A season of promise has suddenly hit an oil slick, and the Sacramento State Hornets are reeling in a Big Sky Conference that they not long ago flourished and basked in.
On Saturday night at Hornet Stadium, unranked and previously hard-luck Eastern Washington upset FCS No. 18-ranked Sacramento State 35-28 in front of 14,916 fans on a cool, cloudy evening, crippling the program’s hopes of another championship season.
The backdrop at the football field includes massive green banners that display the program’s Big Sky title achievements in 2019, 2021 and 2022, representing Sacramento State’s most successful seasons since first playing the sport in 1954.
If the Hornets don’t rediscover their groove, starting with Weber State coming to town for homecoming next week, their chances of reaching the FCS playoffs for the fifth consecutive season will be dashed. The Hornets entered the weekend with high hopes and head into a new week as the only team without a Big Sky victory in the 12-team conference that annually ranks among the best in the FCS.