2021 SACRAMENTO STATE FOOTBALL
GAME NOTES Lucas Triplett
A BRIEF PREVIEW
• Two of the hottest teams in the Big Sky Conference will square off on Saturday, Nov. 13, at Fred Anderson Field at Hornet Stadium when Portland State visits Sacramento State. The game will also be the regular season finale for the Hornets and the team will honor its seniors prior to the start of the contest. • Sacramento State won its sixth-straight game and remains tied with Montana State atop the Big Sky Conference standings with a 6-0 league record. The Hornets most recently defeated Cal Poly, 41-9, and enter this week ranked 12th in the Stats Perform media poll and the 18th in the AFCA Coaches Poll. • Portland State kept its playoff hopes alive with a 30-18 win at then-No. 24 Weber State last Saturday. The Vikings have won three consecutive games and will end the year against a pair of ranked opponents in Sacramento State and Eastern Washington. • There will be multiple ways to follow this week’s game. Hornet fans can tune in to ESPN 1320 AM to hear the radio call of Jason Ross, Steve McElroy and Danny Sullivan. Live audio streaming is also available via www. hornetsports.com.
Team Montana State Sacramento State UC Davis Eastern Washington Montana Portland State Northern Arizona Weber State Idaho Northern Colorado Idaho State Cal Poly Southern Utah
BSC Overall Stk 6-0 8-1 W8 6-0 7-2 W6 5-1 8-1 W3 4-2 7-2 L2 4-2 7-2 W3 4-2 5-4 W3 3-3 4-5 L1 3-3 4-5 L1 2-4 3-6 W1 2-5 3-7 L2 1-5 1-8 L4 0-6 1-8 L8 0-7 1-9 L7
This Week’s Schedule Idaho at Montana State, 12 p.m.* Montana at Northern Arizona, 12 p.m.* Weber State at Southern Utah, 1 p.m. * Eastern Washington at UC Davis, 5 p.m.* Idaho State at Cal Poly, 5 p.m.* Portland State at Sacramento State, 6 p.m.* All Times Pacific
• The game will also be shown locally on CW31 and streamed on ESPN+. Dave Lewis will have the play-by-play along side former Hornet and Arena Football League Hall of Famer Darren Arbet (color).
OPPONENT INFORMATION
SACRAMENTO STATE NOTES
Location Portland, Ore. Founded 1946 Enrollment 26,012 Nickname Vikings Conference Big Sky President Stephen Percy Interim Director of Athletics Linda Williams Home Field Hillsboro Stadium Head Coach Bruce Barnum Alma Mater, Year Eastern Washington, ‘87 Overall Record 26-41 (7th year) PSU Record Same Off. Coordinator Skyler Fulton Def. Coordinator Payam Saadat Final 2019 Record 5-7 Final 2019 League Rec. 3-5/T-6th Letterman Returning 40 Starters Returning (O/D/ST) 12 (5/5/2) website www.goviks.com
• Sacramento State is 6-0 in the Big Sky for the first time in school history. The Hornets’ six-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. • Prior to the start of Saturday’s game, Sacramento State will recognize 16 seniors who will be appearing at Hornet Stadium for the final time in a regular season game. Among the group are eight players (Jarrell Anderson, Brandon Boccaleoni, Josiah Erickson, Isaiah Gable, Wyatt Hjelm, Malik Jeter, Thomas Parker, BJ Perkinson). who have spent their entire collegiate career at Sacramento State. On the other side, Munchie Filer III, Taylor Powell and Kooper Richardson are each in their first season with the Hornets. • The group also has six who have already earned their bachelor’s degree and are currently pursuing a master’s. • Ten players in this year’s class have been key starters for the team in 2021. Among the group is four players who have made at least 20 career starts comprised of Thomas Parker (30), Wyatt Hjelm (23), Marcus Hawkins (21) and Josiah Erickson (20). • Kicker Kyle Sentkowski set the Sacramento State single-season record in dramatic fashion as he boomed a career-long 51-yard field goal for his 15th field goal of the year. The junior entered the contest tied for fifth in school history before tying the record with a 40-yarder just before halftime. His record-breaking attempt came on the team’s opening drive of the second half. The 51-yarder beat his previous best by two yards and is the sixth-longest in school history. The single-season record had been shared by Devon Medeiros (2017), Brad Cornish (2014), Bret LeVier (2002) and Scott Brown (1999).
OPPONENT PREVIEW: Portland State
• Portland State has established itself as a legitimate FCS playoff threat with its third consecutive win. The team started the streak against with home wins over Idaho State (31-10) and Cal Poly (42-21) before winning at Weber State last Saturday.
Portland State (5-4, 4-2)
2021 PORTLAND STATE SCHEDULE/RESULTS 9/4
at Hawaii
L, 49-35
9/11
at Washington State
L, 44-24
9/18
WESTERN OREGON
W, 21-7
9/25
MONTANA STATE*
L, 30-17
10/2
at Southern Utah*
W, 20-13
• Offensively, Davis Alexander has thrown for 8,645 yards in his collegiate career. This year, he has 2,505 passing yards with 17 touchdowns and has also rushed for six scores. Four different receivers have caught at least 28 passes led by Beau Kelly who has 59 grabs for 787 yards and eight touchdowns.
10/9
at Idaho*
10/16
IDAHO STATE*
W, 31-10
10/30
CAL POLY*
W, 42-21
• Bruce Barnum is in his seventh year as the PSU head coach and his 12th season on the staff. Barnum is a Big Sky veteran having played at Eastern Washington and was an assistant at Idaho State from 1998-2006. He has also had coaching stops at Cornell, the US Coast Guard Academy and Western Washington.
11/6
at Weber State*
W, 30-18
11/13
at Sacramento State*
6 p.m.
11/20
EASTERN WASHINGTON*
2 p.m.
• The Vikings have been led by a strong defense which has averaged 13.8 points allowed in their five wins. AllAmerican cornerback Anthony Adams has three interceptions and has recovered a pair of fumbles. He’s been joined by defensive end VJ Malo who has 18.5 tackles-for-loss and a Big Sky-leading 10,5 sacks.
6
BIG SKY STANDINGS
L, 42-35
HORNETSPORTS.COM | THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF SACRAMENTO STATE ATHLETICS
