1. Ready To Go
Sacramento State will start its season on Thursday, Aug. 29, at San Jose State. The Hornets have won their season opener in the last five seasons. That streak is tied for the fifth longest in the FCS. Only Montana (nine), North Dakota State (eight), Princeton (eight) and Villanova (seven) own a longer active streak. All-time, the Hornets are 31-37-1 in season openers and are 13-28-1 when starting the year on the road.

2. Not So Friendly Neighbors
Despite the close proximity between the schools (125 miles), Thursday will be just the second all-time meeting between Sacramento State and San Jose State in football. The only other time came on Aug. 29, 2013 when SJSU recorded a 24-0 win. The Spartans and Hornets are familiar foes in other sports, including 120 all-time meetings in baseball, 119 in gymnastics, 65 in softball and 45 in men's soccer with an additional one coming on Sunday.

3. National Eyes on the Hornets
Thursday's game will be the first college football game to air on TruTV. The contest will also stream on MAX as part of the Mountain West's new agreement with Turner Sports. Ari Wolfe will serve as the play-by-play announcer and will be joined by former Notre Dame running back Darius Walker in the booth. Jared Greenberg will handle duties on the sideline.

Jason Ross (play-by-play), Steve McElroy (analyst) and Danny Sullivan (sideline) return to bring the action on ESPN 1320 AM. Fans can also listed online as well as on the Audacy app.

4. Up and Down Day for Former Hornets
NFL cutdown day came on Tuesday and had mixed results for some former Hornets. DeAndre Carter earned a spot on the Chicago Bears' 53-man roster as a wide receiver and kick/punt returner. This season will be Carter's seventh active in the league where he has established himself as one of the best return men in the league.

Marte Mapu was placed on injured reserve for the New England Patriots. The second-year safety was injured during the first week of training camp and did not appear in a preseason game.

Elijah Dotson was released by the Los Angeles Chargers during their final wave of moves. Dotson is eligible to sign with any team — either active or on the practice squad — beginning Wednesday.

Former Sacramento State cornerback Daron Bland suffered a stress fracture in his foot and will miss significant time with the Dallas Cowboys.

North of the border, Darnell Sankey is fifth in the CFL with 63 total tackles. Sankey and has helped Montreal to a 10-1 record. McLeod Bethel-Thompson is fifth in the league with 2,393 passing yards. Bethel-Thompson is also tied for second with 14 passing touchdowns in 11 games for Edmonton.

5. Honorary Captain
Former Hornet defensive lineman Manny Darzins will serve as the honorary captain for the game at San Jose State. Darzins was a member of the team for the 1998 and 1999 seasons and was a two-time Big Sky all-academic selection. As a senior, he ranked third on the team with seven tackles-for-loss and four sacks. The Sacramento native, currently works as a healthcare senior product manager.