A BRIEF PREVIEW

• The Sacramento State football team will make its 2024 debut when it plays at San Jose State on Thursday, Aug. 29, at CEFCU Stadium. The game will kickoff at 7 p.m.
• The Aug. 29 start to the season is the earliest for the Hornets since the team played at SJSU to begin the 2013 season. Sacramento State will also be debuting on a Thursday night for the second-consecutive year.
• The Hornets finished the 2023 season with an 8-5 overall record and reached the NCAA FCS Playoffs for the fourth straight time. Sacramento State returns 69 players from that roster, including 13 starters.
• 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 televised on TruTV and streamed on Max. The broadcast will be the first collegiate football game on TruTV in the network's history. Ari Wolfe (play-by-play), Darius Walker (color) and Jared Greenberg (sideline) will bring the action.

OPPONENT PREVIEW: SAN JOSE STATE

• San Jose State will have a new look as Ken Niumatalolo was named head coach during the offseason. Niumatalolo was the head coach at Navy for 15 years (2008-22) where he posted a 109-83 overall record and took the Midshipmen to 10 bowl games. He most recently was the tight ends coach at UCLA in 2023.
• The Spartans finished 2023 with a 7-6 overall record and a 6-2 record in the Mountain West. The team won its final six games of the regular season to earn a berth in the Easy Post Hawai'i Bowl. Following the year, head coach Brent Brennan departed to take the head position at Arizona.
• SJSU returns three players who have earned all-Mountain West Conference honors. Wide receiver Nick Nash and defensive lineman Soane Toia were both named second team all-league a year ago. Nash set career bests a year ago with 48 receptions for 728 yards and eight touchdowns. Toia tallied 37 total tackles, including seven for loss and five sacks in 2023. Wide receiver Justin Lockhart was an honorable mention all-Mountain West choice in 2022 but missed all of last season due to injury.
• The Spartans feature five quarterbacks on their roster but none who appeared in a game for the team in 2023. Walker Eget is the most experienced of the five having played in one contest in 2021 and three in 2022.
• The only matchup between the two teams came in 2013 where SJSU won, 24-0.

IN THE BEGINNING

• Sacramento State is 31-37-1 all-time in season openers and 13-28-1 when opening on the road. However, the team has won its last five season debuts and seven of the last nine.
• For the first time since 2017, the Hornets will start the year against an FBS opponent. Sacramento State has faced an FCS school each year since 2021 and faced non-NCAA Div. I foes in 2018 and 2019. 
• The Hornets will take it one step further, playing at Fresno State the following week (Sept. 7). Sacramento State has only started the year against back-to-back FBS opponents twice — playing at New Mexico State and Colorado in 2012 and at San Jose State and Arizona State in 2013.
• Sacramento State will open the year on the road for the third time in the last four years and the fourth time since 2015. The Hornets started the 2017 season at Idaho with a 28-6 loss, began the 2021 season at Utah Tech (W, 19-7) and opened last year at Nicholls (W, 38-24).
• Sacramento State has been explosive in its most recent season openers. The Hornets have scored at least 55 points in three of the past five debuts, including a school record 77 against Southern Oregon in 2019. However, all three of those games have come at home.  Sacramento State has averaged 21.0 points in its last three season openers on the road, scoring six at Idaho (2017), 19 at Utah Tech (2021 and 38 at Nicholls).

MOVING ON UP

• Facing a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent is nothing new for Sacramento State. Since 2002, the team has played at least one FBS foe every season. Included in that list was the 2011 upset at Oregon State, the 2012 victory at Colorado, a convincing win at Colorado State in 2022 and last season's thrilling victory at Stanford.
• The only FCS team with more wins over FBS opponents than Sacramento State since 2011 is North Dakota State. The Bison have five wins and will start this season at Colorado. The Hornets are tied with Eastern Washington with four wins during the span.
• Sacramento State and Southern Illinois are the only two FCS teams to have wins over FBS opponents in the last two seasons. SIU downed Northwestern (31-24) in 2022 and knocked off Northern Illinois (14-11) last year.
• Last season, Marcus Fulcher caught a check down pass from Kaiden Bennett and then scampered down the right sideline for a 49-yard touchdown with 1:32 remaining to break a tie and give the team a 30-23 win over the Cardinal.
• Sacramento State never trailed on the way to topping Colorado State, 41-10, in 2022. The Hornets outgained the Rams by over 100 yards and limited CSU to just 75 rushing yards.
• In 2012, Sacramento State began the year with a loss at New Mexico State before winning at Colorado, 30-28. That victory made Sacramento State and North Dakota State the only two FCS teams to knock off an FBS opponent in 2011 and 2012.
• In 2011, the Hornets jumped out to an early lead only to see Oregon State rally to force overtime behind a strong second-half rushing performance from Malcolm Agnew (current Stanford assistant). After Agnew's TD put the Beavers up seven in overtime, the Hornets scored and then won the game with a two-point conversion, 29-28.
• The Hornets' only other victories over a Div. I-A/FBS team both came against Pacific. Sacramento State defeated the Tigers, 30-21, in 1988 and 43-40 in 1991.
• Nearly every FBS opponent Sacramento State has faced since 2002 played in the Pac-12 (Oregon State, California, Stanford, Colorado, Washington) or Mountain West (Nevada, Boise State, Fresno State, New Mexico, Colorado State, UNLV). The lone exceptions have been New Mexico State in 2012 and Idaho in 2017 who were both members of the Sun Belt Conference at the time.

QUITE THE HAUL

Several Hornets were recognized over the summer as preseason All-Americans or all-Big Sky selections.

Jackson Slater • OL • Sr.

• Shrine Game 1000
• Senior Bowl Watch List
• The Athletic "Freaks List"
• Preseason All-Big Sky
• HERO Sports - Best Returning Interior OL in Big Sky
• Phil Steel Preseason All-Big Sky 1st Team
• Stats Perform Preseason FCS All-American 1st Team
• Phil Steele Preseason FCS All-American 1st Team
• FCS Football Central Preseason All-American 1st Team

Nathan Mejia • OL • Jr.

• Preseason All-Big Sky
• Phil Steel Preseason All-Big Sky 2nd Team

Jared Gipson • WR • Sr.

• Preseason All-Big Sky
• Phil Steel Preseason All-Big Sky 2nd Team

Coleman Kuntz • TE • Jr.

• Preseason All-Big Sky
• Phil Steel Preseason All-Big Sky 1st Team
• Phil Steele Preseason FCS All-American 3rd Team

Will Leota • LB • Sr.

• Preseason All-Big Sky
• Phil Steel Preseason All-Big Sky 1st Team

Zach Schreiner • K • Sr.

• Phil Steel Preseason All-Big Sky 2nd Team

Cal McGough • P • Jr.

• Phil Steel Preseason All-Big Sky 3rd Team

• Phil Steel Preseason All-Big Sky 3rd Team

RANKINGS REHASH

• For the third consecutive season and the fourth time in school history, Sacramento State begins 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 made its preseason debut in the polls in 2011 where the team was 24th. In 2021, the Hornets opened the year ranked seventh and last year the team was 10th.
• This week marks the 40th time since the start of the 2019 season that the team has been ranked in the top 25 and the 32nd consecutive game. Prior to the 2019 season, the team only played seven games as a ranked squad between 1993-2018.
• 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.

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

• A year after playing eight games on the road, the Hornets will have seven contests away from home during the regular season. Last year, Sacramento State had six regular season road games and then traveled to two FCS Playoff contests. 
• This year's slate of games has the Hornets staring the year with short bus trips to San Jose State and Fresno State. September closes with flights to Texas A&M-Commerce and Northern Arizona. The only road game in October is at Idaho State before the regular season concludes in November with games at Montana State and Cal Poly.
• 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). Of course, 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 for the fifth consecutive season.

PLENTY OF OPTIONS

• A year ago, Sacramento State began the season without a quarterback on the roster which had started a game in college. Fast forward a season and the team now boasts two QBs — Kaiden Bennett and Carson Conklin — who each earned multiple starts in 2023.
• Bennett appeared in all 13 games, starting 10, last season. The senior compiled 2,767 yards of total offense and accounted for 24 touchdowns while showcasing his dual-threat ability. Bennett had monster performances in two of the team's biggest victories of the season beginning with 279 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in the win at Stanford. In the NCAA FCS first round playoff game, he added 207 passing yards and 126 rushing yards with a pair of touchdowns.
• He finished the season with 2,190 passing yards while completing 64.3 percent of his passes and tossing 16 touchdowns. Bennett's completion percentage ranks second in school single-season history and was the best by a Hornet with at least 200 pass attempts during a year. He also ranked second on the team with 577 rushing yards and was third among Sacramento State players with six rushing touchdowns.
• Conklin played in the final four regular season games 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.
• Behind the pair are a trio of quarterbacks who have yet to appear in a game for the Hornets. Jordan Barton was named the California State Offensive Player of the Year last season while guiding Riverside JC to a state title. Barton led the state with 35 touchdown passes and threw for 3,990 yards while completing 72.6 percent of his passes.

GOING DEEP

• Jared Gipson led the Big Sky in yards per reception last season and earned second team all-Big Sky honors. Gipson caught 38 passes for 657 yards (17.29 ypc) and scored four touchdowns.
• Gipson was a steady target for the Hornet quarterbacks during the year, catching a pass in 11 of the team's 13 games and grabbing three or more receptions in eight games. Nearly half of his receptions came in the final four games of the year as he caught 17 balls for 290 yards and two TDs. 
• The Stockton, Calif., native set his season bests during that final stretch. He caught five passes for 154 yards against Cal Poly (30.8 ypc) and then had six grabs in the second round FCS Playoff game at South Dakota, including a touchdown.
• That strong finish to the season landed Gipson on the all-Big Sky preseason team. He is also steadily working his way up the career record list at Sacramento State.
• 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.

SUPER GROVER

• Like Gipson, fellow receiver Anderson Grover surged in the final portion of the season. Grover accounted for over half of his season total in receiving yards and nearly half of his receptions with his efforts in the last three games of the year.
• Grover started his streak with six catches for 87 yards and a touchdown at UC Davis. He added six receptions for 96 yards and caught the only receiving touchdown for the Hornets at North Dakota in the opening round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs. Four of Grover's receptions led to a Hornet first down, including his 14-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. Grover ended the year with three grabs for 79 yards at South Dakota in the second round of the playoffs.
• The Modesto, Calif., native finished the year with 34 total receptions for 431 yards and three scores. He also served as the team's primary punt returner with 17 attempts for 121 yards (7.12 ypr).

STEPPING INTO THE SPOTLIGHT

• Running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver and tight end Coleman Kuntz each played large roles for the Hornet offense last season and will make the jump into the starting lineup this season.
• Tau-Tolliver has been a regular in the running back rotation over the last two seasons. He posted a career best 387 rushing yards in 2023 and ranked second on the team with seven touchdowns on just 64 carries. Tau-Tolliver's biggest output came against Montana State on ESPN2 where he had 100 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown.
• The Sparks, Nev., native is also among the best kick returners in school history. Tau-Tolliver has 1,053 career return yards which places him sixth in the Hornet record. His average of 25.07 yards per kick return ranks third all-time at Sacramento State.
• Kuntz caught 20 passes for 236 yards last season. An injury to All-American tight end Marshel Martin IV opened the door for Kuntz to become the primary tight end for a good portion of the year.
• Kuntz also served as the team's goal line running back, scoring four touchdowns during the year on six rushing attempts.

YOU'RE IN GOOD HANDS

• Sacramento State nickelback Gavin Davis-Smith has been 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. In September, 23 award recipients will be announced. The winners will include 11 from FBS schools, 11 from a group of FCS, Div. II and Div. III institutions and one coach.
• Among Davis-Smith's activities are volunteering at Rancho Cordova Elementary, attending Enchanted Special Needs dance, volunteering with Playmakers and mentoring students in ethnic studies classes at Hiram Johnson High School.
• On the field, Davis-Smith is the lone Hornet on defense to have started at last five games last season. The Folsom, Calif., native played in 12 of the team's 13 contests, starting eight while playing both safety and nickel. He finished the year with a career-best 64 tackles and had a pair of interceptions.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE

• Overall there are 10 players on the 2024 Hornet roster who have started a game at Sacramento State on defense. Behind Davis-Smith's 19 career starts are Eian Moore (six career starts) and Davion Ross (five). Both Moore and Ross missed last season with injures but are expected to be healthy in 2024.
• 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.
• The only other defensive players to have started multiple games as a Hornet are safety Anta'Veon McKenzie (three), defensive end Ben Ahio (two), and cornerbacks Patrick Dean and Zelman Vedder (two each).

JUMP RIGHT IN

• Will Leota has yet to play a game for Sacramento State and yet he's already earned preseason all-Big Sky honors. The linebacker was the only transfer to earn the honor and was one of four backers on the team.
• Leota spent the three previous seasons at Utah Tech where he was named second team all-WAC as a freshman, first team all-WAC in 2022 and second team all-UAC in 2023. His 213 career tackles with the Trailblazers place him sixth in Utah Tech history.
• At Sacramento State, Leota will reunite with his former defensive coordinator, Misi Tupe, who joined the Hornet staff as the linebackers coach this offseason.

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. 

A UNITED FRONT

• Sacramento State started training camp with three-fifths of its starting offensive line returning from a year ago and two other players who have started games in the past. However, Nathan Mejia, who has started 26 consecutive games at center, suffered a broken leg in practice midway through camp and will miss a significant amount of time. 
• With Mejia out, senior Kaden Richardson will earn the start at center. Richardson, the son of offensive line coach Kris Richardson, started six games last season at guard. The left side of the line will include Sawyer Hays at tackle and Slater at guard. Hays will be making his first career start while Slater has started all 35 games of his career. Redshirt freshman Jose Soto will make his Sacramento State debut at right guard and Aidan Meek (nine starts in 2024) returns at right tackle.
• The line added some depth in the offseason when tackles Joey Wright and Bryson Summers transferred from San Diego State and Coastal Carolina, respectively. Kenndel Riley has also made eight career starts at guard in two previous seasons with the Hornets.
• Last season, Sacramento State surrendered just 16 sacks in 13 games. The team did not allow a sack in the first three games of the year (including the win at Stanford) and then kept the QB off the ground in the first round FCS Playoff win at North Dakota.

ISN'T THAT SPECIAL

• Sacramento State returns all of its specialists from a year ago, including a pair of preseason all-conference selections. In total, the team brings back its starting punter, kicker, long snapper, punt returner and kick returner.
• Cal McGough enters his third year as the team's punter.  Last season, he earned honorable mention all-Big Sky honors after averaging 42.84 yards per punt which ranked fifth in school single-season history. He is currently third in the Hornet record book with a career average of 41.98 yards per punt. The Geelong, Australia native has landed 31 of his 66 career attempts inside the opponent 20 and has forced 21 fair catches.
• He is the third Aussie punter for the Hornets since 2018. All three have been products of ProKick Australia which trains players with Ausie Rules Football experience in becoming American football players.
• Kicker Zach 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 was 11-of-12 on field goal attempts inside 40-yards. He was named the Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week after making field goals of 24, 22 and a season-best 44 yards in the win at Stanford.
• Dating back to 2019, three Sacramento State kickers have combined to make 182 consecutive PATs. The team's last missed extra point came at Montana State on Oct. 12, 2019.
• AJ Campos has started every game the last two seasons at long snapper on both kicks and punts.
• Anderson Grover and Elijah Tau-Tolliver were the team's leader on punt and kick returns respectively. Grover averaged 7.12 yards per punt with a long of 36. Tau-Tolliver 23.00 yards per kick return with a best of 44 yards. He had a 95-yard touchdown return against Richmond in the 2022 FCS Playoffs.

DOING WHAT THEY CAME FOR

Sacramento State's 2024 roster boasts 15 student-athletes who have already earned a bachelor's degree. Below is a list of those who have graduated.
 

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 with the Indianapolis Warriors of the Continental Football League and later joined the Washington Redskins of the NFL in 1966. He was a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League the following season. Quattrin coached at Sacramento State from 1968-72 and returned for the 1985 and 1986 seasons.
• Since 2021, Sacramento State is 19-1 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.
• Dating back to the start of 2022, Sacramento State is 17-0 when leading at halftime. The Hornets are also 14-0 when leading after three quarters.
• The victory against North Dakota gave Andy Thompson the second most wins by a first-year head coach in program history.
• The team's eight victories last year were tied for the fifth most in school single-season history. That team matched the mark from 1964, 1968, 1969, 1982, 1985 and 1991. The Hornets won nine games in 2019 and 2021, 10 games in 1988 and 12 games in 2022.

SERIES NOTES

• The only other meeting between the two teams came in 2013 — also on Aug. 29. 
• Surprisingly, the second meeting will move the series into the fifth most for the Hornets among teams currently playing football in California. UC Davis heads the list with 70 all-time meetings against Sacramento State and is followed by Cal Poly (42), Cal and Fresno State (three), Stanford and SJSU (two) and San Diego State (one). Sacramento State has never faced San Diego, USC or UCLA.

CONNECTIONS

• Former Hornet director of football operations Garrett Wolfe serves as the Chief of Staff for the Spartans.
• Sacramento State has six players from the greater San Jose area comprised of wide receivers Kai Hamilton (Valley Christian HS), Danny Scudero (Archbishop Mitty HS) and Jason Auzenne (Palo Alto HS), defensive linemen Josh Aguilar (Bellarmine HS) and Asher Kolodziej (St. Francis HS) and offensive lineman Joseph Speno (Pioneer HS/Foothill JC).
• The Spartans have seven players with ties to Sacramento comprised of quarterback C.J. Lee, tight end Jackson Canann and defensive lineman Nate Lewis all of Jesuit HS, cornerback Greco Carrillo (Folsom HS), running back Lamar Radcliffe (Sacramento HS), offensive lineman Mohammad Othman (Pleasant Grove HS) and tight end Jacob Stewart (Sacramento City JC).
• As expected between two Northern California teams there are numerous players on both squads who have teamed in the past. This includes four Hornets and five Spartans who played at College of San Mateo. Each team also has at least one transfer from Washington State, Colorado, San Diego State and Idaho.