Convincing people that he played cornerback and safety in college is difficult for Alonzo Carter. The   58-year-old’s stocky build leads most people to believe he was a linebacker or lineman, but follow him during practice at Sacramento State and it is apparent that the secondary is his primary focus.

The Hornets new head coach was standing on the sideline Monday when a breakdown in coverage left a receiver open for an easy completion. Carter did not wait for the dust to settle before running onto the field to lay into the defensive backs whom he convicted as guilty of the blown assignment.

“I have two eyes on everything and three eyes on (the defensive backs). Well, it’s really four eyes because I have glasses,” Carter joked after finding shade under a canopy. The practice on Aug. 10 was scheduled to go from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., but it went long and ended with the temperature at 102.

Carter was led to three reporters after practice and wasted no time in asking for the media session to be moved to the shade. That allowed Carter to ditch his straw hat, which somehow survived two hours of being contorted so he could protect his head and keep one ear available for his headset.

His booming voice does not allow for private conversations, so Carter was overheard during practice saying “This is not tryouts, this is not Pop Warner.” Carter will not watch his words when frustration and the heat get the best of him. The Hornets are entering a new era and Carter wants to ensure they are ready.

Sacramento State and North Dakota State have left FCS conferences to try their luck against FBS teams. North Dakota State joins Northern Illinois and UTEP as new members of  the Mountain West Conference. Sacramento State has joined the Mid-American Conference as a football-only affiliate.

North Dakota State will travel to Sacramento State on Sept. 19. The teams have met once with the Bison winning 42-20 in the 1988 Division II playoffs. The Hornets will make their MAC debut Aug. 28 at Eastern Michigan. The game is Sacramento State’s first in the Eastern Time Zone since 1996. 

Carter will have more on his mind than time zones between now and then. He is disturbed when the players lose focus in practice. The Hornets were working on special teams Aug. 10 when a handful of players forgot where they were suppose to be and what they were suppose to do. Carter boiled over.

The entire group was told to run to the far end of the practice field and gather outside the gate. Carter called them back and did not speak to any of the players as they ran past him. “I felt like they were letting the heat win a little bit,” he said. “I didn’t want them going through the motions. I just wanted to reset.”

Another reset will come when 45 of the 115 players on the roster are told they will not be going to Eastern Michigan. Carter expects to hear from players after they get bad news and wonder why they are staying home. He might as well as carry a mirror so the players can question themselves.

“We’re not out here to experiment and try out somebody that hasn’t done something they can prove on video. I’m a big believer in your video. That’s your resume,” said Carter, who added he has no problem leaving behind players who put forth effort in one practice and dog it in the next. 

Consistent effort counts for Carter. “Anytime you step on that field, it’s a show me. It’s a prove it. It’s a performance mentality. It’s a proving mentality,” he said. “I don’t owe you six plays. This is not Pop Warner and everybody gets six plays. I don’t owe you that. I owe you nothing. What you get is what you earn.”