In 2018, Sacramento State was picked to finish fifth by the coaches and seventh by the media in the 13-team Big Sky Conference football league.

But the Hornets finished dead last in the conference at 0-7 (2-8 overall), and head coach Jody Sears was fired after five seasons and a 20-35 record.

Enter Troy Taylor, the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Eastern Washington in 2016. From 2012-15, he was co-head coach at Folsom (Calif.) High, which played Coeur d’Alene to open the 2016 and ’17 seasons.

This year, Sac State is 7-3, 5-1 in the Big Sky, and battling for an FCS playoff spot heading into today’s game at Idaho (4-6, 2-4).

“They weren’t as far away as you might think,” Idaho coach Paul Petrino said. “Two years ago their coach was Coach of the Year, last year they had some injuries.”

In 2017, the Hornets were 7-4, 6-2 in the conference.

This year, Sac State is ranked sixth in both polls and sits in second in the Big Sky standings.

Junior Elijah Dotson, who led the Big Sky in rushing last season, has run for 560 yards and five TDs this season.

Wide receiver Pierre Williams has 50 catches for 869 yards and seven touchdowns.

Last week, sophomore quarterback Jake Dunniway earned his first career start with the Hornets in place of injured junior and UNLV transfer Kevin Thomson. Dunniway passed for 384 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-34 come-from-behind win at Northern Arizona. Thomson has thrown for 2,423 yards and 24 touchdowns, with six interceptions. Dunniway has passed for 582 yards and five TDs, with three interceptions.

Sac State is averaging 468.9 yards per game on offense, including 303.9 through the air.

“It’s going to be a real challenge,” Petrino said. “One of the biggest things in stopping their offense is making them stand over there on the sidelines.”

Sac State could also be called “Sack State,” as the Hornets lead the FCS with 38 sacks.

A win by Sacramento State would give the Hornets their most victories in the Division I era (8) and would also tie the most Big Sky Conference victories by the Hornets (6) since joining the league in 1996.

Idaho is 4-1 at home this season, its only loss a 41-35 setback to conference leader Weber State (8-2, 6-0).