Sac State falls to South Dakota State as ‘Go-Go’ offense sputters. ‘Humble pie’
The much-anticipated “Go-Go’ offense found little room to run, and passes were dropped in a stalled-out season-openingeffort for the Sacramento State Hornets.
Ranked No. 3 in the FCS and winners of the 2022 and 2023 national championships, South Dakota State relied on its formidable defense, scored all but three of its points in the first half and downed No. 14 Sac State 20-3 on Saturday night in Brookings, giving the Jackrabbits their 30th consecutive home victory.
Dan Jackson won his coaching debut, doing so at his alma mater, in a meeting of first-time head coaches who revamped their rosters and came in as two of the most compelling storylines on the FCS landscape.
Hornets coach Brennan Marion brought in 73 new players after his December hire, including 50 through the transfer portal. He acknowledged that his team has an abundance of talent and saw his offense struggle overall as a unit in the team’s final scrimmage. He said Saturday night that the offense will find its gear, particularly the run game.
Sac State was held to 24 yards rushing in Brookings on 24 carries. No one had a carry for more than six yards.
Jaden Rashada, who earned the Hornets starting quarterback job over Tulsa transfer Cardell Williams, completed 10 of 26 passes for 93 yards and had an interception.
Sac State’s defense had seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss and received a career-best 14 tackles from linebacker Derek Houston, a Rocklin High School product.
South Dakota State lost 21 players to transfer after last season, but the tradition of smash-mouth football and dominating the trenches did not leave. The Jackrabbits rushed 56 times for 240 yards, including 159 yards on 22 attempts by Julius Loughridge.
Eli Stader kicked field goals of 22 yards for a 3-0 lead Jackrabbits lead and of 28 yards for the final margin with 2:27 left to play. Grant Meadors tied it 3-3 for Sac State with a 36-yard field goal with 5:18 left in the first quarter.
Chase Mason completed 17 of 23 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown for South Dakota State, and the 6-foot-4, 240-pound in-state raised senior rushed for 30 yards on 18 hard carries as his team produced 430 yards of offense. The team had 79 plays and Sac State 51.
Sac State was limited to 130 yards of offense.
“We knew it would be a tough environment,” Marion told reporters and Sacramento State sports information director Brian Berger after the game. “I thought our guys were ready. Things just didn’t go our way, and it kept going that way on offensive side. I thought our defense played pretty stout defense against a great offense and a good quarterback, one of the best lines I’ve seen in the FCS or the FBS. That’s a tough opponent. All hats off to them and their coaching staff. They did a great job.”
Marion said the learning lessons included “self-inflicted wounds. We jumped offside and had false starts. We dropped passes. We aren’t able to convert on a fourth-and-1. There’s so many things to learn in a loss.”
He added, “It’s good for us to get some humble pie ... We need to go back to the drawing board.”
Sac State plays at FBS-level Nevada in Reno on next Saturday, Sept. 6, at 2 p.m. The Hornets’ home opener is 6 p.m. Sept. 13 against FCS-level Mercyhurst of Pennsylvania.
This story was originally published August 30, 2025 at 8:20 PM.