A BRIEF PREVIEW

• Following its first round win at North Dakota last weekend, the Sacramento State football team will continue its season on Saturday, Dec. 2, when it travels to No. 3 South Dakota. The game will kick off at 11 a.m. PT from the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D.
• The Hornets will be making their fourth consecutive appearance in the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs.  The team earned a trip after a 42-35 win at North Dakota in a game in which Sacramento State never trailed.  The game against the Fighting Hawks was the first FCS road playoff contest for Sacramento State in school history and the first road playoff game at any level since 1988 (NCAA Div. II).
• 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+. Jack Benjamin (play-by-play) and Craig Haubert (color) will bring the action.

OPPONENT PREVIEW: SOUTH DAKOTA

• South Dakota finished the regular season with a 9-2 overall record and a 7-1 mark in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Coyotes opened the year with a 35-10 loss at Missouri and then won their next six games. The team's only other defeat during the year came against top-ranked South Dakota State (37-3). The only common opponent between Sacramento State and South Dakota is North Dakota. The Hornets defeated the Fighting Hawks, 42-35, while USD had a 14-10 home win.
• The Coyote offense has been balanced, averaging 148.3 rushing and 200.6 passing yards per game. Aidan Bouman  has started at quarterback in all 11 games and has completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 12 touchdowns with four interceptions. Carter Bell is his favorite target with 45 receptions for 800 yards and five scores. Travis Theis is the leading rusher with 157 attempts for 740 yards and five touchdowns.
• The South Dakota defense is one of the best in the FCS. The team surrenders just 14.6 points and 312.5 yards per game. The only teams to have scored more than 20 points in a game against the team are Missouri and South Dakota State. In the team's nine victories, USD has allowed 9.89 points per game. The unit is led by Brock Mogensen who has 99 tackles. Brendan Webb leads the team with nine sacks and 10 TFLs.
• Bob Nielson is in his eighth season as the head coach at South Dakota where he is 41-44. Nielson has previously served as the head coach at Ripon, Wartburg, Wisc.-Eau Claire, Minnesota Duluth and Western Illinois.

PLAYOFFS BY THE NUMBERS

• Sacramento State is 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, last week was 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 made 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.

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 39th time since the start of the 2019 season that the team has been ranked in the top 25 and the 31st consecutive game. Prior to that season, the team only played seven games as a ranked squad between 1993-2018.
• Sacramento State finished the regular season ranked 15th in the Stats Perform Media Poll and 16th in the AFCA Coaches Poll.
• 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.

THE ROAD MORE TRAVELED

• Sacramento State will be playing its eighth road game of the season this Saturday at South Dakota. That total matches the 1988 team for the most road games in a season in school history. Like this season, that team played six road games in the regular season and had two more in the playoffs on its way to the NCAA Div. II semifinals.
• This year's Hornets have traveled 5555.1 miles in their first seven games. That total will grow to 6869.5 miles after this week's trip to Vermillion, S.D. The season began in Louisiana (Nicholls) and has seen the team also play games in California, Idaho, Colorado, Montana and North Dakota.
• South Dakota will become the 15th state in which Sacramento State has played a football game in school history.
• Sacramento State and Chattanooga were the only road teams which were victorious in the first round of this year's FCS Playoffs. The Hornets had by far the most mileage to travel in the opening round which featured regional matchups. The team has the third longest trip to make this week and joins Delaware (at Montana) and Southern Illinois (at Idaho) as the only teams to have to travel two time zones.

First Round    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

Second Round    Distance (mi.)
Delaware at Montana    2007.8
Southern Illinois at Idaho    1541.1
Sacramento State at South Dakota    1314.4
Mercer at South Dakota State    1062.1
North Dakota State at Montana State    684.5
Richmond at Albany    402.9
Youngstown State at Villanova    298.8
Chattanooga at Furman    165.7

BOUNCE BACK ABILITY

• Sacramento State is 8-1 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.
• This season, Sacramento State is 4-0 following a loss. The team had its 23-game regular season win streak snapped with a 36-27 loss at then No. 7 Idaho but followed with a 31-30 win at home against Northern Arizona. Two weeks later, the Hornets lost to then-No. 2 Montana State (42-30) but responded with a 51-16 home thrashing of Idaho State. A loss at then-No. 4 Montana (34-7) came the following week before the team defeated Cal Poly (41-30).
• Sacramento State ended the regular season with a 31-21 loss at UC Davis in the 69th Causeway Classic. That game was followed by a 42-35 win at North Dakota last weekend.
• 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).

GETTING THE KEYS TO THE OFFENSE

• After playing multiple quarterbacks for the final four games of the regular season, the Hornets relied solely on Kaiden Bennett in the win at North Dakota. The junior responded by completing 17-of-22 passes for 207 and a touchdown and also rushed for a career-high 126 yards and two scores.
• Bennett's running ability was key to the team's early success. He rushed for 76 yards in the first quarter and had 105 yards at the half. His halftime total was already the second most yards by a Hornet in an FCS Playoff game.
• Bennett's total of 126 yards was the most by a Sacramento State player in the FCS Playoffs. Marcus Fulcher had held the record after gaining 108 yards against Incarnate Word in last season's quarterfinals.
• Bennett's completion percentage was also the highest in school FCS postseason history. His mark of .782  was 17 percent higher than the previous team record against South Dakota State (.612) in 2021.
• The junior has now rushed for over 100 yards in three games this season. He had 101 yards against Texas A&M-Commerce and added 100 yards in the win at Stanford the following week.
• On the year, Bennett has throw for 2,156 yards with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His 179 completions are tied for the ninth most in school single-season history while his .649 completion percentage currently places him second in the school record book. Bennett's percentage is the highest for any player with at least 200 attempts in a season. His next touchdown pass will draw him into a five-way tie for eighth place in school single-season history.
• The Reno, Nev., native also leads the team with 578 rushing yards and ranks second among Hornets with six rushing touchdowns. His 2,734 yards of total offense places him seventh all-time in a season at Sacramento State while his 22 touchdowns responsible for ties him for 10th place.
• 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.

Single-Season Completions    Total    Needs
6.    Ryan Leadingham (2001)    214    25
7.    Jake Dunniway (2021)    185    6
8.    Tony Corbin (1995)    180    1    
T9. Kaiden Bennett (2023)    179    ---
T9. Ricky Ray (1999)    179    ---

Single-Season Total Offense    Total    Needs
3.    Garrett Safron (2013)    3,781    1,047
4.    Ryan Leadingham (2001)    2,955    221
5.    Garrett Safron (2012)    2,917    183
6.    Ryan Leadingham (2002)    2,816    82
7.    Kaiden Bennett (2023)    2,734    ---

Single-Season TDs Responsible For    Total    Needs
T7. Jeff Fleming (2010)    25    3
T7. Ricky Ray (1999)    25    3
9.    Ricky Ray (2000)    23    1
T10. Kaiden Bennett (2023)    22    ---
T10. Charles Roberts (1999)    22    ---

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE

• In the event that Bennett could not play, the Hornets have trusted Carson Conklin and Carson Camp to play the position this season.
• Camp served as the starter in the opener at Nicholls before giving way to Bennett. Camp has also seen action in two other games this season. Prior to coming to the Hornets, Camp played three seasons at South Dakota where he was the named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team as a true freshman in 2020-21. With the Coyotes, Camp threw for 4,123 yards and had 24 touchdowns.
• True freshman Carson Conklin played in the final four games of the regular season and could see action in the playoffs without jeopardizing his redshirt status for next year. After Bennett started against Idaho State, Conklin saw his first collegiate action in that game and finished with 235 yards and three passing touchdowns.
• 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.
• 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.

NEXT MEN 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, missed the final three regular season games and returned at North Dakota.
• 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. He added seven tackles at North Dakota to tie for the second most on the team.
• This past week, the injury bug spread to the rest of the secondary as Sacramento State was without both its starting safeties and one cornerback. Cornerback Dillon Juniel was the only regular starter in the lineup and was joined across the field by Zelman Vedder. True freshman Anta'Veon McKenzie and Cal transfer Kaleb Higgins started at safety while Davis-Smith manned the nickelback position. McKenzie finished the game with seven stops while Higgins had two tackles.
• The Hornets were without the services of cornerback Caleb Nelson and safeties Cameron Broussard and Kylen Ross. Broussard was a first team all-Big Sky selection this season and ranked second on the team in tackles. Nelson was a second team all-conference selection last season and has started 23 games for the Hornets the last two season. Ross leads the team with three interceptions this year. The woes continued during the week as redshirt freshman Lamont Johnson-Burrell, who was expected to take Nelson's spot at cornerback was injured in practice on Thanksgiving.
• One positive for the team came with the return of Darian Pollard at nickelback against North Dakota. Pollard responded with seven tackles, including a 9-yard sack late in the fourth quarter in what proved to be UND's final offensive play of the game. Pollard's return allowed Davis-Smith to fill in at both safety positions during the game.

A PERFECT DAY

• For the first time in the school's Div. I history (1993-pres.), Sacramento State was not called a penalty in a game. The Hornets and Fighting Hawks nearly played a flag-free game as the only two penalties of the contest came on one play where UND was tagged for a facemask and unsportsmanlike conduct call.
• The Hornets had previously had a low of one penalty in a game. The team had done than eight times with the most recent occurrence coming last season at Portland State and Colorado State.  The lowest penalty yard total was two yards at Idaho in 2017.

BACK ON TRACK

• After a tough showing on third down against UC Davis in which Sacramento State converted only 3-of-16 chances, the team returned to its regular ways at North Dakota. The Hornets were successful on 8-of-10 third downs against the Fighting Hawks, including going a perfect 6-for-6 in the first half.
• That effort moved the Hornets into seventh place this season in the FCS with a third-down percentage of .476. Sacramento State has had six games this season in which it has converted at least 50 percent of its third downs. As expected, the team is 6-0 in those games.
• Defensively, North Dakota was 7-of-13 on third down last weekend. The Fighting Hawks were also able to convert 2-of-3 fourth down tries to keep their drives alive. Sacramento State now ranks 61st in the FCS with an opponent success rate of .382.
• The UND game was just the fourth time this season that a Hornet opponent has finished above 50 percent on third downs. Sacramento State owns a 2-2 record in those games.

SUPER GROVER

• Junior Anderson Grover led the team with six receptions for 96 yards and caught the only receiving touchdown for the Hornets at North Dakota. Four of Grover's receptions led to a Hornet first down, including his 14-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.
• The Washington State transfer also caught six passes at UC Davis for 87 yards and a touchdown. Over half of his yards this season have come in the last two games.
• Grover ranks fifth on the team with 31 receptions. However, his total leaves him just two catches behind Devin Gandy for second place. Grover's recent success has come in Gandy's absence due to a knee injury suffered against Cal Poly. Grover has 352 receiving yards which ranks fourth on the team while his three receiving touchdowns are tied for third.
• The Modesto, Calif., native has also been the team's primary punt returner this year. He has 15 returns on the year for an average of 8.2 yards with a long 36 yards.

AMONG THE BEST TO EVER DO IT

• With four catches at North Dakota, tight end Marshel Martin has caught multiple passes in seven consecutive games and nine of the last 10. The senior has at least one reception in 47 of 48 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 (190), receiving yards (2,367) 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    393
4.    Morris Norrise (2010-13)    2,650    263
5.    Marshel Martin (2019-pres.)    2,367    ---

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    17
4.     Marshel Martin (2019-pres.)    190    ---

STEADY CLIMBER

• Running back Marcus Fulcher continued his progress up the Hornet record board as he moved into 18th place in career rushing yards and took sole possession of 10th place in career rushing touchdowns. Fulcher finished with 41 yards at North Dakota, including a 4-yard score early in the fourth quarter to give the team a 35-28 lead.
• The senior has rushed for at least 40 yards in seven of the eight games in which he saw significant action. He has four games with 70-plus yards, including 121 yards on 20 carries against Cal Poly. That total was aided by a 50-yard rush in the first quarter.
• 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 36 yards by Kaiden Bennett at North Dakota.
• 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 ranks second on the team with 527 rushing yards this season.

Career Rushing Yards    Total    Needs
16. Pedro Lewis (1991-93)    1,487    101
17. Tyronne Gross (2002-04)    1,448    62
18. Marcus Fulcher (2019-pres.)    1,386    ---

Career Rushing Touchdowns    Total    Needs
9.    Kevin Thomson (2017-19)    21    4
10. Marcus Fulcher (2019-pres.)    17    ---

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 eight tackles at North Dakota giving him a team-best and career high 90 stops on the year.
• Bailey's average of 8.2 tackles per game places him third in the Big Sky this season and 53rd 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    14
14. Armon Bailey (2018-pres.)    222    ---

CLEAN SLATE

• For the fourth time this season, the Sacramento State offensive line did not allow a sack. The Hornets did not surrender a sack in the first three games of the year but did not throw another shutout until facing North Dakota.
• After using the same starting five for all 11 regular season games and having only six players start a game in the entire 2022 season, Sacramento State has used five different combinations through 12 games of 2023.  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 12 games at the same position. Slater has now started 34 consecutive games on the line dating back to 2019 while Mejia has 25 consecutive starts in the middle of the line.
• Ivan Garza joins the pair in starting all 12 games this year but has split time at left tackle (nine games) and right tackle (four games). Garza has started 35 consecutive games which is the longest streak among offensive players on the team and trails only Jett Stanley's 37-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 seven 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.

STRETCHING THE FIELD

• Jared Gipson was limited to one reception for 16 yards at North Dakota. Gipson ranks second on the team with 598 receiving yards and is tied for third with 32 receptions and three receiving scores. His average of 18.69 yards per reception ranks 13th in the FCS. The current national leader is Villanova's Rayjuon Pringle (25.70 ypc).
• Three weeks ago, Gipson set 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.
• 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    106
15. Michael Johnson (1999-02)    1,420    58
16. Ron Weaver (1988-89)    1,371    9
17. Jared Gipson (2021-pres.)    1,362    ---

Career Receptions    Total    Needs
T20. Jaelin Ratliff (2015-18)    91    6
T20. Tom Jones (1969-71)    91    6
--- Jared Gipson (2021-pres.    85    ---

KING OF THE HILL

• Senior Carlos Hill has had a breakout season, leading the team with 48 receptions and 653 yards. His five receiving touchdowns are also the most on the team and have all come in the last eight games.
• Hill has caught at least two passes in all 12 games and has four or more receptions in seven contests, including the last four. 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.

A DIFFERENT TYPE OF WORKLOAD

• Kicker Zach Schreiner has not been summoned to attempt a field goal in the last two weeks but remained busy at North Dakota. The junior was a perfect 6-of-6 on extra points against the Fighting Hawks and is now 46-of-46 on the year.
• Dating back to 2019, three Sacramento State kickers have combined to make 182 consecutive PATs. The team's last missed extra point came at Montana State on Oct. 12, 2019.
• Schreiner also took over the kickoff duties late in the first quarter after freshman Evan Kiely was forced out of the game due to an injury. Schreiner had five kickoffs against the Fighting Hawks with an average of 58.6 yards per kick. Prior to the game, he had just 12 kickoffs on the year for an average of 51.3 yards per attempt.
• 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    1
T3. Brad Cornish (2014)    14    1
T3. Bret LeVier (2002)    14    1
T3. Scott Brown (1999)    14    1
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 had just two punts at North Dakota but was under pressure from the Fighting Hawks on both attempts. McGough had punts of 37 and 36 yards on his rollout attempts but did not allow a return yard on either kick.
• The sophomore, who was an honorable mention all-Big Sky selection, has averaged 43.3 yards per punt and has been able to pin teams deep in their own half this year. He has landed 16 punts inside the opponent 20 yards on 35 attempts and has just two touchbacks on the year. For his career, McGough has placed 29 of 64 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 25 sacks this season coming from 14 different players. Sophomore DeShawn Lynch ans senior Jett Stanley are tied for the team lead with 4.5
• The team's four sacks at North Dakota were the most since tallying six in the win at Stanford.
• Dating back to last season, Sacramento State is 17-0 when leading at halftime. The Hornets are also 14-0 when leading after three quarters.
• The victory against North Dakota gave Andy Thompson the second most wins by a first-year head coach in program history. Thompson is now chasing current Stanford head coach Troy Taylor who went 9-3 in 2019.
• The team's eight victories this year are tied for the fifth most in school single-season history. This year's total matches the mark from 1964, 1968, 1969, 1982, 1985 and 1991. The Hornets won nine games in 2019 and 2021, 10 games in 1988 and 12 games in 2022.