2021 SACRAMENTO STATE FOOTBALL
GAME NOTES Cameron Skattebo
A BRIEF PREVIEW
• Riding a school Div. I-era record five-game winning streak, the Sacramento State football team will host Cal Poly on Saturday, Nov. 6, at Fred Anderson Field at Hornet Stadium. The game will kick off at 6 p.m. • The game will serve as Kids Day with activities for young Hornet fans throughout the game. Sacramento State will also remember former Hornet and player Greg Knapp during the contest. Knapp was killed after being struck by a car while cycling over the summer. The longtime NFL coach’s family has established the Greg Knapp Memorial Fund at Sacramento State which will go towards developing young coaches. • The Hornets improved to 5-0 in Big Sky Conference play and sit atop the league standings with Montana State as the only two unbeaten teams. Sacramento State most recently recorded a 27-24 road win at Northern Colorado on Oct. 30 to raise its overall record to 6-2. • Despite the win, the Hornets dropped a spot to 16th in the STATS Perform media poll. The team did move up one position in the AFCA Coaches Poll where it’s ranked 22nd.
SACRAMENTO STATE NOTES
• Sacramento State is 5-0 in the Big Sky for the first time in school history. The Hornets’ five-game winning streak is the longest since the team started the 1991 season with six consecutive wins. The longest win streak in school history came in 1966 when Sacramento State won its final eight games after starting the season 0-2. • Cameron Skattebo recorded his second consecutive game over the century mark with 111 yards at Northern Colorado. That performance followed a 117-yard effort against Northern Arizona. Skattebo became just the fifth freshman in school history to have a pair of 100-yard rushing games in their first season. The most recent Hornet was Bryan Hilliard who had four 100-yard games in 2007. Skattebo is averaging 8.8 yards per rush this season with 247 yards on 28 carries. He has had positive yardage on each attempt and ranks second on the team with two rushing touchdowns. • When Northern Colorado scored a touchdown with 8:58 remaining in the second quarter it marked the first time the Hornets had given up a point in 100 minutes, 27 seconds. Dating back to the Montana game, Sacramento State had held the opposition scoreless for six consecutive quarters. • The Hornets have not trailed at any point in the last three games and have not been behind since 13:28 remaining in the fourth quarter at Idaho State — a span of 193 minutes, 28 seconds. • Sacramento State has used a two quarterback system throughout the 2021 season with Jake Dunniway and Asher O’Hara rotating at the position — often times during the same series. The strategy is a new one for Taylor who has never consistently played two QBs at any level he’s coached. Together, the pair have Sacramento State ranked second in the Big Sky in passing offense with 293.6 yards per game. Individually, Dunniway is sixth in the league with 194.4 passing yards per game while O’Hara is averaging 97.3 yards per game.
OPPONENT PREVIEW: Cal Poly
• Cal Poly continues its transition from an option team to a spread offense under second-year head coach Beau Baldwin. The Mustangs won their first game of the season with a 28-17 win at San Diego but have lost their last seven games. Cal Poly has played one of the toughest schedules in the Big Sky with games at Fresno State as well as five against teams which were ranked in the FCS top 20 at the time of the game.
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BIG SKY STANDINGS Team Montana State Sacramento State Eastern Washington UC Davis Montana Northern Arizona Portland State Weber State Northern Colorado Idaho Idaho State Cal Poly Southern Utah
BSC Overall Stk 5-0 7-1 W7 5-0 6-2 W5 4-1 7-1 L1 4-1 7-1 W2 3-2 6-2 W2 3-2 4-4 W1 3-2 4-4 W2 3-2 4-4 W2 2-4 3-6 L1 1-4 2-6 L3 1-5 1-7 L3 0-5 1-7 L7 0-6 1-8 L6
This Week’s Schedule Montana at Northern Colorado, 11 a.m.* Portland State at Weber State, 12 p.m.* Idaho State at BYU, 12:30 p.m. Montana State at Eastern Washington, 1 p.m.* Southern Utah at Idaho, 1 p.m.* UC Davis at Northern Arizona, 1 p.m.* Cal Poly at Sacramento State, 6 p.m.* All Times Pacific
OPPONENT INFORMATION Cal Poly (1-7, 0-5)
Location San Luis Obispo, Calif. Founded 1901 Enrollment 22, 287 Nickname Mustangs Conference Big Sky President Jeffrey D. Armstrong Director of Athletics Don Oberhelman Home Field Spanos Stadium Home Field Spanos Stadium Head Coach Beau Baldwin Alma Mater, Year Eastern Washington, ‘96 Overall Record 96-45 (12th year) CP Record 1-10 (2nd year) Off. Coordinator Nick Edwards Def. Coordinator J.C. Sherritt Final 2019 Record 3-8 Final 2010 League Rec. 2-6/T-10th Letterman Returning 27 Starters Returning (O/D/ST) 9 (4/5/0) website www.gopoly.com
2021 CAL POLY SCHEDULE/RESULTS 9/4
at San Diego
• The Mustangs are being outscored by over 25 points per game, averaging 13.4 on offense and giving up 39.5 on defense. Of the 292.4 yards per game by the CP offense, 217.5 has come through the passing game.
9/11
at Fresno State
W, 28-17 L, 63-10
9/18
SOUTH DAKOTA
L, 48-14
• Five Cal Poly players have attempted at least 13 pass attempts during the year led by Spencer Brasch who has thrown for six touchdowns and 1,106 yards in his four games. The team has also been very balanced on the receiving end with six players having caught at least 10 passes and three with 22 or more.
9/25
at Montana*
L, 39-7
10/2
WEBER STATE*
L, 38-7
10/9
at Montana State*
• Matt Shotwell leads the Big Sky and is tied for sixth in the FCS with 10.9 tackles per game. Shotwell also ranks second in the FCS with 6.9 solo tackles per stop.
10/23
UC DAVIS*
L, 24-13
10/30
at Portland State*
L, 42-21
• Beau Baldwin is in his second season guiding the Mustangs. The former Eastern Washington head coach and Cal offensive coordinator has built a staff which includes four former Sacramento State assistants in Paul Wulff, James Montgomery, Will Plemons and Joey Muscarella.
11/6
at Sacramento State*
6 p.m.
11/13
IDAHO STATE*
5 p.m.
11/20
NORTHERN ARIZONA*
5 p.m.
L, 45-7
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