September 5th, 2026, the Sacramento State Hornets hosted the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils in their home opener — and delivered a dominant 52–0 victory. It marks their first win of the season and the first win for head coach Alonzo Carter, who is in his debut season leading the Hornets and his first year as a college head coach. Carter brings plenty of head‑coaching experience from the junior college and high school levels, and it showed.
The Hornets put up 453 total yards — 250 passing and 203 rushing — showing a balanced attack throughout the game.
Quarterback Jackson Sharman played excellent, going 18/28 for 247 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception, and a lost fumble.
Running back Daniel Swinney led the team in rushing with 8 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown.
The standout player on offense was wide receiver Matt Coleman, who exploded for 6 receptions, 141 yards, and 3 touchdowns.
Shoutout to the offensive line, which allowed 0 sacks and only 1 TFL.
Despite the two turnovers, the Hornets’ offense played great.
The Hornets played great team defense all game long. They allowed:
There isn’t much more to say — it felt like the defense wasn’t even on the field that much because the offense and special teams controlled the game.
Boogsie Silvera led the Hornets in tackles for the second straight week.
Special teams set the tone early. The Hornets:
Despite missing a field goal, the Hornets’ special teams had a near‑perfect game.
Alonzo Carter and his staff did a great job preparing this team. Offense, defense, and special teams were nearly flawless.Sac State was penalized 4 times for 35 yards, compared to 11 penalties for 117 yards for the Delta Devils. That’s discipline — and coaching.
Carter’s gameplan was clear from the start: play fast, stay aggressive and control every phase of the game. For a first year FBS head coach, Coach Carter looked and dressed the part. His presence already feels like a stabilizing force for this program.
WR Matt Coleman had a day: 6–141–3. He consistently found separation, won his one‑on‑one matchups, and showed great awareness working the sideline. Coleman’s ability to make plays throughout the game was exactly what this offense needed. He’s a senior in his first season at Sacramento State after spending the last three years at San Jose State University, and he looked every bit like a veteran leader in this matchup. If he continues playing at this level, he could become one of the Hornets’ most reliable weapons all season.
The Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils have had a rough start to the season, and through two games they’ve given up 96 points while scoring just 10. The season is still very young, and they have plenty of time to turn things around. Penalties and the lack of a consistent passing game appear to be this team’s biggest weaknesses. Once they’re able to cut down on mistakes and extend drives, they should be more competitive. Good luck to them for the rest of the season. They have work to do, but there’s still time to steady the ship.
The Sacramento State Hornets played their first home game as a member of the MAC. Coming off a 28–17 loss to Eastern Michigan, the Hornets answered back with a 52–0 statement win over Mississippi Valley State and showed the FBS that they have arrived.
The biggest takeaway so far: this is a well‑coached team with a strong defense and an offense capable of putting up points. Each week is different, but this team can definitely play. If they keep building week by week, this team could surprise a lot of people.
If you love sports, download Stadium Rant from the Apple App Store and join one of the fastest-growing social sports communities. Be sure to follow us on socials too — you can find all our profiles on our Linktree.
