A BRIEF PREVIEW

• Following a 30-23 thrilling victory at Stanford last weekend, the No. 4 Sacramento State football team will have another stiff challenge this Saturday, Sept. 23, as the Hornets start Big Sky Conference play at No. 7 Idaho. The game against the Vandals will kick off at 1 p.m. PT from the Kibbie Dome.
• Sacramento State earned its fourth win over an FBS opponent and second in as many years in dramatic fashion at Stanford. With the game tied, 23-23, quarterback Kaiden Bennett was flushed from the pocket and floated a ball to running back Marcus Fulcher who darted his way to a 49-yard touchdown with 92 seconds remaining.
• The Hornets are one of six FCS teams standing at 3-0  through the first three weeks of the season. Sacramento State improved to fourth in both the Stats FCS media poll and the AFCA FCS coaches poll.
• Sacramento State joined the Big Sky Conference prior to the 1996 season and is 8-18 in its initial league game of the year. However, the Hornets have won four of their last five conference openers, including a 49-21 win at Cal Poly last season.
• 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 broadcast in the Pacific Northwest on SWX and simulcast in the Sacramento area on KMAX-31. Dennis Patchin will be on the play-by-play while Ryan Phillips will serve as the analyst.

OPPONENT PREVIEW: IDAHO

• Idaho finished non-conference play with a 2-1 overall record. The Vandals started the year with a convincing win at Lamar and then dominated Nevada, 33-6. Most recently, Idaho jumped out to a 17-point lead at Cal only to see the Golden Bears score the final 31 points.
• Gevani McCoy, who captured the Jerry Rice Award last season as the top FCS freshman, has averaged 252.0 passing yards per game while completing 66.3 percent of his passes in 2023. McCoy had thrown four touchdowns with two interceptions.
• Hayden Hatten has been his top target with 20 receptions for 256 yards and two scores. Anthony Woods is the team's leading rusher with 88.3 yards per game and three scores.
• Jason Eck is in his second year leading the Vandals where he owns a 9-6 overall record. Eck previously served as the offensive coordinator at South Dakota State, including a 2021 playoff matchup against the Hornets.

CLEAN SWEEP

• For the first time in school history, Sacramento State student-athletes took home the Big Sky Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week awards in the same week. The honor was the first for each player.
• Quarterback Kaiden Bennet was named the Offensive Player of the Week after accounting for 379 yards of total offense. Bennett completed 21-of-33 passes for 279 yards and a game-winning touchdown pass with 92 seconds remaining. He also rushed for 100 yards and had a touchdown. Bennett has rushed for at least one score in each game this season and has crossed the century mark in rushing yards in the last two contests.
• Jett Stanley sparked a Hornet defense with a career high three sacks. Stanley finished the game with five tackles and led a Hornet defense which had six sacks as a team.  Prior to the game, Stanley had never had more than one TFL in a game.
• Zach Schreiner captured the Special Teams Player of the Week award after making all three field goal attempts as well as each of his three PATs. Schreiner was successful on field goal tries of 24, 22 and 44 yards. His 44-yard field goal tied the game with 4:13 remaining and was the longest of his Sacramento State career. He has now made 6-of-7 field goals this year.
• Sacramento State has previously had two Big Sky athletes of the week in the same week seven times. The most recent occasion came in 2019 when Kevin Thomson (offense) and Devon Medeiros (special teams) earned the award on Oct. 19 after beating Montana.
• To put the three awards into context, the total exceeds the amount won by Sacramento State student-athletes in 12 seasons and ties the total from three others years. The Hornets joined the Big Sky Conference prior to the 1996 season.
• Sacramento State also garnered the FedEx Ground FCS National Team of the Week award.

A LOT TO UNPACK

• Sacramento State's victory 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 30 points scored by the Hornets are tied for the second most against an FBS opponent.
• The 169 rushing yards were the most against an FBS opponent and Kaiden Bennett's 100 are the second most. Bennett's 279 passing yards ranks fourth.
• The team's 6.49 yards and 4.69 rushing yards per play are the most against an FBS opponent in school history.
• The one punt if the fewest ever by a Hornet team against an FBS opponent.
• Armon Bailey and Cameron Broussard became the fifth and sixth players to have double-digit tackles in a game against an FBS opponent.
• Stanford's 11 pass completions were the second fewest allowed by the Hornets in an FBS matchup and the team's .458 completion percentage was the third lowest.

RARE COMPANY

• Head coach Andy Thompson became the sixth head football coach in Sacramento State history to start their career with a win when the team was victorious at Nicholls. Following the win over Texas A&M-Commerce, he was one of only three coaches to start 2-0. Thompson is now only tied with John Baker as Sacramento State head coaches to start 3-0.
• Baker guided Sacramento State to wins over Cal State LA, Long Beach State and Moffitt Field in 1957 and is the only coach in school history to start his career 3-0. That team dropped its fourth game of the year, 27-19, at Humboldt State.
• Thompson became the 12th head coach in program history when he was hired last December. He served as the team's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach since arriving in 2019.

LET'S GO STREAKING

• Sacramento State has won its last 22 regular season games — the longest streak in school history. The Hornets were 11-0 during the 2022 regular season and won its final eight games of 2021. The team's last loss in the regular season came on Sept. 18, 2021 at Cal (42-30). The last regular-season loss against an FCS team was on Sept. 11, 2021 at home against UNI (36-14).
• Last year's team became the first in school history to win 12 games. The previous school record of 10 came in 1988 where the Hornets were 8-2 in the regular season and then won a pair of NCAA Div. II playoff games.
• The Hornets, Holy Cross and Jackson State were the only FCS teams to go undefeated in the regular season last year (both Holy Cross and Jackson State have suffered losses in 2023). The only undefeated FBS teams last season were Georgia and Michigan.
• The Hornets have won 19 consecutive Big Sky Conference games. The team's last loss came against Weber State (36-17) at home on Nov. 2, 2019.
• Sacramento State has won its last 15 road games against FCS teams and its last 12 road games against all opponents. The overall road win streak is the longest active in the FCS. The team's last road loss came at Cal on Sept. 18, 2021. Its last road loss against an FCS team was against UC Davis on Nov. 17, 2018 in a game played in Reno, Nev., due to poor air quality.

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.
• Sacramento State moved up to fourth in the Stats Perform media poll and the AFCA FCS Coaches poll after its win at Stanford.
• This week marks the 29th time since the start of the 2019 season that the team has been ranked in the top 25. 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.

RETURN OF SACK STATE

• The Sacramento State defense produced six sacks against Stanford. The total was the most for the team since tallying six at Cal Poly in 2019.
• Jett Stanley led the team with a career high three sacks. Stanley's only other career sack came against then-No. 5 Montana in 2021.
• Linebacker Armon Bailey and defensive end DeShawn Lynch were each credited with solo sacks while Ben Ahio and Brock Mather combined on a sack.
• Along with the credited sacks, the Hornets also produced seven quarterback hurries against the Cardinal. Bailey had two hurries and five other players had one, including Stanley.
• The Hornets have 10 sacks through three games this season. Their average of 3.33 sacks per game is tied with Cal Poly for the Big Sky lead and tied for 11th in the FCS. The total is already over half the amount (18) set last season in 13 games.
• Over the last 10 years, Sacramento State has had varied results in terms of sacks. The low came in 2018 where the team had only 13 sacks. The highs were in 2019 (44) and 2017 (43). Those two totals rank second and third in school single season history. The team has averaged 24.7 sacks per year in that span.

NEW STARTER, SAME RESULTS

• Senior Troy Stiefel returned to the Hornet offensive line at Stanford, making him the eighth starter on the line during the first three weeks of the season. Stiefel started at left tackle and moved Ivan Garza back to right tackle. The change proved not to matter as Sacramento State did not surrender a sack for the third consecutive game.
• The Hornets are one of six FCS teams which have not given up a sack this season. Of those teams, only Southern Utah (93) has attempted more passes than Sacramento State (86).
• The Hornets opened the year with a lineup of Garza (LT), Jackson Slater (LG), Nathan Mejia (C), Kenndel Riley (RG) and Aidan Meek (RT). However, that combo did not last long as Riley and Meek were both ruled out for the Texas A&M-Commerce game due to injuries.
• Senior Jordan Stanley stepped in at right tackle and junior Kaden Richardson took over at right guard for the game against Texas A&M-Commerce. To complicate matters, Richardson was sidelined for part of the game against the Lions forcing Stanley to right guard and redshirt sophomore Sawyer Hays to right tackle.
• Stiefel is currently in his seventh year at Sacramento State. He redshirted in 2017 before playing in five games the following year. He started all 13 games in 2019 and then sat out the 2020 campaign as the Hornets did not participate in the spring season. He opened 2021 by starting the first two games but missed the remainder of the season with an injury. Last year, he was named second team all-Big Sky after starting the 11 regular season games. He was injured in the regular season finale, missed the playoffs and delayed his return this fall.

PICK YOUR POISON

• After splitting time in the season opener, Kaiden Bennett has played nearly all the offensive snaps at quarterback in the last two games. Bennett set his career best with 279 passing yards and rushed for 100 to finish the game with 379 yards of total offense.
• Bennett has thrown and rushed for at least one touchdown in each game this season and has accounted for eight total touchdowns.
• He had 101 rushing yards — aided by a 40-yard TD run — against Texas A&M-Commerce and followed with 100 at Stanford. That combo made him on the second QB in school history to rush for 100 yards or more in consecutive games as Kevin Thomson had 149 against Southern Utah and 121 at Eastern Washington in 2017.
• The Reno, Nev., native has taken advantage of the big play, completing 10 passes of 25 yards or longer through the first three games. That total includes four passes of at least 40 yards. Last season, Sacramento State had nine pass plays of 40+ yards and 31 of 25+ yards in 13 games.
• 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.

DOUBLING DOWN

• Linebacker Armon Bailey picked a great game to record double digit tackles for the first time in his career. Bailey was credited with 11 total tackles at Stanford, including a 4-yard sack.
• Bailey tallied a team-leading 88 tackles last season and had a consistent presence. 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 Vallejo, Calif., native was named first team all-Big Sky in 2022 and was a preseason all-conference choice prior to this year.
• Safety Cameron Broussard also matched Bailey's tackle total against Stanford. Broussard had four solo tackles and also intercepted a pass along the sideline.
• Broussard's 11 tackles were his career high, breaking his previous high of 10 which came at UC Davis in 2021.
• The interception was his first of the season and third of his career. Sacramento State has four interceptions  from four different players this year.

ADD ANOTHER TO THE LIST

• When Elijah Tau-Tolliver scored on a 1-yard rush at Stanford, he became the sixth Hornet to find the end zone this season. The score was the first rushing TD for the sophomore but the second touchdown of his career as he returned a kickoff for a score against Richmond in the second round of the FCS Playoffs last season.
• The Hornets' other touchdowns against the Cardinal came from the usual suspects as Bennett rushed from 2-yards out and Marcus Fulcher had his 49-yard reception. Bennett has now rushed for four touchdowns while Fulcher has three rushing and one receiving score.
• Kicker Zach Schreiner took over the lead as the team's top scorer this year as he had three field goals and three extra points against Stanford. Schreiner is now 6-of-7 on the year on field goals and a perfect 12-of-12 on PATs. He became the first Hornet with three field goals in a game since Kyle Sentkowski at UNI on Sept. 17, 2022.
• All four of the team's passing touchdowns this year have gone to different receivers. Jared Gipson had a 40-yard grab at Nicholls for the first TD catch of the year. Anderson Grover followed with a 6-yard catch against the Colonels. Christian Miller had a 16-yard touchdown catch against Texas A&M-Commerce and Fulcher scored against Stanford.
• Last season, 12 Hornets scored at least one touchdown. Quarterback Asher O'Hara who rushed for 20 TDs. Marshel Martin IV (13), Cameron Skattebo (11) and Fulcher (10) all cracked double digits in touchdowns.

OH SO CLOSE

• Sacramento State had its streak of landing punts inside the 20-yard line come to a close when Cal McGough's only punt at Stanford ended at the 21-yard line. Prior to that effort, the Hornets placed all seven of their punts inside the 20.
• The team's net punting average of 44.8 yards per attempt ranks third in the FCS. Stanford is the only team to attempt a return but that effort finished with zero yards.
• Cal McGough has taken seven of the eight kicks and is averaging 44.3 yards per attempt. Against Nicholls, he placed all three of punts inside the 6-yard line. Last weekend, he placed punts at the 18, 5 and 15 yard line. He also had a long of 52 yards.
• Connor Stutz had one punt for the Hornets at Nicholls and boomed a 48-yard effort which was the longest for the team. His punt was fair caught at the Nicholls 14-yard line.

A RELIABLE TARGET

• All-American tight end Marshel Martin IV returned to the field against Stanford after missing the Texas A&M-Commerce game. Martin caught four passes for 17 yards against the Cardinal. Martin had one catch for five yards against Nicholls before leaving the game with a leg injury.
• The senior has at least one reception in 38 of 39 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.
• Martin ended the 2022 season with two dynamic performances in the FCS Playoffs. He caught 10 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns in the victory over Richmond and then hauled in 12 catches for 144 yards and two scores and also rushed for a touchdown against UIW.
• Martin had never caught more than seven passes in a game and his previous yardage high was 117 at NAU in 2021. His 12 receptions against UIW are the most by a tight end in school history and tied for the fifth most in the Hornet record book regardless of position.
• The Vallejo, Calif., native had at least 75 receiving yards in six games last season. His second touchdown at Weber State broke his own school record for receiving touchdowns by a tight end. Martin ranks first with 12 scores last season, second with seven in 2019 and is third with six in 2021.
• The junior has now accumulated more receptions (162), receiving yards (2,100) and receiving touchdowns (25) 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    660
4.    Morris Norrise (2010-13)    2,650    550
5.    Marshel Martin (2019-pres.)    2,100    ---

Career Receiving Touchdowns    Total    Needs
2.     Fred Amey (2001-04)    27    2
3.     Marshel Martin (2019-pres.)    25    ---

Career Receptions    Total    Needs
3.    DeAndre Carter (2011-14)    207    45
4.    Pierre Williams (2018-22)    182    20
5.    Marshel Martin (2019-pres.)    162    ---

FULCHER LEAVING HIS MARK

• Marcus Fulcher surpassed 1,000 career yards on the ground earlier this season and now has 1,054 career rushing yards. His average of  5.07 yards per carry ranks 11th in school history.
• Fulcher needs 192 rushing yards to crack the school top 20 for career rushing yards. The last spot on the list is currently held by former quarterback Kevin Thomson. He is just two rushing touchdowns away from tying Garrett Safron (2001-14), Tyronne Gross (2002-04) and Garrett White (1998-02) for 10th place on the career rushing TD list.
• The senior has done a little of everything for Sacramento State during his career. Along with the rushing yards, he has caught 61 passes for 568 yards and five touchdowns and also has 347 total return yards for 1,417 career all-purpose yards.
• Last season, Fulcher rushed for 465 yards and ranked second on the team with eight rushing scores. He was also third on the team with 36 receptions and finished the season with 252 yards and two scores. His biggest performance came in the FCS quarterfinals where he rushed for 108 yards on just nine attempts.

60 IS JUST A NUMBER

• Sacramento State held another opponent to under a 60 percent completion percentage as it limited Stanford  to 11-of-24 through the air. The Hornets have now held the opposition to under 60 percent in 18 of the last 19 games. The only team to surpass 60 percent was UIW which connected on 20-of-32 passes (.625) in the FCS  Playoffs.
• The Hornets are 17-1 when holding the opposition under 60 percent with the only loss coming against South Dakota State in the second round of the FCS Playoffs in 2021.