SATURDAY’S GAME
Who: Sacramento State (2-0) at Stanford (1-1).
When: 5 p.m.
Where: Stanford Stadium.
TV/radio: Pac-12 Bay Area; 1050.
Storyline: Stanford, which got steamrolled 56-10 at USC last Saturday, takes on the Hornets, who are ranked sixth in the FCS. It’s Troy Taylor’s first home game as Stanford’s head coach, and he’s facing the team he led for the previous four years. He’s quite familiar with many of the Hornets’ players. “I know those kids,” Taylor said. “I recruited the majority of ’em. They’re good players. They’re tough players. It’s going to be a very challenging and tough game for us.” This is the second meeting between the two schools; in the first, Andrew Luck threw for 316 yards and four touchdowns as the Cardinal rolled 52-17 in 2010.
WHEN SAC STATE HAS THE BALL
• In the previous two seasons, Taylor employed a two-QB system, with Jake Dunniway more of a traditional passer and Asher O’Hara more of a runner. Kaiden Bennett (139 rushing yards, 3 TDs and 397 passing yards, 3 TDs) has been something of a combination of Dunniway and O’Hara this season. Sac State left guard Jackson Slater said Bennett is “a great leader and a really dynamic player.”
• Marcus Fulcher, a 5-foot-9, 215-pound senior from Fresno, leads the Hornets with 150 rushing yards and is averaging 4.8 yards per carry.
• The Trojans gashed the Cardinal for 573 yards and 27 first downs. Stanford cornerback Collin Wright did rack up a game-high 10 tackles. The sophomore also had a pass breakup.
WHEN STANFORD HAS THE BALL
• Quarterback Ashton Daniels, who had to leave last Saturday’s game after getting injured on a sack early in the second quarter, has been cleared to play, but Taylor wouldn’t commit to naming Daniels or Syracuse transfer Justin Lamson the starter. “I feel a lot of confidence with both of ’em,” Taylor said. “I felt that way coming out of (preseason) camp.” Lamson went 8-for-18 for 121 yards and ran 16 times for 36 yards after he replaced Daniels.
• Kicker Joshua Karty remains money for the Cardinal. He has connected on all four of his field-goal tries (from 25, 25, 46 and 38 yards) this season. He hit on all 18 of his field-goal attempts last season.
• Andy Thompson, the Hornets’ defensive coordinator when Taylor was the head coach, has replaced Taylor. “Schematically, there are lots of challenges,” Taylor said, adding that Sac State “brings pressure from a lot of different areas. They just do a great job of disguising what they’re doing.”