Northern Colorado is no longer alone after being the only Big Sky Conference team since 2017 to lose to Cal Poly in consecutive seasons (2023 and 2024). Sacramento State also lost to Cal Poly last season and did so again Sept. 29 in a 32-24 setback to share a rather dubious distinction with Northern Colorado.
Sacramento State and Northern Colorado also shared last place in the Big Sky last season at 1-7. Cal Poly won two Big Sky games for the first time since 2019. The Hornets mauled the Mustangs 38-14 in 2019 on their way to winning the first of their three consecutive Big Sky championships.
Much has changed at Sacramento State since 2019, when Troy Taylor became the Hornets head coach and revived the program. The Hornets were 23-1 in the Big Sky and 30-8 overall in Taylor’s three years at the helm. When he left after the 2022 season, so did Sacramento State’s success.
Andy Thompson succeeded Taylor in 2023, when Sacramento State beat Cal Poly 41-30 and was 4-4 in the Big Sky. The Hornets were also 4-4 in 2024, but a 26-23 loss at Cal Poly did not bode well for Thompson’s future on the sideline. He resigned after the season to join Taylor at Stanford.
Brennan Marion arrived from UNLV to take charge at Sacramento State and immediately overhauled the roster by bringing in 50 transfers. The Hornets were ranked in the Stats Perform and coaches preseason polls based solely on Marion acquiring FBS players in the transfer portal.
Many of those players joined an FCS team without receiving a dollar, so it is apparent they were desperate. They were either no longer wanted at their previous schools or could not find an FBS team willing to pay for their services. And none of them will be paid by the Hornets.
They may have been promised money in 2026 with the Sacramento State administration believing the Hornets would become an FBS program after leaving the Big Sky. The NCAA squashed that in a heartbeat, however, because the Hornets had not received an invitation from an FBS conference.
Sacramento State will likely be an FCS independent team next season without the money to pay the current players or lure any others. After losing to Cal Poly, Marion and his assistants will have a tough time convincing high school recruits that playing for the Hornets will be worth their while.
And who knows if Marion and his staff will return in 2026 if they were also promised money based on gaining FBS status. The future is uncertain, so all Sacramento State can do now is try to survive. That will not be easy with three games against ranked teams in the final five weeks of the season.
The Hornets (2-3) will return from their bye by traveling to Weber State on Saturday and then host Northern Colorado on Oct. 18. Sacramento State will also host fourth-ranked Montana on Oct. 24 and No. 13 Idaho on Nov. 15. The Hornets will travel to No. 6 UC Davis for the final Causeway Classic on Nov. 22.
It would be safe to say the Hornets will have to play much better than they did against Cal Poly to stand any chance in those games. They had a season-high 10 penalties and a holding call on tackle Jordan Herman nullified Rodney Hammond Jr.’s 69-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that would have put the Hornets ahead 28-25.
Sacramento State has collected a Big Sky-high 44 penalties. Two penalties in the final two minutes at Nevada on Sept. 6 twice cost the Hornets a go-ahead touchdown in a 20-17 loss. The Hornets’ nine penalties against the Wolfpack equaled their total Aug. 31 in a 20-3 loss at South Dakota State, which was ranked No. 14 at the time and is now No. 2.
The Hornets also allowed the Mustangs to run for 178 yards after Cal Poly averaged 102 in its first four games. The Mustangs are now averaging 117.2 yards per game to rank 95th among 126 FCS teams. Sacramento State is tied for 15th at 202.2. UC Davis is tied with Southern Illinois for 32nd at 181.6.
The Hornets ran for 230 yards against the Mustangs, but quarterback Cardell Williams threw three interceptions in the first half. The first was returned for a touchdown with 6:59 to play in the first quarter, but Sacramento State should have still led 7-6 after stopping the Mustangs’ two-point try.
Linebacker Je’Kob Jones was called for pass interference, however, and the Mustangs scored on their second chance. Two penalties cost the Hornets an opportunity to answer on their ensuing possession. Cal Poly then scored 10 points in the final four minutes of the first quarter to lead 18-7.
The first of the Hornets’ two penalties was a false start by guard Kendall Riley on second-and-7 at the Sacramento State 28. A holding penalty on wide receiver Jace Wilson erased Hammond’s 9-yard run. Williams was then stopped for no gain on third-and-13 at the 22, forcing a Hornets punt.
Hammond ran for a season-high 105 yards and did not lose a yard on any of his season-high 19 carries. That was fortunate because two teammates cost him 78 yards and the Hornets any chance of winning.
