Sacramento State’s ‘amazing’ season continues. Here’s what’s next for the Hornets
The celebration started Saturday night at Hornet Stadium, with Sacramento State players and coaches hoisting championship hardware, high-fiving, hugging and even lighting up cigars.
The good cheer roared right through Sunday morning at the Arden Hilton. Athletes, coaches, administrators, family and friends of the program learned through the ESPNU telecast that the Hornets drew the No. 4 seed in the Division I Football Championship Series bracket, meaning a first-round bye and a Dec. 7 home game.
That very announcement further signifies the school’s best season since football started on campus in 1954.
By beating UC Davis 27-17 the night before in the 66th Causeway Classic, Sac State secured a share of the Big Sky Conference championship with Weber State and clinched its first FCS playoff berth. This is just the fifth conference title for Sac State, the last coming in 1995 under coach John Volek, and this is just the third postseason trip in program history, following the 1982 and 1988 seasons when the Hornets were in Division II under coach Bob Mattos.
Sac State played in bowl games in under coach Ray Clemons, losing the Camellia Bowl to Montana State 28-7 in 1964 and the Pasadena Bowl in 1968 to Grambling State, 34-7.
Sac State (9-3) was hopeful of a No. 3 seed but that went to Weber State, which beat Sac State 36-17 on Nov. 2 at Hornet Stadium. Sac State went 8-1 this season against FCS teams, including a 49-22 win on Oct. 19 over Montana, which later handled Weber State 35-16 on Nov. 16.
The Big Sky had four of the top six seeds, including No. 5 Montana State and No. 6 Montana. Sac State finished the regular season ranked third in FCS, the highest in program history.
Sac State is on the same side of the bracket as North Dakota State, which has won an FCS-record tying 33 consecutive games to match its own streak from 2012-14. The Bison of Fargo have won 15 national championships, including seven this decade in FCS, and their 133 wins this decade puts them first among FCS programs.
In 1988, Sac State lost 42-20 to unbeaten North Dakota State, which went on to win the D-II championship.
ESPNU gave Sac State a 1 percent chance to win the championship this season, which isn’t a slight on the Hornets as much as it is a reflection of North Dakota State’s dominance.
The Hornets are just glad to be in the FCS dance, especially considering they went 2-8 last season, which resulted in 10 new coaches coming in, led by head coach Troy Taylor.
“Amazing,” Sac State athletic director Mark Orr said Saturday night. “A year ago, we didn’t see this coming so soon. It’s a credit to Troy, his staff and the players.”
“We’re just blessed to be in this position, to have these coaches behind us, and it feels so good to win,” Hornets defensive lineman Dariyn Choate said. “A lot of hard work paid off, finally. We’re happy with the fruits of our labor.”
Said Taylor, “Winning makes everything smell better. But it’s bigger than that. (Beating UCD and gaining a playoff) is for the guys who played in the past, people who went to school here. We want to be the pride of Sacramento, to have people root for us and feel a part of what we’re doing. This is a fun team to watch, a very resilient and humble team.”
Sac State on Dec 7 will host the winner of Saturday’s opening-round contest between Austin Peay of Clarksville, Tenn., and Furman of Greenville, S.C.
Austin Peay (9-3) is coming off its first conference championship in 42 seasons. Furman (8-4) is in the FCS playoffs for the 18th time.
Kevin Thomson overcame a sluggish first half against UCD, which led the Hornets 17-3 in the second quarter, and he willed Sac State the rest of the way. The junior quarterback and third-year starter passed for 300 yards and a touchdown and ran for 116 yards and two scores.
Thomson overcame elbow surgery which sidelined him for two seasons at UNLV. He takes none of this winning for granted now.
“I love playing football and I love playing with these guys,” Thomson said. “It’s a special team. We’ve still got more to prove. We’re in a good spot. We’re fired up to show people what we’re all about.”