Football 9/17/2024 1:01:00 PM

#11 FOOTBALL BACK ON THE ROAD TO PLAY AT TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE ON SATURDAY

Hornets to play third road game in four weeks and make first trip to Texas in a decade

A BRIEF PREVIEW

Sacramento State will play its third road game in four weeks as it makes it's first trip to Texas A&M-Commerce for a matchup with the Lions on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 4 p.m. PT.
The Hornets made the most of their first game against an FCS opponent, rolling over then No. 24 Nicholls, 24-7, on Saturday night at Hornet Stadium. The victory improved Sacramento State to 1-2 on the year and kept the team ranked 11th in both the AFCA FCS coaches poll and the Stats Perform media poll. The Hornet defense limited Nicholls to just 10 rushing yards with the help of 14 tackles-for-loss and seven sacks. Linebacker Will Leota was named the FCS national and Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week after leading the team in tackles, tackles-for-loss and sacks.
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 streamed on ESPN+. Greg Higgins (play-by-play) and Adam Routon (analyst) will team to bring the action.

OPPONENT PREVIEW: TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE

Texas A&M-Commerce is 0-3 on the year but has had been competitive in each game. The Lions held a 6-3 lead at halftime at San Diego State in the season opener before the Aztecs pulled away for a 45-14 win. The following week, Commerce trailed 22-0 at UC Davis but rallied in the second half to make it a one-score game (29-22) before throwing a pick six in the final minute of a 36-22 loss. Most recently, the Lions led 28-21 before Grambling tied the game with 1:18 remaining and won in overtime, 35-28.
The Lions' offense has shown the ability to be explosive as they torched UC Davis for 457 passing yards. However, the team has also been turnover prone through three weeks with seven interceptions and six fumbles lost. Junior college transfer Ron Peace has thrown for 621 yards and three touchdowns but does have six interceptions. Seven Texas A&M-Commerce receivers average at least 10 yards per reception led by Tyler Daniels who has eight catches for 142 yards. The team's leading rusher is BK Jackson who has amassed 175 yards and scored two touchdowns. Jackson has also only lost two yards through the first three games.
Commerce has created 20 TFLs, including six sacks on defense. The unit is led by Brandon Tucker and Kendall Paul who each have 3.5 TFLs.
Clint Dolezel is in his second season as the head coach at his alma mater. Dolezel, who had a 13-year Arena Football League career, also serves as the team's offensive play caller.

POW: LEOTA EARNS PAIR OF HONORS

Linebacker Will Leota was named the Stats Perform FCS Defensive Player of the Week and the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week following the team's win against Nicholls. Leota became the first Hornet to win the national defensive honor since Dre Terrell had three interceptions against Incarnate Word on Sept. 9, 2017.
Leota led a Sacramento State defense which did not surrender a point to 24th-ranked Nicholls with 10 tackles, including three for loss and two sacks.
Through three games, Leota leads the team with 19 total tackles. Saturday marked his first game with at least 10 tackles as a Hornet and was the eighth of his collegiate career.
Leota led Sacramento State with eight tackles and also had an interception against Fresno State. The performance was a complete turnaround after he was disqualified from the SJSU 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.

RETURN TO THE LONE STAR STATE

Sacramento State will be playing its first game in Texas since playing at UIW to start the 2014 season.
Along with facing the Cardinals, the Hornets have also played at West Texas A&M (1989), Abilene Christian (1991), Stephen F. Austin (1994), Texas State (1997) and UTEP (2002).

RANKINGS REHASH

Sacramento State remained ranked 11th in the latest Stats Perform media poll and AFCA coaches poll.
This week marks the 43rd time since the start of the 2019 season that the team has been ranked in the top 25 and the 35th 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.

SACK STATE

Through the first two games of the season, the Hornets had three team sacks with two coming from defensive tackle Mason Brosseau and one from defensive end Fata Puloka. Sacramento State more than doubled that total with seven sacks against Nicholls coming from six different players.
Along with the two from Will Leota, sacks were also credited to Ben Ahio, Josh Cashiola, Nakian Jackson, Davion Ross and Brandon Knott. The sacks were the first for each during the 2024 season and the first of the career for Jackson and Ross.
The seven team sacks 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.

GOING BACKWARDS

The sacks accounted for half the 14 tackles-for-loss against Nicholls. The last time the Hornets had 10 or more TFLs came against Cal Poly on Nov. 6, 2021 when they had 10. The previous record for most TFLs in a game was 13 against Weber State on Sept. 30, 2000.
The 14 tackles-for-loss against the Colonels forced the team back 74 yards. That large chunk limited Nicholls to just 10 net rushing yards in the game. The last team to rush for 10 yards or less against Sacramento State was Idaho State which finished with minus-2 yards on Sept. 29, 2012.
Sacramento State now ranks fourth in the FCS for rush defense. The Hornets are allowing 76.0 yards per game. Mercer currently leads the FCS at 13.0 rushing yards allowed per game. Presbyterian is a distant second at 69.3 rushing yards allowed per game.

DOING THEIR JOB, AGAIN

For the sixth time in the last two seasons — and second straight week — Sacramento State's offensive line did not allow a sack. 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.
Against Nicholls, the Hornet front five was forced to protect for 32 pass attempts and came out unblemished. Sacramento State has only allowed two sacks for a total of nine yards through the first three games of the season. That mark is tied for seventh in the FCS at 0.67 sacks allowed per game. Drake is the only FCS team to not allow a sack but the Bulldogs have only played one game. Five other teams have only surrendered one sack this year. Among the 14 FCS teams which have allowed two or fewer sacks this year, the Hornets have the most pass attempts (124). The only other teams with over 100 pass attempts are Monmouth (115) and Cal Poly (106).
The Fresno State 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 Mejia 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 38 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. Aidan Meek has manned the right tackle position for 12 games dating back to last season.
Along with the starting five, senior transfer Joey Wright (San Diego State) has also played in all three games.
Under the watch of Associate Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach Kris Richardson, the Hornets have allowed 68 sacks in 62 games dating back to his arrival in 2019 for an average of 1.09 sacks per game.

THE FRESHMEN ARE THE FUTURE

The future of Sacramento State football was on display last Saturday night as a redshirt freshmen quarterback tossed touchdowns to a pair of redshirt freshmen receivers in the win over Nicholls.
Carson Conklin earned the start at quarterback and played the entire game, completing 22-of-32 passes for 264 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Conklin did have one interception which was deflected off the hands of an intended receiver.
Conklin had split time with Kaiden Bennett at the position in the first two games and now has six touchdown passes this season and has completed 59.0 percent of his passes. He is currently tied for ninth in the FCS in touchdowns thrown and leads the Big Sky Conference.
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.
Danny Scudero caught four passes for 102 yards and a touchdown all in the first half against Nicholls. The game marked the first 100-yard receiving effort for the San Jose, Calif., native. Scudero's total was aided by a 41-yard reception and a 34-yard touchdown. During the game, he averaged 25.5 yards per catch and now leads the team with 16 receptions, 205 receiving yards and two TD catches this season.
Onterrio Smith Jr. made his collegiate debut against Nicholls and caught a pair of passes for seven yards. Smith hauled in his first touchdown as a Hornet late in the fourth quarter when he outjumped a defender for a 4-yard score.
The Hornets also played redshirt freshman running back Curron Borders (five rushing yards) as well as redshirt freshmen linebacker Derek Houston (five tackles) and safety Xander Chisolm (one tackle) during the game.

TWO OUT OF THREE AIN'T BAD

Elijah Tau-Tolliver recorded his second game with at least 100 rushing yards this season as he amassed 111 yards on 21 carries against Nicholls. The total was the highest of Tau-Tolliver's career and he was just one attempt away from matching his career best. Through three games this season, Tau-Tolliver has 295 rushing yards and three scores. His average of 98.3 yards per game places him 18th in the FCS and fourth in the Big Sky.
Tau-Tolliver began the year with 110 rushing 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 76.2 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.

CLIMBING THE LADDER

Jared Gipson caught three passes for 24 yards against Nicholls and has now caught at least three passes in 11 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.
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. This year, he ranks eighth in the league with 16.8 yards per catch but boasts the highest average for players who have caught nine or more passes.
The senior showed his big play ability at Fresno State, as he 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 three games, Gipson ranks second on the team with 202 receiving yards and 12 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 Texas A&M-Commerce, could find himself in the top 10.
The Stockton, Calif., native set his season bests during that final stretch of last season. 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.

SCHREINER ENTERS TOP 10

Senior kicker Zach Schreiner made all four of his extra points as well as a pair of field goals (25, 44) against Nicholls. The 44-yard field goal in the third quarter matched his career long as a Hornet. Despite being with the team for just over a year, Schreiner also topped the triple-digits in career points and now has 113 in 15 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 13-of-15 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 192 consecutive PATs. The team's last missed extra point came at Montana State on Oct. 12, 2019.

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.
Both players have made their impact felt in the last two games. Moore recorded his first career interception as a Hornet when he picked off a pass at Fresno State. Ross tallied his first collegiate sack against Nicholls.
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 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.

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.

YOU'RE IN GOOD HANDS

Sacramento State 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. 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.

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 defeated the Lions, 34-6, at Hornet Stadium.
The Hornets have faced at least one member of the Southland Conference the last three seasons beginning with the NCAA FCS quarterfinals against Incarnate Word in 2022. The team is schedule to begin a home-and-home series with Lamar next season which will keep the streak alive.

CONNECTIONS

Sacramento State has four players on its roster which list Texas as their home state. Defensive end Josh Cashiola is a Houston native who prepped at Strake Jesuit HS. Defensive tackle Tyler Henry also is a product of Houston but attended high school at De La Salle in the Bay Area of California. Safety Kaleb Higgins was raised in Austin, Texas but prepped at Folsom HS near Sacramento. Wide receiver Joshua Nicholson is from Grand Prairie, Texas and graduated from South Grand Prairie HS.
Texas A&M-Commerce has five players from California comprised of QB Will Madonna from Lakewood (Mayfair HS/Long Beach City JC), WR Nick Johnson from Rancho Cucamonga (The Webb School), OL Santos Valdez from Filmore (Bishop Heelan HS), OL Jaidyn Jones from Glendora (Los Osos HS/Citrus JC), and DB Jason Dandridge from Berkeley (Lincoln Univ.)

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Players Mentioned

#94 Ben Ahio: DL; 6' 4"; Senior

#1 Kaiden Bennett: QB; 6' 0"; Senior

#14 Curron Borders: RB; 5' 7"; Redshirt Freshman

#95 Mason Brosseau: DL; 6' 3"; Junior

#19 Josh Cashiola: DL; 6' 3"; Junior

#37 Xander Chisolm: S; 6' 2"; Redshirt Freshman

#17 Carson Conklin: QB; 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman

#27 Gavin Davis-Smith: S; 5' 11"; Senior

#8 Jared Gipson: WR; 6' 1"; Senior

#72 Sawyer Hays: OL; 6' 6"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#94 Ben Ahio
: 6' 4"; Senior
: DL

#1 Kaiden Bennett
: 6' 0"; Senior
: QB

#14 Curron Borders
: 5' 7"; Redshirt Freshman
: RB

#95 Mason Brosseau
: 6' 3"; Junior
: DL

#19 Josh Cashiola
: 6' 3"; Junior
: DL

#37 Xander Chisolm
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Freshman
: S

#17 Carson Conklin
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman
: QB

#27 Gavin Davis-Smith
: 5' 11"; Senior
: S

#8 Jared Gipson
: 6' 1"; Senior
: WR

#72 Sawyer Hays
: 6' 6"; Junior
: OL

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned

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