1.  It Doesn't Make Sense
Sacramento State has faced numerous Mountain West Conference teams in recent years. Since 2018, the team has played at San Diego State, Fresno State, Colorado State and San Jose State. One team that has been missing from the Hornet schedule has been Nevada. Despite being located just 133 miles from campus, Sacramento State has not played the Wolf Pack since 2004 and Saturday's game will be just the third since 1990. The two teams were once league rivals and played 24 times between 1954 and 1978.
 
2. Looking Up
Both Sacramento State and Nevada had tall tasks during the opening week of the season. The Hornets played at FCS preseason No. 3 South Dakota State and the Wolf Pack traveled to FBS No. 2 Penn State during the opening week. The games had some similarities as both teams were pleased with their defensive efforts. Sacramento State had seven sacks as part of 11 tackles-for-loss against the Jackrabbits. Nevada had six TFLs and a sack against the Nittany Lions.
 
3. You Look Familiar
There are numerous connections between the two programs beginning with the head coaches. Brennan Marion and Jeff Choate were both of the coaching staff at Texas during the 2022 season. Choate also faced the Hornets several times when he was the head coach at Montana State from 2016-20. Nevada's current defensive coordinator Kane Ioane and passing game coordinator Joey Thomas were both on the MSU staff as well. On the field, each team has a pair of players who played for the other side a year ago. The Hornets feature running back Savion Red and defensive lineman Kris Ross who were key contributors for Nevada in 2024. The Wolf Pack have linebacker Nakian Jackson and safety Murvin Kenion III who were starters for Sacramento State.
 
4. Under the Natural Light
Saturday's 2 p.m. start from Mackay Stadium will mark a rare non-conference day game for the Hornets. Since 2019, the team has played just two day games outside of Big Sky Conference play beginning with a contest at Cal in 2021 followed by the 41-10 win at Colorado State the following year.
 
5. How To Follow The Action
Saturday's game will be streamed on the Mountain West Network. Fans can either view online or download the free app to watch on their connected devices. Alex Margulies (play-by-play), Lucas Weber (analyst) and Shannon Kelly (sideline) will provide the call. The game can also be heard on ESPN 1320 AM and the Audacy app with Jason Ross, Steve McElroy and Danny Sullivan.