In what has been a disappointing past few years for football teams here at Sacramento State, the 2007 squad marks the beginning of a new era in Hornet football.

New coach Marshall Sperbeck has brought a new system and winning tradition to Sac State. Sperbeck has spent the previous 15 seasons coaching Foothill College in Los Altos and has had a great deal of success, compiling a career record of 109-53.

However, the most apparent change for the Hornet squad this year is the positive attitude adjustment.

“I feel good,” Sperbeck said. “We’re working hard and putting in good effort. We can definitely compete in our conference. We continue to shape up week to week and put our best foot forward.”

As the squad is optimistic to improve on last year’s 4-7 mark, there are positive aspects of last season that have carried over to the current team.

The Hornets won two of their last four games and have nine returning starters on defense. Seven of those starters were chosen for the All-Big Sky Conference last year and two of them, junior linebacker Cyrus Mulitalo and senior safety Brent Webber, have been selected for the 2007 Football Championship Subdivision preseason All-America team by The Sports Network this year.

Webber has been an All-Big Sky Conference selection each of his first three seasons at Sac State. He is currently tied for fourth on the all-time list with eight interceptions. Cornerback Jody Johnson is returning as well and will help solidify a secure defensive backfield.

Senior Dallas Mauga will help lead a strong returning defensive line up the middle. He was chosen to the preseason All-Big Sky Conference team as a defensive tackle. Last year he was third on the team in sacks and amassed 40 tackles.

Mulitalo led the Big Sky Conference last year in tackles with 120 and is a leader of the Sac State defense. He feels the team unity Sperbeck has instilled is going to improve the outcome of the season dramatically.

“I’m much more confident this year in our team as a unit,” Mulitalo said. “Our offense is coming along and is really ahead of schedule. Usually in preseason the defense dominates practice, but this year it has been a see-saw battle. It’s a new Sac State.”

Veteran senior leader WR/RB Ryan Coogler leads the offense into the 2007 season. In 2005, Coogler led the team in receptions and receiving yards. He caught a pass in 22 out of 23 games as a Hornet. He missed all but one game last year due to an injury, and it showed in the team’s offensive production. Having him back will be a huge boost, especially to a young offensive group.

“I’m confident this year,” Coogler said. “It’s a little different from previous years; we have a new attitude and I’m excited to see how good we can be.”

As for the quarterback dilemma, it has been decided that redshirt freshman Jason Smith will get the start against Fresno State. His inexperience will be a factor but his teammates say they are confident in his abilities.

Sperbeck cites junior Ray Navar as one of the standouts in camp this preseason. After two years at tight end, Navar has moved to the offensive line.

“This is the hardest Sac State football has worked in a long time,” Navar said. “Coach Sperbeck works us harder than anyone I know of in the nation.”

Navar went on to say that the offense has had a good transition this year because the new system allows them to call audibles and adapt to different defensive situations.

“Our attitude has improved one hundred percent from last season,” Navar said. “Coach Sperbeck calls it the ‘Sac State Way’ – everyone has bought into it.”

The Hornets kicked off their first game of the season at Fresno State’s Bulldog Stadium on Saturday, which served as a good test to see where the squad is at this point in the season.

“Like coach says, the field is 100 yards long. It doesn’t matter where we play,” Coogler said, referring to the hostile environment that awaited the Hornets in Fresno.

“We’ve had similar situations at Cal in the past years and done alright. It’s all relative. We’ve got a lot of experience and we want to execute, finish and compete one play at a time.”

Coach Sperbeck said the team focused on themselves instead of the rabid Bulldog fans.

“We can’t get caught up in the hype. It doesn’t affect our play, we just need to focus on our responsibilities and we’ll be fine,” he said.

Sperbeck encourages the student body to get involved this year and support the team, assuring every game will provide an exciting brand of new football.

As Mulitalo said, “It’s a new Sac State.”

Galen Kusic can be reached at [email protected].