2022 Sacramento State Hornets football team

2022 Sacramento State Hornets football
2022 Sacramento State Hornets football
Big Sky co-champion
NCAA Division I Quarterfinal, ; L 63–66 vs. Incarnate Word
Conference	Big Sky Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 5
FCS Coaches	No. 4
Record	12–1 (8–0 Big Sky)
Head coach	Troy Taylor (3rd season);
Offensive coordinator	Kris Richardson (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Andy Thompson (3rd season)
Home stadium	Hornet Stadium
	Seasons ← 2021 2023 →

2022 Big Sky Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 4 Montana State +^	8	–	0	12	–	2
No. 5 Sacramento State +^	8	–	0	12	–	1
No. 9 Weber State ^	6	–	2	10	–	3
No. 18 Idaho ^	6	–	2	7	–	5
No. 25 UC Davis	5	–	3	6	–	5
No. 14 Montana ^	4	–	4	8	–	5
Portland State	3	–	5	4	–	7
Eastern Washington	2	–	6	3	–	8
Northern Colorado	2	–	6	3	–	8
Northern Arizona	2	–	6	3	–	8
Idaho State	1	–	7	1	–	10
Cal Poly	1	–	7	2	–	9

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2022 Sacramento State Hornets football team represented California State University, Sacramento as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by third-year head coach Troy Taylor, the Hornets played their home games on campus at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California.

This season set multiple milestones for Sac State. They beat an FBS team for the first time since 2012 with a 41–10 victory over Colorado State.^[1] The Hornets claimed their best start to a season in school history when they won their seventh game against Montana 31–24 in overtime, and completed their first perfect regular season in school history following a 27–21 victory over UC Davis.^[2] They won their first ever FCS playoff game with a 38–31 win over Richmond.^[3] However, in the highest-scoring game in FCS playoff history, they were upset by Incarnate Word in the quarterfinals, 66–63.^[4]

After the season in December, Taylor left for Stanford University and defensive coordinator Andy Thompson was promoted to head coach for 2023.^[5]

Preseason

Polls

On July 25, 2022, during the virtual Big Sky Kickoff, the Hornets were predicted to finish second in the Big Sky by the coaches and third by the media.^[6]

Coaches poll
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Montana	111 (3)
2	Sacramento State	110 (4)
3	Montana State	109 (5)
4	Weber State	84
5	UC Davis	82
6	Eastern Washington	76
7	Northern Arizona	62
8	Idaho	45
9	Portland State	42
10	Cal Poly	33
T-11	Idaho State	19
T-11	Northern Colorado	19

Media poll
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Montana	356 (14)
2	Montana State	352 (13)
3	Sacramento State	335 (4)
4	Weber State	261
5	UC Davis	255 (1)
6	Eastern Washington	236
7	Northern Arizona	191
8	Portland State	146
9	Idaho	142
10	Cal Poly	85
11	Northern Colorado	71
12	Idaho State	66

Preseason All–Big Sky team

The Hornets had five players selected to the preseason all-Big Sky team.^[7]

Offense

Marshel Martin – TE

Pierre Williams – WR

Brandon Weldon – OL

Asher O'Hara – QB

Special teams

Kyle Sentkowski – K

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	7:30 p.m.	Utah Tech*	No. 7	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	KMAX/ESPN+	W 56–33	10,257
September 17	2:00 p.m.	at Northern Iowa*	No. 8	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	ESPN+	W 37–21	8,818
September 24	1:00 p.m.	at Colorado State*	No. 7	Canvas Stadium Fort Collins, CO		W 41–10	25,445
October 1	5:00 p.m.	at Cal Poly	No. 5	Alex G. Spanos Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	ESPN+	W 49–21	8,184
October 8	6:00 p.m.	Northern Colorado	No. 5	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	KMAX/ESPN+	W 55–7	11,013
October 15	4:00 p.m.	at Eastern Washington	No. 5	Roos Field Cheney, WA	ESPN+	W 52–28	6,276
October 22	8:00 p.m.	No. 7 Montana	No. 2	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	ESPN2	W 31–24 ^OT	15,927
October 29	6:00 p.m.	No. 14 Idaho	No. 2	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	KMAX/ESPN+	W 31–28	17,241
November 5	12:00 p.m.	at No. 5 Weber State	No. 2	Stewart Stadium Ogden, UT	ESPN+	W 33–30	7,152
November 11	7:00 p.m.	at Portland State	No. 2	Hillsboro Stadium Hillsboro, OR	ESPN+	W 45–17	2,891
November 19	2:00 p.m.	No. 24 UC Davis	No. 2	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA (Causeway Classic)	KMAX/ESPN+	W 27–21	23,073
December 3	2:00 p.m.	No. 13 Richmond	No. 2	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA (NCAA Division I Second Round)	ESPN+	W 38–31	9,136
December 9	7:30 p.m.	No. 5 Incarnate Word	No. 2	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA (NCAA Division I Quarterfinal)	ESPN+	L 63–66	13,722
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Pacific time

^[8]

Game summaries

Utah Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
Trailblazers	0	10	9	14	33
No. 7 Hornets	21	14	14	7	56

At Northern Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 8 Hornets	7	17	3	10	37
Panthers	7	0	14	0	21

At Colorado State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 7 Hornets	7	17	7	10	41
Rams	0	10	0	0	10

At Cal Poly

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 5 Hornets	7	14	14	14	49
Mustangs	0	0	7	14	21

Northern Colorado

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	0	7	0	7
No. 5 Hornets	7	17	21	10	55

At Eastern Washington

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 5 Hornets	21	14	10	7	52
Eagles	0	21	7	0	28

No. 7 Montana

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
No. 7 Grizzlies	7	3	7	7	0	24
No. 2 Hornets	0	7	0	17	7	31

No. 14 Idaho

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 14 Vandals	0	7	7	14	28
No. 2 Hornets	7	10	7	7	31

At No. 5 Weber State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 2 Hornets	7	9	7	10	33
No. 5 Wildcats	7	0	7	16	30

At Portland State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 2 Hornets	7	17	14	7	45
Vikings	0	0	3	14	17

No. 24 UC Davis

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 24 Aggies	3	7	3	8	21
No. 2 Hornets	10	7	0	10	27

FCS Playoffs

No. 13 Richmond – Second Round

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 13 Spiders	14	7	10	0	31
No. 2 Hornets	7	10	7	14	38

No. 5 Incarnate Word – Quarterfinal

No. 5 Incarnate Word Cardinals at No. 2 Sacramento State Hornets - NCAA Division I Quarterfinal

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 5 Cardinals	7	21	10	28	66
No. 2 Hornets	14	3	17	29	63

at Hornet Stadium, Sacramento, CA

Date: December 9
Game time: 7:30 p.m.
Game weather: Temperature: 48 • Wind: None • Weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 13,722
Referee: Bruce Austin
TV announcers (ESPN+): Connor Onion (play-by-play) and Charles Arbuckle (analyst)
Box Score

Game information

First Quarter

SACST – 8:53 Cameron Skattebo 1 yard run, Kyle Sentkowski kick
SACST 7–0 Drive: 10 plays, 81 yards, 3:12
UIW – 5:12 Marcus Cooper 20 yard pass from Lindsey Scott Jr., Carson Mohr kick
Tied 7–7 Drive: 11 plays, 86 yards, 3:34
SACST – 2:28 Marcus Fulcher 35 yard run, Kyle Sentkowski kick
SACST 14–7 Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 2:44

Second Quarter

UIW – 12:37 Lindsey Scott Jr. 1 yard run, Carson Mohr kick
Tied 14–14 Drive: 15 plays, 79 yards, 4:45
SACST – 7:25 Kyle Sentkowski 30 yard field goal
SACST 17–14 Drive: 13 plays, 66 yards, 5:07
UIW – 2:56 Roger McCuller 2 yard pass from Lindsey Scott Jr., Carson Mohr kick
UIW 21–17 Drive: 6 plays, 29 yards, 1:43
UIW – 0:11 Marcus Cooper, 4 yard run, Carson Mohr kick
UIW 28–17 Drive: 9 plays, 39 yards, 1:23

Third Quarter

SACST – 11:04 Cameron Skattebo 2 yard run, Kyle Sentkowski kick
UIW 28–24 Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 3:56
UIW - 8:26 Carson Mohr 27 yard field goal
UIW 31–24 Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 2:31
SACST – 4:16 Pierre Williams 16 yard pass from Asher O'Hara, Kyle Sentkowski kick
Tied 31–31 Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:04
UIW – 2:29 Darion Chafin 47 yard pass from Lindsey Scott Jr., Carson Mohr kick
UIW 38–31 Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 1:42
SACST – 0:04 Kyle Sentkowski 26 yard field goal
UIW 38–34 Drive: 9 plays, 49 yards, 2:17

Fourth Quarter

UIW – 14:50 Lindsey Scott Jr. 64 yard run, Carson Mohr kick
UIW 45–34 Drive: 1 play, 64 yards, 0:10
SACST – 12:08 Marshel Martin 19 yard pass from Cameron Skattebo, Kyle Sentkowski kick
UIW 45–41 Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 2:37
SACST – 10:12 Marshel Martin 14 yard pass from Jake Dunniway, Kyle Sentkowski kick
SACST 48–45 Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 1:53
UIW – 9:23 Marcus Cooper yard run, Carson Mohr kick
UIW 52–48 Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:49
UIW – 8:30 Kelechi Anyalebechi 55 yard fumble recovery, Carson Mohr kick
UIW 59–48
SACST – 4:57 Pierre Williams 10 yard pass from Jake Dunniway, Marcus Fulcher pass from Jake Dunniway
UIW 59–56 Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 3:27
SACST – 1:43 Marshel Martin 4 yard run, Kyle Sentkowski kick
SACST 63–59 Drive: 8 plays, 57 yards, 3:14
UIW – 0:27 Taylor Grimes 21 yard pass from Lindsey Scott Jr., Carson Mohr kick
UIW 66–63 Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 1:16

Passing

UIW – Lindsey Scott Jr. 19/31, 219 YDS, 4 TD
SACST – Jake Dunniway 19/32, 228 YDS, 2 TD, 2 INT

Rushing

UIW – Marcus Cooper 22 ATT, 176 YDS, 2 TD
SACST – Marcus Fulcher 9 ATT, 108 YDS, 1 TD

Receiving

UIW – Taylor Grimes 6 REC, 53 YDS, 1 TD
SACST – Marshel Martin 12 REC, 144 YDS, 2 TD

Ranking movements

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
STATS FCS	7	7	8	7	5	5	5	2 (1)	2 (2)	2 (1)	2 (6)	2 (7)	2 (9)	5
Coaches	7	6	7	6	5	4	5	3	3	3 (2)	2 (6)	2 (5)	2 (4)	4

Players drafted into the NFL

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL team
3	76	Marte Mapu	LB	New England Patriots

References

^ Davidson, Joe (September 25, 2022). "'That was fun': Sacramento State blasts upper-division Colorado State". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
^ Martinez, Jeremiah (November 29, 2022). "Sac State Hornets to host playoff game, here's a look back at their undefeated season". KTXL. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
^ Davidson, Joe (December 4, 2022). "Slingin' in the rain: Sacramento State airs it out vs. Richmond for first FCS playoff win". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
^ Davidson, Joe (December 10, 2022). "Incarnate Word QB Lindsey Scott Jr. ends Sac State's dream season in FCS playoff classic". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
^ Dapper, Michelle (December 16, 2022). "Sacramento State football welcomes Andy Thompson as new head coach". KCRA. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
^ "Montana Tabbed Big Sky Preseason Favorites by Coaches & Media". July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
^ "FOOTBALL PICKED SECOND BY COACHES, THIRD BY MEDIA; FIVE EARN PRESEASON HONORS". hornetsports.com. July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
^ "2022 Football Schedule". Sacramento State Athletics. Retrieved May 16, 2021.

[1] Davidson, Joe (September 25, 2022). "'That was fun': Sacramento State blasts upper-division Colorado State". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved December 6, 2022.

[2] Martinez, Jeremiah (November 29, 2022). "Sac State Hornets to host playoff game, here's a look back at their undefeated season". KTXL. Retrieved December 6, 2022.

[3] Davidson, Joe (December 4, 2022). "Slingin' in the rain: Sacramento State airs it out vs. Richmond for first FCS playoff win". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved December 6, 2022.

[4] Davidson, Joe (December 10, 2022). "Incarnate Word QB Lindsey Scott Jr. ends Sac State's dream season in FCS playoff classic". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved December 10, 2022.

[5] Dapper, Michelle (December 16, 2022). "Sacramento State football welcomes Andy Thompson as new head coach". KCRA. Retrieved September 13, 2023.

[6] "Montana Tabbed Big Sky Preseason Favorites by Coaches & Media". July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.

[7] "FOOTBALL PICKED SECOND BY COACHES, THIRD BY MEDIA; FIVE EARN PRESEASON HONORS". hornetsports.com. July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.

[8] "2022 Football Schedule". Sacramento State Athletics. Retrieved May 16, 2021.

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v t e Sacramento State Hornets football
Venues	Charles C. Hughes Stadium (1954, 1959–1968) Grant Stadium (1955–1958) Hornet Field (1967–1968) Hornet Stadium (1969–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games UC Davis: Causeway Classic
Culture & lore	Herkey the Hornet Sacramento State Marching Band Fight, Hornet, Fight! KIFM
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

v t e Big Sky Conference football champions
College Division / Division II	Idaho State (1963) Montana State (1964) Weber State & Idaho (1965) Montana State (1966) Montana State (1967) Idaho, Montana State, & Weber State (1968) Montana (1969) Montana (1970) Idaho (1971) Montana State (1972) Boise State (1973) Boise State (1974) Boise State (1975) Montana State (1976) Boise State (1977)
I-AA/FCS	Northern Arizona (1978) Montana State (1979) Boise State (1980) Idaho State (1981) Montana, Idaho, & Montana State (1982) Nevada (1983) Montana State (1984) Idaho (1985) Nevada (1986) Idaho (1987) Idaho (1988) Idaho (1989) Nevada (1990) Nevada (1991) Idaho & Eastern Washington (1992) Montana (1993) Boise State (1994) Montana (1995) Montana (1996) Eastern Washington (1997) Montana (1998) Montana (1999) Montana (2000) Montana (2001) Montana, Montana State, & Idaho State (2002) Montana State, Montana, & Northern Arizona (2003) Montana & Eastern Washington (2004) Eastern Washington, Montana State, & Montana (2005) Montana (2006) Montana (2007) Weber State & Montana (2008) Montana (2009) Montana State & Eastern Washington (2010) Montana State & Montana (2011) Eastern Washington, Montana State, & Cal Poly (2012) Eastern Washington (2013) Eastern Washington (2014) Southern Utah (2015) Eastern Washington & North Dakota (2016) Southern Utah & Weber State (2017) Eastern Washington, UC Davis, & Weber State (2018) Sacramento State & Weber State (2019) Weber State (2020) Sacramento State (2021) Montana State & Sacramento State (2022) Montana (2023) Montana State (2024)
National championships in bold