Sacramento State football will host the Weber State Wildcats in the Homecoming game at Hornet Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m. in an effort to find a much-needed win.

This season has come in twos for the Hornets so far. A pair of respectable losses to FBS squads to open the season; a tandem of puzzling conference losses and two dominant defensive wins to FCS teams sandwiched in between.

Sac State has a 2-4 overall record and is 0-2 in the Big Sky Conference, while Weber State is 3-4 overall and 2-1 in the Big Sky.

Doctor’s orders: A gut check

Sac State entered a lot of unfamiliar territory this week.

Saturday will mark the first time in a stretch of 38 games the Hornets will not go into a contest ranked inside the FCS Top 25.

After losses to Northern Arizona and Eastern Washington, Sac State is the only team in the Big Sky without a conference win. The Hornets previously hadn’t dropped back-to-back conference games since 2018 and never in the Andy Thompson or Troy Taylor era.

A season with postseason expectations is becoming more dire by the week, and the Hornets are well aware of what they face.

“In order to have a shot at the playoffs, we probably have to win out,” senior guard Jackson Slater said. “But then again, we’re big at taking it one game at a time. We can’t go 6-0 if we don’t go 1-0 this week.”

Sac State head coach Andy Thompson’s message to the team this week has been simple. Thompson said he’s well aware of where the team is right now in the season, they don’t approach any one game differently than another.

“There’s no magic potion,” Thompson said. “It takes a lot of work, a lot of detail and everybody’s got to stick together.”

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Which Weber State are we talking?

The Wildcats carried out a 55-53 road victory two weeks ago over the No.11 Montana Grizzlies in Missoula, where the away teams have only won 13% of games since 1986, according to Montana Athletics.

Weber State followed that win with a blunder of a loss at home to Northern Colorado, a team that hadn’t won a game since November of the 2022 season.

The Wildcats’ inconsistent play has gone hand in hand with their sophomore signal caller Richie Muñoz.

Muñoz was awarded the Stats Perform National Player of the Week after tossing a career-best six touchdowns in Weber State’s overtime win against Montana. The week after, Muñoz committed four turnovers in the Wildcats’ loss to Northern Colorado.

“He just tries to launch the ball in the air, and makes a lot of mistakes – especially on third down,” senior safety Murvin Kenion lll said. “I think we can really get our hands on the ball.”

Despite ranking second in the Big Sky with six interceptions on the year, Sac State has yet to pick off the opposing teams’ quarterback in conference play.

Kenion lll acknowledged the secondary’s obligation to create extra possessions for the offense is long overdue, and they have a big opportunity to make up for it this week.

“We just have to all buy in, fill our right gaps and everybody’s going to swarm to the ball to make a play,” Kenion lll said.

Thompson said the Wildcats are solid on all three phases and Saturday will be a good challenge for Sac State.

Circle the wagons

Slater said offensive line coach Kris Richardson’s message to the team all week has been to circle in the wagons.

The Hornets seem confident the last two weeks were an anomaly, and they have a chance to prove that going forward.

Thompson said last week it’s all about how you respond in times like this.

“I hope we go in with the mindset that we want to play our best game,” said Thompson. “We work too hard throughout the year and in the offseason to stop in the middle of the year.”

Sac State’s offense sputtered in its opening conference bout against Northern Arizona, but looked much more up to snuff last week as redshirt freshman quarterback Carson Conklin tossed a career-high four touchdown passes.

Junior running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver rushed for 100 yards or more in three of the first four games this season and although he hasn’t eclipsed that yet in conference play, he was just six yards shy against Eastern Washington.

The defense, which was questionable coming into the season, has played well in bursts. Sac State is tied for first in the entire FCS in sacks per game, first in the Big Sky in forced fumbles, second in the conference in interceptions and hadn’t allowed over 85 rushing yards in a game prior to last week.

The chore now is bringing it all together, or as Richardson would say, circling the wagons. What better time to do it than Homecoming to keep the season alive.

Predictions:
Andrew Edwards, Sports Staffer (0-0): Sac State hasn’t needed a win more than now in quite some time. I’m still hopeful this season can be salvaged. I think Thompson will have his team ready to go, and I expect the Hornet defense to return to form without having to contain an off-kilter rushing attack like they saw with Eastern Washington. Look for Tau-Tolliver to have a big game on the ground against a team that’s allowed 176 rushing yards a game.

Sac State: 34, Weber State: 24

Ryan Lorenz, Sports Editor (3-2): The Hornets have put themselves in a difficult spot with back-to-back conference losses. The offense should focus on their ground attack and give Tau-Tolliver the ball to control the clock and pace of the game. The defense struggled mightily against Eastern Washington, but they remain the FCS sacks leader with 20 sacks. If Sac State’s defense can return to the defense that allowed no points in back-to-back games and the offense can control the flow of the game, then the Hornets will get their first win of conference play.

Sac State: 30, Weber State: 21

Adam Camarena, Sports Editor (3-2): Sac State is as confusing a team as one can watch. One week, their defense looks stout and the offense fails to move the ball, the next it’s the opposite. Conklin threw 4 touchdown passes in last week’s game, but 3 came in the first half. The defense needs to lick their wounds and stop the run if the Hornets want to keep their season from spiraling, I don’t see it happening. Inconsistency is what I’m expecting once again and I think the Hornets will fall flat late in the game for the second week in a row.

Sac State: 26, Weber State: 34

Jack Freeman, Editor-in-Chief (4-1): On paper, this should be an excellent get-right game for Sac State. They found success on the ground last week and that is sure to carry over, but I’m not convinced it will be enough to slow Weber State’s offensive firepower. In order for the Hornets to get past the Wildcats the offensive will have to be perfect and they haven’t shown the ability to do that this year.

Sac State: 30, Weber State: 35