Sacramento State, fresh off two consecutive wins, is in a do-or-die situation as the season’s fate relies on the final two games of the season, starting with Idaho this weekend.
The Hornets and Vandals have faced each other five times in their series’ history, with Idaho leading the matchup 3-2 all time. The last game played between the teams came with a Vandal victory of 36-27 in 2023.
Sac State amassed a total of 483 yards in their recent road victory against Portland State. Senior running back Rodney Hammond, Jr. and redshirt freshman wideout Ernest Campbell were instrumental in the Hornets’ success. Hammond, Jr. gained 240 all-purpose yards, including two touchdowns, while Campbell contributed 103 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns of his own.
The Hornets’ defense played a crucial role in their 52-24 win, recording six sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
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Idaho lost against UC Davis last week with a score of 28-14. The Vandals had an early lead, but penalties played a crucial role in the game’s outcome.
Prolonged drives by the Aggies gashed the Vandals. They couldn’t stop the run, allowing the Aggies to rush for 200 yards in the game. By the third quarter, Idaho was trailing 28-7, and the game ended as the Vandals couldn’t muster any offense to pull off the win.
The Hornets, who sit at 6-4, are in a race to the playoffs and must win this week’s game against Idaho.
“We have a really good football team coming here in Idaho, ” head coach Brennan Marion said. “They’ve been in all of their games this season. We’re gonna have to play our best football and make sure that we take care of the ball and take the ball away when we have opportunities and just go win.”
Senior offensive tackle and team captain Aidan Meek spoke about what switched to make the offensive line, and by extension the run game, so dominant this season.
“In the South Dakota State game, we didn’t run the ball very well. We had 24 rushing yards, and after that, we got our butts chewed a little bit,” Meek said. “The line started hammering down and we started focusing a lot more and it’s been great since then.”
Senior defensive lineman and team captain Xavier Williams spoke about the message for this week’s game.
“The message has been staying consistent. Don’t let there be a game where we don’t have a sack,” Williams said. “Continuing to get pressure any way we can, really just affects their quarterback. I mean, it would be good for us up front to eat and let our back end do what they have to do to win this game.”
Keys to the game
Sac State needs to use the bread and butter of its team, running the football. The team average on the season goes up weekly and now sits at 254.3 yards.
Teams in the conference haven’t had much of a formula to stop the run game. They should make them pay until they do.
On defense, the goal should be to set the edges and finish at the quarterback. The Hornets this season have sacked opposing quarterbacks 37 times to lead all of FCS football. This will be key again in this week’s matchup.
Sustaining drives should be an emphasis this week. Idaho lost last week to UC Davis because they couldn’t take Davis off of the football field and gashed them in time of possession.
Meek spoke about his time with the program after joining the team in 2021 alongside Coach Kris Richardson.
“Sac State was my only offer coming out of high school. I committed here,” Meek said. “Just being here, being able to experience everything…It’s just been amazing, and I have no regrets. I love it here.”
Marion spoke about the impact his seniors have made during their short time together.
“Guys like Meek from an offensive perspective and Xavier on the defense have faced a lot of adversities with coaching changes,” Marion said. “They found ways to create a winning environment for themselves and others. And I’m just proud of them for working their tails off daily and having a mindset and work to try and flip the football thing into a positive light.”
Senior Night should be a night for celebrating the guys on the team leaving the football program, but the Hornets have business to take care of as they face off against Idaho this Saturday at 6 p.m. at Hornet Stadium.
