2025 Sacramento State Hornets football team

The 2025 Sacramento State Hornets football team represented California State University, Sacramento during the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Big Sky Conference. A realignment to the FBS was announced in 2025, but the NCAA Football Oversight Committee denied a recommendation ahead of a Division I Council vote. The vote later officially denied the waiver. They were led by first-year head coach Brennan Marion and played their home games at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California.

2025 Sacramento State Hornets football
Conference	Big Sky Conference
Record	7–5 (5–3 Big Sky)
Head coach	Brennan Marion (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Ken Merchant (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator	A.C. Patterson (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Marcus Patton (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Josh Brown (1st season)
Home stadium	Hornet Stadium
Seasons ← 2024 2026 →

2025 Big Sky Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 2 Montana State $^		8	–	0					14	–	2
No. 3 Montana ^		7	–	1					13	–	2
No. 11 UC Davis ^		6	–	2					9	–	4
Sacramento State		5	–	3					7	–	5
Idaho State		5	–	3					6	–	6
Northern Arizona		4	–	4					7	–	5
Eastern Washington		4	–	4					5	–	7
Cal Poly		2	–	6					4	–	8
Idaho		2	–	6					4	–	8
Northern Colorado		2	–	6					4	–	8
Weber State		2	–	6					4	–	8
Portland State		1	–	7					1	–	11
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

Offseason

Transfers

Outgoing

Player	Position	Destination
Evan Kiely	K	Boise State
Jason Auzenne	WR/RB	College of San Mateo
Phoenix Rose	DB	College of San Mateo
Kyle Stahlecker	DE	Eastern Washington
Carson Conklin	QB	Fresno State
Zelmar Vedder	DB	Houston
Tommy Poe	WR	Idaho State
Davion Ross	S	Idaho State
Devin Gandy	WR	Louisiana Tech
Elijah Tau-Tolliver	RB	Michigan State
Spencer Patton	DT	Montana Tech
Murvin Kenion III	DB	Nevada
Joey Wright	OL	Nevada
Darren Burton II	DB	New Hampshire
Tyler Henry	DL	North Dakota
Jackson Lataimua	DB	North Texas
Danny Scudero	WR	San Jose State
AJ Campos	LS	San Jose State
Mason Brosseau	DT	South Dakota State
Coleman Kuntz	TE	South Dakota State
Carson Camp	QB	Southeastern Louisiana
Nathan Mejia	OL	Stanford
Jayden Davis	S	Western Michigan
Jayden Weber	WR	Unknown
Mekhei Byrd	WR	Unknown
Ezra Moleni	RB	Unknown
Jayden Flaig	TE	Unknown
Diego Davis	LB	Withdrawn

Incoming

Player	Position	Previous school
Connor McDowell	LS	Angelo State
Donovan Haslam	OL	Austin Peay
Jekob Jones	LB	Cal Poly
Jordan Herman	OL	Charlotte
Damian Henderson II	RB	Colorado State
Jordan Williams	TE	Colorado State
Malik Tullis	DL	Eastern Michigan
Melvin Swindle II	DL	Eastern Michigan
Jaden Rashada	QB	Georgia
Darren Burton II	DB	Hampton
Jayden Davis	DB	Idaho State
Chase Brackney	DL	Iowa
Jamar Curtis	RB	Lafayette
James Jones	RB	Louisiana–Monroe
Dylan Gooden	DE	Maryland
Itayvion Brown	DE	Michigan State
James Gillespie	DT	Middle Tennessee
Miles Bailey	DL	Murray State
Brodie Tagaloa	DL	Nebraska
Savion Red	RB	Nevada
Kristopher Ross	DE	Nevada
Ikaika Ragsdale	WR	North Texas
Grant Meadors	K	Oregon
Jordan Anderson	WR	Oregon State
Rodney Hammond	RB	Pittsburgh
Logan Tanner	TE	San Diego State
Dean Abdullah	TE	San Diego State
Dylan Hampsten	DE	San Jose State
Gavin Thomson	WR	Saint Francis
Mikey Henderson	WR	Tarleton State
Ernest Campbell	WR	Texas A&M
Syncere Massey	DL	Texas Southern
Deven Wright	DE	Texas State
Cardell Williams	QB	Tulsa
Ricky Lee III	DB	UAB
Agiye Hall	WR	UCF
Joseph Firebaugh Jr.	K	UCLA
Davis Ambuehl	TE	UNLV
Timothy Conerly	WR	UNLV
Brennon Scott	LB	UNLV
Damien McDaniel	WR	UNLV
Sammy Norris	FB	UNLV
Keith Conley	DL	UNLV
Bear Tenney	TE	Utah
Oscar Moore	DB	UTEP
Jace Wilson	WR	UTSA
Sam Adams II	RB	Washington
Jackson Lataimua	DB	Washington State
Warren Smith	DB	Washington State
Taison Fa’asuamanu	LB	West Liberty

Coaching staff additions

Name	New Position	Previous Team	Previous Position	Source
Brennan Marion	Head coach	UNLV	Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks
Kenneth Merchant	Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks	UNLV	Offensive analyst
AC Patterson	Co-offensive coordinator/Running backs	Portland State	Assistant head coach/Offensive coordinator/Running backs
Marcus Patton	Defensive coordinator	Colorado State	Cornerbacks
Josh Brown	Co-defensive coordinator/Linebackers	McNeese	Co-defensive coordinator/Safeties
Darrin Walls	Defensive pass game coordinator/Cornerbacks	Albany	Co-defensive coordinator/Cornerbacks
Rob Wenger	Special teams	Minnesota	Special teams/Rush ends
Robbie Bell	Tight ends	Georgia Tech	Offensive line quality control
Nathan Kenion	Safeties	Diablo Valley	Defensive coordinator
Sidhart Krishnamurthi	Wide receivers	San Jose State	Offensive quality control
Ed McGilvra	Defensive line	College of the Canyons	Defensive line
Jake Vang	Edge rushers	Colorado State	Defensive analyst

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	4:00 p.m.	at No. 3 South Dakota State*	No. 15	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD	ESPN+	L 3–20	19,163
September 6	2:00 p.m.	at Nevada*	No. 18	Mackay Stadium Reno, NV	KNSN-TV	L 17–20	20,535
September 13	6:00 p.m.	Mercyhurst*	No. 21	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	ESPN+	W 49–28	12,231
September 20	6:00 p.m.	Central Arkansas*	No. 24	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	ESPN+	W 45–16	13,253
September 27	6:00 p.m.	Cal Poly	No. 21	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	ESPN+	L 24–32	15,016
October 11	5:00 p.m.	at Weber State		Stewart Stadium Ogden, UT	ESPN+	W 55–27	2,126
October 18	6:00 p.m.	Northern Colorado		Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	ESPN+	W 40–35	20,022
October 24	7:30 p.m.	No. 4 Montana		Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	ESPN2	L 35–49	16,816
November 1	1:00 p.m.	at Eastern Washington		Roos Field Cheney, WA	ESPN+	W 35–13	4,356
November 8	2:00 p.m.	at Portland State		Hillsboro Stadium Hillsboro, OR	ESPN+	W 52–24	1,284
November 15	6:00 p.m.	Idaho		Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	ESPN+	W 23–20	15,467
November 22	1:00 p.m.	at No. 15 UC Davis		UC Davis Health Stadium Davis, CA (Causeway Classic)	ESPN+	L 27–31	14,590
*Non-conference game Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Pacific time

Game summaries

at No. 3 South Dakota State

No. 15 Sacramento State Hornets (0-0) at No. 3 South Dakota State Jackrabbits (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 15 Hornets	3	0	0	0	3
No. 3 Jackrabbits	3	14	0	3	20

at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD

• Date: August 30
• Game time: 4:00 PM PDT
• Game attendance: 19,163
• Referee: Gregory Gompf
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Tyler Merriam (play-by-play) and Kurtiss Riggs (analyst)

Game information

First quarter SDST – Eli Stader 22-yard field goal, 8:11. Jackrabbits 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 43 yards, 1:52. SAC – Grant Meadors 36-yard field goal, 5:18. Tied 3–3. Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 1:52. Second quarter SDST – Andrew Gustad 4-yard pass from Chase Mason (Eli Stader kick), 12:38. Jackrabbits 10–3. Drive: 15 plays, 75 yards, 7:34. SDST – Lofton O'Groske 3-yard run (Eli Stader kick), 3:51. Jackrabbits 17–3. Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 4:54. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter SDST – Eli Stader 28-yard field goal, 2:27. Jackrabbits 20–3. Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 5:13.

Statistics	SAC	SDST
First downs	7	28
Total yards	131	430
Rushes–yards	24–24	56–240
Passing yards	107	190
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	11–27–1	17–23–0
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	18:54	41:06

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sacramento State	Passing	Jaden Rashada	11/27, 107 yards, INT
	Rushing	Rodney Hammond Jr.	6 carries, 12 yards
	Receiving	Jordan Anderson	4 receptions, 49 yards
South Dakota State	Passing	Chase Mason	17/23, 190 yards, TD
	Rushing	Julius Loughridge	22 carries, 159 yards
	Receiving	Lofton O'Groske	5 receptions, 76 yards

at Nevada (FBS)

No. 18 Sacramento State Hornets (0–1) at Nevada Wolf Pack (FBS) (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 18 Hornets	7	10	0	0	17
Wolf Pack (FBS)	0	13	0	7	20

at Mackay Stadium • Reno, NV

• Date: September 6, 2025
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. PDT
• Game attendance: 20,535
• Referee: Brad Carrell
• TV announcers (KNSN-TV): Alex Marguiles (play-by-play), Lucas Weber (analyst) and Shannon Kelly (sideline)

Game information

First quarter SAC – Rodney Hammond Jr. 5-yard run (Grant Meadors kick), 10:55. Hornets 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:05. Second quarter SAC – Grant Meadors 35-yard field goal, 13:04. Hornets 10–0. Drive: 16 plays, 81 yards, 7:59. NEV – Joe McFadden 37-yard field goal, 7:17. Hornets 10–3. Drive: 10 plays, 60 yards, 5:47. NEV – Chubba Purdy 3-yard run (Joe McFadden kick), 1:02. Tied 10–10. Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 2:51. SAC – Ernest Campbell 75-yard pass from Cardell Williams (Grant Meadors kick), 0:53. Hornets 17–10. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:09. NEV – Joe McFadden 40-yard field goal, 0:00. Hornets 17–13. Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 0:53. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter NEV – Jonathan Maldonado 36-yard interception return (Joe McFadden kick), 2:17. Wolf Pack 20–17.

Statistics	SAC	NEV
First downs	15	23
Total yards	371	413
Rushes–yards	41–146	48–269
Passing yards	225	144
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	14–19–1	12–21–2
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	27:14	32:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sacramento State	Passing	Cardell Williams	11/13, 158 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Jamar Curtis	8 carries, 37 yards
	Receiving	Ernest Campbell	3 receptions, 89 yards, TD
Nevada	Passing	Chubba Purdy	12/21, 144 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Chubba Purdy	21 carries, 115 yards, TD
	Receiving	Marcus Bellon	2 receptions, 59 yards

Mercyhurst

Mercyhurst Lakers (1-1) at No. 21 Sacramento State Hornets (0-2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lakers	10	8	7	3	28
No. 21 Hornets	7	14	7	21	49

at Hornet Stadium • Sacramento, CA

• Date: September 13
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
• Game attendance: 12,231
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Ross (play-by-play) and Darren Arbet (analyst)

Statistics	MERC	SAC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercyhurst	Passing	Adam Urena	27/44, 280 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Brian Trobel	10 carries, 62 yards, TD
	Receiving	Joe Kerbacher	4 receptions, 61 yards
Sacramento State	Passing	Cardell Williams	8/17, 176 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Damian Henderson II	12 carries, 98 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Ernest Campbell	2 receptions, 78 yards, TD

Central Arkansas

Central Arkansas Bears (1-2) at No. 24 Sacramento State Hornets (1-2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	6	0	10	16
No. 24 Hornets	21	7	10	7	45

at Hornet Stadium • Sacramento, CA

• Date: September 20
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Ross (play-by-play) and Darren Arbet (analyst)

Statistics	CARK	SAC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Arkansas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Sacramento State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Cal Poly

Cal Poly Mustangs (2-2) vs. No. 21 Sacramento State Hornets (2-2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Mustangs	18	7	7	0	32
No. 21 Hornets	7	14	0	3	24

at Hornet Stadium • Sacramento, CA

• Date: September 27
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Ross (play-by-play) and Darren Arbet (analyst)

Statistics	CP	SAC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Cal Poly	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Sacramento State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Weber State

Sacramento State Hornets (2-3) vs. Weber State Wildcats (2-3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	7	21	7	20	55
Wildcats	3	7	10	7	27

at Stewart Stadium • Ogden, UT

• Date: October 11
• Game time: 5:00 p.m. PDT
• TV: ESPN+

Statistics	SAC	WEB
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sacramento State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Weber State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Northern Colorado

Northern Colorado Bears (3-3) vs. Sacramento State Hornets (3-3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	-	-	-	-	0
Hornets	-	-	-	-	0

at Hornet Stadium • Sacramento, CA

• Date: October 18

Statistics	UNCO	SAC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Colorado	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Sacramento State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 4 Montana

No. 4 Montana Grizzlies (7-0) vs. Sacramento State Hornets (4-3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 4 Grizzlies	7	21	7	14	49
Hornets	7	14	0	14	35

at Hornet Stadium • Sacramento, CA

• Date: October 24
• Game time: 6:30 PM PDT
• Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 64 °F (18 °C) • Wind: SW at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
• Game attendance: 16,816
• Referee: Gregg Wilson
• TV announcers (ESPN2): Chuckie Kempf (play-by-play) and Darius Walker (analyst)

Game information

First Quarter (5:04) SAC – Rodney Hammond Jr. 7-yard run, Grant Meadors kick (Drive: 13 plays, 68 yards, 6:41; Sacramento State 7–0) (1:22) MONT – Brooks Davis 24-yard pass from Keali'i Ah Yat, Ty Morrison kick (Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 3:33; Tied 7–7) Second Quarter (14:50) SAC – Ernest Campbell 63-yard pass from Cardell Williams, Grant Meadors kick (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:32; Sacramento State 14–7) (12:46) MONT – Michael Wortham 64-yard pass from Keali'i Ah Yat, Ty Morrison kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:57; Tied 14–14) (7:24) MONT – Michael Wortham 27-yard run, Ty Morrison kick (Drive: 4 plays, 40 yards, 2:03; Montana 21–14) (4:16) SAC – Rodney Hammond Jr. 6-yard run, Grant Meadors kick (Drive: 5 plays, 68 yards, 2:59; Tied 21–21) (1:00) MONT – Eli Gillman 13-yard run, Ty Morrison kick (Drive: 3 plays, 21 yards, 0:43; Montana 28–21) Third Quarter (10:18) MONT – Evan Shafer 11-yard pass from Keali'i Ah Yat, Ty Morrison kick (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:42; Montana 35–21) Fourth Quarter (13:12) MONT – Michael Wortham 15-yard run, Ty Morrison kick (Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 3:58; Montana 42–21) (4:17) SAC – Cardell Williams 17-yard run, Grant Meadors kick (Drive: 14 plays, 87 yards, 5:20; Montana 42–28) (1:45) MONT – Malae Fonoti 4-yard run, Ty Morrison kick (Drive: 1 play, 4 yards, 0:05; Montana 49–28) (0:15) SAC – Cardell Williams 18-yard run, Grant Meadors kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 1:30; Montana 49–35)

Statistics	MONT	SAC
First downs	18	24
Total yards	385	478
Rushing yards	161	141
Passing yards	224	337
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	17–25–1	26–33–1
Time of possession	25:55	34:05

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Montana	Passing	Keali'i Ah Yat	16/24, 196 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Michael Wortham	7 carries, 89 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Michael Wortham	5 receptions, 80 yards, TD
Sacramento State	Passing	Cardell Williams	25/32, 332 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Rodney Hammond Jr.	12 carries, 54 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Ernest Campbell	9 receptions, 206 yards, TD

at Eastern Washington

Sacramento State Hornets (4-4) vs. Eastern Washington Eagles (4-4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	-	-	-	-	0
Eagles	-	-	-	-	0

at Roos Field • Cheney, WA

• Date: November 1
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
• TV: ESPN+

Statistics	SAC	EWU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sacramento State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Eastern Washington	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Portland State

Sacramento State Hornets (5-4) vs. Portland State Vikings (1-8) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	-	-	-	-	0
Vikings	-	-	-	-	0

at Hillsboro Stadium • Hillsboro, OR

• Date: November 8

Statistics	SAC	PRST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sacramento State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Portland State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Idaho

Idaho Vandals (0-0) vs. Sacramento State Hornets (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Vandals	-	-	-	-	0
Hornets	-	-	-	-	0

at Hornet Stadium • Sacramento, CA

• Date: November 15

Statistics	IDHO	SAC
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Idaho	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Sacramento State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 15 UC Davis (Causeway Classic)

Sacramento State Hornets (7-4) vs. No. 15 UC Davis Aggies (7-3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	-	-	-	-	0
No. 15 Aggies	-	-	-	-	0

at UC Davis Health Stadium • Davis, CA

• Date: November 22

Statistics	SAC	UCD
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sacramento State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
UC Davis	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Ranking movements

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Final
STATS FCS	15	18	21	24	21	RV	RV	RV	RV
Coaches	14	16	21	22	21	RV	—	RV	RV