By Larry Hicks | Special to The OBSERVER
Brennan Marion’s reputedly electric “Go-Go” offense was not on full display during the team’s first spring game under the new Sacramento State football coach’s leadership.
But the Hornets still provided plenty of fireworks, producing 10 touchdowns and more than 500 yards to delight a record 7,000-plus fans in attendance.
“I think the guys had a good time and it was good to see them do what they’ve been working on all winter and spring and put it all together today,” Marion, hired this past winter as the school’s first black head football coach, said after the game April 13. “I think our guys really know the mentality in which we want to play with, the tempo, the energy, the enthusiasm that we’re looking for from them.”
Quarterbacks Carson Conklin, Cardell Williams and Santino Chavez combined to complete 22 of 37 passes with four touchdowns and an interception. The completions were spread among 14 players with Onterrio Smith Jr. leading the way with four receptions for 42 yards.
Conklin, who threw a four-yard touchdown, was the starter for much of last season, setting school freshman records with 2,876 passing yards and 28 touchdowns.
Williams, a lean, 6-2 transfer from the University of Tulsa, displayed speed on scrambles and designed runs, gaining 99 yards and scoring twice on the ground. Chavez, from Santa Rosa Community College, completed all five of his pass attempts, totalling 40 yards and a four-yard touchdown.
And to think this was accomplished without Marion deploying the full offensive repertoire that earned him Mountain West Conference offensive coordinator of the year at his previous job at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. At UNLV, Marion’s offense in 2023 produced a school-record six games of 40-plus points, including four consecutively, and at least 24 points in 10 straight games and 12 overall – also school records.
At the Sunday scrimmage, Marion stuck with the fundamentals. “Today was just our base generic offense,” Marion said. “I always say that’s what you’re going to know when the game’s on the line. That’s what you’re going to depend on, and I was proud of how the guys operated it.”
On defense the Hornets were tough against the run – Williams’ scrambles aside – and recorded three sacks. The secondary battled, with an interception and a couple of pass breakups.
“The guys flew around and made big plays,” Marion said. “The first-team defense shut out the [first-team] offense in the beginning and really got after it, and I was proud of how they competed and how physical they were. We’ve got to continue to shore up some things in the back end, but I like the way that the front seven is playing right now.”
Also impressive to Marion was the fan support, 7,164 filling the stands and circling the track that rings the field. “Sacramento is a football town and we’re going to continue to make sure we have a great fan experience to bring fans here and give them a great product on the field to be proud of.”
Sacramento State starts its season Saturday, Aug. 30, at South Dakota State.