A BRIEF PREVIEW

• Arguably the two best winless FCS teams will meet on Saturday, Sept. 14, at Hornet Stadium when No. 11 Sacramento State welcomes No. 24 Nicholls for the first time in program history. Both teams are 0-2 but each played a pair of FBS opponents on the road.
• Most recently, Sacramento State fell behind 25-3 in the first half against the Bulldogs but rallied to make it a one-score game early in the third quarter. Fresno State added two touchdowns late in the period and was able to record a 46-30 victory. Quarterbacks Kaiden Bennett (one) and Carson Conklin (three) combined for four passing touchdowns with each thrown to different receivers. However, Fresno State had five plays of at least 25 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown pass on the opening play of the game and an 85-yard punt return TD.
• 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 broadcast locally on KMAX 31 and streamed on ESPN+. Jason Ross (play-by-play) and Darren Arbet return for their second season together to bring the action.

OPPONENT PREVIEW: NICHOLLS

• Nicholls was competitive in its first two games, hanging with in-state rivals LA Tech and LSU. The Colonels forced five turnovers in their first game against the Bulldogs and were within three points in the third quarter against LSU before the Tigers pulled away.
• Nicholls has outrushed its opponent 106.0-86.5 yards per game through the first two games of the year. The Colonels have been led by Collin Guggenheim who has already tallied 224 rushing yards and is averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Guggenheim's total was aided by a 67-yard touchdown against LSU. Jaylon Spears, who was the 2023 Southland Conference Player of the Year, was limited to six rushes and three yards against LA Tech and did not play against LSU.
• Pat McQuiade returns as the team's quarterback. McQuiade has been efficient, completing 22-of-42 passes for 251 yards with a touchdown and has yet to throw an interception.
• Eli Ennis leads the defense with 21 tackles through two games. Ennis also has an interception, forced fumble and a half TFL.
• Tim Rebowe is in his 10th season as the Nicholls head coach. He led the team to the Southland Conference a year ago and was named the conference Coach of the Year.

A LOOK AT THE LATEST ACTION

• Sacramento State fell behind early and was never able to claw all its way back in a 46-30 loss at Fresno State.
• Fresno State was explosive in the opening minutes of the game, scoring  a touchdown on a 75-yard pass from Mikey Keene to Mac Dalena on the first offensive play of the game to put the team on top 10 seconds into the contest. After a Hornet field goal and a defensive stop, Jalen Moss housed an 85-yard punt return to give the team a 14-3 edge midway through the quarter.
• Sacramento State had its opportunities during the half but had three turnovers, including a pair inside the red zone late in the first half. Despite the setbacks, the team was down 25-10 following a 78-yard catch-and-run from Kaiden Bennett to Jared Gipson for the longest pass play for both in their Hornet career.
• The team then used seven plays to travel 75 yards on the opening series of the second half for a touchdown. Carson Conklin completed all five of his passes during the drive, including a 13-yard pass to Ezra Moleni to make it a one-score game at 25-17.
• The teams traded punts before Fresno State was able to put the game out of reach with a pair of late touchdowns in the third quarter. The first came on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line when Keene found linebacker Tyler Mello, who lined up as a tight end, and leaked out of the right side of the line for a touchdown reception. Just 90 seconds later, Dalena had a 41-yard reception to set up a 1-yard run from Malik Sherrod.
• Sacramento State narrowed the gap in the fourth quarter, outscoring Fresno State, 14-7. Austin Jarrard caught a 3-yard pass early in the period but a two-point try failed. Following a Bulldog touchdown, Conklin hit Anderson Grover in stride for a 36-yard TD pass.
• The final yardage was nearly equal as Fresno State outgained the Hornets, 513-469. The team leaders were Conklin (218 passing yards), Gipson (138 receiving yards), Elijah Tau-Tolliver 74 rushing yards) and Will Leota (eight tackles).

BACK HOME AGAIN

• Dating back to last season, Sacramento State has played its last five games on the road. The streak began with the regular season finale at UC Davis and then followed with FCS Playoff matchups at North Dakota and South Dakota. The Hornets opened the 2024 season playing at San Jose State and Fresno State.
• The last time Sacramento State played five consecutive road games spanned the final two games of the 2010 season and the first three games of 2011.
• The longest stretch of road games for the Hornets is seven. The team played its last five games of 1976 away from home as well as the first two of 1977.
• Sacramento State has won five of its last six home openers and 12 of the last 14. The team has scored at least 38 points in its last five wins. The only loss in that span came against then No. 21-UNI on Sept. 11, 2021.
• Since 2019, the Hornets are 18-3 at Hornet Stadium in the regular season.
• The Sept. 14 start date is the latest home opener for Sacramento State since facing Southern Oregon on Sept. 14, 2013. 

ADD IT UP

• The Sacramento State offense produced some of its best numbers against FBS opponents in school history in its games against San Jose State and Fresno State.
• The team's 30 points against the Bulldogs are tied for the second most, trailing only the 41 in the 2022 win at Colorado State.
• The 177 rushing yards at San Jose State were the most in program history against an FBS team, breaking the mark of 169 in the win at Stanford last year.
• The 354 passing yards at Fresno State rank second in the Hornet FBS game record book. The only higher total was 408 yards at Cal in 2021.
• The 469 total yards against Fresno State set the record against an FBS team and was two yards better than the game against Cal.
• The team's four passing touchdowns at Fresno State tied the record previously set at Oregon State in 2011.
• The 82 total plays at SJSU is the most run by a Hornet team against an FBS opponent. The record had been 79 at San Jose State in 2013.
• The 25 completions and 50 pass attempts against Fresno State are tied for third and second, respectively. The records are 32 completions at Arizona State in 2019 and 50 attempts at Cal (2021) and ASU.

RANKINGS REHASH

• Although starting the season 0-2, Sacramento State is ranked 11th in the latest Stats Perform media poll and AFCA coaches poll. The only other 0-2 teams in the top 25 are Chattanooga (14th/16th) and Nicholls (24th/23rd). All three teams have opened the year against a pair of FBS opponents.
• This week marks the 42nd time since the start of the 2019 season that the team has been ranked in the top 25 and the 34th 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.

DOING THEIR JOB

• For the fifth time in the last two seasons, Sacramento State's offensive line did not allow a sack as it kept the team's two quarterbacks clean against Fresno State. Last year, the team did not surrender a sack in the first three games of the year and also was sack-free in the NCAA Playoffs first round win at North Dakota.
• Saturday's game marked only the fourth time the team did not give up a sack against an FBS opponent. The three previous occurrences were at Stanford (2023), New Mexico (2007) and Boise State (2006).
• Making the performance against Fresno State more impressive is the Hornets were dealt a blow during the week when redshirt freshman Jose Soto was ruled out with a foot injury. Soto became the second starter on the line to be sidelined as all-Big Sky center Nathan Meijia suffered a broken leg during fall camp. Mejia had started 26 consecutive games at center.
• 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 37 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. Aiden Meek has manned the right tackle position for 11 games dating back to last season.
• Along with the starting five, senior transfer Joey Wright (San Diego State) has also played in both games.
• Under the watch of Associate Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach Kris Richardson, the Hornets have allowed 68 sacks in 61 games dating back to his arrival in 2019 for an average of 1.11 sacks per game.

COVERING SOME GROUND

• Jared Gipson led the Big Sky Conference a year ago with an average of 17.29 yards per reception en route to earning second team all-Big Sky honors. Last Saturday at Fresno State, the senior used a 78-yard touchdown reception to average 27.6 yards per catch and finished the game with 138 receiving yards on five receptions.
• Through two games, Gipson leads the team with 178 receiving yards and is second with nine receptions. Gipson became the 16th player in school history to record at least 100 receptions as he hit the milestone against the Bulldogs. He also moved into 13th place in career receiving yards and, with another big game against Nicholls, could find himself in the top 10.
• Gipson has now caught at least three passes in 10 games dating back to last season. Nearly half of his receptions in 2023 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.
• 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.

RUSHING TO THE TOP

• Elijah Tau-Tolliver has rushed for 184 yards through the first two games of the season. Tau-Tolliver produced 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns at San Jose State for the most individual rushing yards against an FBS team in program, history. He followed that effort with a team-high 74 yards at Fresno State where he averaged 5.3 yards per carry.
• The Sparks, Nev., native has already accounted for 47.5 percent of his total rushing yards from a year ago. Last season, he totaled 387 yards on the ground and led the team with seven touchdowns.
• Sacramento State has played two games on national television in the last two seasons and both have been 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.

MIX AND MATCH

• Sacramento State has not had the same quarterback start every game of a season since Garrett Safron in 2014 so having two quarterbacks with starting experience is a necessity and no longer a luxury. Through the first two games of 2024, Sacramento State has played both Kaiden Bennett and Carson Conklin at the position.
• Against San Jose State, Bennett played the majority of the game where he completed 17-of-32 passes for 134 yards and touchdown. Bennett was shaken up after scrambling in the third quarter and was replaced by Carson Conklin who threw a 20-yard touchdown pass on his second play of the game.
• Bennett played the majority of the first half at Fresno State with Conklin playing all of the final two quarters. Bennett was 5-of-13 for 135 yards with a touchdown and an interception. His scoring play was the 78-yard touchdown pass to Jared Gipson and was the longest completed pass of his career. Conklin was 20-of-37 for 219 yards and tied his career high with three touchdown passes. 
• Despite not starting a game through the first two weeks of the season, Conklin is tied for 12th in the FCS with four passing touchdowns. He has now thrown 10 TD passes in his six career games. 
• 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.

ANY WAY POSSIBLE

• Mason Brosseau is making the most of his opportunity in the starting lineup at defensive tackle. The junior has been credited with a sack in the first two games and ranks 14th in the FCS and fourth in the Big Sky at 1.0 sacks per game.
• Brosseau's first sack this season came without him touching the quarterback. At SJSU, Brosseau pressured the Spartan quarterback who then tossed the ball away and was called for intentional grounding. By rule, Brosseau is credited for a sack on the play.
• Last week at Fresno State, he won a foot race with Bulldog quarterback Mikey Keene resulting in a 17-yard sack. The Hanford, Calif., native now has five career sacks in his last 10 games.
• Brosseau is part of a revamped defensive line which needed to replace all four starting positions from a year ago. The interior of the line was expected to be manned by Xavier Williams and Brandon Knott but both have been sidelined by injuries, opening the door for Brosseau to start at tackle.
• Through two games, seven defensive linemen have recorded tackles for the team and 13 have appeared in at least one contest.

BACK ON TRACK

• Linebacker Will Leota led Sacramento State with eight tackles and also had an interception against Fresno State. The performance was a complete turnaround for the senior who was disqualified from the game due to a targeting call in the first quarter in his Hornet debut.
• Despite not having played a game at Sacramento State, Leota was named to the preseason all-Big Sky team. He 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 reunites with his former defensive coordinator, Misi Tupe, who joined the Hornet staff as the linebackers coach this offseason.

SCHREINER ENTERS TOP 10

• Senior kicker Zach Schreiner made all four of his extra points as well as a 34-yard field goal at Fresno State to move into a pair of career top 10s in school history. Despite being with the team for just over a year, Schreiner also topped the triple-digits in career points and now has 103 in 14 career games.
• 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 12-of-13 on field goal attempts inside 40-yards as a Hornet. 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 185 consecutive PATs. The team's last missed extra point came at Montana State on Oct. 12, 2019.

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

• Nickelback Davion Ross and safety Eian Moore are both back and playing for the team after missing all of last season due to injuries. The pair are part of 10 Sacramento State players who had started a game for the team prior to this season.
• 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. 

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 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.

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,  the Washington Redskins of the NFL and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL. 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.
• 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.

SERIES NOTES

• This is the second meeting between the two teams and the final game of a home-and-home contract. Last season, Sacramento State opened the year with a 38-24 win over the Colonels.
• Nicholls will become the fourth member of the Southland Conference to play a game at Hornet Stadium. The first team to visit was Texas State (then Southwest Texas State) in 1995. UIW has played in Sacramento twice, the first a 56-22 Hornet win in 2017 and the second a memorable 66-63 victory by the Cardinals in the 2022 FCS playoffs. Most recently Texas A&M-Commerce visited last season with Sacramento State winning, 34-6.
• Nicholls will become the first team from Louisiana to play at Hornet Stadium. The Hornets have faced Grambling in the 1968 Junior Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., LA Tech in Ruston, La., in 1977 and at Nicholls last season.

CONNECTIONS

• Sacramento State has no players from Louisiana and Nicholls has just one from California in kicker Ray Vallee. The senior hails from Orinda, Calif., graduated from Miramonte HS and played at Diablo Valley JC (54 miles from Sac State).
• The next closest connection between the two teams is that each roster features a native of Houston. Nicholls linebacker Quinton Sharkey is from Hightower HS while the Hornets have defensive end Josh Cashiola from Strake Jesuit Prep HS. Defensive tackle Tyler Henry lists Houston as his hometown but attended De La Salle HS in the Bay Area.