Correction: The print edition of this story erroneously suggested that the starter at quarterback was still unnamed. Prior to publication, Mcleod Bethel-Thompson and Jason Smith were competing for the starting position, which Smith eventually won.

Football season is starting up again and the Hornets have been preparing throughout the summer for another exciting season. According to head coach Marshall Sperbeck, the team has improved since last season and has become more disciplined.

“The offense has improved and the defense has a lot of energy and passion,” stated Sperbeck.

According to the 2008 Hornet Football Media Guide, this season the Hornets have lost a few players on the defense line and to fill those spots junior Bill Sherman will be playing defensive tackle along with senior John Garth converted from the offensive line. Sherman has experience from the last two seasons and Garth switched from the offense and defense line throughout the seasons depending on the need. Senior Kevin Hall is playing this year after recovering from a back injury for the past three years.

Kevin Davis is leading the defensive backs with five years of seniority and will help the young talent in the defensive secondary to grow into a strong backfield. New to the safety position are junior Dorian Brown and senior Matt Evans. They both are in the process of replacing Brett Webber and Brent Shelton for starting positions.

As far as linebackers go, the Hornets are proud to have the strong trio back in action. The trio includes middle lineman Cyrus Mulitalo, strong-side lineman Mike Brannon and weak-side lineman Mike Hickman. According to the Media Guide, these three linemen combined tackles were 245 last season. This three-headed monster will be tough to beat.

This season, Sperbeck is focusing more on his team than his opponents and hopes that this new method can improve the team as a whole.

“We have things we need to work on and we will focus on us getting better as a team first,” said Sperbeck.

The offense has a few players from last season and a few new faces. The running backs position has incoming freshmen who are known for the numbers they posted in high school. This includes Andre Island, Jake Croxdale and Anthony Biasi, according to the Media Guide. All of these men will be great assets to the team this season.

Two veterans returning to the offensive line are senior Ray Navar playing tackle and junior Matt Lemley playing guard. They both have a lot of experience and earned all-Big Sky honors last season, according to the Media Guide.

New to the team is quarterback Mcleod Bethel-Thompson, who transferred from University of California, Los Angeles last semester. He chose to come join the Hornets because of better opportunities here, according to Sperbeck.

“Los Angeles is a different world. I’m originally from San Francisco, so I feel like back home. It’s nice up here in the City of Trees,” said Bethel-Thompson.

Bethel-Thompson says the difference between UCLA and Sac State is that they’re on different levels.

“UCLA is very established and has a lot of money and Sac State is more up and coming and is still establishing the program. We’re definitely building something here,” said Bethel-Thompson.

He seems to be ready to lead the team to victory this season and is finding his place in the team very well. “I play to win and this team is ready to win. We have great players and we’ve become a close team.”

Jason Smith, who is also a quarterback, is already getting good vibes from Bethel-Thompson and sees the dedication and determination inside him.

“Mcleod is very competitive and smart,” said Smith. “He plays his hardest every day.”

This season he said he will try to focus on the playbook and make it second nature to him.

“I just need to keep learning the playbook and when it gets to Saturday it will be automatic for me. Once you start thinking about it, that’s when mistakes start to happen,” Bethel-Thompson said.

Smith, who is a sophomore, was our starting quarterback last season until he injured his back in the weight room and missed spring training.

Sperbeck said, “He was here mentally.”

His recovery has gone well though and will be able to play in the first game of the season, according to Sperbeck. The third string quarterback for this season will be Duncan White, from Lake Oswego, Ore.

“I’ve been going to therapy since the injury and resting. So, my back has healed up good,” said Smith.

Smith said the team has come a long way since last year and is ready for a great season. “I’m just focusing on the practices. Physically, everyone is there; we just got to get there mentally as a team.”

He mentioned that he is preparing for the first game as well by getting in the mind set of leading the team and playing better than last year.

“I need to make good decisions during the games and manage the team to help the Hornets win. We’ve made great strides from last year and have high expectations for this season.”

Smith encourages the students to come out and watch their fellow players next Saturday.

“Come out and support us, it’ll be exciting. Support your school,” Smith said.

Both Smith and Bethel-Thompson have the same attitude and work ethic when it comes to team improvement.

“We’re both somewhat the same person because we both show up every day to better ourselves and each other,” said Smith.

The players worked with both quarterbacks during training to help them prepare for the game.

“The players just want the best guy that’s capable of leading the team and has the best results. The guy that performs the best is the one they will support,” stated Sperbeck.

With a new focus and new players, this team has a lot of talent and skill to work with this season.

“We offer explosiveness this season,” Sperbeck said.

Taylor Collis can be reached at [email protected]