Stingers Up! Sacramento State shocks Stanford in triumph over former coach Troy Taylor
Shortly after it was over, after Sacramento State secured perhaps the greatest victory in program history since the Hornets started blocking and tackling in 1954, the man of the hour suddenly had the hat of the night.
It was Kaiden Bennett, quarterback star for the gritty and inspired Hornets, who danced his way out of Stanford Stadium with a cowboy hat and a grin that stretched from Palo Alto to the state capitol. Bennett isn’t much of a cowboy, but he is all about style, fun, passion and results, and he had his fingerprints all over Sacramento State’s stirring and stunning 30-23 victory over the Cardinal in front of 23,848 fans.
The outcome sent the Hornets into a joyous frenzy, players and coaches jumping and hugging, the Sacramento State fans who made the three-hour, traffic-heavy trip cheering with the band, school administrators and alums. The Hornets’ third-ever victory over a Pac-12 opponent spoiled the home coaching debut for Troy Taylor, the former Hornets coach who faced old friends and a lot of players he recruited.
“Just having fun,” Bennett said of the straw lid, laughing in reflection.
With a helmet on, Bennett had a load of fun. He passed for 279 yards on 21-of-33 passing, including the game winner to Marcus Fulcher with 1:32 left after narrowly avoiding a sack. Bennett also rushed 13 times for 100 yards and a score as the Hornets extended their regular-season winning streak to 22.
Bennett overcame some passes he’d like to have back but kept with it, the sort of team resolve coach Andy Thompson continues to praise as he moved to 3-0 with the FCS-ranked No. 6 Hornets. Thompson was hired by Taylor before the 2019 season to run the defense, and together they became fast friends and immediate champions, winning three consecutive Big Sky Conference championships after the program suffered through years of mediocrity or misery.
Thompson’s defense had the final say with a late stop to stall Stanford. Bennett took a knee in the victory formation and led the joyous charge off the field.
Bennett scrambled and fired a pass to Fulcher, the powerfully built running back, who then raced down the Hornets sideline for a 49-yard go-ahead touchdown, right in front of the Sacramento State fan section.
“I knew once he broke that first tackle he had the juice to go,” Bennett said.
Said Thompson of Bennett: “He was very motivated to lead us. Gosh, he has a big heart.”
Sacramento State led 17-14 at the half and 20-17 after three quarters, none of the players accepting the fact that FCS teams aren’t supposed to hang with a Power 5 conference FBS program.
What’s more, the Hornets were paid a tidy sum for making the trip and taking on the challenge, a check for $630,000, the norm when a Pac-12 team takes on an FCS program it is supposed to beat. UC Davis, for example, was given a $635,000 check from Oregon State for its efforts earlier this season in Corvallis, where the Beavers won in a rout.
Said Taylor afterward: “Congratulations to Sacramento State and their staff and players. They made a lot of plays and made more than we did. And they won the game. ... Really talented players. Really good coaching staff. They did a great job. They were ready to play and they did some nice things schematically, and obviously the guys are really competitive. They did a great job.”
Stanford took a 14-3 lead after scoring on its first two possessions. The Cardinal recovered an onside kick and was driving to make it 21-3 when Caleb Nelson ended the threat with an interception in the end zone. Bennett’s 1-yard keeper with 35 seconds left in the half gave the Hornets a 17-14 lead.
Stanford led 23-20 early in the fourth quarter off Joshua Karty’s third field goal, though Zach Schreiner tied it on a 44-yard field goal with 4:13 remaining.
Thompson after the game rushed over to the stands to greet his wife, Mikal and their three young sons, Mac, Austin and Teague. His sons were at a recent Hornets practice, living the good life, until the father/coach told them to stop trying to scale the goal posts.
“Wasn’t that fun?” Thompson excitedly asked Hornets first-year president Luke Wood and athletic director Mark Orr, who, as a Cal alum, never tires of beating Stanford.
“I think a lot of people wondered how we’d do when we lost Troy to Stanford, if the sky was falling,” Orr said. “We’re fine. This reaffirms what we already knew. We have a great program with great student-athletes. I’m so happy for Andy Thompson, Kris (Richardson) and Bobby (Fresques).”
That trio remained at Sacramento State to maintain the momentum despite offers to join Taylor on The Farm, Richardson as assistant head coach and Fresques switching from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. They called a terrific game, players and Orr said, and the trio embraced after the game ended.
“That’s sports,” Thompson said, pausing while growing emotional. “It was beautiful.”
Added Orr: “It’s a great day for Sac State and a big day for Sacramento. And as an old Cal guy, yeah, it’s always nice to beat Stanford.”
Said Wood, the president: “With this coaching transition, we showed that we’re not going anywhere. We showed that we’re going to win another conference championship. We showed that Sacramento State is a world-class place for academics and athletics. We are the premier public school.”
Thompson reminded his team that this triumph loses a lot of luster if the Hornets lose their Big Sky opener at Idaho next week. Cal beat Idaho 31-17 on Saturday in Berkeley.
“We are humble,” Thompson said. “We know it’s hard to win football games. We earn everything. We want people to know that Sac State is the place to be in Northern California.”
This story was originally published September 16, 2023 at 8:41 PM.