After three weeks of training camp, the Sacramento State football team will finally get the chance to line up across from someone else when it opens the 2009 season this Saturday, Sept. 5, against UNLV. The game against the Rebels will kick off at 7:05 p.m. from Sam Boyd Stadium.
There will be numerous ways to listen to this week’s game. Hornet fans can tune in to KRJY 1240 AM to hear the radio call of Jason Ross, Steve McElroy and Danny Sullivan. Live audio streaming is also available via www.hornetsports.com. The game will not be televised.
Sacramento State is coming off a 6-6 season in 2008 and returns 15 starters for third-year head coach Marshall Sperbck. The majority of the team’s experience comes on the offensive and defensive lines while most of the skill positions will have new faces. Junior Jason Smith will become the first quarterback to start three consecutive season openers since Ryan Leadingham began the year under center in each of his four seasons (2001-04). Prior to Leadingham, Mike Sullivan (1981-83) was the last Hornet to accomplish the feat.
Defensively, a veteran front four will be paired with an entirely new unit of linebackers and a redesigned secondary. The front line features defensive tackle Christian Clark and defensive end Zack Nash who both earned all-Big Sky accolades a year ago.
After a one-year break in which Sacramento State opened the year at home against Humboldt State, the Hornets will return to the road for the 2008 debut. Sacramento State began its streak of playing away from home in 2002 against UTEP. That game started a run of six consecutive road games that ended last year. Each of those road games came against Football Bowl Subdivision teams and the Hornets are 0-6 in that span.
UNLV was 5-7 in 2008 and is facing a Football Championship Subdivision team for the first time since meeting Illinois State on Sept. 27, 1997. The Rebels are 23-7 all-time against Big Sky Conference schools but are facing the Hornets for the first time.
A Look at the Hornets A Little of This and That Despite the fact that Jason Smith has started games over the last two years, there was still a battle for the starting quarterback job throughout training camp. Smith was tested by both John Loeliger and McLeod Bethel-Thompson during the practices and scrimmages and the three each bring a unique skill set to the position.
At 6-foot, 195 pounds, Smith is hardly the prototypical QB. The Brentwood, Calif., native earned the starting job during Sperbeck’s first season but struggled at times with 17 interceptions and 10 touchdowns. Last year, Smith battled injuries which cost him four games, but still managed to earn honorable mention all-Big Sky. During the year, he completed 56.3 percent of his passes for 182.4 yards per game, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Loeliger’s path is one of the strangest on the team. The senior was signed in the spring of 2008 after two seasons at Diablo Valley College. After not winning the QB job, the coaches wanted to use his athleticism and shifted him to safety where he eventually cracked the two-deep and was a fixture on special teams. As the year progressed and the top three QBs were injured, Loeliger returned to quarterback and played a series at Northern Arizona.
The Las Lomas, Calif., native remained at the position during the spring and gives the team a running threat who can also throw the ball.
Bethel-Thompson has the strongest arm among the three and continues to bounce back from a knee injury which cut his 2008 campaign short. In parts of four games, he threw for 415 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 57.1 percent of his passes.
Bethel-Thompson is the only member of the team to play at Sam Boyd Stadium. The San Francisco product was the starting quarterback for UCLA in Las Vegas Bowl against BYU in 2007. In that game, he threw for 154 yards and a score.
Plenty of Choices Much like the quarterback situation, there is plenty to chose from at running back. The team returns two contributors from last season and adds a junior college transfer, a four-year tansfer and a true freshman to the mix. However, none of those players are junior Bryan Hilliard who will redshirt this season after having surgery on both of his shoulders during the offseason.
Hilliard leaves a big hole for the offense after leading the team with 1,082 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. The leading candidate to start the year is junior Evander Wilkins. Last season, Wilkins averaged 5.4 yards per carry on 78 attempts before missing the final seven games of the year with a knee injury. The Sacramento native’s biggeset game came against Humboldt State where he rushed for 103 yards and just 10 carries. Wilkins also has the ability to play in the slot and could return kicks.
Sophomore Jake Croxdale is back for his second season. Croxdale rushed for 109 yards against Southern Oregon and had 91 at Eastern Washington as a true freshman.
Junior Kenslow Smith joined the team in the spring from Southwestern JC where he was a first team all-Mountain Conference selection after rushing for 956 yards and 11 scores in 10 games.
The newest members are Terrance Dailey and Sam McCowan. Dailey returned to his Northern California roots after one season at Washington. While with the Huskies, Dailey led the team with 338 yards. His biggest output came against Oregon State where he tallied 102 yards and a score on 16 attempts. As a prep phenom at Vacaville HS, Dailey was twice named all-metro and rushed for 54 touchdowns in his final two seasons.
McCowan has dazzled the coaches during the summer with his speed. At 5-9, 165, McCowan also has surprising strength as he bench presses 325 pounds. A native of Oxnard, Calif., he was a first team all-Southern Section Northern Division utility player and was also named all-Ventura County.
Who’s Next
Since moving to the FCS in 1995, Sacramento State has a proud history of linebackers earning national acclaim. Of the 13 players who have earned All-America accolades, five have been at linebacker.
Most recently, Cyrus Mulitalo and Mike Brannon have each been granted the honor in the last two years. The pair, along with Mike Hickman, were each named all-Big Sky in 2008 but all three were seniors.
To help fill the void, junior Peter Buck moved from safety to linebacker during the spring. Buck started all 12 games a year ago and ranked second on the team with 84 stops. The Vacaville, Calif., native bulked up to 220 pounds during the offseason and should start at the “buck” position.
The other returner who should start is David Coleman. Originally recruited as a quarterback, Coleman moved to the defensive side of the ball during his redshirt season, and then had 13 total tackles last year.
Warner has experience but did not play last season after shoulder surgery. Pereira played during the spring after transferring from Santa Rosa JC. Badger is a graduate of Cardinal Newman HS where he was also a highly touted running back.
More Coaching Facts
A couple of new faces will be on the Hornet sidelines in 2009. Anthony Parker, Klayton Adams and Robby Case join the Hornets, marking the first changes for Sperbeck since forming his original staff.
Parker takes over as the team’s defensive backs coach and will also be the special teams coordinator. A native of Northern California, he most recently was a graduate assistant at Boise State.
Like Parker, Adams has ties to Sacramento and Boise State. Adams prepped at Sheldon High School and then played at American River College. He completed his collegiate career at Boise State as a center and then joined the coaching staff as a graduate assistant. Adams last coached at Western Washington in 2008 but was forced to take a new position after the school discontinued football.
Case will take the reigns as the offensive assistant. A native of Galt, Calif., Case was an undergraduate coach at Fresno State and later served as a high school coach in the Fresno area.
Safety Net Sacramento State enters 2009 with an experienced group of safeties that have started a combined one game for the Green & Gold.
Deionte Gordon started all 12 games as a true freshman but made 11 of those starts at cornerback. The Seaside, Calif., native made the move to safety before the season finale and has been patroling the middle of the secondary since. Last season, Gordon tallied 76 total tackles and led the team with four interceptions and seven pass breakups.
Next to Gordon will be junior Zach Schrader. Schrader joined the squad during the spring and brings two years of experience to the position. During his first two years of college, Schrader was an all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference selection at Western Washington. As a sophomore, he ranked second on the team with 76 total tackles and was the team’s defensive player of the year. Due to the fact the WWU discontinued football, Schrader will not have to sit out a season after transferring.
Kickin’ It
For the first time in four years, Sacramento State is in search of a new kicker. Juan Gamboa, who was the opening day starter the past five years (he was injured as a true freshman in that game), exhausted his eligibility after scoring 203 career points.
The leading candidate to take over is junior Chris Diniz. The Escalon, Calif., native redshirted last season after spending two seasons at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif. During camp, Diniz has been successful from 57-yard in live drills.
The other possible candidate is freshman Joe O’Gorman.
The team will also be looking for a new punter to replace Oscar De Alba. Sophomore Augie Heath, Diniz and freshman Connor Derby have all taken reps. Heath spent last season at Butte College where he led the Roadrunners to the Junior College national title.
Derby and Diniz will also compete for the starting kickoff job.
Quarterback Club Luncheons are Back
Each Monday during the season the Quarterback Club will host a luncheon at El Patron (6601 Folsom Blvd.). Coach Sperbeck will address the crowd as well as selected players. A buffet lunch is available for $10.
Just the Facts
• Sacramento State will debut new Nike uniforms at UNLV. The home uniforms will feature green jerseys with white numbers while the road will be reversed. Both sets will have “Hornets” across the chest and will not have names on the back.
• Hornet tight end Brian Heath will face his brother, Jason, on Saturday. Jason Heath is a redshirt freshman center for the Rebels.
• The Big Sky Conference will continue to provide free video streaming of football games this year. Any game hosted by a Big Sky school can be seen after registering with B2 Network.
• Thanks to some fine research from the Bozeman Chronicle’s Will Holden, Hornet defensive coordinator Lou Baiz has been confirmed as the longest tenured coach in the Big Sky. Baiz is currently in his 16th year on the staff.
A Look at the Rebels
• The Rebel offense is based around receiver Ryan Wolfe. The senior is an All-America candidate and has earned first team all-MWC honors in two of the last three years. Last season, he made 88 catches for 1,040 yards and six touchdowns.
• Junior Omar Clayton is slated to return at quarterback. Clayton threw for 1,894 yards and 18 touchdowns with only four interceptions despite missing the final three games.
• Defensively, Jason Beauchamp was a second team all-MWC linebacker in 2008. His 127 tackles last season placed him sixth in school history.
Big Sky Notes
• Eight of the nine Big Sky schools will play this weekend with Northern Arizona beginning on Sept. 12. The majority of the conference schools (six) will play an FBS opponent while the other two will play lower-level foes. Montana State will be the first team to get its 2009 season under way when the Bobcats meet Michigan State at 9 a.m. The other matchups against FBS opponents are comprised of Portland State at Oregon State, Idaho State at Arizona State, Weber State at Wyoming, Northern Colorado at Kansas. The other games are Montana hosting Western State and Eastern Washington welcoming Western Oregon.
After three weeks of training camp, the Sacramento State football team will finally get the chance to line up across from someone else when it opens the 2009 season this Saturday, Sept. 5, against UNLV. The game against the Rebels will kick off at 7:05 p.m. from Sam Boyd Stadium.
Despite the fact that 
Much like the quarterback situation, there is plenty to chose from at running back. The team returns two contributors from last season and adds a junior college transfer, a four-year tansfer and a true freshman to the mix. However, none of those players are junior 
Sacramento State enters 2009 with an experienced group of safeties that have started a combined one game for the Green & Gold.
