College football: FCS No. 2 Sacramento State Hornets sweep top Big Sky Conference honors
Sacramento State doesn’t have a game this week and hasn’t played in days, but the winning continues for the No. 2-ranked team in the FCS.
The Big Sky Conference on Wednesday announced its annual awards, with the Hornets sweeping top honors and landing a school-record 18 players on the All-Big Sky first team, second team and honorable mention.
Troy Taylor was named co-Big Sky Coach of the Year for leading the Hornets to an 11-0 record and the No. 2 national seed in the FCS playoffs. It’s his third consecutive Big Sky honor as he has gone 23-1 in conference play since taking over the Hornets before the 2019 season. Brett Vigen of Montana State was the co-winner after coaching the Bobcats to a 10-1 regular-season mark and an 8-0 Big Sky showing, matching Sacramento State. The teams did not play this season as the Big Sky has 12 teams.
Hornets running back Cameron Skattebo is the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for a Big Sky-leading 1,251 yards and catching 24 passes for 281 yards. The sophomore from Rio Linda is known for his ferocious play, including blocking out of the backfield. Skattebo this week was also named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, presented to the top offensive player in the FCS.
Nickelback Marte Mapu is the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year, the first Hornet to win the award since Matt Logue in 2005. Mapu had 65 tackles in conference play and was recently named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented to the best defensive player in the FCS.
Other Sacramento State first-team honorees: receiver Pierre Williams; tight end Marshel Martin; guards Jackson Slater and Brandon Weldon; kicker Kyle Sentowski; and all-purpose player Asher O’Hara, a repeat selection who became the first Hornet to score in all 11 regular-season games. O’Hara rushed for 19 touchdowns in addition to passing for eight touchdowns.
Linebacker Armon Bailey earned first-team defensive honors, recording a career-best 78 tackles.
UCD honors
UC Davis landed 17 players on the All-Big Sky team, headed by career rushing leader Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. and quarterback Miles Hastings as first-team selections. Also on the first team: tackle Nick Amoah, defensive end Zach Kennedy, defensive back Rex Connors and special teams player Lan Larison.
Gilliam was second in the Big Sky with 1,180 yards and 13 touchdowns. He had a team-high 50 receptions for 366 yards. Hastings led the Big Sky with 3,048 yards passing and a 69.8 completion percentage.
UCD went 6-5 and just missed out on advancing to the FCS playoffs for the third time since 2018.
Who will Hornets play?
Sacramento State will play at 2 p.m. Dec. 3 at Hornet Stadium against the winner of Saturday’s Richmond vs. Davidson FCS opener.
Davidson, located in North Carolina, went 8-3 in the regular season and 6-2 in the Pioneer Football League, placing second. This is the Wildcats’ third consecutive FCS playoff berth. They are the top rushing team in the FCS with 350.5 yards per game.
The Richmond Spiders of Virginia went 8-3 in the regular season and finished second in the Colonial Athletic Association, earning their first playoff berth since 2016 and 12th overall. The Spiders reached the FCS semifinals in 2007, 2015 and 2016, and they won it all in 2008. The team has rushed for 1,382 yards and 10 touchdowns and passed for 2,913 and 24.
This story was originally published November 23, 2022 at 1:52 PM.