The varying ways to build a winning college football culture seem to be broadening in numbers and diverse premise, even if cynics will tell you the only factors that really matters comes in the form of finances and facilities.
How about another “F” factor – fun?
Several primary motivators have helped Sacramento State rise from the middle of the Big Sky Conference pack to sit atop the league thrown for two fall seasons in a row.
Troy Taylor’s offensive creativity is widely praised.
The two-time Big Sky Coach of the Year has put a priority on recruiting local talent, like sophomore running back Cameron Skattebo, one of the emerging young stars in the league.
The Hornets play an entertaining, unique style of football that puts a high priority on lighting up scoreboards.
And Sac State has created a true two-quarterback system that has kept defenses off balance pretty much endlessly since the beginning of the 2021 season.
“So often, it all comes down to we have some fun,” Sac State defensive coordinator Andy Thompson said on the ESPN Roundtable on ESPN MT on Wednesday. “There’s a lot of different personalities on this team and each position coach allows everybody to be themselves, be who they are.”
Thompson has been a defensive coordinator for 13 seasons in the Big Sky, including the last three at Sac State on Taylor’s staff. Thompson, who made 103 career tackles as a linebacker at Montana in the early 2000s, spent a decade as the defensive coordinator and 13 seasons total on Jerome Souers’ staff at Northern Arizona.
Thompson’s defense — a unit that puts a high priority on limiting opposing passer efficiencies and getting after the quarterback — has been a perfect pairing with Taylor’s modern-day spread option offense that uses many old school triple option elements, at least if you ask Montana head coach Bobby Hauck.
“It’s akin to triple option football, everything from the splits to everything else,” said Hauck, who’s team will look to bounce back from their first loss of the season with a Big Sky After Dark date with the Hornets in Sac on Saturday night. “Good by them – they are really rolling up the rushing yards. It’s a huge challenge.”
But back to the point – Thompson has been around the block. He’s on a staff for a program that has surged to the front of the pack, rolling to an 18-1 record in Big Sky games under Taylor.
And this year’s version of the Hornets — complete with a senior two-headed monster at quarterback in Jake Dunniway and Asher O’Hara, a senior wide receiver in Pierre Williams who’s gunning for first –team All-Big Sky honors for the third year in a row, the slipperiest tight end in the league in two-time all-conference junior Marshel Martin, a veteran offensive line and a deep, athletic defense — might be Taylor’s best so far.
Playoff struggles, unbalanced schedules, yada, yada…Sac State has been the cream of the Big Sky crop. The Hornets have navigated the circumstances shared by everyone in the league on the way to the first two league titles in school history. Sac is undefeated through six games for the first time since 1992 and ranked No. 2 in the country entering Saturday’s showdown against Montana.
“I do think we work at it and I think Coach Taylor is very organized, we have a great schedule, everybody loves being here and working together,” Thompson said. “And I think that breeds great preparation and our guys have really done that since we’ve gotten here.
“Our head coach is a really hard worker. He’s calling plays and he’s making sure every side of the ball is doing what we need to do. Most of the time when people are prepared, they go into things confidently.”
And when you talk to the Hornets, you can tell they are well prepared. That preparation certainly makes them sound confident.
Sac State got more media coverage than usual this week because they are one of two epicenters for FCS football stemming from Big Sky schools and featuring Montana powers. Hauck’s Griz are seeking revenge after destroying No. 5 UM 49-22 in Sacramento in 2019 and coming to Missoula spoil the Grizzlies’ 20th anniversary celebration for its 2001 national championship team by posting a 28-21 win.
That 2019 win knocked Montana quarterback Dalton Sneed out for the next few weeks. It also capped a stretch that saw Sac become the first team in Big Sky history to beat Eastern Washington, Montana State and the Griz in consecutive weeks. Unbalanced schedule, you say?
The Hornets have never stopped coming. The lone conference loss of Taylor’s career came to Weber State in Ogden. Sac senior quarterback Kevin Thomson, who actually started his career at UNLV under Hauck, was knocked out of the game. Weber’s Ja’Kobe Harris picked off Dunniway twice and the No. 3 Wildcats raced to a 36-17 victory.
Sac State reeled off three straight wins to end the 2019 regular season, meaning the Hornets enter Saturday on a 14-game winning streak against Big Sky teams.
Since that Weber State loss, Sac has lost a total of four times. Twice, the defeats came in the FCS playoffs. Sac also started 1-2 last season with non-conference losses to Northern Iowa (34-16) and Cal (42-30).
This season, at least to this point, feels like it could be even more special than the previous two championship runs. But pivotal trials await each of the next two Saturdays.
“It’s been a really exciting season up to this point and we are really looking forward to these next couple of games,” Dunniway said. “We have a huge one coming up this weekend against Montana at home.
“We have a really good team this year, a lot of depth, a lot of experienced guys and a lot of experienced coaches that put us in a position to succeed. We are just excited to have a great week of practice so we can keep putting a consistent product on the field.”
That confidence also pours out of the Sac State offense. And how couldn’t you walk with a little swagger in your step when you drop 41 on Colorado State in a 31-point ass kicking exchanged for $400,000?
Sac is averaging 52 points per game in Big Sky play after scoring…52 last week in a win at Eastern Washington.
“We wanted to start fast,” said Dunniway, who helped Sac score 21 straight in the first quarter and 35 in the first half. “That’s been our motto all season: start fast.”
And now the Hornets have to prove it against the Grizzlies, something they’ve already done, including beating Montana in Missoula a year and six days ago come Saturday night. Many UM faithful have had October 22 circled on the calendar for some time.
“The one thing that still resonates with me is their crowd,” Dunniway said. “That was a really fun atmosphere to play in…They are coming in after a loss to right their wrongs and we are trying to keep a hot streak going so we are prepared for a battle.”
The Griz game is only the beginning. Sac hosts Idaho to end October and plays at Weber State to begin November.
But Saturday, Thompson said the Hornets will relish the moment. And Sac State football, Troy Taylor style, will be on national television with a chance to keep reigning supreme over the Griz and the Big Sky.
“We’ve won the last two matchups but that doesn’t really mean anything,” Dunniway said. “It’s a new year, a new battle and we have to prove ourselves once again. We are looking forward to the challenge.
“We really want to give our city something to look forward to on Saturday nights. And I think this is a great opportunity.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez and Blake Hempstead. All Rights Reserved.
