College football: Sacramento State is the only Division I team to not face a deficit
The results are what people see: the games, the first downs, the touchdowns, the victories.
What people do not witness is the preparation in practice, and that’s the key element for Sacramento State’s best start in 31 seasons. Ranked fifth nationally in the FCS, the 5-0 Hornets aren’t playing perfect football by any measure, but the data suggests they are excelling at a head-turning rate.
Sacramento State is the only Division I team to not trail at any point this season, and that’s for all of the FCS and higher-level FBS. The Hornets have the third-best offense, statistically, in the FCS and they lead the Big Sky Conference with 519 yards of offense. This is one of just two FCS programs nationally that ranks in the top 20 for passing and rushing.
And more: The defense under coordinator Andy Thompson is nails. Barbed wire, gravel and gnarly industrial nails, actually. In a sport geared to gobble up yards, the Hornets have now allowed two teams to muster 10 or fewer first downs: Colorado State in a 41-10 victory and Northern Colorado in a 55-7 effort last week to move to 2-0 in the Big Sky. Northern Colorado had no first downs in the first half, in fact.
But it means nothing if Sacramento State stalls out now with the meat of the Big Sky schedule looming, including No. 3 Montana and No. 4 Weber State. On Saturday, the Hornets hit the road for the fourth time in five weeks with a visit to once-ranked Eastern Washington.
But the Hornets are not awed by the road. They are 9-0 away from Hornet Stadium against Big Sky teams since 2019 when the current coaching staff took over, and they have won 18 of 19 Big Sky games overall in that stretch. And this: The Hornets are 19-0 when scoring first since the start of the 2019 season. If this trends keeps up, a three-peat as Big Sky champions will be the reward.
Sacramento State coach Troy Taylor doubles as his team’s offensive coordinator. He calls the plays. He runs the show every day in practice, a blur of activity and repetition. The Hornets look crisp and efficient in practice and in games. And there’s this sense that playing ahead is a great deal more fun than the alternative.
“It’s good to play when you’re ahead,” Taylor said with a laugh. “When you’re behind, there can be anxiety. You don’t always play quite as loose, and sometimes that can affect your play calling. You can feel a little desperate. You can get out of your game play. You try to make the perfect call.”
He continued, “On the positive side, when you’re ahead, you feel you’re in control. It’s a strange thing. But I know that I don’t like being behind.”
Sacramento State ranks fourth nationally in the FCS with 253.6 rushing yards a game, led by leading rusher Cameron Skattebo. The Hornets pass for an average of 265.4 each week behind co-starters Asher O’Hara and Jake Dunniway. The receivers include All-American tight end Marshel Martin. Not only are the Hornets playing a good game, they talk a good one, too, all rooted in comfort. This is not a showboating outfit. It is a confident one.
“I’m the best player on the field and I don’t want anyone else to touch me,” Martin said. “That’s my mindset every time I step on the field.”
The Hornets have pulled starters several times this season to let reserves get a crack at it in blowout wins. The pace doesn’t suddenly slow to a crawl.
“The way we practice, our 1s and our 2s get the same amount of reps,” Taylor said. “The reserves get a lot of work in. They come into games and execute just as well. Guys from different systems have told us that they get so many reps. Here, there’s no way players can say, ‘I didn’t get an opportunity.’ You definitely have an opportunity here to show what you can do.”
Sacramento State has been healthy and consistent. The same five offensive linemen have started each game: Troy Stiefel, Jackson Slater, Nathan Mejia, Brandon Weldon and Ivan Garza. Starting fast, keeping the foot on the pedal and unleashing the defense has led to one pleased coaching staff.
“We still haven’t played our best football,” Taylor said. “When it’s all working, it’s exciting when you’re in the moment in the game, and it’s invigorating. You’re in real time. There’s nothing I like doing more in football when it’s all working. It’s the greatest sensation.”
No. 5 Sacramento State (5-0) at Eastern Washington (1-4)
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Where: Roos Field, Cheney, Wa.
On air: ESPN1320, ESPN+
Quick hits: EWU’s record is misleading as the Eagles have endured one of the toughest schedules in the FCS, including losses at FBS Oregon and Florida with Big Sky losses to highly ranked Montana State and Weber State. ... Gunner Talkington has passed for 12 touchdowns for EWU as he has taken over for departed star Eric Barriere, the Walter Payton Award winner. ... EWU leads the series against Sacramento State 19-5, including 4-7 at home. The Hornets last won at EWU in 2008.