Three questions for Sacramento State football as team seeks another Big Sky championship
As college football teams conclude spring drills, plenty of questions remain before the start of August camp.
This is the case at Sacramento State, where the Hornets on Saturday afternoon capped 14 days of spring drills with the annual Spring Game at Hornet Stadium. This much seems certain: Sacramento State returns enough player talent and is anchored by a stellar coaching staff to compete for the program’s fourth Big Sky Conference championship since 2019. The season opener is Aug. 29 at San Jose State.
The Green team defeated the Hornets’ White team 24-12, followed by the coaches meeting with players in groups, and then an autograph session and a meet-and-greet with fans. Head coach Andy Thompson was beaming afterward. More than 100 Hornets football alumni dating back to the 1960s were on hand, as were some 200 high school football recruits from throughout Northern California.
“Spring is all about improvement and getting to see a lot of different guys, and I thought we got to see a lot of guys,” Thompson said. “We still have a lot to work on, but we’re encouraged.”
Here are three questions defining the Hornets heading into summer:
Who will play QB?
The Hornets in recent weeks were jolted by injuries to last season’s opening-day starter Kaiden Bennett and backup Carson Camp, both of whom missed the majority of spring ball with leg injuries
Camp suffered a knee injury. Bennett sustained a lower leg fracture, though the senior from Folsom High School said he will be ready to go in a matter of weeks. Carson Conklin sparkled in games last season as a true freshman out of Los Angeles County, and he looked the part throughout the spring and in parts of Saturday’s game when he passed for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
The trio of Bennett, Conklin and Camp passed for 3,155 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2023. Joey Cook, a redshirt freshman from Novato, saw extensive time this spring.
The Hornets graduated leading rusher Marcus Fulcher but return runners Zeke Burnett, Ezra Moleni and Elijah Tau-Tolliver, and coaches got a peek at redshirt freshman Curron Borders of Antelope High.
What’s up front?
The offensive line under position coach Kris Richardson has been the team’s foundation since the Hornets rose swiftly to power in 2019.
Sacramento State will remain formidable in the trenches with four starters returning, including Jackson Slater, who has started 34 career games at guard. He will be joined this fall by center Nathan Mejia, who has 27 career starts, guard Kenndell Riley of Rocklin High (seven career starts) and tackle Aidan Meeks at tackle (nine career starters).
Who will rush the passer?
The Hornets since the start of 2019 have been among the top defensive teams in the Big Sky and on the FCS landscape under coach Thompson, the team’s defensive coordinator, but three of the team’s starting defensive linemen from 2023 have moved on.
The lone returning starter is defensive end DeShawn Lynch of Folsom High, who had 34 tackles last season, including 6½ for loss.
Josh Cashiola and Ben Ahip each saw time at defensive tackle and expect to settle into starting roles. Brandon Knott of Inderkum High will return though he missed the spring season to rehab an injury. The returning sack leader is Mason Brosseau, who had three sacks.
