Jody Sears inherited a program on the brink of breaking through but wins have been hard to come by in California’s capital city over the last two years.
Marshall Sperbeck led Sacramento State to winning records in 2010 and 2012. In 2013, Garrett Safron burst onto the Big Sky Conference scene, setting the stage for a 2014 season with high expectations as Safron and All-America wide receiver DeAndre Carter returning for their senior year.
In the off-season, Sperbeck was abruptly terminated amid a cloud of controversy stemming from an internal investigation that resulted in self-reported violations to the NCAA. Sears, who had been hired as Sac State’s defensive coordinator after a two-year, four-win stint at Weber State, was suddenly the interim head coach at a second Big Sky school in three years. Sears inherited the Weber State job after John L. Smith bolted Ogden for Arkansas before the 2012 season.
In 2014, Sears, Safron and Carter guided the Hornets to a 7-5 mark. If not for a last-second loss to Montana State in a 59-56 shootout won by the Bobcats, the Hornets would’ve had eight wins and earned the first playoff bid in school history.
Safron piled up more than 4,200 yards of total offense, threw for 34 touchdowns and rushed for four more, guiding Sac to 38.2 points per game. Carter caught 99 passes for 1,321 yards and 17 touchdowns and has been bouncing around the NFL ever since. Darnell Sankey had his first of two straight 100-tackle seasons; the standout linebacker signed with the Oakland Raiders on Tuesday.
But the 2015 and 2016 seasons have not been kind to Sears and the Hornets. Last season, Sac State finished 2-9 with one win coming over NAIA Eastern Oregon and the other, Sac’s lone Big Sky Conference win, coming over cellar-dwelling Idaho State in Sacramento.
Sac State quarterback Konley Cassel in 2015/by Brooks Nuanez
The Hornets played three quarterbacks — Daniel Kniffin, Kolney Cassel and true freshman Nate Ketteringham — on the worst statistical offense in the Big Sky. The Hornets averaged 19.6 points per game, the only Big Sky team that didn’t score at least 22 points per outing. Sac managed just 360 yards of total offense per game, including just 107.5 rushing yards, dead-last in the conference as well.
This season, the offensive struggles continue and the wins have evaded Sacramento State all together. The Hornets enter Saturday evening’s matchup with Montana State as the only one of the Big Sky’s 13 teams that does not have a victory this season. Sac lost its opener 38-30 to Division II Western Oregon, a team that MSU drilled 55-0 in Bozeman two weeks later. The Hornets have spent the last three weeks on the road with losses to FBS Fresno State (31-3), a 14-7 non-conference loss to Big Sky member Weber State and a 42-34 loss to Idaho State in the league opener for both teams in Pocatello.
Sac’s 18.5 points per game is last in the Big Sky by a touchdown. The Hornets scored almost as many points last week (34) as the 40 total points they scored the first three weeks of the season. Sac State searches for its first win against Montana State with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. Pacific in Sacramento on Saturday night.
QUICK HITS
Location: Sacramento, California
Nickname: Hornets
Founded: 1947. One of California’s largest universities located in the state’s capital, Sac State is designated as a “Center of Academic Excellence” by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency (NSA).
Enrollment: The student body totals 30,284 and the endowment is $35 million.
Stadium: Hornets Stadium. Opened in 1969, the 21,195-seat venue was less than half full last season on average. The Hornets drew 8,8796 fans per game for five home games in 2015. Sac drew 6,558 in its home opener and only home game against Division II Western Oregon last month.
THE TEAM (0-1 in the Big Sky, 0-4 overall in 2016)
The Coach: Jody Sears, third season at Sac State. As an interim coach who took over for Marshall Sperbeck two seasons ago, Sears helped Sac to a 4-4 mark in Big Sky play, 7-5 overall. The success helped the longtime Big Sky coach earn a three-year contract extension. Sears spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons at Weber State. The former Eastern Washington defensive coordinator (2003-2008) is 8-24 against Big Sky competition, 13-33 overall as a head coach.
WHO TO WATCH — THE OFFENSE
Nate Ketteringham, quarterback, 6-3, 200, sophomore — The former three-start recruit intended to redshirt last season before being thrown into the fire in Bozeman after Sac’s 1-4 start.
At halftime of what ended up a 35-13 loss to Montana State, MSU’s defense took out Kolney Cassel. With Daniel Kniffin already on the shelf, Sears turned to Ketteringham. As a true freshman, the athletic righty threw for 287 yards and four touchdowns in Sac’s lone league win against Idaho State, threw for 335 yards and a touchdown against Cal Poly, totaled 339 yards and four passing touchdowns in a loss to Northern Arizona, and threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns in a loss against rival UC Davis.
Opponents continue to stack the box against Sac State to force Ketteringham to beat them. He threw for 370 yards and three touchdowns in the Hornets’ 38-30 loss to Division II Western Oregon. He completed just 11-of-30 passes for just 98 yards and two interceptions over the next two weeks, losses to Fresno State and Weber State.
Last week, Ketteringham nearly rallied Sac back from a 21-0 deficit. His rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter drew the Hornets to within a score, 42-34 at Idaho State before falling by that count. Ketteringham threw for 327 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 96 yards and a score but his interception that ISU returned for a touchdown with five minutes left kept Sac winless.
Jordan Robinson, running back, 5-11, 185, senior — Robinson played a key role on the Sacramento State offense that averaged nearly 40 points per game in 2014, earning honorable mention All-Big Sky honors by rushing for 862 yards, catching 30 passes for 236 yards and scoring nine total touchdowns.
Last year, despite a season plagued by injuries — he rushed for more than 100 yards in the first half against MSU in Bozeman before leaving with an ankle injury — Robinson still rushed for 809 yards and four touchdowns to earn honorable mention All-Big Sky honors again. He also caught 27 passes for 170 yards and a score.
This season, Robinson has had a hard time getting going with teams punishing Sac State in the run game and daring the Hornets to throw. Robinson managed 66 yards on 20 carries against Western Oregon, 24 yards on eight carries against Fresno State, 43 yards on 11 carries against Weber State and 49 yards on 12 carries against Idaho State. He is averaging 3.6 yards per carry and 45 yards per game and has not scored a touchdown yet this season. But Robinson is second on the team in receptions with 20 catches for 133 yards.
Isiah Hennie, wide receiver, 5-7, 155, junior — One of the slightest players in the Big Sky is also one of the league’s fastest.
With Carter, and All-Big Sky selections Nnamdi Agude and Shane Harrison gone, Hennie is now Sac State’s go-to option on the outside. Last season, Hennie caught 45 passes for 442 yards and two touchdowns. As a freshman, he returned a kick for a touchdown against Menlo and against Eastern Oregon last season, he took a punt to the house for a touchdown, becoming the only player in Sac history to have a kick return and a punt return for a touchdown in his career.
This season, Hennie leads Sac in catches with 21 receptions and his 256 receiver yards are almost double any other Hornet. He has two touchdown receptions as Ketteringham has thrown five scoring strikes. Hennie also has returned five kicks for 87 yards.
Cody Demps, wide receiver, 6-4, 210, senior — Demps is best known as an All-Big Sky basketball player who played guard for the Hornets the last four years. His 916 points rank 16th in school history.
With one year of legibility left, the rangy athlete is trying his hand at football. Demps caught several touchdowns during spring drills and fall camp and is averaging 14.3 yards per catch in limited action thus far this fall. He is third on the team with nine catches for 129 yards, including a long of 44. He did not have a catch last week against Idaho State.
WHO TO WATCH — THE DEFENSE
Manoah Pearson, middle linebacker, 6-0, 225, sophomore — Pearson broke into the starting lineup midway through the season last fall as a true freshman and ended up finishing second on the Hornets with 77 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
This season, the preseason All-Big Sky selection is tied for seventh in the league with 38 tackles, averaging 9.5 tackles per game. He notched 16 tackles in Sac’s loss at Weber State and 11 more in the Hornets loss to Idaho State last week.
George Obinna, defensive line, 6-3, 230, sophomore — Obinna started four games as a redshirt freshman last fall and still managed to lead the team with 5.5 sacks, tied for third in the Big Sky. He also had 7.5 tackles for loss in his first year of action.
This season, he has continued to produce, notching 14 tackles, including team highs with four tackles for loss and three sacks.
Tyler Meteer, outside linebacker, 6-2, 220, junior — Meteer played next to Sankey in 2014 as a true freshman, notching 38 tackles, including 16 against Idaho State. Last season, he started the first five games of the season and managed 23 tackles, including one tackle for loss. He scored a touchdown on a blocked punt against Davis.
This season, Meteer is one of the Hornets’ leading tacklers with 32 stops, including a team-high 4.5 tackles for loss. He also has a sack. He had13 tackles and three tackles for loss against Fresno State.
Nick Crouch, safety, 6-0, 195, senior — One of the only seniors on Sac State’s defense, Crouch has started 25 games in his career for the Hornets, including 12 in 2014 and five last season.
As a sophomore, he had his best season, making 66 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Last fall, he started the first five games of the year before losing the rest of the season to injury. He totaled 28 tackles, forced a fumble, intercepted a pass and recorded three pass breakups.
This season, he ranks second on Sac State with 33 tackles, including 16 solos and 1.5 tackles for loss. He also has one of Sac’s two interceptions, which came against Fresno State. Crouch had 13 tackles and a tackle for loss last week against Idaho State.
Photos courtesy of Sac State Athletics or noted. All Rights Reserved.
