After starting the year with one of the biggest wins in school history against Oregon State University, the Sacramento State football team fell well short of expectations after ending the season at 4-7.

Going into the season, the Hornets were ranked No. 24 in the preseason Football Championship Subdivision rankings.

Opening the season with the upset win against a Beavers team that was supposed to destroy the Hornets vaulted the Hornets to No. 12 in the FCS rankings.

As the season progressed, the Hornets lost back-to-back games in blowout fashion and were now 1-2, unranked and desperate for a win.

Sophomore wide receiver Morris Norrise said the team could not repeat its performance against the Beavers each week and that hurt them in the end.

“We were not being consistent,” Norrise said. “We showed that we had a great team after the first game of the season, but we just didn’t play great every game.”

In the following week against the University of Montana, the Hornets went up against a team that had beat them 16 straight years.

History suggested the Hornets were a long shot to win, but they pulled off another unexpected upset win to a Grizzlies team that finished the regular season tied with Montana State University for the Big Sky Conference championship at 9-2.

The Hornets followed the upset win with a loss to the co-conference winning Bobcats and a win against a University of Northern Colorado team that went 0-11.

The following five games to end the season turned out to be one of the biggest reasons the Hornets did not make it to the playoffs.

The Hornets lost four of their last five games and all four were by less than 10 points. Three of the four losses were by a touchdown or less.

The seven-point loss to the Eastern Washington University was because of a total collapse by the Hornets defense that gave up a 15-point lead going into the fourth quarter and missed kicks.

The Hornets lost the following week to Northern Arizona University by one point and to Portland State University by nine the next week.

Heading into their final two games of the season, which were both at home, the Hornets were 3-6; Norrise said the team was disappointed with such close losses the three weeks before.

“We weren’t frustrated, but disappointed,” Norrise said. “It was giving your all and not getting the end result.”

The second to last game against Idaho State University was a 24-9 win and the team that played so well against the Beavers and Grizzlies crawled back onto the field.

The last game of the season against rival UC Davis in the Causeway Classic was a perfect way for the Hornets to go out and win another big game, but they ended up losing by four points.

Two of the four wins this season came in upset fashion and the other two came against teams with worse records. The seven losses were spread out into two categories, blowouts and nail biters. Three of the losses were by double-digit points and the other four were by nine points or less.

Junior offensive lineman Vince Weaver said even though the Hornets were not able to close out games and have a good season, they always kept their heads held high.

“We never capitalized on opportunities that presented themselves throughout the season,” Weaver said. “But we stuck together as a team and battled throughout the entire season. There always was a 100 percent effort.”

Another problem for the Hornets was the kicker. Freshman kicker Jason Diniz did not fare as well as his brother, Chris, and before the final game against the Aggies, Diniz was 1-for-6 on field goals.

The problem for Diniz was that head coach Marshall Sperbeck only gave him six opportunities to prove himself and after he missed five of the six attempts, it appeared that Sperbeck had abandoned Diniz completely.

The Hornets went for it on fourth down 27 times, which was nine more than last year. They achieved 15 fourth-down conversions, but they never gave Diniz a shot to kick any field goals regardless of where they were on the field at times this season.

After missing two field goals against the Eagles and one that would have won the game, Diniz did not attempt another field goal in the next three games until they played the Aggies where he went 2-for-2.

Looking at the kickers around the league, the two co-conference champions did not have the best kickers, but they never ran away from the problem. The Grizzlies’ senior kicker Brody McKnight was 13-for-23 and the Bobcats’ senior kicker Jason Cunningham was 18-for-25.

The two worst teams in the league had the second and third least field goal attempts in the league after the Hornets. Idaho State only attempted 11 field goals and Northern Colorado only attempted 14.

Another problem for the Hornets was key injuries.

Junior offensive lineman Clay DePauw said injuries really hurt the team and its chances of winning games this year.

“We had a hard time scoring points,” DePauw said. “The injuries hurt our offense especially because it threw off our rhythm and timing.”

Senior wide receiver Chase Deadder had an ankle injury and missed five games. Senior quarterback Jeff Fleming missed four games with a calf injury and a concussion. Senior wide receiver Brandyn Reed also missed three games with an injured shoulder. Senior running back Curtis Shaw went out in the first game of the season with a knee injury and never made it back in the lineup. Sophomore defensive back Osagie Odiase missed four games with a shoulder and hamstring injury. Norrise missed one game with a shoulder injury as well.

The Hornets will be faced with the task to replace 19 graduating seniors next year, but DePauw said the team would be ready to take over for the senior leaders.

“We will be fine,” DePauw said. “We always say, next man up. We have a lot of guys who have been working very hard and who are ready to play next year.”

The biggest opening will be the quarterback position, which will be vacant with Fleming graduating.

Freshman quarterback Garrett Safron played in five games this season and switched in and out with sophomore quarterback Tommy Edwards, but Safron got the start on his own in the final two games and looks to have the edge on being the starter next season.

Fleming said he could see Safron being a leader.

“I think (Safron) has showed this year what he brings to the offense,” Fleming said. “He is a playmaker and has the ability to ignite the fans and teammates around him. He will learn a lot this off season and I see him becoming a great leader and role model.”

The Hornets coaching staff will have nine months to get ready for next season and build a team without key starters like senior running back Bryan Hilliard, Fleming, Reed, Deadder or Nash.

Fleming said even though so many key players are leaving, he believes the team has a bright future.

“These young guys will have to step up and be ready for the spotlight,” Fleming said. “I know they will be ready and I think the young guys will shine next year and continue to build this program.”

Josh Stanley can be reached at [email protected].