourth Hornet to be selected to the first team three times during their career. Martin joins wide receivers Pierre Williams and Fred Amey and running back Charles Roberts as the only players to achieve the accomplishment since Sacramento State joined the Big Sky in 1996.
• Offensive tackle Jackson Slater and linebacker Armon Bailey earn returned to the first team for the second consecutive season. The pair were joined by safety Cameron Broussard who earned all-conference honors for the first time in his career.
• Defensive tackle Jett Stanley, running back Marcus Fulcher, offensive lineman Nathan Mejia and punter Cal McGough each returned to the all-conference team for the second straight season.

First Team
Pos.    Name    Yr.    Hometown
TE    Marshel Martin    Sr.    Vallejo, Calif.
OL    Jackson Slater    Jr.    Bellevue, Wash.
LB    Armon Bailey    Sr.    Vallejo, Calif.
DB    Cameron Broussard    Jr.    Folsom, Calif.

Second Team
WR    Jared Gipson    Jr.    Stockton, Calif.
DT    Jett Stanley    Sr.    Brentwood, Calif.

Honorable Mention
RB    Marcus Fulcher    Sr.    Fresno, Calif.
OL    Ivan Garza    Jr.    Delano, Calif.
OL    Nathan Mejia    So.    Tulare, Calif.
DB    Dillon Juniel    Sr.    Sacramento, Calif.
P    Cal McGough    So.    Geelong, Australia

PLAYOFFS BY THE NUMBERS

• Sacramento State will be making its fourth consecutive NCAA FCS Playoff appearance. The Hornets earned an invite to the tournament for the first time in school history in 2019. The berth snapped a drought of 31 years from the team's previous appearance in the 1988 NCAA Div. II Playoffs.
• Sacramento State had three postseason appearances prior to moving to Div. I-AA/FCS in 1993. The school lost to Montana State (28-7) in the 1964 Camellia Bowl and fell to Grambling (34-7) in the 1968 Junior Rose Bowl. In 1988, the Hornets advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Div. II playoffs.
• Sacramento State is one of five schools to have qualified for the last four fall playoffs (2019, 21-23). The Hornets are joined by Montana, Montana State, North Dakota State and South Dakota State.
• Despite this being the team's fourth appearance in the FCS Playoffs, this week will be the first road game and first game in the opening round. The team was seeded in its last three postseason appearances allowing for it to have a first-round bye each year.
• Of the 24 teams in this year's field, Mercer, Drake and North Carolina Central will be making their first appearance. Sacramento State ranks 16th with four all-time bids. Montana leads the way with 28 bids while Delaware is second with 19.
• Four conferences accounted for 17 of the 24 teams. The Missouri Valley Football Conference led the way with six selections. The Big Sky and Coastal Athletic Association each placed four teams and the Southern Conference had three. All eight of the seeded teams also came from those four leagues.
• The eight first round matchups feature regional matchups to help reduce travel costs. While some schools have a short drive, Sacramento State is the only team to have to travel two times zones.

Game    Distance (mi.)
Sacramento State at North Dakota    1381.7
Nicholls at Southern Illinois    543.8
Drake at North Dakota State    397.7
Gardner-Webb at Mercer    201.2
Chattanooga at Austin Peay    153.9
North Carolina Central at Richmond    133.9
Lafayette at Delaware    75.3
Duquesne at Youngstown State    57.4

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.
• This week marks the 38th time since the start of the 2019 season that the team has been ranked in the top 25 and the 30th 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.

BOUNCE BACK ABILITY

• Sacramento State is 7-1 following a loss since the start of 2019.
• 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 (51-16). Most recently, the team lost at Montana (34-7) before taking down Cal Poly.
• 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).

KING OF THE HILL

• Senior Carlos Hill has had a breakout season, leading the team with 45 receptions and 622 yards. His five receiving touchdowns are also the most on the team and have all come in the last seven games.
• Hill has caught at least two passes in all 11 games and has four or more receptions in six contests, including the last three. Against UC Davis, he set career bests with 10 receptions for 144 yards.  Hill became the first Hornet with double-digit receptions since tight end Marshel Martin had 12 catches against UIW in the quarterfinals of last season's playoffs.
• Hill's previous career bests were seven receptions against Texas A&M-Commerce and 91 yards against Idaho State. The total against ISU was helped by a 69-yard touchdown.
• Last season — Hill's first at Sac State — he had five receptions for 73 yards without a touchdown. Prior to coming to the Hornets, Hill played two seasons at Antelope Valley JC where he had 47 catches for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns his final season. The Miami, Fla., native prepped at Miramar HS where he had over 700 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior.

THIRD DOWN TURNAROUND

• Sacramento State entered the Causeway Classic against UC Davis as one of the most efficient teams in the FCS on third and fourth downs. The Hornets ranked ninth in the FCS in third-down conversion rate and were 16th on fourth-down tries.
• Against the Aggies, Sacramento State had one of its toughest days of the year, converting just 3-of-16 chances on third and down and 1-of-6 tries on fourth down. Part of the team's struggles were due to the fact that they faced an average of 7.9 yards to gain on third downs in the game.
• The Hornets remain among the top teams in the FCS on third-down conversions, ranking 13th with a .455 percentage. However, the team dropped to 44th on fourth downs with a .538 success rate.

AMONG THE BEST TO EVER DO IT

• With two catches at UC Davis, tight end Marshel Martin has caught multiple passes in six consecutive games and eight of the last nine. The senior has at least one reception in 46 of 47 career games in which he has appeared. His lone exception was last season's contest against Idaho where he played one snap.
• 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.
• 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 (186), receiving yards (2,343) and receiving touchdowns (27) 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    417
4.    Morris Norrise (2010-13)    2,650    307
5.    Marshel Martin (2019-pres.)    2,343    ---

Career Receiving Touchdowns    Total    Needs
1.    DeAndre Carter (2011-14)    35    8
T2. Fred Amey (2001-04)    27    ---
T2. Marshel Martin (2019-pres.)    27    ---

Career Receptions    Total    Needs
3.    DeAndre Carter (2011-14)    207    21
4. Marshel Martin (2019-pres.)    186    ---

FINDING THEIR RHYTHM

• Sacramento State created waves throughout the FCS in 2021 when it instituted a two quarterback system which saw the pair regularly rotate on the field. That pairing helped the Hornets win a pair of Big Sky Conference titles and earn seeds in the last two FCS Playoffs.
• This year, the Hornets have played three different quarterbacks but have not had the free-flowing substitution pattern as in the previous years. Carson Camp opened the year as the starter at Nicholls. Camp came to Sacramento State last spring after playing three years at South Dakota.
• Kaiden Bennett made his first appearance of the year midway through the first half of that game and threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns. Bennett became the primary quarterback for the team over the next six games, throwing for at least one touchdown in each contest.
• After Bennett started against Idaho State, true freshman Carson Conklin saw his first collegiate action in that game and finished with 235 yards and three passing touchdowns.
• Conklin and Bennett each played at Montana but neither were able to record a passing touchdown against the Griz. The following week, Conklin had three more passing scores against Cal Poly and threw for a team season-best 313 yards.
• Conklin was stymied by UC Davis, completing 13-of-25 passes for 129 yards. Bennett took the reins in the second half and tallied 232 yards and three passing scores.
• On the year, Bennett has 1,949 passing yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has completed 63.8 percent of his passes which would rank second in school single-season history. His efficiency of 142.2 would tie him with current offensive coordinator Bobby Fresques for 10th place in school history.
• Conklin has six passing touchdowns to along with 744 yards a pair of interceptions. He has been incredible in two home games with 584 passing yards, six touchdowns and a 70.0 completion percentage. In two road games, he has a 42.6 completing percentage with 196 yards and no touchdowns.
• 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.
• 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.

BREAKING ON THROUGH

• Running back Marcus Fulcher entered the Cal Poly game needing 46 yards to move into 20th place on the school career rushing top 20 list. Fulcher needed just one carry to make that a reality as he burst through a 50-yard run — the longest of his career.
• Fulcher became the third Hornet to have a run of 50-plus yards at home this season, joining Zeke Burnett (55 and 50 against Idaho State) and Elijah Tau-Tolliver (53-yard TD against Montana State). The longest run for a Sacramento State player in a road game this season is 28 yards by Kaiden Bennett at Stanford.
• Fulcher finished the game against the Mustangs with 20 attempts for 121 yards to set career highs in both. His only previous 100-yard game came in the quarterfinals of last season FCS Playoffs where he rushed for 108 against Incarnate Word. He became the first Hornet with at least 30 attempts in a game since Elijah Dotson had 30 at Montana on Sept. 22, 2018.
• The senior was a preseason all-Big Sky selection and started the year with three touchdowns and 150 rushing yards over the first two games. His biggest score of the season was a 49-yard catch and run for the winning TD at Stanford. Fulcher had a pair of touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) at Idaho but was injured against the Vandals, limiting him to just two rushes for 15 yards over the next four games.
• Fulcher returned to full strength at Montana where he had 11 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown. Fulcher's yardage total surpassed the Griz average of 66 rushing yards allowed in the team's previous Big Sky games.
• Despite playing three less games than other players, he leads the team with 486 rushing yards this season.

Career Rushing Yards    Total    Needs
16. Pedro Lewis (1991-93)    1,487    142
17. Tyronne Gross (2002-04)    1,448    103
18. John Scorza (1967-68)    1,357    12
19. Marcus Fulcher (2019-pres.)    1,345    ---

Career Rushing Touchdowns    Total    Needs
9.    Kevin Thomson (2017-19)    21    5
T10. Marcus Fulcher (2019-pres.)    16    ---
T10. Garrett Safron (2011-14)    16    ---
T10. Tyronne Gross (2000-04)    16    ---
T10. Garrett White (1999-2002)    16    ---

STRETCHING THE FIELD

• Jared Gipson caught five passes for 61 yards and a touchdown against UC Davis. His average of 12.2 yards per catch actually lowered his season average to 18.77 yards per reception.
• Gipson's performance against the Aggies followed a career high 154 receiving yards against Cal Poly on just five receptions for an average of 30.8 yards per catch.  After not having a catch in the first quarter, Gipson had 106 yards in the second period on three grabs. He started with a 14-yard reception and added catches of 45 and 47 yards. His second catch of the game led to a Hornet touchdown while his 47-yard reception set up the team's field goal as time expired.
• Gipson added a 36-yard reception in the third quarter and had a 12-yard catch in the fourth quarter. The game was the second 100-yard performance this season for the junior. He previously had 108 in the victory over NAU. Gipson became the first Sacramento State receiver to surpass 150 receiving yards in a game since Pierre Williams had 153 against Montana in 2019. His 154 yards are tied for the 43rd most in school single-game history.
• This season, Gipson has 31 receptions for 582 yards. His average leads the Big Sky Conference and ranks 12th in the FCS. The current national leader is Villanova's Rayjuon Pringle (25.70 ypc).
• The junior has also moved into the career top 20 at Sacramento State in receiving yards and is nearing cracking the list in receptions.

Career Receiving Yards    Total    Needs
14. Kevin Fontes (1981-82)    1,468    122
15. Michael Johnson (1999-02)    1,420    74
16. Ron Weaver (1988-89)    1,371    25
17. Jared Gipson (2021-pres.)    1,346    ---

Career Receptions    Total    Needs
T20. Jaelin Ratliff (2015-18)    91    7
T20. Tom Jones (1969-71)    91    7
--- Jared Gipson (2021-pres.    84    ---

MOVING PIECES

• 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 used five unique starting fives in the trenches through the first nine 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 11 games at the same position. Slater has now started 33 consecutive games on the line dating back to 2019 while Mejia has 24 consecutive starts in the middle of the line.
• Ivan Garza joins the pair in starting all 11 games this year but has split time at left tackle (eight games) and right tackle (eight games). Garza has started 34 consecutive games which is the longest streak among offensive players on the team and trails only Jett Stanley's 36-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 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 where he stayed for three weeks.
• Kaden Richardson filled in at right guard for four  games (weeks 2-5) and again for the last two games. 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). A setback has kept Stiefel out of the lineup for the past six games.
• 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.

THE CENTURY CLUB

• Sacramento State's roster features seven players who have recorded either 100 rushing or receiving yards in a game this season.
• Quarterback Kaiden Bennett and running back Marcus Fulcher each have two games over 100 rushing yards in their careers. Bennett did his in back-to-back games with 101 yards against Texas A&M-Commerce and 100 at Stanford. Fellow backs Zeke Burnett and Elijah Tau-Tolliver have landed in triple digits this season. Burnett had 143 yards on just nine carries against Idaho State while Tau-Tolliver rushed for 100 yards against Montana State.
• Marshel Martin leads the Hornet receivers with five career games over 100 yards. However, all but one of those efforts have come in previous seasons.
• Jared Gipson has two 100-yard games this season with 108 against Northern Arizona and 154 vs. Cal Poly. Carlos Hill completes the group with his recent effort at UC Davis.

JUST LIKE CLOCKWORK

• Few things are as automatic as Armon Bailey finishing near the top of the team's tackle list in a game. Bailey most recently led the Hornets with nine tackles in the Causeway Classic giving him a team-best 82 stops on the year.
• Bailey's average of 8.2 tackles per game places him third in the Big Sky this season and 50th 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.
• The senior was named first team all-Big Sky in 2022 and recently returned to the first team this year. He joins Anthony Daisley (1999-00) and Cyrus Mulitalo (2007-08) as the only Hornet linebackers who earned two first team all-Big Sky awards during their career.

Career Tackles    Total    Needs
13. Camron Mbewa (2000-03)    236    22
14. Armon Bailey (2018-pres.)    214    ---

NEXT MAN UP

• Nickelback has been a rotating door for Sacramento State this season. The trouble began in July when Davion Ross tore his Achilles' tendon. Jace O'Hara missed the opening game with a knee injury and was replaced by Darian Pollard. Pollard broke his finger at Nicholls and gave way to Gavin Davis-Smith for the next two games. O'Hara returned at Idaho and lasted for two games before a second knee injury. Pollard came back for three games but has missed the three most recent contests.
• Davis-Smith has made the most of his recent opportunities. The junior had a career-high 11 tackles at Montana and then intercepted a pair of passes against Cal Poly. That performance made him the first Sacramento State player to have two picks in a game since Marte Mapu had two vs. Southern Utah on Oct. 9, 2021.
• Against UC Davis, Davis-Smith had seven tackles to rank second on the team. He had a half-TFL in the game and was also credited with a pass breakup.

DOUBLING DOWN

• Sacramento State has seven players on its roster who have recorded a game with at least 10 tackles during their career. The group is led by Armon Bailey with four. Safety Cameron Broussard, who was also a first team all-Big Sky selection this year has three games with two coming this season.
• Linebacker Jeremy Harris has finished in double digits twice while Gavin Davis-Smith, Dillon Juniel, Brock Mather and Jett Stanley have each done it once.
• Broussard has had at least three tackles in all 11 games this season and has had five or more tackles in nine games. He had 11 stops in the win at Stanford and added a career-high 12 tackles at Northern Colorado.
• The Folsom, Calif., native has recorded a tackle in 28 straight games dating back to 2021. His four career interceptions are also the most on the team.

MAKING AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT

• Kicker Zach Schreiner was not called upon to kick a field goal at UC Davis and remains tied seventh place in school single season history with 13 field goals. Schreiner did make all three of his PATs in the game and is now 40-for-40 on the year.
• Dating back to 2019, three Sacramento State kickers have combined to make 176 consecutive PATs. The team's last missed extra point came at Montana State on Oct. 12, 2019.
• Schreiner joined the Hornets last spring after playing for Whitney HS and then American River JC. He was named the Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week after making three field goals at Stanford. That performance led to him earning a scholarship.

Single-Season Field Goals    Total    Needs
2.    Kyle Sentkowski (2022)    17    4
T3. Devon Medeiros (2017)    14    ---
T3. Brad Cornish (2014)    14    ---
T3. Beet LeVier (2002)    14    ---
T3. Scott Brown (1999)    14    ---
T7. Zach Schreiner (2023)    13    ---
T7. Chris DIniz (2010)    13    ---
T7. Scott Brown (1998)    13    ---
T7. Jim Couch (1991)    13    ---

WINNING THE FIELD POSITION BATTLE

• Punter Cal McGough managed to average 41.0 yards per punt despite the high winds at UC Davis last week. McGough is averaging 43.7 yards per kick this season which would rank fourth in school single-season history. The sophomore, who was an honorable mention all-Big Sky selection, has been able to pin teams deep in their own half this year. He has landed 16 punts inside the opponent 20 yards on 33 attempts and has just two touchbacks on the year. For his career, McGough has placed 29 of 62 punts inside the 20.  
• Not to be outdone, Connor Stutz has added four punts with an average of 43.00 ypp. He has dropped three inside the 20.
• McGough, a Geelong, Australia native, is the third Ausie punter for the Hornets since 2018. All three have been products of ProKick Australia which trains players with Ausie Rules Football experience in becoming American football players.

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).
• Since 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.
• Sacramento State played 71 players and had seven different players score a touchdown against Idaho State for the first time since a 50-0 win against Northern Colorado on Sept. 14, 2019.
• Sacramento State has at least one sack in all but two games (MSU, UCD) this season. The team has 21 sacks this season coming from 12 different players. Sophomore DeShawn Lynch leads the team with 4.5 while Jett Stanley is close behind with four.
• Dating back to last season, Sacramento State is 16-0 when leading at halftime. The Hornets are also 14-0 when leading after three quarters.
• A victory against North Dakota would give Andy Thompson the second most wins by a first-year head coach in program history. Thompson is currently tied with Jody Sears (7-4 in 2018). The pair are chasing current Stanford head coach Troy Taylor who went 9-3 in 2019.
• Cornerback Caleb Nelson started his collegiate career at UND (2019-21). Nelson appeared in 23 games for the Fighting Hawks where he had 31 total tackles.

DOING WHAT THEY CAME FOR

• Sacramento State's 2023 roster boasts 16 student-athletes who have already earned a bachelor's degree. Below is a list of those who have graduated.

Player    Degree Earned    Current Program
Armon Bailey (LB)    Criminal Justice    Design
Kaiden Bennett (QB)    Communications    Rec. Admin.
Gavin Davis-Smith (S)    Ethnic Studies    Sociology
Tyler Hardeman (DL)    Economics    Business (MBA)
Jeremy Harris (LB)    Criminal Justice    Rec. Admin . (MA)
Brandon Knott (DL)    Kinesiology    Red. Admin.
Marshel Martin IV (TE)    Kinesiology    Communications
Tao McClinton (WR)    Rec. Admin.    Communications
Eian Moore (S)    Ethnic Studies    Criminal Justice
Ashton Moultrie (S)    Criminal Justice    Kinesiology
Jace O'Hara (NB)    Film    Communications
Davion Ross (NB)    Anthropology    Rec. Admin.
Will Schalde (TE)    History    Business (MBA)
Jett Stanley (DL)    Mech. Engineering    Rec. Admin.
Jordan Stanley (OL)    Business    Business (MBA)
Troy Stiefel (OL)    Economics    Business (MBA)