George Ferguson Column: Doesn't matter what happens against the Griz Saturday night, Hornets are already the real deal

Last week, the Montana State Bobcats were the latest Big Sky Conference power to lose to the Sacramento State Hornets.

Now, it's the Montana Grizzlies' turn. And yet, there's one slight difference between Montana's challenge of stopping the surging Hornets, and the one the Cats faced last week in Bozeman - and that's the Griz have to do on what has already been billed as the biggest home game in Sacramento State history.

That's right. Saturday night, when the fifth-ranked Griz (2-0, 5-1) visit Hornet Stadium to play the now No. 15 Hornets (2-0, 4-2), the Griz will be walking into a Hornets nest - literally.

Now, let's all be honest here. We've seen Sacramento State crowds before. Attendance in SSU's time in the Big Sky Conference has been abysmal, even after they made Hornet Stadium so much more fan friendly then the old 30,000 seat dungeon it once was.

So, are the Griz really walking into a Hornet's nest?

The answer to that, despite Saturday night's attendance, is still an emphatic yes.

Why? Because Sacramento State is that good, and they don't need a big crowd Saturday night to beat the Griz.

No, all Sac. State needs to do is keep playing the way they have been in wins over Eastern Washington and the Bobcats, and even in losses to FBS Arizona State and Fresno State. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that. The Hornets haven't lost to an FCS opponent yet, and for good measure, they have the No. 1 scoring defense and the No. 2 scoring offense in all of the Big Sky too.

Yes, I'll say it again. Sac. State is good.

The Bobcats know it, and deep down, the Griz already know it, too. The Griz know it because they played virtually the same SSU team last year in Missoula in a game the Griz won in a shootout 41-34, only now the Hornets are a year older.

Now, the Hornets have sixth-year junior QB Kevin Thomson playing as good as any QB in the country. Now, Elijah Dotson is making people look silly when he has the ball, and a healthy George Obinna might be the best DL in the FCS.

Now, Sac. State also has the coach they always wanted in Troy Taylor, and, they also have Griz insiders on their coaching staff, too.

In other words, and in a lot of ways, Sac. State sounds a lot like Montana right now. Like Dalton Sneed is playing as good as any QB in the country, and like Jerry Louie-McGee and the rest of the Griz WRs make defenses look silly, and like Dante Olson is the best defensive player in the FCS.

I could go on, but you get the point and because Montana has risen back to Big Sky and FCS prominence, that's just one more reason why Saturday night's game is the biggest in Sacramento State history.

And with the the way the Griz are playing, there's no reason why they can't win Saturday night.

Of course, history might suggest that, too, simply because, this series has been one-sided, as in, the Griz are 20-1 against SUU since 1993, and a Bobby Hauck-led Griz team has never lost to SSU.

And yet, it doesn't really matter because Sac. State isn't the Sac. State of old. Not in 2019 anyway. Could the Hornets be a one-year wonder? Yes, that's entirely possible. But whether Sac. State has sustained success or not after this season, it's obvious that, right now, the Hornets are for real, and in many ways, they, not Eastern Washington, not Montana State, not UC Davis, but yes the Hornets, they along with the Grizzlies, and I'll throw in Weber State, too, they control the Big Sky Conference right now, and that fact is why, Saturday night is the biggest game in Sacramento State history.

The Griz meet the Hornets at 7 p.m. M.S.T. Saturday in Sacramento. The game will be televised statewide on all Cowles Media affiliates. Montana State, ranked No. 12 in the FCS, has a bye this week.