Sacramento State hosts Cal Poly tonight in the Big Sky opener at Hornet Stadium, celebrating Healthcare Appreciation Night.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State Hornets will host the Cal Poly Mustangs tonight at 6 p.m. inside Hornet Stadium for the Big Sky opener. This game will highlight and celebrate Healthcare Appreciation Night.


Game Preview

Sacramento State heads into conference play this weekend with some momentum on its side. The Hornets, now sitting at 2-2, will host Cal Poly on Saturday night.

The Hornets are coming off back-to-back victories, including last week’s 45-16 blowout of Central Arkansas, where they once again piled up more than 500 yards of offense. 

Sacramento State has scored at least 45 points in each of its last two games, showcasing an offense that seems to be finding its stride with Brennan Marion’s new Go-Go Offense.

Beginning in the 2026–27 academic year, most Sacramento State sports will transition to the Big West, while football is expected to compete as an FCS independent starting the following year.

The Hornets last opened league play against Cal Poly in 2022, when they defeated the Mustangs 49-21 on the road in San Luis Obispo.

Cal Poly enters Saturday’s matchup with the same 2-2 record as Sacramento State, coming off a 35-17 loss at Stephen F. Austin. 

Quarterback Ty Diffenbach, a transfer from the Pittsburgh Panthers, has quickly become the centerpiece of the offense. 

In his first season with Cal Poly, he led the team in both passing and rushing, completing 67.4 percent of his throws for 579 yards and five touchdowns against just one interception, while also adding 89 yards and a rushing score on the ground. 

Sacramento State’s defense also drew recognition this week, as edge rusher Dylan Hampsten was honored as the Big Sky co-Defensive Player of the Week. 

Hampsten recorded five tackles in last weekend’s win over Central Arkansas, including three for a loss and 2.5 sacks, anchoring a dominant performance from the Hornet front.

Offensively, Sacramento State put up numbers, running 61 plays for a season-best 602 yards. The Hornets averaged 9.87 yards per snap, the fourth-highest mark in program history.


Hornets Last Week

Sacramento State turned in its most complete performance of the season last weekend, rolling past Central Arkansas 45-16 at Hornet Stadium. The Hornets piled up 602 yards of total offense and recorded eight sacks.

The win pushed No. 22 Sacramento State back to an even 2-2 record. The Hornets’ offense was nearly unstoppable, averaging 9.9 yards per snap in the win.

Damien Henderson II set a new career mark with 137 rushing yards, while quarterback Cardell Williams accounted for three scores, running for two touchdowns and throwing for 252 yards on 15-of-20 passing. Jordan Anderson paced the receiving corps with 98 yards.

Defensively, Sacramento State dominated the line of scrimmage, finishing with 13 tackles for loss and eight sacks.



Game Details

6 p.m., Sept. 27 in Sacramento

Watch: The game will be live on ESPN+ and on KMAX 31

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