A BRIEF PREVIEW

• The two newest members of the FBS will meet head-to-head on Saturday night when North Dakota State makes its first trip to Hornet Stadium to take on Sacramento State. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m.
• This week's game will be broadcast on ESPN — marking the Hornets' first appearance on the flagship network for any sport. Lowell Galindo will be the play-by-play announcer, with Kirk Morrison serving as the analyst and Dawn Davenport on the sidelines..
• 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 will play its second home game of the season on Saturday. The Hornets won their home opener over Mississippi Valley State, 52-0, but most recently fell at Fresno State, 49-3, to drop to 1-2.
• This week's game is the only FBS-FBS matchup featuring two teams that have already played three games in 2026 as the Hornets and Bison each played in Week Zero.
• The game will also be Education Appreciation Night as well as Latine Heritage Night. Postgame fireworks will also return.
• Sacramento State and North Dakota State both appeared in the FCS playoffs in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023 but never faced one another. The closest the team's came to squaring off came in 2022 where they were on pace to meet in the semifinals before the Hornets were upended by UIW, 66-63. The only meeting between the teams came in the semifinals of the 1988 NCAA Div. II Playoffs.
• This year's game is the first of a home-and-home series which will see Sacramento State head to Fargo, N.D., on Sept. 11 of next season.
• North Dakota State has started the year 3-0 with home wins over Jacksonville State and Fordham before a Mountain West Conference victory at Air Force. The Bison led 35-13 in the third quarter and then withstood a late charge by the Falcons to hold on for a 38-32 victory.
• NDSU is averaging 373.3 yards of offense and has been led by QB Nathan Hayes who has thrown for 199.3 yards per game and accounted for seven total touchdowns. Myles Mitchell (60.0 ypg)  and DJ Scott (48.3 ypg) have combined to average over 100 rushing yards per game with each scoring a pair of touchdowns.
• NDSU is coached by Tim Polasek who is in his third season at the helm. Polasek replaced Matt Entz who Sacramento State faced last weekend as Entz is now the head coach at Fresno State.

STINGY START

• Sacramento State has yet to allow a point in the first quarter this season as the team has shut out Eastern Michigan, Mississippi Valley State and Fresno State. However, the Hornets have had struggles of their own in the opening quarter, scoring 14 points against MVSU for their only points in the period.
• The second quarter has been a different story as the opposition has outscored Sacramento State, 53-27, through the first three games. That total is made up of 21 points from EMU and 32 from Fresno State.
• Sacramento State recorded the 32nd shutout in school history with its 52-0 win over Mississippi Valley State on Saturday. The shutout was just the fifth against an NCAA Div. I (FBS/FCS) opponent.
• The last shutout prior to MVSU was a 34-0 win at East Texas A&M (then Texas A&M Commerce) on Sept. 21, 2024. The last shutout at home came on Oct. 21, 2021 when the Hornets blanked Northern Arizona, 44-0.
• The 52-point margin of victory was the third-largest in a shutout on school history, trailing only a 76-0 win over San Francisco in 1969 and a 60-0 victory over Cal Lutheran in 1988.
• Overall, the 52-point win was fifth-largest in school history.
• The 147 yards of offense allowed by the Hornet defense is the fewest by the team since surrendering 72 in a rain-soaked game at Northern Colorado in Oct. 8, 2011.
• The 43 passing yards by the Delta Devils were the fewest by a Hornet opponent since Cal Poly managed just 16 in its triple-option offense on Oct. 6, 2018. 
• The six first downs by MVSU were the fewest since Northern Colorado had five in 2011.

ALMOST EVEN

• Sacramento State has yet to play a close game this season as all three have been decided by 11 points or more. However, you couldn't tell that by looking at the statistics.
• The Hornets have scored 72 points compared to 77 from the opposition (24.0-25.7 ppg).
• Sacramento State has 55 first downs with the opponents recording 53.
• Rushing yards are 364 for the Hornets and 366 for the opponents.
• Both Sacramento State and their opposition have fumbled four times and lost two this season.
• The Hornets have committed 21 penalties for 180 yards while the opposition has 19 infractions for 181 yards.
• Time of possession is 29:49 minutes per game for Sacramento State and 30:11 for its opponents.

NEXT MAN UP

• Jackson Sharman took the reins of the Hornet offense against MVSU and responded with 247 passing yards and four touchdowns. Sharman was thrown into action with opening-day starter Carson Conklin was ruled out with an injury to his throwing arm. 
• Sharman, who was making his second collegiate start, completed 18-of-28 passes while becoming the 35th quarterback to start a game for the Hornets in the school's Div. I-era. Sharman's four touchdown passes tied him for 10th in school history and he became the 16th QB to throw at least four TDs in a game all-time for the Hornets.
• At Fresno State, Sharman completed 15-of-31 passes for 150 yards and was under duress for much of the game. His long against the Bulldogs was a 36 yard pass to Onterrio Smith Jr.
• Having to make a change at quarterback is nothing new for Sacramento State. This season marks the fourth consecutive year that the team has started two QBs during the first four weeks of the season. In 2023, Carson Camp started at Nicholls in the opener but was replaced by Kaiden Bennett at halftime. The following year, Bennett was the starter at San Jose State before giving way to Conklin. Last season, Jaden Rashada started the first two games but was replaced by Cardell Williams. Prior to those seasons, Sacramento State used a designed two quarterback system with Jake Dunniway and Asher O'Hara splitting time.
• Sharman, a transfer from Idaho State, had never thrown more than two touchdowns in a collegiate game prior to Mississippi Valley State. His four TDs passes are tied with Dunniway (2019), Ricky Ray (1999) and Tyler Jesse (1996) for the school record for most in a starting debut. 

TAKING TURNS AT THE TOP

• Onterrio Smith Jr. and Matt Coleman led the team in receptions and receiving yards in the first two games of the seasons and then tied for the team high with four receptions apiece at Fresno State.
• Smith leads the team with 16 receptions for 172 yards (10.8 yards per reception) and is averaging 57.3 yards per game. He opened the year with nine receptions for 88 yards at Eastern Michigan which set career bests.
• Prior to this season, Smith had seven receptions for 45 yards in his first two seasons. 
• Coleman is close behind with 14 catches for a team-high 232 yards and three touchdowns. The fifth-year had a massive game against Mississippi Valley State where he caught six passes for a career-high 141 yards and three scores. He scored on catches of 5, 19 and 63 yards in the game to become the first Hornet player with three receiving TDs in a game since Pierre Williams against Southern Oregon on Aug. 31, 2019.
• Coleman became the 59th Hornet to record a 100-yard receiving game. His 141 yards ranks are tied for the 68th best in school history and his three TDs are tied for fourth behind DeAndre Carter's five against Southern Oregon (2013) and Carter (vs. Southern Utah, 2014) and Chris Kelly (at Montana, 1999) who had four.
• Coleman began his collegiate career at San Jose State and played under current Hornet head coach Alonzo Carter and receivers coach Eric Scott with the Spartans. His biggest game for SJSU game in the 2024 Hawaii Bowl where he had 12 catches for 119 yards and scored two touchdowns against South Florida.
• Football runs in the family for both Coleman and Smith. Coleman's father, Herman, played quarterback at Southern from 1980-83 while Smith's dad, Onterrio Sr., was a running back at Tennessee (1999) and Oregon (200-023) before playing in the NFL and CFL.

THE VETERAN AND THE PROTEGE

• Safeties Boogsie Silvera and Amari Wallace lead Sacramento State in tackles through the first three games.  The pair, who are both in their first season with the team, have 23 and 17 tackles, respectively.
• Silvera came to the Hornets after stops at Charleston Southern, McNeese and South Florida. He now has 228 career tackles. Silvera paced the team in the first two games with 13 tackles at EMU and seven against Mississippi Valley State.
• Wallace was a member of a Miami team which reached the CFP championship a year ago. He had seven tackles against the Eagles and was credited with three at home against MVSU. His seven stops at Fresno State were a career high and led all players in the contest. Wallace is also the only underclassmen to be named to the team's leadership council this season.

MAKING THE STOP

• Sacramento State's defense kept the game scoreless at Fresno State in the first quarter when a swarm of Hornets led by Malachi Kindle and Warren Smith Jr. stopped Julius Gillick on 4th-and-inches on the opening drive of the game at the Sacramento State 16-yard line.
• That stop was the third this season on fourth down for Sacramento State on as many tries. The team is one of 25 in the FBS to not allow a fourth-down conversion. That group shrinks down to nine teams which have faced at least three fourth-down attempts without allowing a conversion. Boise State leads the way as it has stopped all five fourth-down attempts while Tennessee and UCLA have stopped four tries.

BLOCK PARTY

• 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 Chakai 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., is the only player in the FBS to block multiple kicks/punts through the first three 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.
• Sacramento State, San Diego State, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin are the only FBS teams to block multiple punts this season.

TOTAL TEAM EFFORT

• Sacramento State again went deep into its roster to have five runnings backs carry the ball at Fresno State. The group finished with 120 yards on 29 carries for 4.14 yards per attempt.
• Jamar Curtis led the team with 48 yards on nine totes. Curtis became the third different Hornet to lead the team in rushing in as many games this season. He also had a team-best run of 18 yards in the game.
• True freshman Isaiah Ene led the team at Eastern Michigan with 44 yards and a touchdown on just three attempts.
• Against Mississippi Valley State,  seven Hornets had rushing attempts, including five running backs. The team combined for 203 rushing yards and saw three players find the end zone.
• JC transfer Daniel Swinney saw his first action as a Hornet and tallied 58 rushing yards and a TD to lead the team against the Delta Devils.
• Along with the TD from Swinney, Curtis and quarterback Jaylen Patterson also scored. The touchdown for Curtis was his 34th career rushing TD while Patterson tallied his first on his initial college touch.
• No player on the team received more than nine carries and Sacramento State averaged 5.0 yards per attempt. The team finished with only 12 lost yards with seven coming on a wide receiver jet sweep and two on the final kneel downs to end the game. 
• Curtis has 103 rushing yards on the season and now ranks second among all FBS players in career yards.

LETS KICK IT

• The Hornet specialists continued to shine against Fresno State. Punter Hamish Adams boomed a career-best 49-yarder and landed two of his five kicks inside the 20. Adams is now averaging 41.0 ypp with a net of 40.7 yards.
• Kicker Grant Meadors accounted for the team's only points as he made a 35-yard field goal at Fresno State. Meadors is now 3-of-4 this season and 15-of-19 for his career. He has already cracked the school top 10 for career PATs and needs four more field goals to move onto that list.
• First-year kicker Saul Marks has also made his debut this season. Marks made a PAT against MVSU and has kicked off five times with a pair of touchbacks.