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Football

FOOTBALL HEADS TO WEBER STATE FOLLOWING BYE WEEK

Hornets look to even overall and Big Sky record with a win over the Wildcats

A BRIEF PREVIEW

  • Sacramento State returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 11, when it plays at Weber State at 5 p.m. PT. The Hornets  have not played a road game since Sept. 6 at Nevada. Since that time, the team played three consecutive home games and had its lone bye week of the season.
  • Both teams are 2-3 overall and 0-1 in Big Sky Conference games. The Hornets most recently fell 32-24 to Cal Poly as Sacramento State could not overcome three first-half interceptions. Rodney Hammond, Jr., became the second player this season to cross the century mark as he had 105 rushing yards in the game.
  • With its bye week in the books, the Hornets will now play seven straight conference games to end the regular season. 
  • This week's game will be streamed on ESPN+. Brandon Garside and former Utah State quarterback Riley Jensen will call the action.
  • 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.

OPPONENT PREVIEW: WEBER STATE

  • Weber State opened the season with back-to-back road losses at James Madison and Arizona. Against FCS teams, the Wildcats are 2-1 with a 42-41 win at McNeese,  a 38-24 home win against Butler and then a 34-12 defeat at UC Davis. Saturday's game will be just the second home game for WSU this season.
  • Jackson Gilkey, a transfer from UTSA, had taken over as the starting quarterback for Weber State but is expected to miss week's game with a leg injury. Gilkey has completed 59-of-115 passes (51.3 percent) for 693 yards and four touchdowns with nine interceptions. Gilkey also ranks second on the team in rushing as he's picked up 227 yards and a score on 51 carries. His total only trails Davion Godley who has rushed for 361 yards and three scores.
  • Linebacker Mason Hitchens is the team's leading tackler with 32 total stops. As a team, the Wildcats have created 10 sacks and 27 tackles-for-loss. Josh Hardy leads the team with two sacks while Keanist Thompson has a team-high 3.5 TFLs.
  • Mickey Mental is in his third season leading WSU and owns a 12-16 record during that span. Prior to taking the job at Weber State, Mental was the head coach at NCAA Div. II Notre Dame College (Ohio) where his teams produced a 16-2 record in two seasons.

BYE, BYE, BYE

  • Sacramento State has won six of its last eight games immediately following a bye. The Hornets defeated Portland State, 42-34, in 2016, topped Idaho State, 41-21, in 2017, knocked off then-No. 22 EWU 48-27 in 2019, blew out Southern Utah, 41-20, in 2021, won at UNI, 37-21, in 2023 and posted a 21-13 win at UNC in 2024.
  • The team's only losses during that stretch came in 2018 where the Hornets fell to Cal Poly, 41-27 and last season at home against Eastern Washington (35-28).
  • Prior to the recent success, Sacramento State had an unbelievable 10-game losing streak coming off a bye from 2006-15. The schedule makers did no favors to the Hornets in that skid as the team faced a ranked opponent in six of those games. 

TOTAL TEAM EFFORT

  • Sacramento State surpassed 1,000 rushing yards as a team this season during the game against Cal Poly. The Hornets have picked up 1,011 yards on the ground and are averaging 202.2 yards per game.
  • Individually, Damian Henderson II accounts for over a third of the total as he has 351 rushing yards and is tied for the team lead with four touchdowns. Rodney Hammond, Jr., (261 yards) and Cardell Williams (153) are the only other players to have crossed the century mark this season.
  • The remainder of the total is made up of nine different players who have had at least one rush this season and have combined for 249 rushing yards. 
  • Against Cal Poly, Sacramento State rushed for 230 yards and was led by Hammond who had a season-high 105 yards on 19 carries. Hammond also threw a TD pass in the game as he connected with fellow back Sam Adams II for a 23-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.
  • Hammond is the second Hornet to go over 100 yards in a game this year as Henderson rushed for 137 against Mercyhurst.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES

  • Sacramento State recorded four sacks and 10 tackles-for-loss against the Mustangs and entered the bye week as the FCS national leader in both categories. This season, the Hornets have recorded 22 sacks and 46 TFLs through the first five games. The team's sack total is tied for the most in the FCS and the average of 4.40 sacks per game leads the subdivision.
  • Sacramento State's 22 sacks are already greater than or equal to the season total of 14 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 past the total five other years.
  • 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.
  • Twelve 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 three 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)
13. 2023-25-Stanley/Lynch (4.5)
T14. 2011-24-Zack Nash (10.5)
T14. 1996-24-Damian Mason (6)
16. 2021-23-Josiah Erickson (10)
17. 2025-22-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.

GOING THE DISTANCE

  • Sacramento State added three plays of at least 25 yards in the game against Cal Poly. With the addition of those three explosive plays, the Hornets now have five runs and 14 pass plays that have gone 25 yards or more.
  • Against the Mustangs, Damian Henderson II had a 30-yard rush while Jordan Anderson (35-yards) and Ernest Campbell (62-yards) came down with long receptions. Anderson's catch came on the team's first offensive play of the game while Campbell extended his streak to four-consecutive games with a touchdown of 50 yards or longer.
  • 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.
  • Campbell started his streak with a 75-yard touchdown at Nevada on his first collegiate reception, added a 57-yard touchdown against Mercyhurst and a 50-yarder against Central Arkansas.
  • He has caught 11 passes this season for a team-high 319 yards and four TDs. His average of 29.00 yards per catch places him second in the FCS only behind UTRGV's Xayvion Noland who's averaging 30.17 yards per catch.
  • 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.

TURNOVER TIDBITS

  • Sacramento State finished the Cal Poly game with a minus-3 turnover margin after throwing three interceptions and not creating a turnover. The minus-3 ratio was  the highest for the team since finished the FCS quarterfinal game against UIW at minus-4.
  • The Hornets have not forced a turnover in their last two contests. The last time that occurred came during the 2019 season against Cal Poly, Weber State and Northern Arizona.
  • Sacramento State started the year with two fumble recoveries at South Dakota State and intercepted a pair of passes against Nevada and Mercyhurst.  The Hornets are now minus-two in turnover margin on the year.
  • Safety Koa Akui has played a role in five of the team's six takeaways this season. Akui leads the team with three interceptions, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble on separate plays. Since moving to the FCS in 1993 only 30 Sacramento State players have had more than three interceptions in a season. The high mark during that time belongs to Marvin Brown who had seven in 1994.
  • 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. 

SO SPECIAL

  • Sacramento State's special teams continue to be a bright spot for the team. The Hornets enter this week ranked second nationally and leading the Big Sky with a net punting average of 42.71 yards. The team is also second in the Big Sky in kick return defense and third in punt return defense.
  • Against Cal Poly, punter Cal McGough had five attempts for an average of 44.4 yards and a long of 54 yards. McGough landed one of those attempts inside the 20-yard line and now has six this season on 17 total attempts.
  • Against Nevada, the Geelong, Australia native posted his third successful fake punt of his career. He is now averaging 14.3 yards per carry on those three attempts.

Career Punt Attempts Total 
6. Smith Heath, 2011-15 144
7. Cal McGough, 2022-25 131

Career Punt Yards Total
4. Chris Pappas, 1975-77, 5,828 
5. Augie Heath, 2009-11, 5,670
6. Smith Heath, 2011-15, 5,660 
7. Cal McGough, 2022-25, 5,531

Career Punt Average Avg.
1. Justin Weldon, 2012-13, 44.16
2. Doyle Brunson, 1968-69, 42.27
3. Cal McGough, 2022-25, 42.22

  • Kickers Grant Meadors and Joseph Firebaugh have also been effective. Meadors is 4-of-5 on field goal attempts and is 18-of-18 on PAT tries. His 30 points are the most on the team. Firebaugh handles the kickoff duties where he has averaged 62.7 yards per attempt with 14 touchbacks on his 27 kicks
  • Sacramento State has also had two players with kick returns of at least 40 yards (Tim Conerly, 47; Rodney Hammond, Jr., 40) and also had a 23-yard punt return from Jaxon Fresques. The longest returns allowed this season have been 29 yards on a kickoff and 16 on a punt.

SHARING IS CARING

  • Brennan Marion has described his GoGo offense as "basketball on grass". He envisions the quarterback as the point guard who is constantly looking to share the ball and keep his teammates involved in the game.
  • Through the first five games the Hornet quarterbacks have done exactly that, connecting with 12 different receivers. The team has also had 12 players with a rushing attempt
  • Counting return yards, 18 Hornets have had all-purpose yards (rushing/receiving/return yards). The group is led by Rodney Hammond, Jr., who has 321 yards. Damian Henderson II is the only other player above 300 yards as he has 303.

UNITED FRONT

  • The Hornet offensive line has surrendered just three sacks in the last three games. The unit kept the quarterback clean in the win over Mercyhurst and had just one sack for a 1-yard loss in the victory over UCA. Against Cal Poly, Sacramento State allowed two sacks for a total of 19 yards. However, 15 of those yards came on the final play of the game as the Hornets attempted a Hail Mary to tie the game as time expired.
  • Sacramento State has used the same starting lineup in the last three games with Jordan Herman at left tackle, Kenndel Riley at left guard, Dean Abdullah at center, Jose Soto at right guard and Aidan Meek at right tackle. Herman was banged up during the Cal Poly game and was replaced by Sawyer Hays who has 14 starts during his career.
  • The Hornets shuffled their line in the first two games after allowing two sacks at SDSU and three at Nevada for a combined total of 38 yards.

COMBINING POWERS

  • Sacramento has used a pair of quarterbacks in all five games this season. While not a true 50-50 split like the team used during 2021 and 2022, both Cardell Williams and Jaden Rashada have been involved with the offense in each contest.
  • Williams leads the team with nine touchdowns accounted for this season (5 passing/4 rushing). He earned his first extended playing time at Nevada when Jaden Rashada was shaken up following a targeting call. Williams has started the last three games for the team.
  • Williams is no stranger to seeing game action as he played in 15 games for Tulsa from 2023-24. During that time, he threw for 1,186 yards and 10 touchdowns and also rushed for 267 yards and seven scores. In 2023, he tied the Tulsa freshman record by accounting for 15 touchdowns (10 passing, five rushing).
  • Rashada started the first two games of the year but left the Nevada game in the second quarter. His season has been highlighted by his effort against UCA where he was 2-for-2 for 88 yards and a touchdown.
  • Rashada began his collegiate career at Arizona State where he played in three games in 2023. He was a member of the team at Georgia in 2024 but did not appear in a game for the Bulldogs. Coming out of Pittsburg HS he was ranked as the seventh best QB in the nation by 247Sports.

ROSTER REMODEL

  • With 71 new players on the roster, the 2025 edition of the Hornets have a decidedly different look from last year's team. Sacramento State returned just six players who started at least six games a year ago comprised of three on offense, two on defense and one specialist.
  • The haul of newcomers has garnered national attention as the class was ranked as the best in the FCS by 247Sports. Running back Jamar Curtis was named the second best FCS-to-FCS transfer in 2025 as he moved to Sacramento State following three stellar seasons at Lafayette. The class is also balanced with 35 players on the offensive side, 32 on defense and four specialists.
  • Of the 37 four-year transfers on the roster, eight have come from Power 4 Conferences comprised of QB Jaden Rashada (Georgia), RB Rodney Hammond, Jr. (Pitt), kickers Joseph Firebaugh (UCLA) and Grant Meadors (Oregon), WR Ernest Campbell (Texas A&M), LB Dylan Gooden (Maryland), DL Brodie Tagaloa (Nebraska) and RB Sam Adams II (Washington). The next largest group (23) comes from G5 while five are from fellow FCS schools and one from NCAA Div. II.
  • The 2025 Hornet roster has players from 18 states and travels coast to coast. Safeties Koa Akui and Nash Burkhart hail from Hawaii while the East Coast is represented by athletes from Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
  • California remains the most represented state with 65 players from the Golden State. That includes 11 players from Los Angeles County and nine from Sacramento County.
  • Outside of California, 14 players claim Texas as their home state. The next highest total comes from Nevada with four.
  • Continuing a trend in college football, the Hornets will have a pair of punters from Australia in senior Cal McGough and incoming freshman Hamish Adams.

FAMILY TIES

  • Running back Sam Adams II is the son of former NFL DT Sam Adams. The elder Adams played in the NFL from 1994-2007 and won a Super Bowl with Baltimore in 2001. He also played with Seattle, Oakland, Buffalo, Cincinnati and Denver. The younger Adams began his collegiate career at Washington (2021-24).
  • Outside linebacker Dylan Gooden is the son of former MLB all-star pitcher Dwight Gooden. Dwight played for the Mets, Yankees (twice), Indians, Astros and Rays between 1984-2000.He was a four-time all-star, N.L. Cy Young Winner (1985) and two time World Series champion. Dylan started his collegiate career at Maryland near his hometown of Columbia, Md.
  • Wide receiver Onterrio Smith, Jr., is the son of his namesake father. Onterrio, Sr., was a high school All-American at Grant HS in Sacramento and went to play collegiately at Tennessee and Oregon. He played two seasons in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings.
  • Defensive lineman Xavier Williams is the younger brother of former Hornet wide receiver Pierre Williams. Pierre was a three-time first team all-Big Sky selection and ended his career ranked second in school history with 2,971 career receiving yards.
  • Freshman linebacker Jackson Cahoon is the son of former Hornet linebacker J.B. Cahoon. J.B. played for Sacramento State from 1992-94 and was a first team all-American West Conference as a linebacker.
  • Offensive lineman Luke Slater is the younger brother of former Hornet Jackson Slater. Jackson played for the team between 2021-24 and was a consensus FCS All-American and three-time first team all-Big Sky selection. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.
  • Wide receiver Jaxon Fresques is the great-nephew of Hornet analyst Bobby Fresques
  • Defensive assistant DeAndre Pierce is the son of former NFL linebacker and Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce.
  • Anthony "Shark" Rozier, the special assistant to the head coach, is the grandson of MLB legend and Hall of Famer Hank Aaron.

QUICK HITTERS

  • Despite not playing against Cal Poly, Derek Houston remains the team leader with 30 tackles. Houston is one of five Hornets with 20 or more tackles while two others have 19 stops.
  • 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, football will compete as an FCS independent next season.
  • Five players with Sacramento State ties made opening day NFL rosters. The group is comprised of WR/KR DeAndre Carter who begins his 10th NFL season, and first with the Cleveland Browns, LB Marte Mapu (New England), OL Jackson Slater (Tennessee), CB Daron Bland (Dallas) and RB Cameron Skattebo (New York Giants).

SERIES NOTES

  • Weber State holds a 16-10 lead in the all-time series but the team are even in the last 12 games.
  • Ten of the 26 games have been decided by seven points or less. The Hornets are 6-4 in those games, including 4-1 in games decided by three points or less.
  • In the most recent action in Ogden (2019), the Hornets won 33-30 in a snowy game which pitted a pair of top five teams against each other. That victory snapped a streak of five straight wins for the Wildcats dating back to 2015. Those five wins followed three straight victories by the Hornets between 2012-14. Both streaks were the longest for each team in the series.

CONNECTIONS

  • Weber State has 28 players from California including LB Jaeden Bland and TE Majer Sullivan who both hail from Sacramento.
  • The only players on the Sacramento State roster from Utah are WR Jaxon Fresques (Northridge HS) and TE Bear Tenney (Lone Peak HS).
  • Weber State QB Jackson Gilkey and Sac State WR Jace Wilson both played at UTSA.

SERIES LEADERS

Sacramento State

Rushing 
220, Charles Roberts (27 att., 2 TD), 1999
166, Daimon Shelton (29 att., TD), 1996
154, Charles Roberts (30 att., 3 TD), 2000

Passing
338, Ryan Leadingham (20-35, 1 TD, 2 INT), 2001
305, Ryan Leadingham (22-40, TD), 2002

Receiving
201, Tyrone Taylor (9 rec., 2 TD), 1996
169, Michael Johnson (8 rec., TD), 2001
148, DeAndre Carter (8 rec., 3 TD), 2013

Tackles
27, Darnell Sankey (9-18, BPU), 2015
20, Shane Scott (6-14, TFL), 1998
16, Todd Davis (2-14, 0.5 TFL), 2013
16, Manoah Pearson (6-10), 2016

Weber State

Rushing
240, Johnnie Gray (37 att., 3 TD), 2001
223, Nick Chournos (27 att., 3 TD), 2002
205, Derek Poole (23 att., TD), 1999

Passing
380, Cameron Higgins (21-33, 4 TD), 2008
380, Jadria Clark (25-35-1, TD), 2016
377, Billy Green (36-60, TD), 2014

Receiving
175, Cam Livingston (10 rec.), 2014
154, Tim Toone (8 rec., 3 TD), 2009
128, Tim Toone (6 rec., 4 TD), 2007

Tackles
15, Spencer Sigoda (5-10, TFL), 2001
15, Cory Pantuso (4-11, INT), 2001
14, Four times

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Players Mentioned

Jackson Slater

#76 Jackson Slater

OL
6' 4"
Senior
Koa Akui

#4 Koa Akui

S
5' 10"
Junior
Josh Cashiola

#19 Josh Cashiola

OLB
6' 3"
Senior
Sawyer Hays

#72 Sawyer Hays

OL
6' 6"
Senior
Derek Houston

#10 Derek Houston

ILB
6' 1"
Sophomore
Jayland McGlothen

#58 Jayland McGlothen

DL
6' 2"
Sophomore
Cal McGough

#91 Cal McGough

P
6' 2"
Senior
Aidan Meek

#74 Aidan Meek

OL
6' 5"
Senior
Kenndel Riley

#62 Kenndel Riley

OL
6' 3"
Senior
Luke Slater

#42 Luke Slater

FB
6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman

Players Mentioned

Jackson Slater

#76 Jackson Slater

6' 4"
Senior
OL
Koa Akui

#4 Koa Akui

5' 10"
Junior
S
Josh Cashiola

#19 Josh Cashiola

6' 3"
Senior
OLB
Sawyer Hays

#72 Sawyer Hays

6' 6"
Senior
OL
Derek Houston

#10 Derek Houston

6' 1"
Sophomore
ILB
Jayland McGlothen

#58 Jayland McGlothen

6' 2"
Sophomore
DL
Cal McGough

#91 Cal McGough

6' 2"
Senior
P
Aidan Meek

#74 Aidan Meek

6' 5"
Senior
OL
Kenndel Riley

#62 Kenndel Riley

6' 3"
Senior
OL
Luke Slater

#42 Luke Slater

6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
FB

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