San Jose State-Sacramento State: What to know before Thursday’s season opener
Records: San Jose State (0-0, 0-0 Mountain West); Sacramento State (0-0, 0-0 Big Sky)
Kickoff: 7 p.m., CEFCU Stadium, San Jose
TV: TruTV/Max
Radio: KDOW (1220 AM)
Series history: San Jose State leads the series 1-0 with the lone game opening the 2013 season where it won a 24-0 shutout.
Storylines: Ken Niumatalolo will appear in his first game as head coach for San Jose State after being hired in January. … Sacramento State enters the season ranked No. 8 in FCS polling and looks to upset the Spartans. … San Jose State’s starting quarterback has been decided but will not be known until game time. The two prospective choices are Walker Eget and Emmett Brown. … The Spartans look to make their third bowl game in a row after finishing last season in the Hawaii Bowl (a 24-14 loss to Coastal Carolina). … Just 53 players return from last year’s roster making it the third-fewest in all of FBS. … The season opener is also the home opener for the Spartans; the 2023 home opener drew an attendance of more than 20,000.
Matchup to watch: Sacramento State left guard Jackson Slater vs. San Jose State defensive tackle Soane Toia. The cornerstone of the offensive line for the Hornets, Slater (6 ‘4, 316) was recently named an FCS preseason All-American for the second consecutive season. The Hornets line allowed just 16 sacks last season largely thanks to his presence. Toia, who was named second-team all-Mountain West last season, will need to build off his five-sack season. He’s the only returning starter on the defensive line and will need to help create havoc in the backfield.
Injuries: None reported.
Stats that matter: Sacramento State generated 297 first downs last season which tied for third in all of FCS despite having two fewer games than the other leaders. … No San Jose State quarterback on the roster has started a collegiate game. … Six receivers in this matchup have had seasons of 400+ receiving yards in showing potential for a shootout. … Sacramento State has scored at least 55 points in three of its last five season debuts. … San Jose State ranked fifth in the nation in turnover margin (+11) last season. … Just two players who scored an offensive touchdown last year return for the Spartans (Nick Nash and Malakhi Miller).