Sac State has six make preseason All-Big Sky football teams, UC Davis has three
Elijah Dotson heads into his senior season at Sacramento State with high hopes, starting with the expectation of having a season amid coronavirus concerns.
The senior running back was one of six Hornets players to land on the preseason All-Big Sky Conference Team. Sac State tied Weber State for the Big Sky championship last fall. Weber State was picked by Big Sky coaches and media to win the Big Sky this season, or next spring, whenever the season plays out.
Weber State landed eight players on the 33-member Big Sky team, and UC Davis had three.
Dotson, of Antelope High School, led the Big Sky in rushing in 2018 as a sophomore and then went for 742 yards in catching 70 passes for another 700 yards, making him the conference’s top all-purpose talent.
Hornets coach Troy Taylor last fall had Dotson often line up wide for deep pass patterns. Said Dotson of his catching ability, “I didn’t know I could catch like that!”
Sac State’s Pierre Williams earned one of the Big Sky’s three preseason receiver spots. He earned All-Big Sky honors last season as a sophomore after catching 54 passes for 931 yards and seven touchdowns. The preseason All-Big Sky tight end pick is Marshel Martin of Sac State. He led all Big Sky tight ends last season with 39 receptions for 559 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Big Sky preseason all-purpose nod went to B.J. Perkinson of Sac State, who made plays at running back, with receptions and on special teams last season. He had 729 all-purpose yards last season and scored eight times.
Sac State defensive end Josiah Erickson also made the preseason Big Sky team. He earned all-conference honors last fall as a sophomore with 56 tackles, 11 for loss.
Sac State’s Daron Bland of Modesto earned a reputation last season as the league’s top cover cornerback and landed on the preseason team. He had 43 tackles last season as a junior.
UCD won a share of the Big Sky title in 2018 then was stalled by injuries last season. Three Aggies earned preseason honors on defense in defensive tackle Bryce Rodgers, linebacker Nick Eaton and defensive back Devon King.
A near miss was running back Ulonzo Gilliam, who led the Big Sky in rushing in 2019 with 1,249 yards while leading UCD with 57 catches.
King earned freshman All-American honors in 2018 and last season made 77 tackles and had three interceptions. Eaton of Whitney High School had 56 tackles, 12 for loss and 6.5 tackles in 2019. Rodgers had 49 tackles and 4 sacks.
Preseason Big Sky Team
Offense
QB: Eric Barriere, Eastern Washington
WR: Samuel Akem, Montana
WR: Samori Toure, Montana
WR: Pierre Williams, Sacramento State
OL: Conlan Beaver, Montana
OL: Ben Bos, Weber State
OL: Lewis Kidd, Montana State
OL: Tristen Taylor, Eastern Washington
OL: Taylor Tuiasosopo, Montana State
OL: Ty Whitworth, Weber State
TE: Marshel Martin, Sacramento State
RB: Josh Davis, Weber State
RB: Elijah Dotson, Sacramento State
FB: Clay Moss, Weber State
AP: BJ Perkinson, Sacramento State
K: Luis Aguilar, Northern Arizona
PR: Rashid Shaheed, Weber State
KR: Malik Flowers, Montana
Defense
DT: Bryce Rodgers, UC Davis
DT: Jared Scheiss, Weber State
DE: Josiah Erickson, Sacramento State
DE: George Tarlas, Weber State
OLB: Nick Eaton, UC Davis
OLB: Christian Elliss, Idaho
ILB: Jace Lewis, Montana
ILB: Tre Walker, Idaho
DB: Anthony Adams, Portland State
DB: Daron Bland, Sacramento State
DB: Robby Hauck, Montana
DB: Eddie Heckard, Weber State
DB: Devon King, UC Davis
P: DJ Arnson, Northern Arizona
ST: Emmanuel Daigbe, Portland State
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 10:47 AM.