A BRIEF PREVIEW

• The Sacramento State football team will host Ohio for Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 17. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. from Hornet Stadium.
• This week's game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Chris Sylvester will serve as the play-by-play announcer with former Memphis running back Doc Holliday 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.

STORYLINES

• Sacramento State dropped to 1-5 on the season and 0-3 in MAC play with a 38-10 loss at Bowling Green last Saturday. The Hornets led 3-0 before BGSU scored 38-unanswered.
• This week's game will be the third of the last four played at Hornet Stadium for the team. Sacramento State is 1-3 at home this season.
• The Homecoming festivities will include postgame fireworks and the annual golf cart parade among several activities. The game will also be Parent and Family Weekend. Saturday will also include home contests for volleyball and women's and men's soccer.
• The Hornets are still in search of their first victory as a member of the MAC. Sacramento State has been outscored by an average of 30.3-11.0 in the first three league games.
• Against Bowling Green, the Hornets were able to record their first interception of the season. The team turned that pick into a field goal to take a 3-0 lead. Sacramento State did have a fumble of its own to finish even in the turnover margin.
• Ohio comes to town after a 31-14 home win over Central Michigan. The Bobcats led 31-0 at the half and produced 403 yards of offense in the game.
• The team has used three quarterbacks who have attempted at least 23 passes this season. Nick Poulos went the distance against CMU and now has thrown four touchdowns without an interception this season.
• The team is averaging just under 200 rushing yards per game (197.3) led by Victory Rosa (289 yards, 4 TDs) and Duncan Brune (275 yards, TD). Riley Neer is the leading receiver with 27 catches for 397 yards and five TDs.
• Michael Molnar has a team-high 50 tackles, including 7.5 for loss and three sacks. He also has an interception and has forced two fumbles.
• Ohio is coached by John Hauser who is technically in his second season leading the team. Hauser was named the interim head coach prior to leading the team to last season's Scotter's Coffee Frisco Bowl title. He owns a 5-2 record as the head coach and has a 44-15 mark as a member of the Ohio staff.
• This is the first meeting between the two programs.

HOMECOMING HYPE

• Sacramento State has won six consecutive homecoming games with the last two ending in dramatic fashion. Last season, Northern Colorado faced 4th-and-1 from the Hornet 3-yard line with just over 30 seconds remaining. The Bears elected to throw but the pass was broken up by Malik Tullis and fell into the end zone. In 2024, the defense pulled off a goal-line stand at the end of regulation and took advantage of a missed field goal from Weber State in the second overtime to record a 51-48 win over the Wildcats. 
• In 2023, the Hornets cruised to a 51-16 victory over Idaho State. The previous season, the team edged Montana, 31-24, in overtime in a battle of top-10 teams. 
• The largest Homecoming victory came in 2021 where Sacramento State blanked Northern Arizona, 44-0.
• In 2019, the team put the Big Sky on notice with a 49-22 win over Montana on the way to its first BSC title.

THE PICK IS IN

• Sacramento State finally grabbed its first interception of the season and it came on the third offensive play of the game. The interception was created when Alex Rocha deflected a BGSU pass attempt and Boogsie Silvera made a diving catch to give the Hornets the ball. 
• The takeaway was just the third of the season for the Hornets but all three have been turned into points. The interception on Saturday led to a 33-yard field goal from Grant Meadors. The first takeaway came at Eastern Michigan where Fata Puloka had a strip sack which was gathered up by Xavier Williams and returned 29 yards for a score. The other was against Mississippi Valley where Diego Davis forced a fumble which was recovered by Collin Kallhoff. That turnover turned into a touchdown from Daniel Swinney.
• Sacramento State did have a turnover of its own when the Falcons knocked the ball loose on a jet sweep and, after being batted around, was recovered by D'Kyah Banks who traveled 27 yards for a touchdown. The score is the third defensive TD against the Hornets in the last three weeks. The team's 12 giveaways have resulted in the opposition scoring 49 points.
• Sacramento State now has three takeaways this season opposed to 12 giveaways. The minus-9 ratio averages to -1.50 turnovers per game which is tied for 136th in the FBS.

ONE OF THESE IS NOT LIKE THE OTHERS

• Wide receiver Matt Coleman is the only Hornet to score more than one touchdown this season. Coleman found the end zone for the fourth time when he hauled in a 55-yard bomb late in the game at Bowling Green. On the play, Jackson Sharman was hit as he threw and the pass ended up being a jump ball with a pair of Hornets and Falcons. Coleman came away with the catch and cruised into the end zone.
• While Coleman has four scores, seven other Hornets have found the end zone one time this season. Even with the four touchdowns, kicker Grant Meadors continues to lead the team with 31 total points.
• Coleman is in his first year with the program after spending the last four seasons at San Jose State. He surpassed 1,000 receiving yards against UMass and now has 1,105 career yards and seven touchdowns. He leads the team this season with 32 grabs and 454 yards.

CONTINUING TO CHANGE

• A week after moving from a 3-3-5 to a 3-4 defense, Sacramento State's defense had further changes as Kenwick Thompson served as the play caller at Bowling Green.
• The initial change to the formation was dictated by a rash of injuries which led to the team being without its three backup safeties against the Minutemen. This past week against the Falcons, Caleb Reese made the move from corner to safety and responded with a career-high seven tackles.
• Other changes for the team against Bowling Green included Malachi Kindle making his first start on the defensive line and Diego Davis earning a starting nod at linebacker. They became the 18th and 19th different players to start on defense this season for the team. Only four players (Austin Chambers, Elias Mullican, Boogsie Silvera and Dionte Thornton) have started all six games this season on defense.

MAKE IT SPECIAL

• The Hornets continued to shine on special teams with their effort at Bowling Green. Punter Hamish Adams averaged 41.2 yards per punt and did not allow a return yard.
• This season, Adams is averaging 40.6 yards per punt on 28 attempts. He has a long of 49 yards with 13 finishing inside the 20. He has forced a fair catch on 17 punts and has yet to have a touchback.
• The Hornets rank 19th in the FBS while allowing 1.50 yards per punt return this season. The opposition has attempted only four punt returns this season and has six total yards. There are currently nine FBS teams which allow 0.00 yards or better.
• Freshman Saul Marks handled the kickoff duties in the BGSU game and recorded a touchback. However, Marks' biggest play came in the fourth quarter when he recovered his own onsides kick. The kick was the second onsides recovered by the team this year.
• Kicker Grant Meadors split a pair of field goal attempts against the Falcons and is now 7-of-10 on the season. Meadors' 33-yard field goal on the team's first possession was the 19th of his Hornet career to move him into a three-way tie for ninth place in school history. 

BLOCK PARTY

• This season, Sacramento State has three blocked punts which leads the FBS. Chakai Scott had one in the first two games of the year while Ivan Moore Jr. blocked one against UMass. 
• The three blocked punts tie the Hornets with Wisconsin for the national FBS lead. San Diego State, Virginia Tech, Michigan, Nebraska, Hawaii and Miami (OH) have each blocked two punts while 30 have one block. The remaining 100 teams in the FBS have not blocked a punt this year. 
• Prior to this season, Sacramento State had not blocked a punt since Andre Lindsey did it against Idaho State in 2016. That drought ended when Scott blocked one at Eastern Michigan to set up a field goal and get the team its first points of the season.
• While the previous gap was 10 years between blocks, the most recent span was just seven days as Scott rejected the first punt of the night for Mississippi Valley State, leading to a Hornet touchdown.
• The freshman from Ocoee, Fla., remains the only player in the FBS to block multiple kicks/punts through the first five weeks of the season.
• Over the last 20 years, Scott is only the third Hornet to block two punts in a season joining Zach Schrader in 2010 and Chase Deadder in 2011. During that span, Christian Clark was credited with three blocks but all three of his came on PATs.
• Garrett Steele and Jon Bade were the last pair of Hornets to block a punt in the same season (2014).

LOOKING FOR SEPARATION

• The race to become the team's leading rusher remained tight as Isaiah Ene rushed for 46 yards and Daniel Swinney contributed 45 at Bowling Green. Ene now has 187 yards on the season with Swinney just three yards back. The pair have each led the team in two games while Jamar Curtis and Cincere Rhaney had the high mark in one game each.
• Sacramento State had a different leading rusher in the four games this season. The year began with Ene rushing for 44 yards at Eastern Michigan. Swinney had 58 yards against Mississippi Valley State before Curtis rushed for 48 yards at Fresno State. Rhaney held the team lead with 38 rushing yards against NDSU.
• A year after seeing its backs combine to post 14 100-yard games, Sacramento State is still in search of its first player over the century mark this season.
• Carries have been almost equally divided between the four primary backs with the group separated by just five attempts. Ene now leads the team with 41 carries while Swinney has 36, Rhaney 32 and Curtis 28.

MIX AND MATCH

• Sacramento State has yet to use the same starting offensive line up in consecutive games this season. Through the first six contests, the Hornets have had 21 players start a game, including nine on the line.
• The troubles for the offense began after the first game when quarterback Carson Conklin suffered a broken bone in his throwing arm. That injury resulted in Jackson Sharman taking over as the team's signal caller against Mississippi Valley State.
• The offensive line has only seen tackles Shontrail Key and Jeremiah Stallworth start all six games. The guard positions have been shared by Brandon Sousa and Jaxon Moore on the left side and Vae Soifua and DeAnthony Sheffield on the right side. The team has also used a pair of centers with Bryson Summers starting the first four contests and Shaan Lathan the last two.
• Along with the previously documented rotation at running back, tight end has also been a revolving door. Jordan Williams started the first four games before being sidelined by an injury. Fullback Luke Slater started against UMass while Kyle Koontz took the first snap at the position at Bowling Green.
• Wide receiver has been one of the more stable position groups for the offense. Matt Coleman and Onterrio Smith Jr. have started every game while Raiden Brown (four starts) and Jace Wilson (two) have manned the other spot.

MAKING THE STOP

• Sacramento State has not faced a fourth-down attempt in the last two games but the Hornets remain the FBS leader. The team is one of three which have not allowed a fourth-down conversion this season.
• Sacramento State enters this week a perfect 5-for-5 in getting a stop on fourth down this year. The Hornets are tied with Tennessee and Washington State which have also yet to allow a conversion on five attempts.  
• On the opposite side of the ball, the Hornets are 7-of-15 on fourth-down tries which ranks 90th in the FBS.