Sac State QB vows to bounce back as Hornets prep for Nevada. ‘I take full blame’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Quarterback Jaden Rashada accepted responsibility for Sac State’s season-opening loss.
- Coach Brennan Marion praised Rashada’s resilience and leadership under pressure.
- Sac State and Nevada enter Saturday’s game with over 60 new players each in 2025.
Jaden Rashada appreciates the kudos that come with playing quarterback, including his star-studded time at Pittsburg High School in Contra Costa County where he was a national recruit 4-star, blue chip prospect.
The 6-foot-4, 185-pound redshirt Sacramento State starter also understands that his position means that he is ripe for critique. That can come in the form of constructive analysis from coaches, teammates and family. Or the skewering and scathing kind from social media, where everyone’s a target by armchair quarterback blowhards, including over four mixed starts at Arizona State in 2023.
In Sac State’s opening night 20-3 loss to FCS No. 3-ranked South Dakota State, Rashada and the Hornets’ “Go-Go” offense was out of sorts. Part of that stems from the team trying to get 72 new players on the same page in quick order with a near-complete roster turnover under first-year coach Brennan Marion, and a lot of it had to do with the opponent.
In facing a relentless pass rush, Rashada completed just 11 of 27 passes for 112 yards. The Hornets also struggled to run the ball, generating 24 net yards, and managed just seven first downs.
Rashada was too long on some throws and had some dropped, too, including a touchdown. Marion called the setback a dose of “humble pie” after an avalanche of preseason hype surrounding the program. Following Thursday’s practice as the Hornets prepared for Saturday’s game at FBS-level Nevada, Rashada took ownership of the opening loss.
Rashada doesn’t deserve all of the heat, certainly, but this is what quarterback leaders do.
“I take full blame, but we can’t go forward looking in the rearview mirror,” he said. “Our team, we probably needed that. It’s a learning lesson, not really a loss in our eyes. We’re learning. It was our first time playing with each other — no excuses.”
Football is a sport big on getting knocked down, and Rashada said, “Winning is hard, so we have got to be willing to do the hard stuff that comes with with it, and we’re aware of that, and what’s important is we learn. I can do everything better, and that’s part of being a quarterback and a leader. I always look at myself in the mirror. I can do a lot of things better, and I look forward to doing that.”
Marion has been an offensive guru coach of sorts for years, so he knows the role of a quarterback. He was a record-setting receiver at Tulsa and is mindful of the highs and lows of quarterback play. Marion said he has not lost an ounce of confidence in Rashada, whom he plucked from the transfer portal after he spent a season with the Georgia Bulldogs.
“I told him I was proud of him for the way he conducted himself (in the opener),” Marion said. “He took a lot of hits. He got up with a smile, continued to fight and compete.”
The coach continued, “Did we win? No. But from the standpoint of there were things to be proud about, and a guy who hasn’t started a game in a couple of years now, and he went out there and gave our team a chance to win.”
Marion said Rashada isn’t just flash with a pretty spiral. There is grit to his game, too.
“I was proud of him for showing toughness, for getting up, hand bloody, still playing,” Marion said. “He never tapped out. He never said anything other than, ‘Coach, what I need to do the next drive is lead our team down the field.’ I think he gained a lot of respect and trust from our guys, seeing him take shots, get up and continue to keep fighting.”
Nevada coach knows Marion, Sac State
Nevada brought in 62 new players this season, among the most in the FBS, and Sac State’s 72 newcomers are among the most in the FCS.
Nevada is coming off of a 46-11 loss at FBS No. 2 Penn State in Happy Valley in which the Wolf Pack trailed 27-3 at the half. Nevada went 3-10 last season, losing an FBS-leading seven games by one score.
Nevada coach Jeff Choate and Marion know each other. They were on the same coaching staff with the Texas Longhorns in 2022. Choate is also familiar with Sac State from when he was the Montana State head coach from 2016-20, losing both times to the Hornets in Big Sky Conference action.
Marion, as UNLV’s offensive coordinator in 2023 and 2024, helped that program put up 45 and 38 points in those rivalry victories.
“A team that I’m familiar with from my days in the Big Sky,” Choate said of the Hornets during his Monday press conference. “I’m also familiar with Coach Marion. We were on staff together for a year in 2022 (at Texas). He’s known for his innovative ‘Go-Go’ offense.
“Obviously, they had a lot of success with it at UNLV a year ago and gave us some real problems with the plus-one run game and some of the triple-option things that can come out of that system. And he’s got some good weapons.”
One of those weapons is running back Savion Red, who led Nevada backs in rushing last season. Another Hornet with Nevada ties is defensive tackle Kris Ross, who played for the Wolf Pack in 2024.
“We prepared for him a year ago when he was at UNLV,” Choate said of Marion. “Obviously, a different cast of characters around him, but the scheme’s not going to change. Working with him in Texas, I can tell you this. Coach (Steve) Sarkisian didn’t go in and say, ‘Hey, what do you want to run this week?’ It was kind of the other way around.
“Brennan’s always been known as an innovative guy, players coach, good recruiter. That’s been his M.O., and you can see he was able to bring in a lot of talent to Sacramento State.”
Sacramento State (0-1) at Nevada (0-1)
When: 2. p.m. Saturday
Where: Mackay Stadium in Reno
On air: ESPN1320, Mountain West Network
Of note: Marion said he was encouraged by his defense in the opener, a unit that had 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Linebacker Derek Houston of Rocklin High School had 14 tackles for Sac State, and he has to get to Nevada quarterback Chubba Purdy, the younger brother of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. He passed for 97 yards and rushed for 55 against Penn State.
This is the first meeting between Sac State and Nevada since 2004 and just the second since 1990. Nevada leads the series 17-9, the programs meeting every season between 1954-1978 except in 1971. Sac State has played an FBS team every season since 2002, including wins over Oregon State in 2011, at Colorado State in 2022 and at Stanford in 2023.
This story was originally published September 4, 2025 at 12:50 PM.