Andy Thompson was promoted to head football coach at Sacramento State in 2022 four days after the Hornets’ 66-63 loss to Incarnate Word in the FCS playoffs. The loss was the first of the season for the 12-1 Hornets, leaving Thompson to accept much of the blame as the defensive coordinator.
Thompson joked that he had no idea how he could be promoted after being on the losing end of the highest-scoring game in FCS playoff history. He figured the folks choosing the new head coach had 66 reasons to take a pass. There were just 59 sreasons, but Thompson was not going to count.
Sacramento State’s offense was to blame for giving away seven points when a fumble by quarterback Asher O’Hara in the third quarter was returned for a touchdown. Thompson appreciated the faith shown by those folks with the final say in his promotion, but who knows how much forgiveness came with it.
Thompson is still in charge of the defense, which would have a tough time stopping stockings from running these days. The Hornets have allowed 807 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns in their past two games. Montana State ran for 508 yards and seven touchdowns in a 49-7 victory Saturday.
Being run over by the second-ranked Bobcats was not a surprise. Montana State leads the Big Sky Conference in rushing yards per game (333) and rushing touchdowns (36). Allowing Portland State to run for seven touchdowns Nov. 2 at Hornet Stadium was downright embarrassing. The Vikings scored just 12 in their first seven games.
The 58-38 loss to the Vikings was just the second for the Hornets in 22 games since 2019 when they scored at least 38 points. The other loss was to Incarnate Word. The Cardinals ran for 342 yards with just two players carrying the ball – Marcus Cooper (176) and Lindsey Scott (166).
Adam Jones (159 yards) and Scottie Humphrey (129) combined for more than half of the Bobcats’ rushing rampage against the Hornets in Bozeman. Humphrey leads the Big Sky with an average of 119 yards a game. The sophomore also leads the conference in rushing touchdowns by scoring 13.
Portland State quarterback Dante Chachere is tied for second in rushing touchdowns with 12 after scoring a career-high four against Sacramento State. The Hornets will travel to San Luis Obispo this week to face Cal Poly, which has the Big Sky’s worst rushing offense at 108.9 yards per game.
Cal Poly and Sacramento State share last place with Northern Colorado at 1-5, so the loser will be stuck there. That would be nothing new for the Mustangs, who have not finished higher than 11th in the 12-team conference since 2018. For the Hornets, it would be another punch below their belt.
Sacramento State was predicted to finish fifth in the Big Sky in the preseason media and coaches polls. The Hornets were ranked No. 8 in the FCS preseason poll after finishing 8-5 in 2023 and making the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. That streak will end after the Causeway Classic.
The annual battle against UC Davis will be another challenge for Thompson’s defense. Lan Larison did a number on the Hornets last year in the Aggies’ 31-21 win. He rushed for 129 yards, had three receptions for 54 yards and scored four times. The senior has run for 1,061 yards thus far in 2024.
If the Hornets split their remaining two games as most folks would expect, Thompson’s record in the Big Sky will be 6-10 after two seasons. Troy Taylor was 23-1 in three seasons before leaving for Stanford. Thompson was promoted with big shoes to fill. They remain empty for the time being.
