After starting 0-2, Sacramento State is striving for its first win of the season as they host the visiting Mercyhurst Lakers.
This is the first ever matchup between the schools, as the Lakers, members of the Northeast Conference, were recently moved up to Division I play last season. .
The Hornets showed promise in last week's 17-20 loss at Nevada. The offense got its first points of the season with a five-yard rush from senior running back Rodney Hammond, Jr. to set things up. The last points of the game came in the form of a 75-yard strike from junior quarterback Cardell Williams to redshirt freshman wide receiver Ernest Campbell.
The Hornets had an opportunity to win this game late, but a dramatic finish – including two called back touchdowns and a missed field goal – sealed their chances of a big FBS win vs the Wolf Pack.
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Now, Sac State faces off against Mercyhurst, who picked up a win against another newly-appointed Division I team, the University of New Haven. The Lakers blew the Chargers out 48-14, outgaining them 647 to 230 in terms of yardage.
The Hornets haven't been the most stout in their last two games, allowing over 500 yards rushing throughout their first two games.
”We took some time as a defense, and we watched every explosive run that we've given up. We realized it's a lot of self-inflicted wounds, we just got to be better with our communication,” defensive coordinator Marcus Patton said. “We know that we can play great defense because we've shown it in flashes, but we got to just consistently do the right things.”
The offense looks to stay explosive, as the Go-Go offense makes its debut at home for the first time this season.
“We've had moments where we look really, really explosive," head coach Brennan Marion said. “We have to be consistent in doing that every drive, whether that be finishing with that field goal or finishing with an extra point, we need to finish with points every draft that we get down.”
A bright spot for the Hornets came from former walk-on junior safety Koa Akui, who was voted co-defensive player of the week in the Big Sky conference for his two interception performance in last week's game at Nevada.
“[I’m] just honored, coming from Hawaii not being heavily recruited. My work finally getting recognized just feels amazing," Akui said. “I have some more years left, so I'm just gonna keep my head down and keep working.”
Keys to the game:
The Hornets will need to slow down the Mercyhurst offense by not allowing the Lakers to get into a rhythm with the passing game. Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Dylan Evans led the FCS in receiving, with 157 yards in last week's game.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Hornets need to hit clear goals, move the ball and finish drives with scores. The Hornets failed to score in the second halves of each of their last two games, which contributed big in the Nevada game.
Lastly, penalties were an issue for the Hornets in last week's game, with nine penalties accounting for 71 yards. If it weren't for two late holding calls, the team would be 1-1 rather than 0-2, something they’ll need to clean up to pick up their first win of the season.
“It's time to put on a show for the city of Sacramento. We're excited to play at home and have a little home field advantage,” Marion said.
Sac State faces off against Mercyhurst at Hornet Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m.
