SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS
Sac State Looks To Move Up With Tougher Schedule

Belief. That one word best describes the Sacramento State football team heading into the 2009 season. The Hornets began the process of becoming a Big Sky Conference contender a year ago, matching the second-best victory total in the school's modern era with six victories.

Third-year head coach Marshall Sperbeck now knows that his team thinks it's ready for the next step.

"We're finally in a position that going into every game we believe we can win," Sperbeck said. "That hasn't been the feeling here for a long time.

"From the coaches to the players, we all believe in what we're doing. A lot of factors can come up during the season and it's up to us to determine how we're going to persevere through the injuries and setbacks."

Sperbeck has taken the Hornets from 3-8 in 2007 to 6-6 last season. The 2008 campaign was highlighted by road wins at Eastern Washington and UC Davis, and also saw the team go 4-2 at home. The Hornets also had a couple of narrow defeats, including a three-point loss at Colorado State as time expired.

The strengths for 2009 are entirely different from a year ago. The Hornets return starters at every offensive position but have several voids to fill on the defensive side.

The offense is expected to be led by junior quarterback Jason Smith. Last season Smith threw for 1,824 yards and 16 touchdowns with only six interceptions to earn honorable mention all-Big Sky honors. Smith will have the luxury of a full stable of running backs. Returning to the team is junior Evander Wilkins and sophomore Jake Croxdale, who each recorded a 100-yard outing in 2008. The pair will be joined by freshman Sam McCowan and sophomore Terrance Dailey, a transfer who led Washington in rushing a year ago. The receiving corps will likely use a group attack to try to replace All-American Tony Washington. Junior-college transfers Brandyn Reed, John Hendershott and Matt Larson will combine with returners Dylan Lane, Chase Deadder and Ron Richardson.

Defensively, the front four remains intact from a year ago and is highlighted by junior Christian Clark, who has garnered preseason All-America honors. Behind the line will be three new starting linebackers. Junior Peter Buck moved up from safety during the spring and will contend for a starting job. Others in the mix are returners Greg Johnson, David Coleman and Geoff Warner as well as newcomers Jared Pereira and Jeff Badger. The Hornets secondary should also be much improved with a year of experience under their belt. Deionte Gordon, who led the team with four interceptions in 2008, moved from cornerback to safety, where he will be paired with Zack Schrader. Redshirt freshman Jeff Johnson, senior Durrell Oliver and JC transfers Jay Reddic and Randy Fesser will all fight for playing time at cornerback.

The schedule will also become much tougher and return to the standard 11 games. For the eighth consecutive year, Sacramento State will meet a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent as the team will meet UNLV to open the year on Sept. 5. The Hornets will also travel to Cal Poly and face the nationally ranked Mustangs for the first time since 2006. After the eight-game Big Sky slate, which includes a home game against national FCS finalist Montana on Oct. 24, Sacramento State will close out the year at home with the 56th-annual Causeway Classic against UC Davis.