Sacramento State did not get the chance to relax after it returned home from Eastern Washington.

Just 24 hours removed from their 3-point loss to the No. 1 ranked Eagles, the Hornets were back on the field planning strategies against Cal Poly’s triple option – a type of offense they have not seen this season.

“We had four days to get ready for it,” said Sac State head coach Marshall Sperbeck in reference to the upcoming game this Saturday. “It’s always tough to simulate with our scout team. You just try to match up with each play and keep that mindset in place.”

The triple option offense dates back to the 1970s and has been successfully executed by the likes of the University of Nebraska, Oklahoma and Florida. It relies heavily on timing and deception, using the quarterback and multiple running backs to confuse the defense.

The offense was brought to Cal Poly by former head coach Rich Ellerson in 2001 and became a staple even after he left in 2009. Since then, the Mustangs have not finished below second in rushing offense and overall this season they have out rushed their opponents by a combined 1,325 yards.

“Our guys just have to key on their responsibilities. I think it is very much assignment football,” Sperbeck said. “They can’t get lazy with their eyes and they need to make sure they do a good job on what they are asked to do.”

Cal Poly features senior running back Deonte Williams who has averaged 132 yards per game and currently leads the Big Sky Conference in both yards and touchdowns.

Williams is a local to the Sacramento area where he played at Sierra College for two seasons and before that attended Pleasant Grove High School.

Although the Mustangs are one of only two teams in the FCS that are undefeated this season, head coach Tim Walsh said Sac State is going to be no easy team to beat.

“We have to play a very good Sacramento State team that is going through a lot from a program’s standpoint of losing a player,” Walsh said. “ I have been through that as a head coach and it is absolutely no fun, but it does become inspirational to young people to look at their lives. I think Saturday night will be an emotional contest.”

With the FCS playoffs four weeks away, teams are jockeying for position for the conference championship. Although Cal Poly, Northern Arizona and Eastern Washington are leading the pack, Montana State and the Hornets are not too far behind.

Last season, two Big Sky teams got into the playoffs, but Walsh said with a win Sac State has a chance for its first playoff berth.

Hornets’ quarterback Garrett Safron injured his hand late in the game against Eastern Washington last week, but he said his hand feels perfect and is ready to play on Saturday.

“We’ve prepared pretty well and we just need to go out on game day and execute,” Safron said.

Kick off will be at 6:05 p.m. with a moment of silence beforehand to honor John Bloomfield.

 Ryan Kuhn can be reached at @rskuhn