FCS No. 8-ranked Sacramento State will open season on national TV; UC Davis ranked No. 21

Looking to maintain momentum since its breakthrough year in 2019, the Sacramento State football team is preseason ranked No. 8 in the HERO Sports Top 25 FCS poll.

The Hornets of the Big Sky Conference open the season Aug. 29 at Mountain West Conference member San Jose State on truTV and Max under the umbrella of TNT Sports, which reached a multi-year agreement with the Mountain West to broadcast games. This will be the network’s first game of the 2024 season.

UC Davis, gearing up for its first season under new coach Tim Plough, is ranked 21st by HERO. The Aggies start the season at Cal on Aug. 31 (network TBA) behind 2023 Big Sky Conference Offensive MVP Lan Larison, a running back.

Sacramento State has been ranked in the FCS polls for the last 32 football weeks and 40 overall since the start of the 2019 season. The Hornets competed in just seven games as a ranked team from 1993-2018.

Eight months before the 2019 season, Troy Taylor took over as head coach, bringing former Folsom High School co-coach Kris Richardson and Bobby Fresques with him and hiring defensive coordinator Andy Thompson. Thompson was elevated to Hornets head coach when Stanford hired Taylor following a record-setting 12-1 season in 2022.

Richardson is still the Hornets assistant head coach and offensive line coach. Fresques is the program’s offensive coordinator and Thompson has remained as defensive coordinator. The coaches directed Sacramento State to the FCS playoffs for the fourth consecutive season last fall.

A San Diego native, Plough in December was hired as the 18th coach in UCD football history, the former Aggies quarterback and assistant coach coming full circle to Yolo County after longtime coach Dan Hawkins stepped down to pursue other interests and to spend more time with family. Hawkins coached six consecutive winning Aggies teams.

Plough was an assistant at UCD from 2017-2020 and last seeason at Cal, the team his Aggies kick off against this fall in Berkeley.

Plough’s best friend in coaching is Thompson of Sacramento State. The teams meet in the annual Causeway Classic on Nov. 23 at Hornet Stadium. The first Causeway game was in 1954.

Hornets, Aggies return talent

Sacramento State’s strength in recent seasons has been rooted in the offensive line, and five players who started at least six games in 2023 return. The unit is headed by 6-foot-4, 310-pound All-American Jackson Slater and All-Big Sky returnee Nathan Mejia.

Also back in the trenches: Aidan Meek, Kenndel Riley of Rocklin and Kaden Richardson of Folsom. Richardson is the son of the position coach.

Quarterbacks Kaiden Bennett and Carson Conklin return for the Hornets, both showcasing big moments, plays and promise in 2023. Bennett of Folsom High fame passed for 2,192 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for 577 yards and six scores in 2023. Bennett missed the Hornets’ spring game with an injury but expects to be ready for fall camp.

Conklin as a true freshman from Southern California played in the season’s final four games with two starts, passing for 744 yards and six TDs. Jared Gipson is back at receiver after earning All-Big Sky honors while averaging 17.3 yards per reception. Running backs who saw extensive action last season include Elijah Tau-Tolloiver (seven TDs in 2023), Ezra Moleni and Zeke Burnett out of Elk Grove.

Sacramento State’s defense in 2024 will include nickelback Gavin Davis-Smith, who had 64 tackles last fall. The Hornets picked up transfers through the portal that figure to make an impact, including linebacker Will Leota, a three-time all-conference pick at Utah Tech. Also coming aboard from the FBS via transfer: nickelback Dejuan Butler from Cal and nickelback Jalen Williams from Fresno State. Both were three-star recruits in high school.

UCD went 7-4 last fall, just missing out on the FCS playoffs. The Aggies will be anchored by the speedy Larison, a 2023 Walter Payton Award finalist. Despite missing three games due to knee injury, Larison rushed for 1,101 yards and 13 touchdowns and led the Big Sky in all-purpose yards with 1,299.

Also back for UCD are 2023 All-Big Sky honorees in defensive lineman Zach Kennedy, receiver/return specialist Trent Tompkins, All-American defensive back Rex Connors and kicker Hunter Ridley.

Big Sky powers Montana and Montana State are FCS ranked No. 3 and 4, respectively, and Idaho is No. 7.

HERO Sports Top Top 25

1. South Dakota State

2. North Dakota State

3. Montana

4. Montana State

5. South Dakota

6. Villanova

7. Idaho

8. Sacramento State

9. Southern Illinois

10. Chattanooga

11. Central Arkansas

12. UIW

13. Richmond

14. Furman

15. UAlbany

16. Western Carolina

17. William & Mary

18. Tarleton State

19. Delaware

20. Lafayette

21. UC Davis

22. Weber State

23. Youngstown State

24. Illinois State

25. Eastern Illinois