Sacramento State throws open the doors on its first true home game as an FBS program, and Mississippi Valley State drew the short straw as the guinea pig.
Sacramento State is one week into life as a full-fledged FBS member of the Mid-American Conference, and after a competitive 28-17 loss at Eastern Michigan to open the year, the Hornets get to try it again at home. Mississippi Valley State, meanwhile, is coming off a lopsided 44-10 loss at Nicholls State in which the Delta Devils trailed 37-0 at the half before finally finding the end zone late — now they're on the other side of the country for round 2.
+Hung with an established FBS foe, lost by just 11
+Onterrio Smith Jr. already a go-to target (9 catches, 88 yards)
+First true home game with a hyped, sold-out-feel atmosphere
−Still adjusting to size/speed at the true FBS level
−Zero track record yet as a home FBS/MAC program
−Massive spread number leaves no room for a slow start
The scene at Hornet Stadium should be lively regardless of score. Saturday's game doubles as Union Workers Appreciation and Black Excellence Night, with a new north end zone grandstand and beer garden debuting and fireworks planned afterward. That kind of atmosphere, paired with a roster that already looked the part against an established FBS program a week ago, is a big part of why the number attached to this one has only grown since it first went up.
The matchup up front is the one to watch. Nicholls' defensive front lived in the Delta Devils' backfield from the opening snap, and there's little reason to think a first-year FBS roster with more speed and depth won't create similar problems. The real question isn't whether Sacramento State wins — it's whether the margin gets uncomfortable for the home side to cover, or whether Mississippi Valley State's fourth-quarter push a week ago says this team keeps playing when a game gets away from it.
Onterrio Smith, Jr. is the name to know on the Hornets' side after a 9-catch, 88-yard afternoon at Eastern Michigan on 14 targets — he was Sacramento State's clear top read in Week 1 and should see similar volume against a defense that already showed it can be had through the air. On the other sideline, Terrell Buckley is still building his program from the ground up, and nights like this one, in front of a hyped home crowd on the opposite coast from Itta Bena, tend to either expose a rebuild or reveal which pieces on the roster actually belong.
Whatever the final score says, this one is really about what Sacramento State's roster looks like now that the games count at the highest level of college football it's ever played — and whether Mississippi Valley State, fresh off a blowout of its own, can find any of that fourth-quarter fight a week earlier than expected.
