# 2019 Sacramento State Hornets football team

The 2019 Sacramento State Hornets football team represented California State University, Sacramento as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Troy Taylor, the Hornets compiled an overall record of 9–4 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, sharing the Big Sky title with Weber State. Sacramento State received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs where, after a first-round bye, they lost to Austin Peay in the second round. The Hornets played home games at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California.

## Preseason
### Big Sky preseason poll

The Big Sky released their preseason media and coaches' polls on July 15, 2019. The Hornets were picked to finish in twelfth place by the media and in eleventh by the coaches.
Media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Eastern Washington | 536 (25) |
| 2 | UC Davis | 510 (13) |
| 3 | Weber State | 472 (4) |
| 4 | Montana State | 417 |
| 5 | Montana | 396 (1) |
| 6 | Northern Arizona | 302 |
| 7 | Idaho State | 285 |
| 8 | Idaho | 248 |
| 9 | Cal Poly | 196 |
| 10 | Portland State | 178 |
| 11 | Southern Utah | 160 |
| 12 | Sacramento State | 125 |
| 13 | Northern Colorado | 90 |
Coaches poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Eastern Washington | 140 (10) |
| 2 | UC Davis | 127 (2) |
| 3 | Weber State | 124 |
| 4 | Montana | 104 (1) |
| 5 | Montana State | 100 |
| 6 | Northern Arizona | 88 |
| 7 | Idaho State | 72 |
| 8 | Idaho | 65 |
| 9 | Cal Poly | 56 |
| 10 | Portland State | 42 |
| 11 | Sacramento State | 40 |
| 12 | Southern Utah | 38 |
| 13 | Northern Colorado | 19 |

### Preseason All–Big Sky team

The Hornets had one player selected to the preseason all-Big Sky team.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 6:00 p.m. | Southern Oregon* | | Hornet StadiumSacramento, CA | Pluto TV | W 77–19 | 8,843 |
| September 6 | 7:00 p.m. | at Arizona State* | | Sun Devil StadiumTempe, AZ | P12N | L 7–19 | 42,286 |
| September 14 | 6:00 p.m. | Northern Colorado* | | Hornet StadiumSacramento, CA | CW 31 | W 50–0 | 6,753 |
| September 21 | 7:00 p.m. | at Fresno State* | | Bulldog StadiumFresno, CA | Stadium Facebook | L 20–34 | 31,034 |
| October 5 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 22 Eastern Washington | | Hornet StadiumSacramento, CA | CW 31/Eleven | W 48–27 | 9,640 |
| October 12 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 6 Montana State | | Bobcat StadiumBozeman, MT | Pluto TV | W 34–21 | 19,437 |
| October 19 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 5 Montana | No. 15 | Hornet StadiumSacramento, CA | CW 31 | W 49–22 | 15,140 |
| October 26 | 5:05 p.m. | at Cal Poly | No. 7 | Alex G. Spanos StadiumSan Luis Obispo, CA | Pluto TV | W 38–14 | 7,032 |
| November 2 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 3 Weber State | No. 6 | Hornet StadiumSacramento, CA | CW 31 | L 17–36 | 11,253 |
| November 9 | 1:00 p.m. | at Northern Arizona | No. 8 | Walkup SkydomeFlagstaff, AZ | Pluto TV | W 38–34 | 4,257 |
| November 16 | 2:00 p.m. | at Idaho | No. 6 | Kibbie DomeMoscow, ID | Pluto TV | W 31–7 | 6,108 |
| November 23 | 2:00 p.m. | UC Davis | No. 4 | Hornet StadiumSacramento, CA (Causeway Classic) | CW 31 | W 27–17 | 19,882 |
| December 7 | 5:00 p.m. | No. 18 Austin Peay* | No. 3 | Hornet StadiumSacramento, CA (NCAA Division I Second Round) | ESPN3 | L 28–42 | 5,140 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Pacific time ||||||||
Despite Northern Colorado also being a member of the Big Sky Conference, the September 14 game against Sacramento State was considered a non-conference game.

## Game summaries
### Southern Oregon

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 10 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 19 |
| Hornets | 21 | 28 | 14 | 14 | 77 |

### At Arizona State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hornets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Sun Devils | 0 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 19 |

### Northern Colorado

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hornets | 7 | 15 | 21 | 7 | 50 |

### At Fresno State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hornets | 6 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 20 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 34 |

### Eastern Washington

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 22 Eagles | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 27 |
| Hornets | 21 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 48 |

### At Montana State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hornets | 7 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 34 |
| No. 6 Bobcats | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |

### Montana

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 5 Grizzlies | 7 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 22 |
| No. 15 Hornets | 18 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 49 |

### At Cal Poly

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 7 Hornets | 0 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 38 |
| Mustangs | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |

### Weber State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 3 Wildcats | 9 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 36 |
| No. 6 Hornets | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |

### At Northern Arizona

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 8 Hornets | 14 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 38 |
| Lumberjacks | 0 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 34 |

### At Idaho

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 6 Hornets | 7 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
| Vandals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |

### UC Davis

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| No. 4 Hornets | 3 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 27 |

## FCS Playoffs

The Hornets entered the postseason tournament as the number four seed, with a first-round bye.

### Austin Peay–Second Round

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 18 Governors | 21 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
| No. 3 Hornets | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 28 |

## Ranking movements

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Final |
| STATS FCS | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 15 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| Coaches | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 17 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 9 |