1. Into The Spotlight
Sacramento State will play a game on ESPN for the first time in school history when it faces North Dakota State on Saturday night at Hornet Stadium. The crew of Lowell Galindo, Kirk Morrison and Dawn Davenport will have the call on the network. The Hornet game will follow the Florida-Auburn game on the network.
 
2. First Time In A Long Time
Sacramento State and North Dakota State will be meeting for just the second time in program history. The two teams last met in the 1988 Div. II semifinals in a cold, windy game in Fargo, N.D. That game featured a couple of players who have gone on to long coaching careers. Current Sacramento State associate head coach/offensive line coach Angus McClure was a freshman for the Hornets and has spent his career coaching at the collegiate level with stops at Sacramento State, Nevada, Nebraska, Buffalo, UCLA, Cal and Kansas. The Bison's middle linebacker was Gus Bradley who has had a long NFL coaching career including being the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and the defensive coordinator with the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Indianapolis Colts and currently the Tennessee Titans.
 
3. One Step At A Time
Thursday morning Sacramento State coaches and players took part in their annual stair climb at Hornet Stadium in memory of former Hornet and NFL assistant coach Greg Knapp. Along with the climb, which was a tradition of Knapp's prior to games, the team also listened to a presentation on the risks of distracted driving. Knapp was tragically killed while riding his bicycle by a distracted driver just days before scheduled to report to the New York Jets training camp in 2021. Since his passing, his family has created the Greg Knapp Memorial Fund to educate the public on distracted driving.

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— Sac State Football (@SacHornetsFB) September 18, 2026

4. Take It To The Next Level
Three former Hornets made opening day NFL rosters. Cameron Skattebo and Daron Bland played head-to-head on Sunday Night Football. Skattebo had 18 carries for 81 yards and touchdown (which included a back flip celebration) in the team's 28-20 win. Bland had eight tackles for the Cowboys. Jackson Slater is back for his second season with the Tennessee Titans and played on special teams in the team's 23-10 loss to the Jets. In the CFL, Darnell Sankey ranks second in the league with 75 total tackles through 13 games. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson has played in nine games where he has thrown for 295 yards and a touchdown.
 
5. This And That
Postgrame fireworks return to Hornet Stadium on Saturday night. Fans are encouraged to stick around after the game to watch the show…for those that can't watch the ESPN broadcast, the game can be heard on ESPN 1320, the Audacy app and the SiriusXM app with Jason Ross, Steve McElroy and Danny Sullivan…Sacramento State announced a future six-game schedule against San Jose State which includes three home games for both teams.