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Sacramento State

Graphic previewing the Sacramento State football game against Eastern Washington

Football

FOOTBALL FINALLY BACK AT HOME, HOSTS EASTERN WASHINGTON ON SATURDAY

Team playing at Hornet Stadium for just second time in last nine games

A BRIEF PREVIEW
  • Home for just the second time in the first six weeks of the season, the Sacramento State football team will welcome Eastern Washington to Hornet Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 6 p.m. The game will serve as Healthcare Appreciate night as well as Cancer Awareness Night.
  • The Hornets are coming off their lone open week of the season. The team last played on Sept. 28 when it had its two-game win streak snapped in a 34-16 loss at Northern Arizona to open Big Sky Conference play. Sacramento State is now 2-3 overall and 0-1 in league games but remained ranked in the FCS top 25. The Hornets are 18th in the Stats Perform FCS media poll and 20th in the AFCA FCS coaches poll.
  • Sacramento State has recorded a win following its bye week in six of the past seven years. That includes a 21-13 victory at Northern Colorado last season.
  • 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: EASTERN WASHINGTON
  • Eastern Washington dropped to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in league play with a 52-49 setback at home against Montana on Sept. 28. In that game, the Eagles trailed 38-21 midway through the third quarter but rallied to pull within three points on two different occasions. EWU had 551 yards of total offense but surrendered 701 to the Griz.
  • Eastern Washington started the season with a home win over Monmouth but have followed with an overtime loss to Drake (35-32) at home and road losses at Southeastern Louisiana (28-24) and Nevada (49-16) before facing Montana. Like the Hornets, EWU is also coming off its bye.
  • The Eagles' offense has averaged 32.6 points and 432.8 yards of offense per game. Kekoa Visperas has started all five games at quarterback where he has completed 73.2 percent of his passes and thrown for 1,076 yards and 10 touchdowns without an interception. Efton Chism III is one of the top receivers in the FCS with 47 grabs for 513 yards and seven scores.
  • Derek Ganter Jr., is the team's leading tackles with 37 stops. The team has 22.0 TFL, including seven sacks.
  • Aaron Best is in his eighth season as the head coach and 28th as part of Eastern Washington. Best has a career record of 49-36.
BYE, BYE, BYE
  • Sacramento State has won six of its last seven games immediately following a bye. The Hornets defeated Portland State, 42-34, in 2016, topped Idaho State, 41-21, in 2017, knocked off then-No. 22 EWU 48-27 in 2019, blew out Southern Utah, 41-20, in 2021, won at UNI, 37-21, in 2023 and posted a 21-13 win at UNC last season.
  • The team's only loss during that stretch came in 2018 where the Hornets fell to Cal Poly, 41-27.
  • Prior to the recent success, Sacramento State had an unbelievable 10-game losing streak coming off a bye from 2006-15. The schedule makers did no favors to the Hornets in that skid as the team faced a ranked opponent in six of those games.
BOUNCE BACK ABILITY
  • Sacramento State is 8-2 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 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).
RANKINGS REHASH
  • After its loss at Northern Arizona and a bye, Sacramento State dropped to 18th the latest Stats Perform media poll and 20th in the AFCA coaches poll.
  • This week marks the 46th time since the start of the 2019 season that the team has been ranked in the top 25 and the 37th consecutive game. Prior to the 2019 season, 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.
END OF THE LINE
  • The Sacramento State defense carried an impressive streak of not being scored upon into the game at NAU. The Hornet defense had not allowed a point since the 8:06 mark of the fourth quarter at Fresno State when Joshua Wood scored on a 10-yard rush. The streak eventually reached 140 minutes, 36 seconds before Marcus Lye made a 52-yard field goal for the Lumberjacks.
  • NAU did not score a touchdown until late in the second quarter. That score snapped a stretch of 152 minutes, 58 seconds without allowing a TD for the Hornet defense.
  • During the streak, Sacramento State defeated then-No. 24 Nicholls 34-7 with the only points from the Colonels coming on an interception return. The Nicholls offense bounced back in a big way this past weekend, defeating Mississippi Valley State, 66-0, and rushing for 455 yards.
  • The Hornets completed the shutout at Texas A&M-Commerce with a 34-0 win. The performance was the first shutout for the team at any venue since downing NAU, 44-0, at Hornet Stadium on Oct. 23, 2021. The last shut out on the road was in a rain-soaked game at Northern Colorado (14-0) on Oct. 8, 2011. That contest is also notable in that the Hornets did not attempt a pass in the game.
  • Overall, there have now been 12 shutouts on the road by Sacramento State since starting football in 1954. However, they have been sparse of late as Saturday was just the third for the Hornets since 1971.
BACKS AGAINST THE WALL
  • The Hornets have surrendered 129 points this season but a deeper dive reveals nearly half of those points have come from opportunistic field position by the opposition.
  • Sacramento State has given up seven touchdowns and one field goal (52 total points) on defensive/special teams touchdowns or drives which originated inside the team's own 25-yard line.
  • This season, Hornet opponents have two touchdowns on interception returns and one on a punt return. The team has also given up touchdown scoring drives of 2, 13, 18 and 22 yards.
TESTING THE DEPTH
  • Through the first five games of the season, Sacramento State has played 83 players with only 43 seeing action in all five games.
  • The Hornets have started 17 players on offense and 15 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. The defense has found consistency of late, with the same starters in the last three games.
  • 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 762 snaps in the first five games. That number is led by 255 snaps from quarterback Carson Conklin and 158 from wide receiver Danny Scudero.
CASH MONEY
  • Josh Cashiola doubled his season sack total as he had two at Northern Arizona. Cashiola now leads the team with four sacks this season —  all of which have come in the last three games. The senior also forced a fumble against the Lumberjacks and now has three on the year. His average of 0.60 forced fumbles per game is tied for third in the FCS.
  • As a team, the Hornets now lead the FCS with 3.80 sacks per game. The next closest team in the rankings is Central Arkansas at 3.33 sacks per game.
  • Sacramento State has 19 sacks on the season coming from 11 players. Along with the four from Cashiola, the Hornets have also received multiple sacks from Mason Brosseau (3.0), Will Leota (2.0), Nakian Jackson (2.0), Brandon Knott (2.0) and Will Schalde (1.5).
  • Six of the 11 players had never accounted for a sack during their collegiate career before this season. The most recent players to add their name to the list were Will Schalde (1.5 sacks), Pate Haunga (1.0 sack) and Mitchell Wolfe (half sack) at  TAMUC for their first career QB takedowns.
  • The team has had at least two sacks in four of the five games and received the bulk of its sacks in back-to-back games against Nicholls (7 sacks) and at Texas A&M-Commerce (6 sacks). Those games marked the first time the team has had consecutive games with at least five sacks for the first time since tallying six against Montana and at Cal Poly in October of 2019.
  • The seven team sacks against Nicholls are tied for the third most in the school's Div. I era. The only game with more sacks by Sacramento State came against Idaho State in 2011 and at Portland State in 2007 where the team had 10. Will Leota led the way with a pair of sacks, helping him earn FCS National and Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors.
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 consecutive games for the first time in his career. Gipson had a 29-yard touchdown reception at Texas A&M-Commerce and then bounced off multiple defenders on his way to a 30-yard score at Northern Arizona.
  • The senior now has 11 career touchdown receptions and is just three TD grabs away from moving into the school top 10.
  • The Stockton, Calif., native has caught at least one pass in 36 career games, including the last nine. His next reception will move him into a tie for ninth place in program history with 112 career receptions.
  • This season, Gipson has had at least three receptions in all five 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 13th in the league with 20 receptions and ranks sixth in the league among players with at least 10 receptions with an average of 18.0 yards per catch.
  • 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.
DOUBLING UP
  • For just the second time since joining the Big Sky in 1996 and the first time since 2012, Sacramento State has had two players be named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week in the same season.
  • Will Leota was the first player to earn the honor after his performance against Nicholls. The linebacker had 10 total tackles, including three for loss and a pair of sacks in the win against the Colonels. Those numbers also helped him earn Stats Perform National FCS Defensive Player of the Week. He joined Darnell Sankey (2012) as the only Hornet to claim the national award.
  • Elias Mullican was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week following the team's 34-0 win at Texas A&M-Commerce. Making just his second collegiate start, Mullican recorded a pair of interceptions in the game. Mullican's first career pick came on a fourth-down play in the first quarter where he leapt in front of the receiver and came down with the ball just outside the goal line. His biggest play of the night came in the second quarter when he jumped a route and returned the interception for a 35-yard touchdown. The pick six was the first for Sacramento State since 2022 and helped the team turn a close game into a blowout victory.
  • Mullican's performance was the 20th by a Hornet with multiple interceptions in a game. He was the first Sacramento State player to do so since Gavin Davis-Smith had a pair against Cal Poly on Nov. 11, 2023.
  • The Sacramento State single-game record for interceptions is three which has occurred six times, including twice by Chad Johnson (1995 and 1996). Johnson also had one game with two interceptions.
DASH TO DOUBLE DIGITS
  • 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.
OFF AND RUNNING
  • Elijah Tau-Tolliver finished the NAU game with 69 rushing yards and now is averaging 98.2 yards per game which ranks 19th in the FCS and second in the Big Sky. Tau-Tolliver became the third 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.
  • The junior was the fifth Hornet all-time to have three 100-yard games in a season by the end of September. 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 (491) 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 1,079 leaving him 180 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.
PUSH 'EM BACK
  • Helped by the 19 team sacks, Sacramento State enters this week ranked third in the FCS in rush defense. The Hornets have allowed just 67.8 rushing yards per game through the first five games of the year.
  • Sacramento State has held the opponent to 85 or less rushing yards in four of the five games. That includes 10 yards by Nicholls and 26 from Texas A&M-Commerce. The only exception has been Fresno State which had 44 carries for 155 yards.
  • Mercer continues to lead the nation at an amazing 29.2 rushing yards per game. The only other team ahead of Sacramento State is Harvard who has surrendered 60.0 ypg in three games.
  • The Hornets rank third in the FCS in tackles-for-loss at 8.4 per game. Sacramento State has 42 total TFLs for 184 yards. That yardage total ranks is the sixth most in the FCS and the highest for teams that have played five games or fewer.
SCHREINER MOVES UP TOP 10
  • Kicker Zach Schreiner accounted for all of the team's offense in the first half at Northern Arizona. The senior tied his career high for field goals in a game, needing just 30 minutes to make kicks from 49, 34 and 36 yards. His 49-yarder set his career long by five yards and was tied for the 10th longest in school history.
  • Schreiner now leads the team with 42 points this seasons. In just two years, Schreiner has scored 133 career points but is still 51 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 197 consecutive PATs. The team's last missed extra point came at Montana State on Oct. 12, 2019.
FIVE FOR FIVE
  • The 30-yard touchdown pass to Jared Gipson in the fourth quarter at NAU extended Carson Conklin's streak to five games with at least one touchdown pass. The redshirt freshman has now passed for 15 touchdowns in nine career games and has nine passing TDs this year.
  • Conklin has thrown touchdown passes to 10 different players with no player catching more than two.
  • The Yorba Linda, Calif., native played in the final four regular season games in 2023 allowing him to preserve his redshirt status during the year. He had a memorable debut against Idaho State, completing 14-of-21 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns. Conklin also shined against Cal Poly where he had 313 passing yards — the most by a Hornet during the year — and three touchdowns while completing 17-of-26 pass attempts.
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.
  • 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.
SERIES NOTES
  • The road team has had a lot of success in this series. EWU has won 12 of 13 contests in Sacramento with the Hornets' lone win coming in 2019. Sacramento State has five wins in 12 games in Cheney, Wash.
  • The winning team has scored at least 40 points in 11 of the 25 games, including the last three.
  • There have been five games decided by three points or less but 10 decided by 17 or more.
CONNECTIONS
  • Hornet defensive passing game coordinator Cherokee Valeria coached at EWU from 2012-18.
  • The Eagles have 25 players from California on its roster. Included in that list are three players from the Sacramento area comprised of QB Michael Wortham (Center HS/Sierra JC), S Trevion Shadrick-Harris (Tracy HS/Sierra JC) and TE Landon Cooper (Sutter HS/Butte JC).
  • The only players on the Sacramento State roster from Washington are offensive linemen brothers Jackson and Luke Slater (Bellevue, Wash.) and linebacker Mitchell Wolfe (Sumner, Wash.). While originally from California, wide receiver Anderson Grover played at Washington State for two seasons.
  • Hornet head coach Andy Thompson grew up in Walla Walla, Wash., about 170 miles southwest of Cheney, Wash.

 
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Players Mentioned

Ben Ahio

#94 Ben Ahio

DL
6' 4"
Senior
Mason Brosseau

#95 Mason Brosseau

DL
6' 3"
Junior
Josh Cashiola

#19 Josh Cashiola

DL
6' 3"
Junior
Carson Conklin

#17 Carson Conklin

QB
6' 1"
Redshirt Freshman
Gavin Davis-Smith

#27 Gavin Davis-Smith

S
5' 11"
Senior
Jared Gipson

#8 Jared Gipson

WR
6' 1"
Senior
Anderson Grover

#26 Anderson Grover

WR
6' 3"
Senior
Pate Haunga

#90 Pate Haunga

DL
6' 2"
Senior
Sawyer Hays

#72 Sawyer Hays

OL
6' 6"
Junior
Nakian Jackson

#4 Nakian Jackson

LB
6' 1"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Ben Ahio

#94 Ben Ahio

6' 4"
Senior
DL
Mason Brosseau

#95 Mason Brosseau

6' 3"
Junior
DL
Josh Cashiola

#19 Josh Cashiola

6' 3"
Junior
DL
Carson Conklin

#17 Carson Conklin

6' 1"
Redshirt Freshman
QB
Gavin Davis-Smith

#27 Gavin Davis-Smith

5' 11"
Senior
S
Jared Gipson

#8 Jared Gipson

6' 1"
Senior
WR
Anderson Grover

#26 Anderson Grover

6' 3"
Senior
WR
Pate Haunga

#90 Pate Haunga

6' 2"
Senior
DL
Sawyer Hays

#72 Sawyer Hays

6' 6"
Junior
OL
Nakian Jackson

#4 Nakian Jackson

6' 1"
Sophomore
LB

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