Football 10/15/2024 2:02:00 PM

FOOTBALL WELCOMES WEBER STATE FOR HOMECOMING ON SATURDAY

Sacramento State to face Wildcats for just the second time in last five years

A BRIEF PREVIEW

Sacramento State will play its only back-to-back home game of the season when it meets Weber State on Saturday, Oct. 19, at Hornet Stadium. The game will serve as the annual Homecoming for Sacramento State and kickoff at 6 p.m.
The Hornets have won their last four Homecoming games, including a 51-15 win over Idaho State last season. The last time Sacramento State met Weber State on Homecoming came in 2012 where the Hornets recorded 19-14 win.
Sacramento State dropped to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in the Big Sky Conference following a 35-28 loss to Eastern Washington last weekend. Sacramento State fell out of the top 25 for the first time since Oct. 16, 2021.
Hornet fans can tune in to ESPN 1320 AM to hear the radio call of Dave Lewis, 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+ and shown live on KMAX 31 in the Sacramento region with Jason Ross (play-by-play) and Darren Arbet (analyst).

OPPONENT PREVIEW: WEBER STATE

Weber State, like Sacramento State, is coming off a disappointing home loss. The Wildcats had five turnovers and were bettered at home by Northern Colorado, 21-17. The win for UNC snapped the team's 18-game losing streak which dated back to the next to last game of the 2023 season.
Weber State is 3-4 overall and 2-1 in league games. The team had opened Big Sky play with a 43-16 win over Portland State and then won at Montana, 55-48, in overtime.
The Wildcat offense has been balanced this season with 213.14 passing yards and 202.57 rushing yards per game. Sophomore quarterback Richie Muñoz has thrown 14 touchdowns and 1,492 passing yards with just two interceptions in seven games. The team's leading rusher is Damon Bankston who is averaging 98.86 yards per game with five touchdowns.
Garrett Beck and Brayden Wilson are tied with the team lead with 35 tackles. Kemari Munier-Bailey leads the team with 11.5 tackles-for-loss, including six sacks. Munier-Bailey was named the FCS National Defensive Player of the Week after tallying three sacks and six TFLs at Northwestern State.
Mickey Mental is in his second year as the Weber State head coach and offensive coordinator. Mental was previously the head coach at Notre Dame College (Ohio) where he was 16-2 in two seasons.

WELCOME HOME

Saturday's game will serve as Homecoming for Sacramento State in 2024. The game will include pregame tailgating, the annual golf cart parade outside the stadium as well as postgame fireworks.
The Hornets have won six of their last eight Homecoming games, including a 51-15 victory over Idaho last season. The team shutout Northern Arizona (44-0) in 2021 and downed Montana (49-22) in 2019.
Sacramento State is also victorious in nine of its last 13 and 13 of its last 18 Homecoming games.
The Hornets are 2-0 all-time when facing Weber State for Homecoming. The team's first met in 2006 where Sacramento State won 24-21. In 2012, the Hornets were victorious 19-14.

YOUNG GUN

Redshirt freshman Carson Conklin set his career high with four touchdown passes against Eastern Washington. Conklin has now thrown a touchdown pass in all six games this season and multiple TDs in four games.
Among the 11 true and redshirt quarterbacks that qualify for the NCAA FCS statistics, Conklin leads the subdivision in completions, pass attempts, yards and touchdowns.
Conklin became the 14th Sacramento State quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in a game and the first since 2019. Overall, Hornet QBs have had four or more touchdowns in a game 29 times. Garrett Safron holds the school record with seven touchdowns against Southern Oregon in 2013. Ryan Leadingham had six scores against Idaho State in 2003 and Kevin Thomson, Safron and Jeff Fleming each threw five TDs in a game.
Conklin debuted with Sacramento State during the 2023 season, appearing in four games. During that run, he tossed three touchdown passes in home games against Idaho State and Cal Poly and finished the year with 744 passing yards.
The Yorba Linda, Calif., native needs four more touchdowns this season to crack the school single-season top 10. There are currently four players tied for eighth place with 17 touchdown passes, including Leadingham who holds the school record for TD passes by a freshman in 2001.

RANKINGS REHASH

For the first time since Oct. 16, 2021 — a stretch of 38 games — Sacramento State will enter a game not ranked in either the AFCA Coaches or Stats Perform FCS top 25. The Hornets dropped out of the rankings but are still receiving votes following the loss to Eastern Washington.
The Hornets had been ranked 46 times since the start of the 2019 season. Prior to that year, the team only played seven games as a ranked squad between 1993-2018.
For the third consecutive season and the fourth time in school history, Sacramento State began the season ranked among the top 25 in the FCS preseason polls. The Hornets were tabbed eighth in the Stats Perform FCS media poll and 10th in the AFCA FCS coaches poll.
Sacramento State finished the 2023 season ranked 15th in the Stats Perform Media Poll and 16th in the AFCA Coaches Poll.
The Hornets were picked fifth by the Big Sky head coaches and media. Montana was selected to finish first in both polls.

BOUNCE BACK ABILITY

Sacramento State is now 8-3 following a regular-season 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 a rare 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) last season. The Hornets then alternated wins and losses for the final six games of the year.
This season, the team opened the year with losses at San Jose State and Fresno State before defeating Nicholls.
The last time Sacramento State had 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).

DEEP FAKE

Sacramento State punter Cal McGough showcased his Australian Rules Football skills on Saturday with a 10-yard run for a first down on a fake punt in the fourth quarter against EWU.
McGough has now successfully executed two fake punts in his career and has averaged 15.0 yards per carry on those plays.
The junior has also had success in his traditional role at punter. McGough is averaged 44.43 yards per punt this season which would tie him for the second-best average in school history. He has landed seven of his punts inside the opponent 20-yard line, has five kicks of at least 50 yards and owns just one touchback.
The three-year starter has not been used frequently during his career and is still 34 attempts away from cracking the career top 10 at Sacramento State. However, his career average of 42.57 yards per punt places him second in the Hornet record book only behind Justin Weldon who averaged 44.16 ypp from 2012-13.
Like many of the punters in college and pro football, McGough is a product of ProKick Australia and had never played a down of American football until taking the field with the Hornets in 2022.

ENCORE PERFORMANCE

Sophomore linebacker Nakian Jackson led all players in the Eastern Washington game with 11 tackles. Jackson finished the game with six solo stops and five assists.
The Stockton, Calif., native now has 11 tackles in consecutive games. Jackson has had a tackle in all six games and now leads the team with 41 stops. He is tied for second on the team with four tackles-for-loss and is third with 2.5 sacks.
Jackson played in the first nine games as a true freshman in 2022 before injuring his thumb. He finished the year with 16 total tackles.

TESTING THE DEPTH

Through the six five games of the season, Sacramento State has played 85 players with only 42 seeing action in all six games.
The Hornets have started 17 players on offense and 16 different players on defense. The one constant on both sides of the ball has been the lines. Sawyer Hays, Aidan Meek , Kaden Richardson and Jackson Slater have started all five games on the offensive line while Ben Ahio, Mason Brosseau and Josh Cashiola have started on the defensive line in each game. Other players to start each game this year include WR Jared Gipson, TE Coleman Kuntz, RB Elijah Tau-Tolliver, NB Gavin Davis-Smith, LB Nakian Jackson, S Murvin Kenion III and LB Will Leota.
The Sacramento State offense has yet to use the same starting 11 in back-to-back games this season.
This season, the team has already played three quarterbacks (two starters), had nine players with a rushing attempt, 12 catch at least one pass and 46 credited with a tackle.
Overall, freshmen (true and redshirt) have combined to pay 899 snaps in the first six games. That number is led by 320 snaps from quarterback Carson Conklin and 158 from wide receiver Danny Scudero.

STEADY, SET, GO

Already cemented in the Hornet record book for career receiving yards and receptions, Jared Gipson added another line to his lengthy resume as he has now caught touchdown passes in three consecutive games for the first time in his career. Gipson had a 29-yard touchdown reception at Texas A&M-Commerce, then bounced off multiple defenders on his way to a 30-yard score at Northern Arizona, and most recently had a 13-yard grab against Eastern Washington.
The senior now has 12 career touchdown receptions and is just two TD grabs away from moving into the school top 10.
The Stockton, Calif., native has caught at least one pass in 37 career games, including the last 10. He moved into sole possession of ninth place in career receptions against Eastern Washington and needs four catches to match Lamont Webb for eighth all-time in Sacramento State history.
This season, Gipson has had at least three receptions in all six games and has had 70 or more receiving yards in three contests. His season high of 138 yards came at Fresno State and was aided by a 78-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown.
A year after leading the Big Sky with an average of 17.29 yards per catch and earning second team all-Big Sky honors, Gipson is fourth in the league this season with 71.3 receiving yards per game and 17.83 yards per reception and 12th with 4.0 receptions per game
Gipson is also a social media superstar. His football videos have garnered him over a million followers on TikTok and close to 700,000 subscribers on YouTube.

OFF AND RUNNING

Elijah Tau-Tolliver got off to a quick start against Eastern Washington, rushing for 64 yards in the first quarter. The Sparks, Nev., native finished the game with 94 yards, leaving him just six yards shy of his fourth 100-yard game of the year. Tau-Tolliver is now averaging 97.5 yards per game which places him fourth in the Big Sky and 18th in the FCS.
Tau-Tolliver became the fifth Hornet to record three 100-yard games prior to the end of September as he had 110 yards at San Jose State, 111 yards against Nicholls and 127 at Texas A&M-Commerce. John Farley was the first to achieve the feat in 1982 and was followed by Troy Mills in 1991. Charles Roberts then took it to another level, rushing for four 100-yard games in September in 1998 and 1999 and then five in 2000. Tyronne Gross is the most recent Hornet before Tau-Tolliver with three 100-yard games in September of 2003.
Tau-Tolliver has already accounted for more yards this season (585) than he did a year ago (387). His three rushing TDs this season, however, are still shy of his team-leading seven touchdowns in 2023. He surpassed 1,000 career yards at Texas A&M-Commerce and now as 1,173 leaving him 86 yards shy of the top 20 on the school career list.
Sacramento State has played two games on national television in the last two seasons and both have been then-career efforts for Tau-Tolliver. Last season, the running back amassed 100 yards against Montana State in an ESPN2 game, including a 53-yard touchdown. This year, he rushed for 110 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns at San Jose State in the first college football game aired on TruTV.
The junior has thrived in big games during his career. As a redshirt freshman, he returned the second half kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown against Richmond in the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs. In last season's win at Stanford he had just one carry but made the most of it with a 1-yard touchdown.

ANOTHER CLEAN SHEET

After a rare outing which saw the Hornets give up two sacks to Northern Arizona, the offensive line did not give one up against Eastern Washington. Sacramento State has allowed just five sacks in six games this season and ranks ninth in the FCS with 0.83 sacks allowed per game.
The Hornets gave up two sacks at San Jose State, one against Texas A&M-Commerce and two at NAU. The o-line has kept the quarterback clean in games against Fresno State, Nicholls and EWU. Dating back to last season, Sacramento State has had seven games without allowing a sack.
Making the performance more impressive is that the Hornets are playing this season without projected starters Nathan Mejia at center and Jose Soto at guard. Mejia, who had started 26 consecutive games, suffered a broken leg during fall camp. Soto injured his foot in the season opener at San Jose State.
In the absence of the pair, the team has turned to Kaden Richardson at center and Kenndel Riley at right guard. The pair are flanked on the left by Jackson Slater at guard and Sawyer Hays at tackle. Slater has now started 41 consecutive games and is regarded as one of the top linemen in the FCS. Hays started for the first time in the season opener at San Jose State. Aidan Meek has manned the right tackle position for 14 games dating back to last season.
Along with the starting five, senior transfer Joey Wright (San Diego State) has also played in all six games.
Under the watch of Associate Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach Kris Richardson, the Hornets have allowed 71 sacks in 65 games dating back to his arrival in 2019 for an average of 1.09 sacks per game.

SACK STATE

Despite having just one sack against Eastern Washington, Sacramento State remains the FCS leader in sacks with 3.33 sacks per game. The Hornets are currently tied with Central Connecticut State, Georgetown, Mercer and New Hampshire for the top spot.
The Hornets have 20 sacks as a team and are led by Josh Cashiola who has four. Mason Brosseau is close behind at 3.5 while Nakian Jackson is third with 2.5. In all, 11 players have at least a half-sack this season.
Sacramento State is also tied for ninth in tackles-for-loss (7.2 per game) and 14th in rush defense (104.2 ypg). The Hornets had held the opponent to 85 or less rushing yards in four of the first five games before EWU rushed for 286. That includes 10 yards by Nicholls and 26 from Texas A&M-Commerce.

SCHREINER MOVES UP TOP 10

Kicker Zach Schreiner was not called upon to attempt a field goal against Eastern Washington but made all four of his extra point attempts against the Eagles.
Schreiner leads the team with 46 points this seasons. In just two years, Schreiner has scored 137 career points but is still 47 points shy of moving into the top 10 for scoring in school history.
Schreiner led Sacramento State in 2023 with 91 total points which ranked 10th in school history. Schreiner made 14-of-19 field goals and was perfect on 49 extra points. His 14 field goals tied him for third place in a season at Sacramento State.
Schreiner is now 17-of-19 on field goal attempts inside 40-yards as a Hornet. Dating back to 2019, three Sacramento State kickers have combined to make 201 consecutive PATs. The team's last missed extra point came at Montana State on Oct. 12, 2019.

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

A year after playing eight games on the road, the Hornets will have seven contests away from home during the regular season.
Last season, Sacramento State traveled 6,870 total miles for an average of 858.7 miles per trip. This year, the team is expected to tally 3,872 total miles (553.1 per trip). As seen with last year's FCS Playoff games at North Dakota and South Dakota, that number could increase dramatically if the team qualifies for the postseason.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE

Nickelback Davion Ross and safety Eian Moore are both back and playing for the team after missing all of last season due to injuries.
Ross arrived on campus in 2018 and redshirted that season. He saw action in eight games, starting five in 2019 and then sat out the 2020 season when the Hornets opted not to play in the spring. Ross appeared in seven games in 2021 before missing all of 2022 (knee) and 2023 (Achilles). During his time at Sacramento State, he has played with 338 different players.
Moore has also had a winding path to his career. He played 2018 and 2019 at Sierra JC in nearby Rocklin, Calif. The safety transferred to Sacramento State ahead of the 2020 season and then redshirted in 2021 following a knee injury. Moore played in 12 games in 2022, starting four and then missed all of last year with a shoulder injury.

HE'S A FREAK

Senior Jackson Slater had his name thrown around a lot over the summer. Slater was a consensus preseason FCS All-American and, as expected, was named to the preseason all-Big Sky team. The senior also landed on the Shrine Bowl 1000 and the Senior Bowl Watch List.
His most unique honor may be being named to The Athletic's annual Freak List. The list of 101 players which is comprised by Bruce Feldman features players who have stood out with their performances in the weight room. The 6-foot-3, 316-pound Slater made the list following a power clean of 405 pounds, squatting 635 pounds and running 19.96 mph.

QUICK HITTERS

Sacramento State has several new additions to the coaching staff this season. Keyshawn Colmon serves as the wide receivers coach after spending 2023 at Fresno State. Misi Tupe takes over at linebackers coach. Tupe was previously the defensive coordinator at Utah Tech. Brandyn Thompson will coach cornerbacks and returns to his hometown after spending time at Cal Poly.
The Hornets will wear a "Q" decal on their helmets this season in tribute to former Sacramento State player, coach and longtime supporter Gary Quattrin who passed away on July 2. Quattrin was a two-time all-Far Western Conference selection and was named to the College Division All-America team his senior season as a linebacker. He played professionally and then coached at Sacramento State from 1968-72 and returned for the 1985 and 1986 seasons.
Since 2021, Sacramento State is 20-1 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' loss at San Jose State ended a streak of 24 consecutive victories when leading at the half and 30 consecutive wins when taking a lead into the fourth quarter.
Sacramento State's schedule through the first six games of the season is ranked as the seventh-toughest in the FCS based on the Massey rankings.
Will Leota and Elias Mullican have both been named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week this season. Leota earned the honor following the Nicholls game while Mullican was awarded after the Texas A&M-Commerce contest. This is just the second time in school history and the first since 2012 that the Hornets have had two Big Sky Defensive Players of the Week in the same season.
Nickelback Gavin Davis-Smith was nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Established in 1992, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team recognizes college football athletes for their unwavering commitment to community service and their "good works" off the field.
Sacramento State head coach Andy Thompson earned his 10th career victory in the win over Texas A&M-Commerce. Thompson's milestone came in his 17th game as a head coach. Troy Taylor holds the school record as the fastest coach to 10 wins (14 games). The next fastest was Ray Clemons who needed 23 games from 1961-63.

SERIES NOTES

The two teams did not meet last season and have not played in Sacramento since 2019.
In the most recent action, the Hornets 33-30 in a snowy game which pitted a pair of top five teams against each other. That victory snapped a streak of five straight wins for the Wildcats dating back to 2015. Those five wins followed three straight victories by the Hornets between 2012-14. Both streaks were the longest for each team in the series.
Sacramento State is 7-5 all-time at home against Weber State.

CONNECTIONS

The Hornets have three players with ties to Utah. Running back Ezra Moleni (Midvale) and linebacker Will Leota (Salt Lake City) were both raised in the state. Wide receiver Makai Cope played at the University of Utah for two years before transferring to the Hornets.
Weber State has 23 players on its roster from California. The only players with ties to Northern California are offensive lineman Jacob Edmonds (Vacaville, Calif.) and wide receiver Jacob Sharp (Vallejo, Calif.)

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Players Mentioned

#94 Ben Ahio: DL; 6' 4"; Senior

#95 Mason Brosseau: DL; 6' 3"; Junior

#19 Josh Cashiola: DL; 6' 3"; Junior

#17 Carson Conklin: QB; 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman

#27 Gavin Davis-Smith: S; 5' 11"; Senior

#8 Jared Gipson: WR; 6' 1"; Senior

#72 Sawyer Hays: OL; 6' 6"; Junior

#4 Nakian Jackson: LB; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#82 Coleman Kuntz: TE; 6' 3"; Junior

#91 Cal McGough: P; 6' 2"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#94 Ben Ahio
: 6' 4"; Senior
: DL

#95 Mason Brosseau
: 6' 3"; Junior
: DL

#19 Josh Cashiola
: 6' 3"; Junior
: DL

#17 Carson Conklin
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman
: QB

#27 Gavin Davis-Smith
: 5' 11"; Senior
: S

#8 Jared Gipson
: 6' 1"; Senior
: WR

#72 Sawyer Hays
: 6' 6"; Junior
: OL

#4 Nakian Jackson
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: LB

#82 Coleman Kuntz
: 6' 3"; Junior
: TE

#91 Cal McGough
: 6' 2"; Junior
: P

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned

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