SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS
Postseason Hopes Ride High

It's safe to say things are changing around Sacramento State football. A brand-new playing surface is surrounded by the 2-year-old Broad Athletic Fieldhouse to the south and the sparkling new Recreation and Wellness Center to the north. Throw in the American River Commons apartment-style dorms, which opened in 2009, and not much is the same for the Hornets.

The buildings are not the only things evolving on campus. Hornet head coach Marshall Sperbeck has reinvigorated the football program and community in his three seasons at the helm. The Hornets have won five more games than the previous three seasons before Sperbeck and are coming off a year in which the team ranked third in the conference and 31st nationally in average attendance.

While the progress has been rewarding, the team is not content to remain in the middle of the pack. With 13 returning starters and the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs expanded to 20 teams, Sacramento State has its eyes set on the postseason.

To get to the FCS playoffs, the Hornets will have to fight their way through another tough schedule. The regular season begins on Sept. 4, when Sacramento State makes the short trip to Stanford to face the Cardinal for the first time in program history. The home portion of the schedule gets under way the following weekend, when Western Oregon comes to Hornet Stadium for the first game on the new field turf. The annual Causeway Classic is slated for Oct. 20 at UC Davis.

Leading the charge for the Hornets defense are seniors Christian Clark and Zach Schrader. Clark was a second-team All-American a season ago after recording 15.5 tackles-for-loss, including 10.0 sacks. The defensive tackle has already built a lengthy resume before his final season begins as he was named preseason All-America by the Sports Network and is on the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List.

Schrader led the team in tackles during his first year with the Hornets. The Issaquah, Wash., native tallied 103 stops and also paced Sacramento State with four interceptions. For his efforts, Schrader was named the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year and also earned second-team all-conference honors. Schrader was also one of four Hornets named to the 2010 Big Sky Preseason team.

Offensively, quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson returns to guide the offense. Bethel-Thompson ended 2009 in dramatic fashion, coming off the bench at halftime to lead the Hornets to a 31-28 win over UC Davis. In the game, Bethel-Thompson threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another. His pass to Brandyn Reed with 20 seconds remaining capped the comeback and gave the team its second consecutive victory over the Aggies.

Helping Bethel-Thompson will be a deep corps of skill players that have a wealth of experience. Reed, John Hendershott and Dylan Lane each started games a year ago. Reed, who is a preseason all-Big Sky selection, led the team with 46 receptions for 731 yards and seven touchdowns. Hendershott ranked first in the Big Sky in kick-return yards while Lane earned honorable mention all-Big Sky accolades.

Junior Bryan Hilliard will be back on the field for the first time since 2008. Hilliard has already amassed 1,908 rushing yards in his first two years, but sat out last season after having surgery on both shoulders. The Sacramento native will not be along in the backfield as junior Jake Croxdale and sophomore Sam McCowan each returns.