College football: Sacramento State coach, star player challenge fan base to show out
After the last game, Troy Taylor asked his giddy group of Sacramento State Hornets for a show of hands regarding milestone moments.
“How many of you have started a season 4-0?” the football coach asked following a 49-21 victory at Cal Poly.
“Not many hands raised,” Taylor said this week. “We definitely want to enjoy this but we have another game coming up.”
That’s Saturday at home against Northern Colorado in Big Sky Conference play, and now the Hornets’ coach and one of his star players are inviting the public to join the party. The bandwagon has plenty of room. The season is just now getting warmed up.
If the 4-0 start wasn’t historic enough, the first for the Hornets since the 1982 season, then a 5-0 start would really be something. Sacramento State has never started a football season 5-0. The program started in 1954.
The fourth-ranked Hornets have a lot of appeal. They have won 12 consecutive regulars-season games and are fourth in the country in scoring at 45.8 points. They feature an array of skill players, be it bullish running back Cameron Skattebo, quarterbacks Jake Dunniway and Asher O’Hara or All-America tight end Marcel Martin and star receiver Pierre Williams.
The defense makes stops, a theme since the start of the 2019 season. Since that time, the Hornets have gone 17-1 in Big Sky action and seek a conference championship repeat. Sacramento State has not trailed this entire season. And more: Saturday will mark the 17th time since coach Taylor and his crew took over that the Hornets will play as a ranked team in the Top 25. Before Taylor’s arrival, Sacramento State played in just seven games while nationally ranked in the Division I era, starting in 1993.
O’Hara has scored 11 touchdowns this season, seven rushing, and a good many of those on dynamic plays. Skattebo is known to bounce off a defender and stiff arm another on his way to the end zone. He said he doesn’t feel fully engaged in a game until he’s had a collision with a guy wearing opposing colors.
O’Hara is also a good pitch man for his program. He sees Fred Anderson Field at Hornet Stadium as a perfect spot for students and fans to mingle in the 21,195-seat venue. The team returns home for the first time in more than a month. A crowd of 10,257 attended Sacramento State’s home opener on Sept. 3 against Utah Tech, a 56-33 Hornets victory.
What Asher is looking for in the team’s first home game in nearly a month, “I’m hoping to see the Hornets, the Nest, everybody coming through and packing the stands. I don’t want to see any open seats. We feel whenever the fans are there, it makes it easier to win. I just want to see a full, packed house.”
Sacramento State plays Oct. 15 at Eastern Washington and then hosts No. 3 Montana on Oct. 22 in an ESPN2 national telecast. The Hornets have hinted why wait for Montana to get into it? Show up now.
“It’s been a good start,” Taylor said. “We play a fun brand of football. We score a lot of points, playing exciting, aggressive defense. People love a winner, and we have a winner. Fans can have a huge impact on games. You see it across the Big Sky. Be a participant in it. Be ready to be loud and to cheer.”
The coach added, “You can only watch so much Netflix and be on your phone, right? Come watch us play. When we took this job (before the 2019 season, we wanted it to be a great experience for the community. We know they back us. Come on out and sell the place out.”
Northern Colorado (2-3) at No. 4 Sacramento State (4-0)
When: Saturday, 6 p.m.
On air: ESPN-1320, CW31, ESPN+
Quick hits: Former NFL player Ed McCaffrey is in his third season at Northern Colorado, having gone 5-11. ... The Bears have used two quarterbacks, including Dylan McCaffrey, son of the coach. ... Elijah Dotson, the one-time Sacramento State star, returns to his home city. An All-Big Sky running back with the Hornets, Dotson transferred to Northern Colorado, where he is the team’s leading rusher with 303 yards and five total scores. ... Sacramento State has used the same starting offensive linemen this season: Troy Stiefel, Jackson Slater, Nathan Mejia, Brandon Weldon and Ivan Garza for position coach Kris Richardson. The line has not allowed any of the Hornets running backs to be stopped for a loss this fall, a combined 88 carries. ... The Hornets lead the all-time series 13-2.
This story was originally published October 7, 2022 at 11:05 AM.