As Sacramento State football goes on the road, here’s latest on effort to join Pac-12
Shortly after Saturday’s much-needed victory in a home opener, coach Andy Thompson marveled at the grit of his Sacramento State football team. He continued that theme this week.
Injuries are a part of a game big on contact and collisions, certainly, and the Hornets have had more than their share through the season’s first three weeks. They have suffered aches, pains, ailments and worse — at quarterback, on the offensive line and across the defensive landscape.
There’s a reason Sacramento State since its rise to power in the FCS in 2019 has given its first and second stringers equal reps in practice. You never know when it’s time to step up and to step in. The FCS-ranked No. 11 Hornets last week used 77 players in their 34-7 wipeout of then-No. 24 Nicholls of Louisiana. They head into Saturday’s game at Texas A&M Commerce with optimism as a resilient bunch coached by a crew that will not hesitate to maximize its entire roster.
The aim is to maintain momentum and to even their record at 2-2 heading into the Sept. 28 Big Sky Conference opener at Northern Arizona.
“We have good depth and we’ve needed it,” Thompson said. “Our guys don’t quit.”
And this is always true in this sport: There is no pity for the weary. Opponents aren’t going to feel any measure of mercy and call off the dogs.
Sacramento State lost at San Jose State in an opener after leading heading into the fourth quarter, and the Hornets fell to another FBS-level program in Fresno State, trailing 25-3 in the first half before making a game of it. Those teams happen to be contenders for the Mountain West Conference. San Jose State is 3-0, and Fresno State is 2-1 with a loss at mighty Michigan.
The toll for the Hornets included opening-day starting quarterback Kaiden Bennett suffering a shoulder injury. He did not suit up against Nicholls. Redshirt freshman Carson Conklin impressed in leading the offensive fireworks, passing for 264 yards and two touchdowns. The offensive line continues to plug in new faces around standout senior Jackson Slate for position coach Kris Richardson. The line has been a Hornets strength since 2019, including not allowing any sacks against Fresno State or Nicholls.
The defense produced seven sacks against Nicholls, the most in a game for the Hornets since 2011. Linebacker Will Leota earned two of those sacks in gaining FCS national and Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors. The last Hornets player to earn national defensive honors was Dre Terrell of Pleasant Grove High School in Elk Grove, when he had three interceptions against Incarnate Word of Texas in 2017.
Sacramento State allowed 10 yards rushing against Nicholls and recorded 14 tackles for loss while marching up and down the field on offense with waves of players, be it freshmen or seniors. Freshman receivers Danny Scudero and Onterrio Smith, Jr. of Folsom High made big contributions against Nicholls. Scudero had four first-half receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown, and Smith made his collegiate debut when he out-jumped a defender for a 4-yard touchdown grab.
Redshirt freshman linebacker Derek Houston of Rocklin had five tackles.
“We’ve got a lot of talented players, hungry guys,” Thompson said.
SAC 12 update: Hornets to Pac-12?
The “SAC 12” executive committee that includes local government officials and alums of Sacramento State and is pushing to get the Hornets sports programs added to the Pac-12 Conference has an update.
The committee in the last week added state Sen. Melissa Hurtado, California Assemblymember and Hornets alum Joe Patterson and former Hornets All-American football player Cyrus Mulitalo.
The group also this week announced new layers to its realignment plan that include:
▪ Securing $50 million in name, image and likeness (NIL) to cover the first 10 years of the Pac-12, should Sacramento State be added to that conference starting in fall 2026.
▪ Securing funding and approval to build a new football stadium to seat at least 25,000. Hornet Stadium seats 21,195.
▪ Securing funding to build an on-campus basketball arena that will seat at least 6,500. Existing 1,012-seat “The Nest” on campus is about as bad of a Division I arena/gym as there is in the country.
▪ Having at least 15,000 fans attend the remainder of Sacramento State’s home football games in an effort to catch the eye of the Pac-12, which needs two more teams to become an NCAA conference (Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State last week were added to the Pac-12, joining existing members Oregon State and Washington State).
▪ Securing $5.25 million in conference fees that is required to realign into the Pac-12.
Sacramento State coaches, players and administrators have not commented publicly on the SAC 12 efforts outside of this prepared statement: “It’s exciting to see key members of the Sacramento community celebrating the success of the Sacramento State Athletics program and sharing their interest in helping shape the vision of the future. It makes us proud to be part of such a wonderful, supportive community, and we will continue to support our student-athletes at the highest levels possible.”
No. 11 Sacramento State (1-2) at Texas A&M Commerce (0-3)
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
On air: ESPN 1320, ESPN+
Of note: This is the second meeting between the programs, the Hornets winning last season at home, 34-6 when Kaiden Bennett passed for 176 yards and a TD and ran for 101 and two scores. Commerce is 0-3 but has been competitive, including leading 6-3 at San Diego State before falling 45-14 and losing 36-22 at UC Davis after trailing 22-0. The Lions passed for 457 yards at UCD, though the team has been intercepted seven times in three games. This is Sacramento State’s first game in Texas since playing Incarnate Word to start the 2014 season. Sac State’s other games in Texas all-time include: West Texas A&M in 1989, Abilene Christian in 1991, Stephen F. Austin in 1994, Texas State in 1997 and UTEP in 2002.