2018 Sacramento State Hornets football team

The 2018 Sacramento State Hornets football team represented California State University, Sacramento as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by Jody Sears in his fifth and final season as head coach, Sacramento State compiled an overall record of 2–8 with a mark of 0–7 in conference play, placing last out of 13 teams in the Big Sky. The Hornets played home games at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California.

2018 Sacramento State Hornets football
ConferenceBig Sky Conference
Record2–8 (0–7 Big Sky)
Head coach
Co-offensive coordinatorLuke Huard (2nd season)
Co-offensive coordinatorPaul Wulff (3rd season)
Defensive coordinatorSammy Lawanson (3rd season)
Home stadiumHornet Stadium
Seasons
← 2017
2019 →
2018 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 6 Weber State +^   7 1     10 3  
No. 2 Eastern Washington +^   7 1     12 3  
No. 7 UC Davis +^   7 1     10 3  
No. 17 Montana State ^   5 3     8 5  
Idaho State   5 3     6 5  
Montana   4 4     6 5  
Cal Poly   4 4     5 6  
Northern Arizona   3 4     4 6  
Portland State   3 5     4 7  
Idaho   3 5     4 7  
Northern Colorado   2 6     2 9  
Southern Utah   1 7     1 10  
Sacramento State   0 7     2 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • Although North Dakota was classified as an independent, games against them still counted as Big Sky Conference games.
Rankings from STATS Poll

On November 26, Sears was fired.[1] He finished his tenure at Sacramento State with a record of 20–35.

Preseason

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Big Sky Kickoff

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On July 16, 2018, during the Big Sky Kickoff in Spokane, Washington, the Hornets were predicted to finish in fifth place in the coaches poll and seventh place in the media poll.[2]

Coaches poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Eastern Washington 134 (6)
2 Weber State 124 (3)
3 Northern Arizona 121 (3)
4 Idaho 101 (1)
5 Sacramento State 94
6 Southern Utah 91
7 Montana 82
8 Montana State 76
9 UC Davis 64
10 Cal Poly 40
11 Northern Colorado 30
12 Idaho State 29
13 Portland State 21
Media poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Eastern Washington 651 (27)
2 Weber State 636 (19)
3 Northern Arizona 535 (1)
4 Montana 496 (2)
5 Idaho 483 (3)
6 Southern Utah 449 (1)
7 Sacramento State 415
8 Montana State 391 (1)
9 UC Davis 331 (1)
10 Idaho State 170
11 Cal Poly 169
12 Northern Colorado 166
13 Portland State 103

Preseason All-Conference Team

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The Hornets had three players selected to the Preseason All-Conference Team.[3]

Andre Lindsey – Sr. WR

George Obinna – Sr. DE

Mister Harriel – Sr. S

Schedule

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DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 16:00 p.m.St. Francis (IL)*CW 31W 55–76,944
September 86:00 p.m.at San Diego State*L 14–2845,755
September 151:00 p.m.at Northern Colorado*ELVNW 28–253,768
September 2212:00 p.m.at No. 19 MontanaRTNWL 34–4124,060
October 66:00 p.m.Cal Poly
  • Hornet Stadium
  • Sacramento, CA
CW 31L 27–418,930
October 135:00 p.m.at Southern UtahPluto TV 236L 27–4810,424
October 206:00 p.m.North Dakota 
  • Hornet Stadium
  • Sacramento, CA
CW 31L 15–4110,709
October 276:00 p.m.Portland State
  • Hornet Stadium
  • Sacramento, CA
CW 31L 14–413,267
November 311:00 a.m.at No. 4 Weber StatePluto TV 235L 14–267,857
November 106:00 p.m.Northern Arizona
  • Hornet Stadium
  • Sacramento, CA
CW 31 Cancelled[a]
November 171:00 p.m.vs. No. 9 UC DavisELVNL 13–562,482
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Pacific time
  1. ^ The game against Northern Arizona on November 10 was cancelled due to unhealthy air quality as a result of the Camp Fire in Northern California.[4]
  2. ^ The game against UC Davis on November 17 was moved to Mackay Stadium in Reno, Nevada due to unhealthy air quality as a result of the Camp Fire in Northern California.[5]

Despite Northern Colorado also being a member of the Big Sky Conference, the September 15 game against Sacramento State was considered a non-conference game.[6]

Game summaries

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St. Francis (IL)

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1 2 3 4 Total
Fighting Saints 0 0 7 0 7
Hornets 10 21 14 10 55

At San Diego State

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1 2 3 4 Total
Hornets 0 7 7 0 14
Aztecs 7 6 0 15 28

At Northern Colorado

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1 2 3 4 Total
Hornets 7 0 7 14 28
Bears 7 7 3 8 25

At Montana

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1 2 3 4 Total
Hornets 14 14 3 3 34
No. 19 Grizzlies 14 10 7 10 41

Cal Poly

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1 2 3 4 Total
Mustangs 14 7 6 14 41
Hornets 14 0 3 10 27

At Southern Utah

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1 2 3 4 Total
Hornets 21 3 0 3 27
Thunderbirds 7 20 14 7 48

North Dakota

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1 2 3 4 Total
Fighting Hawks 14 0 20 7 41
Hornets 3 7 5 0 15

Portland State

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1 2 3 4 Total
Vikings 3 21 3 14 41
Hornets 0 7 0 7 14

At Weber State

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1 2 3 4 Total
Hornets 0 0 7 7 14
No. 4 Wildcats 3 10 13 0 26

At UC Davis

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1 2 3 4 Total
Hornets 3 7 3 0 13
No. 9 Aggies 14 21 7 14 56

References

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  1. ^ Frey, Thomas (November 26, 2018). "Sac State fires head football coach Jody Sears after 2–8 season". www.statehornet.com. The State Hornet. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  2. ^ "Eastern Washington Picked to Win the Big Sky".
  3. ^ "Doss, Buss Headline Big Sky Football Preseason All-Conference Team".
  4. ^ "Football Game Against NAU Officially Cancelled". www.hornetsports.com. Sacramento State Athletics. November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  5. ^ "Causeway Classic Relocated To Mackay Stadium In Reno". www.hornetsports.com. Sacramento State Athletics. November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  6. ^ "2018 Football Schedule". Sacramento State Athletics. Retrieved April 30, 2018.