A BRIEF PREVIEW

• Winners of four of their last five games, Sacramento State will get its second crack at an FCS top five opponent as it welcomes No. 4 Montana to Hornet Stadium for a rare Friday night contest. The game, which will be played in front of a national television audience, will kickoff at 7:30 p.m.
• The Hornets moved above .500 (4-3 overall, 2-1 Big Sky) for the first time this season after a thrilling 40-35 victory over Northern Colorado last Saturday. Sacramento State rushed for over 300 yards for the third time this season and the defense picked off the Bears four times in the victory. Despite all that, the defense was forced to come up with a fourth-down stop with just seconds remaining to secure the win.
• This week's game will be aired nationally on ESPN2. Chuckie Kempf will handle the play-by-play with former Notre Dame running back Darius Walker serving as the analyst.
• Hornet fans can tune in to ESPN 1320 AM to hear the radio call of Jason Ross (play-by-play), Steve McElroy (analyst) and Danny Sullivan (sideline). Live audio streaming is also available via www.hornetsports.com and the Audacy app.

OPPONENT PREVIEW: MONTANA

• Montana enters this week with an unblemished 7-0 overall record and a 3-0 mark in conference play. The Grizzlies have played six of their first seven games of the season at home with their only road game coming at Idaho State on Oct. 4.
• The Griz have scored at least 40 points in five of their seven games and are averaging 40.4 points per game while surrendering 22.6 points per contest.
• The offense is guided by quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat, running back Eli Gillman and all-purpose player Michael Wortham. Ah Yat has passed for 291.7 yards per game while completing 68.3 percent of his passes. Gillman averages 6.4 yards per rush and 110.9 yards per game and has already scored 11 touchdowns. Wortham, who prepped at Center HS and played at Sierra JC, has 610 receiving yards, 134 rushing yards and has combined for eighth touchdowns.
• Bobby Hauck is in his 20th season as a collegiate head coach and his second tenure with Montana. Hauck is the Big Sky's winningest coach with a 145-41 record at Montana. Combined with his years at San Diego State, he is 160-90.
• Montana leads the all-time series, 21-4, but the Hornets have won three of the previous four meetings.

BECOMING REPETITIVE

• For the second week in a row, a Sacramento State player has been named the winner Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week award. Grant Meadors took home this week's honor after accounting for 16 points in the win over Northern Colorado. 
• Meadors made field goals of 37, 28, 34 and 42 yards against the Bears. His final two field goals erased a one-point deficit and gave the team a 40-35 lead. He also made all four of his extra point attempts.
• The sophomore entered the game having made 4-of-5 field goal attempts this season and then doubled that total during the game. His first and last field goals against the Bears eclipsed his season long.
• His four field goals are tied for the second most in school single-game history. He became the fifth Hornet to have four in a game joining Edgar Castaneda (2012), Chris Diniz (2010), Bret LeVier (2002) and Jim Crouch (1991). Brad Cornish holds the school record with five against Weber State in 2014.
• Meadors came to the Hornets after spending two seasons at Oregon. He played in six games for the Ducks where he was 5-of-5 on PATs but never attempted a field goal.
• Rodney Hammond, Jr., won the Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week award the week prior. Hammond had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Weber State. The pair are only the second set of Hornets to earn the award since Sacramento State joined the Big Sky in 1996. The previous occurrence came in 2014 when Cornish and returner DeAndre Carter were recognized.
• The Hornets have also had two players named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week this year. Koa Akui earned the award after having two interceptions at Nevada in week two. Dylan Hampsten was recognized after the Central Arkansas game where he had 3.5 TFLs including 2.5 sacks.

ALL EYES ON US

• This week's game will mark the fourth time since 2022 that Sacramento State has played in front of a national television audience. The team first appeared on ESPN2 in 2022 when it topped Montana, 31-24, in overtime in a battle of top 10 programs. The following year, the Hornets fell at home to then-No. 7 Montana State, 42-30. Last year, Sacramento State opened the season at San Jose State on a game broadcast on TruTV in which the Spartans won 42-24.
• Dating back to 2019, the Hornets have had 49 games broadcast on television network with the majority coming on the local package on KMAX 31.

KEEPING IT 300

• For just the third time in the last 20 seasons, Sacramento State has posted three 300-yard rushing games during a single season. Most recently, the team had 57 rushing attempts for 323 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Northern Colorado. Prior to that game, Sacramento State rushed for 397 yards and seven touchdowns at Weber State and had 349 yards and five TDs on the ground against Mercyhurst.
• The last time the Hornets had multiple 300-yard rushing games in a season came in 2022 when the team did it four times and was led by Cameron Skattebo. Sacramento State surpassed 300 rushing yards twice in 2019 and did it four times in 2017. That season included three straight 300-yard games with 333 against Southern Utah, 307 at Eastern Washington and 318 against Idaho State.
• The 397 yards at WSU this season rank second in school single-game history and was the most in a road game. The only performance with a higher total was the 470 against Idaho State. That game featured a then-NCAA record 409 yards from Charles Roberts by himself.

Sacramento State Single-Game Rushing Yards

1. 470 vs. Idaho State 11/6/99
2. 397 at Weber State 10/11/25
3. 392 vs. Cal Poly 9/9/00
4. 385 vs. Eastern Washington 10/15/22
5. 378 vs. Utah Tech 9/3/22

• Sacramento State has had six 100-yard individual rushing performances this season. Half of that total has come from Rodney Hammond, Jr., who has rushed for 105 yards against Cal Poly, 106 at Weber State and 134 against UNC.
• True freshman Jaquail Smith has also had back-to-back 100-yard games. Smith saw his first significant playing time at Weber State where he had 135 yards and two TDs. He followed that effort with 103 yards against the Bears. The pair became the first Hornet duo to each go over the century mark in back-to-back games since Donald Hair and Rob Harrison in 1985. In those games Hair had 128 yards and Harrison added 111 against Humboldt State on Oct. 19. The following week Harrison led the team with 126 and Hair added 110 against Chico State. The pair added a third performance later that season against UC Davis.
• Hammond and Smith were joined by Cardell Williams who had 139 yards and three touchdowns at WSU. The group became the first trio of running backs to each have 100 rushing yards in a game in school history.

MOVING ON UP

With the help of the 300-yard games, Sacramento State remains the Big Sky leader and is fourth in the FCS in rushing this season. The Hornets have rushed for 1,731 yards on 299 attempts and have found the end zone 20 times.

2025 FCS Rushing Offense Rush YPG

1. Delaware State 327.0
2. Jackson State 266.7
3. Tennessee Tech 260.1
4. Sacramento State 247.3
5. North Dakota State 242.1
6. Lehigh 236.4
7. Tarleton State 234.0
8. UTRGV 232.4
9. Montana State 225.6
10. The Citadel 223.3

• No player on the Hornet roster is ranked among the national leaders in the FCS. Hammond leads the group at 71.6 yards per game which places him 40th. Damian Henderson II is currently 78th and Cardell Williams is 160th.
• Hammond has accounted for 28.9 percent of the rushing yards with a team-high 501 on the year. Henderson (398), Williams (285), Smith (239) and Sam Adams II (125) have all gone for at least 100 yards this year.
• In all 13 players have at least one carry this season and five have rushed for touchdowns.

DOING IT ALL

• Hammond has also exploded as a kick returner in recent games. He had a 99-yard touchdown return at Weber State and finished the UNC game with 95 return yards, including a 52-yarder. He now ranks third in the FCS with an average of 31.0 yards on 12 kick returns this seasons.
• Combined with his rushing yards and 87 receiving yards, Hammond now has 960 all-purpose yards this year. His average of 137.1 is second in the Big Sky and seventh in the FCS.
• The FCS and Big Sky leader will also be on the field on Friday as Montana's Michael Wortham averages 170.3 yards per game.

TRUE FACTS

• Sacramento State has turned to its youth in the last two weeks. The showcase began at Weber State where Jaquail Smith rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
• This past weekend, Smith had 103 yards and was one of three true freshmen to make an impact for the Hornets. Tight end Bear Tenney hauled in a 25-yard touchdown catch on his first collegiate reception and safety Lono Chouteau recorded an interception and was credited for three tackles against the Bears.

TURNOVER TIDBITS

• After not creating a turnover for three consecutive games, Sacramento State flipped the script with four interceptions against Northern Colorado. The four picks tied the school Div. I-era record which had happened 12 previous times. The most recent occurrence came against Idaho State on Oct. 28, 2023.
• Koa Akui came up with the first interception as he grabbed a deflected ball for his fourth interception of the year. His four picks are the most by a Hornet since Marte Mapu and Muncie Filer III each had four in 2019. The last player with more than four interceptions in a season was Dre Terrell who had five in 2017.
• Akui is the Big Sky leader and is tied for fifth in the FCS with 0.57 interceptions per game. He has also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble to play a role in six takeaways this season.
• Akui did not have an interception in his first two seasons with the team. He played in seven games as a redshirt freshman in 2023 where he had seven total tackles. Last season, he had one tackle in the opener at San Jose State and then missed the remainder of the year due to an injury. 
• The team's other three interceptions came from Ricky Lee III, Jason Oliver and Lono Chouteau. Each recorded their first interception as a Hornet (Lee previously had two while playing at UAB). 
• The Hornet offense went turnover free for the second consecutive week and the team is now plus-2 on the year which is tied for 37th in the FCS.
• The Hornets have now gone turnover free in back-to-back games for the first time since 2021 against Idaho State and Southern Utah.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

• Sacramento State's splits in wins and losses have been fairly dramatic. The Hornets have scored 49, 45, 55 and 40 points in their three wins. The 55 points scored at Weber State were the most in a Big Sky road game in school history. 

CAUTION: EXPLOSIVE

• Sacramento State added three more plays of at least 25 yards against Northern Colorado and now has 25 this year. Against UNC, the Hornets scored touchdowns on a 46-yard run from Rodney Hammond, Jr., a 34-yard run from Sam Adams II and a 25-yard pass to Bear Tenney.
• Both running plays came on fourth-down attempts and now gives the Hornets five runs of at least 25 yards on fourth down plays this season.
• Damian Henderson II owns the longest play of the season by a Hornet with his 85-yard touchdown run against Central Arkansas. 
• Overall, 12 players have plays of at least 25 yards for Sacramento State in 2025.
• UNC also had success with the big play on Saturday. The Bears had four pass plays and one rush of 25 yards or more. That total included three passes of at least 50 yards and touchdowns of 75 and 62 yards. Prior to the game, the Hornets had surrendered just two passes of 50-plus yards in their first six games.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES

• Sacramento State was limited to one sack and two TFLs against Northern Colorado. The performance dropped the Hornets to second in the FCS with 3.57 sacks per game and sixth in with 7.6 tackles-for-loss per game.
• Sacramento State's 25 sacks are already greater than or equal to the season total of 17 of the school's 31 Div. I-AA/FCS seasons. If the team is able to stay on its average of four sacks per game this week, it will move into the school single-season top 10.
• The Hornet total has been aided by a couple of monster performances. The team opened the season with seven sacks at South Dakota State and later added eight against Central Arkansas. SDSU has surrendered just four sacks since that opening game.
• The eight sacks against UCA were the third-most by a Hornet team during the Div. I-era. The only games with more sacks by Sacramento State came against Idaho State (Nov. 12, 2011) and at Portland State (Sept. 15, 2007 where the team had 10.
• Thirteen players have recorded at least a share of a sack this season. The group is led by Jayland McGlothen who has tallied six. Dylan Hampsten is second with 4.5, Xavier Williams has four, Deven Wright has two and DeSean Watts 1.5. Five others have one sack and two share a sack. 
• McGlothen's mark is the most by a Hornet since Armon Bailey also had six in 2022. Twelve players have had at least 10 sacks in a season for Sacramento State, led by 14 from George Obinna in 2019.
• Sacramento State's school single-season sack record of 53 came during the 1986 season. The Div. I-era record of 44 came in 2019. 

Sacramento State Single-Season Sacks (FCS era)

Year-Sacks, Individual Leader
1. 2019-44, George Obinna (14)
2. 2017-43, Sorensen/Obinna (10)
T3. 2012-33, Avery White (4.5)
T3. 2004-33, Jacob Houston (10)
5. 2008-31, Mike Brannon (9)
6. 1995-30, Jason Sandel (12)
T7. 2007-29, Mike Brannon (9.5)
T7. 1999-29, Anthony Daisley (12)
9. 1998-28, Dustin Smith (10)
T10. 2024-27, Josh Cashiola (4)
T10. 2010-27, Zack Nash (13)
12. 2000-26, Bilal Watkins (6.5)
T13. 2023-25, Stanley/Lynch (4.5)
T13. 2025-25, Jayland McGlothen (6)

• The school single-season record for TFLs in a season in the Div. I-era is 110.0 in 2019. The next closest is 93 in 2017. 
• Sacramento State's current leaders in TFLs are Hampsten (8.0) and McGlothen (7.5). Both are at the halfway point to reaching the school single-season top 10 for TFLs. Anthony Daisley holds the record with 25.0 in 1999 while Zack Nash is 10th with 15.0.

THE FLASH

• Wide receiver Ernest Campbell accounts for the three longest receptions of the year and four of the top five as he has TD grabs of 75, 62, 57 and 50 yards. Campbell now ranks second in school single-season history for TD receptions of 50 yards or longer, trailing only Andre Lindsey who had TDs of 69, 60, 56 and 53 in 2017. He is also tied for sixth in school career history in 50-yard receptions. That record is also held by Lindsey who had seven in his two years with the program.
• He has caught 16 passes this season for a team-high 375 yards and four TDs. His average of 23.44 yards per catch leads the Big Sky and places him fourth in the FCS.
• Campbell came to the Hornets from Texas A&M where he redshirted in 2024 and did not appear in a game. He did, however, run track for the Aggies and earned honorable mention All-America honors after finishing 22nd at the NCAA Div. I Outdoor Championships in the 100-meter dash. Campbell reached the championships after setting a personal-best at the West Preliminary with a blistering time of 10.02 seconds.

DO YOUR JOB

• Punter Cal McGough was called upon three times during the game against Northern Colorado where the senior averaged just 37.0 yards per punt with a long of 40. Numbers can be deceiving as McGough landed two attempts inside the 20-yard line including one that was fair-caught at the 6-yard line.
• This season, McGough has averaged 42.0 yards per punt and has placed eight of his 22 kicks inside the opponent 20-yard line. He has also had two punts of at least 50 yards and has shown his athleticism with a 13-yard rush on a fake punt attempt at Nevada.
• The Geelong, Australia native moved into fifth for career punt yards at Sacramento State in the game against Northern Colorado.

Career Punt Attempts 
6. Smith Heath, 2011-15, 144
7. Cal McGough, 2022-25, 136 

Career Punt Yards Total 
3. Mitch Lively, 2003-06, 8,370
4. Chris Pappas, 1975-77, 5,828 
5. Cal McGough, 2022-25, 5,719

Career Punt Average Avg.
1. Justin Weldon, 2012-13, 44.16
2. Doyle Brunson, 1968-69, 42.27
3. Cal McGough, 2022-25, 42.05

QUICK HITTERS

• Sacramento State has yet to use the same helmet and uniform combination in a game in the 2025 season.
• The crowd of 20,022 against Northern Colorado was the third-largest in school history at Hornet Stadium and the largest not against UC Davis.
• Jaden Rashada became the 33rd quarterback and Cardell Williams the 34th to start a game for the Hornets in the school's Div. I-AA/FCS era.
• The Hornets had scored a touchdown in 83 consecutive games until finishing with three points at SDSU. The last time Sacramento State did not have a TD was in a 28-6 loss at Idaho on Aug. 31, 2017.
• The team's 18:54 time of possession at South Dakota State was the lowest in the school's Div. I era.
• The Hornets scored touchdowns on six consecutive possessions against Mercyhurst. The streak began in the final seconds of the second quarter and continued until the team took a knee to run out the clock in the fourth. The team then opened the game against Central Arkansas with touchdowns on its opening three possessions.
• The 2025 season will be the team's final in the Big Sky Conference. Sacramento State will move the majority of its sports to The Big West in the fall of 2026. At this time, no decision has been made on what conference football will be a part of next season.

SERIES NOTES

• After only having one win in the first 21 games of the series, Sacramento State has won three of the previous four matchups.
• This will be Brennan Marion's first matchup against the Griz but the 13th for Bobby Hauck against the Hornets.

CONNECTIONS

• Sacramento State has no players from Montana.
• Montana has 12 players from California including three who have ties to the Sacramento area. All-purpose back Michael Wortham played at Center HS and Sierra JC. Defensive lineman Giovanni Pifferini played at El Dorado HS in Placerville, Calif., and offensive lineman Everett Johnson prepped at Turlock HS.
• Hornet QB Jaden Rashada and Griz WR Korbin Hendriz played at Arizona State; Sacramento State C Dean Abdullah and Montana LB Caleb Otlewski both transferred from San Diego State.
• Sacramento State assistant Jeremiah Kose played for Montana 2012-15 where he was a two-time all-Big Sky selection.

SERIES LEADERS

Sacramento State
Rushing
234, Elijah Dotson (30 att., 3 TD), 2018
177, Ryan Mole (23 att., TD), 2004
176, Charles Roberts (43 att., TD), 1998

Passing
412, Garrett Safron (25-33-0-5), 2014
369, Kevin Thomson (24-34-1-4), 2019
323, Jason Smith (31-46-2-3), 2009

Receiving
165, DeAndre Carter (12 rec., TD), 2013
153, Pierre Williams (8 rec., TD), 2019
130, Tony Washington (12 rec.), 2008

Tackles
19, Jimmy Ellingson (9-10, TFL), 2004
18, Peter Buck (6-12), 2009
14, Ryan Kroeker (7-7), 2003

Montana
Rushing
206, Dalton Sneed (16 att., 3 TD), 2018
187, Josh Brannen (14 att., 3 TD), 1997
167, Yohance Humphrey (27 att., TD), 1999

Passing
453, Brian Ah Yat (24-40-4-4), 1996
381, Jordan Johnson (19-38-0-2), 2013

Receiving
225, Joe Douglass (8 rec., 2 TD), 1996
180, Ellis Henderson (5 rec., TD), 2013
149, Etu Molden (7 rec., 2 TD), 2001

Tackles
17, Jace Lewis (10-7), 2019
16, Vince Huntsberger (8-8, PBU), 1998
15, Dante Olson (4-11, TFL), 2018