Sac State, humble in its football ascent, ranked in FCS for the first time in 8 years
Troy Taylor and his Sacramento State coaching crew have implored effort and accountability this football season, and one other thing of note: enjoy it.
This is sport, and it should equate to fun. Winning adds to it.
Sac State is 4-2 overall, 2-0 in the Big Sky Conference and 3-0 at home, all of which has led to more accolades. Sac State on Monday stormed into the FCS polls, including No. 15 in the STATS FCS Top 25 and No. 17 in the AFCA Coach’s Poll.
Some voters had Sac State as high as No. 10 after the Hornets upended FCS No. 6 Montana State 34-21 in Bozeman, the highest-ranked opponent the Hornets have defeated in their FCS era, starting in 1992.
This is just the second time in Sac State’s 24-year history in the Big Sky that it has started 2-0 in the Big Sky. In beating then No. 22 Eastern Washington 48-27 on Oct. 5, Sac State earned its first win over a ranked team in seven seasons. That also halted a 16-game losing streak against FCS Top 25 teams and was the first home win over the Eagles in 13 attempts.
Sac State was last ranked in 2011, when it cracked the Top 25 four times.
The Hornets on Saturday host new No. 6 Montana (5-1) at Hornet Stadium. Sac State last won a conference championship in 1995 and it last reached the playoffs in 1988, while in Division II.
Taylor, in his first year at Sac State, isn’t in this for rankings and kudos. He is in it to develop players and teams and to succeed.
“We feel we can win every game on our schedule if we do our thing,” Taylor said Sunday. “We’re a process-oriented group. When we lose, we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it and when we win, we don’t spend a lot of time on it.
“But we are enjoying each moment. It’s not a grind, it’s a game. We enjoy coaching and the players enjoy playing. We’re really having fun. We don’t want to take ourselves too serious. Most people play sports because it’s fun and we want to keep doing that. It doesn’t mean that we’re not demanding and detail oriented.”
Taylor said he didn’t know a lot about his roster when he took over in December, when he hit the ground running. But he likes what he sees.
The Hornets are led by a third-year starter in quarterback Kevin Thomson and an offensive line that has not allowed a sack in four games. Thomson accounted for 334 yards of offense and five touchdowns against Montana State. He was named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week and leads all FCS schools with 24.3 points responsible for per game.
Thomson’s 44 career passing touchdowns are third-most in program history. His 58 total scores ties him with running back Charles Roberts for second-most all time in program history.
And Sac State is playing inspired defense under coordinator Andy Thompson, leading the Big Sky in red-zone defense, rush defense, scoring defense sacks and tackles for loss. On offense, Sac State is second in scoring and fourth in total offense and passing.
Sac State has outscored its three FCS opponents 132-45 and has lost only road games against Football Bowl Subdivision schools Arizona State 19-7 and Fresno State 34-20.
“I know our guys have bought in, and I knew we had good players and an outstanding coaching staff,” Taylor said. “I knew we’d be good at some point, but I didn’t know it’d be this fast. We’ll take it. When people buy in, good things can happen.”
This story was originally published October 14, 2019 at 2:39 PM.