Playing a second season at Sacramento State did not appeal to Miles Bailey. The first in 2025 was a waste. The Hornets welcomed a new head coach and a busload of transfers, but most of them left after the season because the team was no closer to gaining FBS status than when they arrived.

Sacramento State was Bailey’s third college in four years, so spending his senior season at a fourth was also not that appealing. The Hornets had left the Big Sky Conference and would have to play as an FCS independent team in 2026 if they could not find an FBS conference willing to take them.

The Mid-American Conference did not accept Sacramento State as much as it was induced to do so for $23 million. None of that mattered to Bailey, who had to decide whether another season with another new head coach and another bunch of transfers in another rebuilding project was worth it.

The hiring of Alonzo Carter as Sacramento State’s third head coach in three years alleviated all of Bailey’s concerns. Bailey was a senior at Benicia High in 2022 when he was recruited by Bailey, who was then an assistant coach at San Jose State. Carter’s arrival convinced Bailey to stay put.

“I really wanted to play for him in my senior year,” Bailey said after practice Friday. “I I consider him to be an uncle to me. We’ve been keeping in touch throughout the years. He’s a very good coach. He brings a lot of energy and discipline. I see them winning a lot of games in the next couple years.”

No one should be surprised that Sacramento State is 1-6 in the MAC and 2-8 overall. Carter does not measure his team by its record as much as the players putting forth effort whenever they are on the field. “It’s 100 and 100,” Carter said. “We’re going 100 miles per hour 100 percent of the time.”

Friday’s practice ended with the players running a lap around the field. Carter implores his players to match his energy level, so they made him prove it by challenging him to run with them. “They made me run that dang lap,” Carter said. “If I can do it at 57 years old, they’ve got to match that.”

All that effort has paid off in the past two weeks. Sacramento State beat Kent State 31-10 on Oct. 30 for its first MAC victory. The Hornets took Toledo down to the wire in a 20-17 loss on Nov. 4. Toledo (4-1 MAC, 7-2 overall) was favored by 25.5 points and had averaged 37.3 points per game.

The 6-foot-4, 297-pound Bailey contributed to the victory against Kent State by recovering two fumbles and becoming the first Sacramento State player to have two in a game since 2010. The Hornets had five takeaways against the Golden Flashes to match their total in the first eight games. 

Playing two games in six days tested the Hornets’ stamina, especially with the Rockets coming off a 10-day break. Sacramento State sacked Toledo quarterback John Alan Richter three times after entering the game with 11. The Hornets rank 112th among 138 FBS teams with 14 sacks.

Sacramento State had not had more than two sacks in its previous seven games. Richter had been sacked just six times in eight games before Bailey, Tim Thomas and Brodie Tagaloa each dropped him. “They have one of the best quarterbacks in the league,” Bailey said. “We had to get after him.”

Richter passed for a season-low 60 yards, but the Rockets did not need him to do much because they rushed for 230 yards. The Hornets had eight yards rushing because they lost 45 on five sacks.  Quarterback Jackson Sharman sustained a chest injury on one sack and did not play after halftime. 

Sharman became the starter after Carson Conklin broke his right wrist in the season opener Aug. 29 at Eastern Michigan. Brian Salazar Jr. completed 12 of 18 passes for 103 yards in the second half against Toledo. The sophomore will start in the MAC finale at Central Michigan on Wednesday.