The Sacramento State football team will play its final game of the 2004 season this Saturday, Nov. 20, when it welcomes 18th-ranked Cal Poly. The game against the Mustangs is scheduled to start at 4:05 p.m. Prior to the start of the game, the University will honor 14 seniors who will be playing the final game of their collegiate career.

The contest can be heard locally on KTKZ 1380 AM with Jason Ross handling the play-by-play and Steve McElroy adding the color commentary. Phil Getman returns to serve as the sideline reporter. For those outside the greater Sacramento area, the game will also be available on the internet at www.hornetsports.com.

The Hornets come into the game with a 3-7 overall record. Last week, Sacramento State fell at eighth-ranked Montana, 52-21. The loss gave the team a 2-5 Big Sky Conference record. Against the Grizzlies, Fred Amey caught eight passes for 106 yards and freshman running back Ryan Mole rushed for 176.

Cal Poly enters the game with an 8-2 overall record. The Mustangs are coming off of a 31-0 home victory over Northern Colorado last week. The team has been ranked as high as fourth this season in the I-AA polls but suffered a pair of losses against UC Davis and Eastern Washington.

With a Win...

• Sacramento State will end the year with a 4-7 overall record, doubling its win total from last year.

• The team will have defeated Cal Poly for the fourth-straight time at home dating back to 1998.

• The Hornets will end the year with a 4-1 home record.

• Sacramento State will be 2-0 at home against non-league opponents and 2-2 overall on the year against non-Big Sky foes.

• Cal Poly will have lost three of its final four games.

With a Loss...

• Sacramento State will end the season 3-8 overall and 3-2 at home.

• Cal Poly will conclude the year 9-2 overall, its best record since going 10-1 in 1997.

• The Mustangs will win in Sacramento for the first time since 1996.

• Meet the Coaches

Steve Mooshagian returns for his second season as head coach at Sacramento State. Mooshagian, who was hired to lead the Hornets on Jan. 15, 2003, is the eighth coach in school history.

A native Californian, Mooshagian has coached high school, junior college, college and professional teams. He most recently served as the wide receivers coach with the Cincinnati Bengals from 1999-2002. In 2002, he guided the only receiving corps in the NFL to have four players with at least 40 catches.

Prior to working with the Bengals, Mooshagian was the offensive coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh for two years (1997-98). At Pitt, he also coached the receivers and his unit produced the top receiver in the Big East Conference both years.

Mooshagian came to Pittsburgh from Nevada where he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach during the 1996 season. That year, the Wolf Pack led the nation with an average of 527 yards of total offense and posted a 9-3 overall record while winning the Big West Conference title and the Las Vegas Bowl.

Before moving to Nevada, Mooshagian spent 11 years as a coach in Fresno, Calif. In 1995, he was the head coach at Fresno City College where he guided the Rams to a 5-5 overall record. Prior to that job, he had a 10-year stint as an assistant coach at Fresno State (1985-94).

He was also part of the Fresno State staff which won six conference titles while competing in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association, the Big West Conference and the Western Athletic Conference.

Cal Poly is led by Rich Ellerson. Now in his fourth year with the Mustangs, Ellerson has posted a 24-19 overall record. Prior to coming to Cal Poly, Ellerson was the defensive coordinator at Arizona and the head coach at Southern Utah for one season.

A Look at the Hornets

• One More Time

Prior to the start of Saturday’s game against Cal Poly, Sacramento State will honor 14 seniors who will be playing their final game at Hornet Stadium. That total includes six players (Amey, Bogetti, Herman, DeBruycker, Leadingham, Payne) that have spent their entire collegiate career with the Hornets and two that have played just one season at Sacramento State (Lewis and Villarreal). Below is a list of those seniors:

No. Name Pos.

10 Fred Amey WR

93 Chris Bessinger DL

16 Antone Bogetti WR

97 Cameron DeBruycker TE/LS

96 Harry Filo DL

76 Brian Herman OL

56 Fred Kelley DL

17 Ryan Leadingham QB

91 Traison Lewis DL

39 Todd Marshall P

54 Mason Mitchell DL

3 Ramon Payne CB

40 Heath Villarreal LB

45 Mohammed Warrad FB

• Making the Grab

Two weeks after setting the school record with 15 receptions against Eastern Washington, Amey continued his assault on the record books with eight catches for 106 yards at Montana.

Over the last four games, Amey has caught 38 passes for 556 yards (135.0 yards per game. He has also grabbed four touchdowns during that stretch.

Amey’s 15 catches at EWU bettered Tom Powell’s mark of 14 which came against San Francisco State in 1968. The game also marked the second time during Amey’s illustrious career that he has grabbed at least 10 passes. His previous career high of 11 came against Northern Arizona in 2001.

• Keeping It Going

Fred Amey was only able to fly below the radar for so long. After earning first team all-Big Sky Conference honors for the second-straight season, Amey was considered one of the best wide receivers in I-AA heading into 2004. In fact, Amey was a preseason second team All-American by Lindy’s magazine and was also listed as the third-best receiver in I-AA by The Sports Network.

In his career with the Hornets, Amey has claimed the school’s career record for receiving yards (3,906), receptions (239) and touchdowns (27).

He has caught at least 50 passes in each of his four years and surpassed 1,000 yards in a season for the first time this season. As a freshman, he had 54 grabs. He followed that season with a school-record 62 catches in 2002 and added 56 receptions in 2003. In a strange twist, he has had 989 receiving yards in each of the last two seasons. As a sophomore, he needed 11 games to reach that total and only 10 as a junior while catching passes from three different QBs.

Another impressive statistic is Amey’s consistency. During his career, Amey has caught a pass in every game in which he has appeared (41).

This year, he leads the team with 1,043 receiving yards and is on pace for 1,148 yards. His current total is 798 yards better than the nearest Hornet (Ryan Coogler).

During the season, Amey has continued to move up the charts in NCAA Div. I-AA history. Below is a list of those players who are within reach for both career receiving yards and receptions.

NCAA I-AA Career Receptions

Player Rec. Needs

8. Sean Morey (Brown, 1995-98) 251 12

9. Eddie Berlin (Northern Iowa, 1997-2000) 249 10

10. Carl Morris (Harvard, 1999-2002) 245 6

Brian Foster (Rhode Island, 1983-85, 87) 245 6

12. Mike Furrey (Northern Iowa, 1997-99) 242 3

13. Mark Didio (Connecticut, 1988-91) 239 ---

Drew Amerson (Cal St. Northridge, 1999-2001) 239 ---

Fred Amey (Sacramento State, 2001-pres.) 239 ---

NCAA I-AA Career Receiving Yards Yards Needs

1. Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State, 1981-84) 4,693 787

2. Jacquay Nunnally (Florida A&M, 1997-2000) 4,239 333

3. Javarus Dudley (Fordham, 2000-03) 4,197 291

4. Rich Musinski (William & Mary, 2000-03) 4,017 111

5. Fred Amey (Sacramento State, 2001-pres.) *3,906 ---

* Big Sky Conference record

• Mr. 3,000, Mr. 6,000

Against Montana State, Amey moved into exclusive company in I-AA history. The senior became just the second player to record 3,000 career receiving yards and 6,000 career all-purpose yards. He now has 3,906 receiving yards and 6,200 all-purpose yards. His all-purpose total ranks 12th in NCAA Div. I-AA history.

Javarus Dudley of Fordham (2000-03) is the only other player to match Amey. Dudley recorded 7,115 all-purpose yards and 4,197 receiving yards.

• On a Roll

Ryan Mole recorded his second-straight 100-yard game with 176 rushing yards at Montana. The freshman carried the ball 23 times and averaged 7.7 yards per carry.

The previous week against Montana State, Mole rushed for a career-high 245 yards and two touchdowns and averaged 7.0 yards per carry on his 35 attempts. His first touchdown was an 87-yard dash down the sideline which was the second-longest touchdown run in school history. He later added a 50-yard scoring run.

Mole now leads the Big Sky with 105.8 rushing yards per game in his eight contests this year. He also has 846 rushing yards and has scored five touchdowns. He needs 154 yards against Cal Poly to become the eighth Hornet to rush for 1,000 yards in a season and 31 yards to amass the highest total since Charles Roberts.

• Running Home

Through four games this year, the Hornets have posted three victories at home. That number guarantees that the team will have a winning home record for the first time since going 3-2 in 2002.

One major factor in the success at Hornet Stadium can be attributed to the running game. Sacramento State is averaging 155.2 yards per game at home compared to just 65.2 on the road.

Defensively, the numbers are just as contrasting. The Hornets hold the opposition to 85.2 rushing yards while at home and allow 174.3 on the road.

• Making the Stop

After two games with single-digit tackles, linebacker Jimmy Ellingson bounced back with a career-high 19 stops at Montana. Ellingson tallied nine solo tackles and was credited with 10 assists against the Grizzlies. That mark is the second-best in school history, trailing only Ryland Wickman who had 22 at Eastern Washington in 1997.

This year, Ellingson leads the team and the Big Sky with 120 tackles. He is currently fourth in school single-season history. Wickman holds the record with 154 in 1997. Rob Patton is second with 136 in 1990 and Carlos Williams is third (132, 1999).

• Sacks Keep Coming

With one game remaining, the defense is seven sacks away from reaching its preseason goal of 40. The overall school record of 53 came in 1986.

Last week at Montana, the unit came up with two sacks (Matt Logue, Brett Shelton).

Individually, Jacob Houston leads the Big Sky, and is fifth in Div. I-AA, with 10 sacks. He is now tied for sixth in school single-season history and tied for ninth in career sacks. The single-season record of 12 is shared by Stuart Bailey (1986), Jason Sandel (1995) and Anthony Daisley (1999).

Earlier this year, Houston had three sacks against both Southern Utah and Weber State. Those marks are tied with Sandel and Daisley for the most in a single game since the program moved to Div. I-AA in 1995.

Just the Facts

• Junior linebacker Matt Logue added two more tackles-for-loss to his total and now has 29 in three years. Logue ranks third in school career history behind Daisley (44) and Wickman (41).

• Freshman Lindsey Kellogg earned his first career start on the offensive line when he filled in for the injured Travis Johnson at right guard.

• Punter Mitch Lively reached the NCAA minimum of 3.6 per game and is currently eighth in Div. I-AA with 43.08 yards per punt. Lively also has 11 touchbacks on kickoffs.

• Senior Traison Lewis separated his shoulder against Montana State and is doubtful for this weekend’s game against Cal Poly.

• Freshman Phillip Perry caught one pass for seven yards at Montana. However, the catch was the first touchdown of his career. Perry was one of seven true freshmen to play significant time for the Hornets at Montana.

• Mooshagian named Ryan Mole the team’s offensive player of the week, Jimmy Ellingson defensive player of the week, Mitch Lively special teams player of the week, Crosby Wehr and John Rogan co-offensive scout team players of the week and Jordan Bucklew defensive scout team player of the week.

• The Hornets did not record an interception at Montana, snapping a four-game streak with at least on pick. Senior Ramon Payne did recover a fumble and returned it 35 yards.

• Freshman safety Brett Shelton recorded his second-straight game with at least 10 tackles. Shelton had 12 against Montana State and added 10 against the Grizzlies.

• Cornerback Brandon Smith will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a kidney injury at Idaho State.

• After wearing gold for the past 40 years, Sacramento State is wearing green helmets in 2004.

A Look at the Mustangs

• Cal Poly in on the verge of making its first trip to the Div. I-AA playoffs. The Mustangs are currently 8-2 after downing Northern Colorado, 31-0. The team’s only losses have come against UC Davis and Eastern Washington, two teams that also defeated Sacramento State.

• The Mustangs run a balanced offense led by Geno Randle (67.4 rushing yards per game) and Anthony Garnett (209.1 passing yards per game).

• The Cal Poly defense has been stellar all season. The unit has 22 interceptions (five for touchdowns), forced nine fumbles and has 43 sacks. Linebacker Jordan Beck (124 tackles) and defensive lineman Chris Gocong (14.5 sacks) are both finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award.

• The Series

Sacramento State holds a 15-12 lead in the all-time series. The series dates back to 1967 and the two teams have played on an annual basis since 1983.

• Who’s Up Next

Saturday’s game is the final contest of the 2004 season. Sacramento State is scheduled to open 2005 at Cal on Sept. 3.

• Big Sky Notes

Eastern Washington wide receiver Eric Kimble was named the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week. Kimble caught 10 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns in the team’s 51-44 overtime win at Montana State. This is the second time this season that Kimble was won the award.

David Beverly of Idaho State earned the Defensive Player of the Week award. Beverly tallied three tackles, two pass breakups and a 70-yard interception for a touchdown in ISU’s 24-17 come-from-behind victory over Northern Arizona. Beverly began the season as a running back before switching to defense.

Montana State kicker EJ Cochrane was named Special Teams Player of the Week. Cochrane booted three field goals and five extra points in the loss to Eastern Washington. His field goals came from 37, 43 and 28 yards. This is the second time this season that he was named player of the week.