1. Ultimate Rubber Game
One of the longest rivalries in school history could not be closer. Sacramento State and Cal Poly have met 42 times with each team winning 21 games. The series is also even at both sites as its tied 10-10 in games played at Hornet Stadium and 11-11 in games in San Luis Obispo. The 42 games against the Mustangs are the second most against any opponent, only trailing UC Davis.
 
2. Flashback Friday
One of the most memorable games in the series came on Nov. 22, 1980. Cal Poly entered the game ranked third in NCAA Div. II and riding a five game winning streak where it had outscored its opponents 160-54. Sacramento State was 2-7 during the third season under Bob Mattos. The Hornets walked away with a 24-19 victory thanks to an interception from Jon Simas in the final minutes. That win sparked the Hornets who went on to win at least five games in nine of the next 10 years. It also did not slow down the Mustangs who defeated Jacksonville State, Santa Clara and Eastern Illinois to win the NCAA Div. II title that season.
 
3. One For The Road
Sacramento State will be playing its seventh road game of the season on Saturday. Dating back to last season, the team will have played 15 games away from home, including 10 of its last 14 games. This season is the first that the Hornets have played seven regular season road games since 2002.
 
4. Line Change
It's almost to the point where name tags may be required on the Hornet offensive and defensive lines. Sacramento State has started eight players on the offensive line this year with Cade Gretlein earning his first career start in the game at Montana State. The defensive line has started six players but has also been highly affected as eight D-linemen were out for the MSU game, including six defensive tackles. This season, only Kaden Richardson (center) and Ben Ahio (defensive end) have started all 10 games at the same position on the lines. To give some context, the Hornets started the same defensive front for all 12 games during 2021 and had the same O-line starters for eight of the final nine games. In 2022, the team started the same five on the offensive line for every regular season game and had three of four defensive linemen start all 13 games and a fourth start 11 contests. Last season, Sacramento State also started eight players on the offensive line during the year with All-Americans Jackson Slater and Nathan Mejia starting every game at left guard and center, respectively, On defense, the team used six starters with the same four starting the final eight games of the year.
 
5. How To Follow The Action
There will be several options to track the action on Saturday afternoon from San Luis Obispo. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Chris Sylverster and John Kane. The contest can also be heard on ESPN 1320 AM with Jason Ross (play-by-play), Brian Berger (analyst) and Danny Sullivan (sideline).