SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State football team announced its 2023 season schedule today which features two first-time opponents, a Pac-12 foe and eight Big Sky Conference games. All game times will be announced later this summer.
The season will begin with a non-conference battle at Nicholls State on Sept. 2 in Thibodaux, La. The game is the first of a home-and-home series which will see the Colonels return to Sacramento State on Sept. 14, 2024. Nicholls State also becomes the third school from Louisiana that the Hornets have played in program history. The other two instances came when Sacramento State faced Grambling State in the 1968 Junior Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., and at Louisiana Tech in 1977.
The home opener will come on Sept. 9 when the Hornets welcome Texas A&M-Commerce. The Lions began their transition to NCAA Div. I last season where they went 5-6 overall and 3-3 in the Southland Conference. The team will have new leadership in 2023 as former Arena League standout Clint Dolezel was named the head coach.
The final non-conference game will see Sacramento State play at Stanford on Sept. 16. This year will be the second meeting all-time between the two schools. Like Texas A&M-Commerce, the Cardinal will also have a new head coach as Troy Taylor was hired in December after three record-breaking seasons guiding the Hornets.
The Big Sky season starts on Sept. 23 at Idaho. Last year, the Vandals were the surprise of the conference, earning an FCS Playoffs berth and ending the year with a 7-5 overall record and 6-2 mark in league games. One of those Big Sky losses came against Sacramento State where the Hornets rallied for a 31-28 victory with a touchdown in the final minute.
Northern Arizona comes to Hornet Stadium on Sept. 30 and will be followed by an open week. The team will then play at Northern Colorado on Oct. 14. The Bears also made a coaching change during the offseason, bringing in Ed Lamb from BYU. Lamb previously guided Southern Utah to a pair of Big Sky titles.
Sacramento State closes October with consecutive home games. The first on Oct. 21 pits two of the Big Sky's best teams against one another as Montana State comes to town for the first time since 2016. The two teams tied for the Big Sky championship last season with both posting undefeated 8-0 records.
Homecoming will take place on Oct. 28 against Idaho State. The Bengals have also been a rare opponent for Sacramento State over the recent years, having not played at Hornet Stadium since 2017. ISU hired Cody Hawkins as its new head coach following last season. Hawkins was previously the offensive coordinator at UC Davis.
November will begin with Sacramento State playing at Montana on Nov. 4. The Hornets have won the last three games of the series, including a thrilling 31-24 overtime victory last season on ESPN2. The final regular season home game will be on Nov, 11 against Cal Poly. The Mustangs also made a coaching change promoting Paul Wulff to head coach. Wulff previously was the head coach at Eastern Washington and Washington State and worked as the associate head coach at Sacramento State.
The regular season concludes on Nov. 18 with the 67th Causeway Classic against UC Davis. This year's tilt will return to Aggie Stadium.
Sacramento State has won a share of the Big Sky title in its last three seasons played. The Hornets concluded 2022 with a 12-1 overall record and set school records for victories in a season as well as several attendance marks. The school set the single-season attendance record with an average of 14,338 fans per game and also crushed the single-game mark with 23,073 on hand for the Causeway Classic.
Andy Thompson was named the 12th head coach in Sacramento State history on Dec. 13 after serving as the defensive coordinator since 2019. The 2023 team returns 15 starters from a year ago, including 10 players who earned all-Big Sky honors.
Season ticket deposits for the 2023 season are now on sale. Fans can lock in last season's prices by placing a $50 deposit by May 1. Seating options for season tickets include: the all-inclusive endzone, reserved chairback, and general admission. For more information or to place your deposit, visit https://hornetsports.com/sports/2022/6/21/tickets-fball-season.aspx or call 916-278-4323.
