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STANFORD, Calif. (AP) Kaiden Bennett narrowly avoided a sack to throw a 49-yard touchdown pass with 1:32 to play and Sacramento State beat former coach Troy Taylor's Stanford team 30-23 on Saturday night for the Hornets' third win ever against a Pac-12 school.

“It’s awesome that we got this opportunity,” said first-year Hornets coach Andy Thompson, who was promoted from defensive coordinator after Taylor left to take the job at Stanford. "We got to come over here, I think we collected a little bit of money too and got a win. ... They should be very proud of how they played against a really good opponent.”

It took a big play late to get the win.

Bennett flung a short pass to Marcus Fulcher just before his knee touched the ground and Fulcher did the rest from there to score for the Hornets (3-0) and spoil his former coach's home debut at Stanford.

“He was doing what he was supposed to do on his part and he was where he needed to be on that play,” Bennett said. “I looked up and saw him. Good job by him. ... I knew once he broke that first tackle he was off. He has that juice.”

Taylor took over the Cardinal (1-2) after going 30-8 in four seasons and leading the Hornets to their first berth in the FCS quarterfinals in school history last season.

Many of his former players are still at Sacramento State, including Bennett, who threw for 279 yard, ran for 100 and had a TD pass and run.

“I have a lot of love and respect for Coach T,” Bennett said. “For what he’s been able to do for my career and stuff. Just for me as a person, I give him a lot of love and respect for that.”

Sacramento State won its school-record 22nd straight regular season game at Taylor's expense, sending Stanford to its second loss ever to an FCS-level school. The Cardinal lost to UC Davis in 2005.

“It’s very familiar faces and good coaches and really good players,” Taylor said of his former team. “Once the game starts, you’re just really competing.”

The Cardinal took a 23-20 lead early in the fourth quarter when Joshua Karty kicked his third field goal of the game on a score set up by Collin Wright's interception.

The Hornets answered with a 44-yarder from Zach Schreiner to tie the game with 4:13 to play. They then forced a punt to set up the winning score.

Stanford scored TDs on its first two possessions to take a 14-3 lead and appeared in position to take control after recovering a surprise onside kick. The Cardinal drove into the red zone before Daniels threw a deflected pass that Caleb Nelson intercepted in the end zone.

The Hornets then put together back-to-back long touchdown drives and took a 17-14 lead following Bennett's 1-yard keeper with 35 seconds left in the half.

THE TAKEAWAY

Sacramento State: Hornets have played at least one FBS opponent every year since 2002 but winning those games has been rare. They beat Colorado State last season and had wins over Pac-12 foes Oregon State in 2011 and Colorado in 2012.

Stanford: The Cardinal used two QBs with Ashton Daniels starting. He threw a 51-yard TD pass to Eric Ayomanor and had an interception before being replaced by Justin Lamson to start the third quarter. Lamson went 7 for 18 for 138 yards and also threw an interception. The Cardinal will need better QB play the rest of the way with seven of the final nine games against teams currently ranked in the AP poll.

“We obviously have a ton of improvement to make and we have a long year to do it,” Taylor said. “It's back to work and continue to chip away and continue to build.”

UP NEXT

Sacramento State: Visits Idaho on Saturday.

Stanford: Hosts Arizona on Saturday.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

Copyright 2023 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

Shortly after it was over, after Sacramento State secured perhaps the greatest victory in program history since the Hornets started blocking and tackling in 1954, the man of the hour suddenly had the hat of the night.

It was Kaiden Bennett, quarterback star for the gritty and inspired Hornets, who danced his way out of Stanford Stadium with a cowboy hat and a grin that stretched from Palo Alto to the state capitol. Bennett isn’t much of a cowboy, but he is all about style, fun, passion and results, and he had his fingerprints all over Sacramento State’s stirring and stunning 30-23 victory over the Cardinal in front of 23,848 fans.

The outcome sent the Hornets into a joyous frenzy, players and coaches jumping and hugging, the Sacramento State fans who made the three-hour, traffic-heavy trip cheering with the band, school administrators and alums. The Hornets’ third-ever victory over a Pac-12 opponent spoiled the home coaching debut for Troy Taylor, the former Hornets coach who faced old friends and a lot of players he recruited.

“Just having fun,” Bennett said of the straw lid, laughing in reflection.

With a helmet on, Bennett had a load of fun. He passed for 279 yards on 21-of-33 passing, including the game winner to Marcus Fulcher with 1:32 left after narrowly avoiding a sack. Bennett also rushed 13 times for 100 yards and a score as the Hornets extended their regular-season winning streak to 22.

Bennett overcame some passes he’d like to have back but kept with it, the sort of team resolve coach Andy Thompson continues to praise as he moved to 3-0 with the FCS-ranked No. 6 Hornets. Thompson was hired by Taylor before the 2019 season to run the defense, and together they became fast friends and immediate champions, winning three consecutive Big Sky Conference championships after the program suffered through years of mediocrity or misery.

Thompson’s defense had the final say with a late stop to stall Stanford. Bennett took a knee in the victory formation and led the joyous charge off the field.

Bennett scrambled and fired a pass to Fulcher, the powerfully built running back, who then raced down the Hornets sideline for a 49-yard go-ahead touchdown, right in front of the Sacramento State fan section.

“I knew once he broke that first tackle he had the juice to go,” Bennett said.

Said Thompson of Bennett: “He was very motivated to lead us. Gosh, he has a big heart.”

Sacramento State led 17-14 at the half and 20-17 after three quarters, none of the players accepting the fact that FCS teams aren’t supposed to hang with a Power 5 conference FBS program.

What’s more, the Hornets were paid a tidy sum for making the trip and taking on the challenge, a check for $630,000, the norm when a Pac-12 team takes on an FCS program it is supposed to beat. UC Davis, for example, was given a $635,000 check from Oregon State for its efforts earlier this season in Corvallis, where the Beavers won in a rout.

Said Taylor afterward: “Congratulations to Sacramento State and their staff and players. They made a lot of plays and made more than we did. And they won the game. ... Really talented players. Really good coaching staff. They did a great job. They were ready to play and they did some nice things schematically, and obviously the guys are really competitive. They did a great job.”

Stanford took a 14-3 lead after scoring on its first two possessions. The Cardinal recovered an onside kick and was driving to make it 21-3 when Caleb Nelson ended the threat with an interception in the end zone. Bennett’s 1-yard keeper with 35 seconds left in the half gave the Hornets a 17-14 lead.

Stanford led 23-20 early in the fourth quarter off Joshua Karty’s third field goal, though Zach Schreiner tied it on a 44-yard field goal with 4:13 remaining.

Thompson after the game rushed over to the stands to greet his wife, Mikal and their three young sons, Mac, Austin and Teague. His sons were at a recent Hornets practice, living the good life, until the father/coach told them to stop trying to scale the goal posts.

“Wasn’t that fun?” Thompson excitedly asked Hornets first-year president Luke Wood and athletic director Mark Orr, who, as a Cal alum, never tires of beating Stanford.

“I think a lot of people wondered how we’d do when we lost Troy to Stanford, if the sky was falling,” Orr said. “We’re fine. This reaffirms what we already knew. We have a great program with great student-athletes. I’m so happy for Andy Thompson, Kris (Richardson) and Bobby (Fresques).”

That trio remained at Sacramento State to maintain the momentum despite offers to join Taylor on The Farm, Richardson as assistant head coach and Fresques switching from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. They called a terrific game, players and Orr said, and the trio embraced after the game ended.

“That’s sports,” Thompson said, pausing while growing emotional. “It was beautiful.”

Added Orr: “It’s a great day for Sac State and a big day for Sacramento. And as an old Cal guy, yeah, it’s always nice to beat Stanford.”

Said Wood, the president: “With this coaching transition, we showed that we’re not going anywhere. We showed that we’re going to win another conference championship. We showed that Sacramento State is a world-class place for academics and athletics. We are the premier public school.”

Thompson reminded his team that this triumph loses a lot of luster if the Hornets lose their Big Sky opener at Idaho next week. Cal beat Idaho 31-17 on Saturday in Berkeley.

“We are humble,” Thompson said. “We know it’s hard to win football games. We earn everything. We want people to know that Sac State is the place to be in Northern California.”

This story was originally published September 16, 2023, 8:41 PM.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Soccer is a sport played around the world where different cultures come together on the pitch.

For the Sacramento Republic FC, culture is diverse and spread across the field. Eleven players represent six different Hispanic or Latino countries on the team.

"It's nice to get to know everyone's culture, to get to see what their culture is like what their country is like," said midfielder Rodrigo Lopez of Mexico.

Midfielder Arnold Lopez is from Venezuela. He also said, "El futbol se juega en todos lados en todas partes del mundo y creo que lo importante es conocer cada uno de nuestro lugares que vienen de cada pais y de aqui mismo de estados unidos. Lo importante es que nos sepamos comunicar y sepamos convivir."

That translates to:

"Soccer is played all around the world, and I think that the important thing is to get to know all the places they come from and even the ones from here in the United States. What's important is to know how to communicate and know how to live together."

Forward Sebastian Herrera of Colombia said he loves to share his culture with his teammates.

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Sacramento State beats Stanford team led by former head coach

He said, "Algunos han tenido la oportunidad de probar algunos platos colombianos como la arepa, la bandeja paisa y bueno tratar de transmitir esa buena persona, esa calidad humana que tenemos los colombianos."

That translates to:

"Some have had the opportunity to taste some Colombian dishes, like arepas, bandeja paisa, and well try to convey that good person — that warmth that we have as Colombians."

Most of the Hispanic players speak Spanish, English or Spanglish, but midfielder Luis Felipe is from Brazil, a Latin country, where they speak Portuguese.

Because of the regional differences between Hispanic and Latino cultures, Felipe said he worked on his Spanish so that most of the other players didn't have to learn Portuguese.

Spain and Argentina are also represented on the team.

But out of all the different Hispanic or Latino countries represented, Mexico is the most, with five including goalkeeper Carlos Saldana. Saldana loves to share his Mexican culture with his teammates.

"It's absolutely amazing. I think every culture and Hispanic culture brings something different," Saldana said. "We speak the same language, but at the end of the day, we bring something different. Different attitudes and different food, different music. We just keep growing ... and add your own spice to who you are."

Sac Republic celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month by hosting a Saturday event called "Noche Latina."

They played against El Paso Locomotive FC. Gameday activities ahead of the match included artists, dancers, creators, vendors and a mariachi band.

Wild Sisters Book Co. is relocating to East Sacramento this fall, the Tahoe Park bookstore announced in its newsletter.

The independent bookstore owned by sisters Noelle Baganz and Claire Bone has been around since June 2021 at 3960 60th St. in the Tallac Village Shopping Center.

“We have loved creating a community space and have found a passion for community events, kids activities and off-site events in addition to our day to day bookselling,” Bone wrote in an email to The Sacramento Bee.

Customers can expect the bookstore’s last day in Tahoe Park to be sometime in late October to early November, with the exact closing date still to be determined, Bone said.

The new 2,300-square foot location will be at 3325 Folsom Blvd. in East Sacramento, with hopes to open right before the holidays, Bone said. It’s a major size upgrade from their current bookstore, which is only 900 square feet.

The sister duo enjoys hosting community events at their bookstore. With more space planned in Tahoe Park, the bookstore has exciting projects lined up.

Recently, Wild Sisters has been partnering with local teachers to assist children through their reading journeys.

“We have found that no matter the school (private, public or otherwise), reading and writing skills were impacted for students at all levels,” Bone said.

The bookstore plans to partner with local teachers to provide students with reading enrichment programs. Younger students will have instructional support through their literary journeys; for the older students, the bookstore plans to form a student volunteer center.

“The new space will also have a small stage for in-store author events, poetry nights, music and more,” Bone said.

The Tahoe Park bookstore is currently open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

You’ll find a range of titles to pick from on topics covering history, cooking, fiction, non-fiction and romance, to name just a few. Books are available to purchase in stores and online through the Wild Sisters Book Co. website.

Organization to Honor Franchise’s 100-Year Anniversary Throughout the Season

Team Announces Fan Fest Presented by Dialpad Date, Season Theme Nights, Merchandise Specials and More

Mural Unveiling in Collaboration with Midtown Association, September 16

River Cats Games Celebrating 916 Night and Fan Appreciation, September 16 and 17

DOCO Block Party, September 17

Today, in celebration of 916 Day, the Sacramento Kings announced a variety of experiences for fans to look forward to during the 2023-24 season as the team celebrates 100 years of the franchise and ways to commemorate the 916 weekend.

“This season, we are proud to celebrate our centennial anniversary by reflecting on our rich history, iconic players and moments, and the enduring support of our unwavering fanbase,” said Sacramento Kings President of Business Operations John Rinehart. “We can’t wait to welcome fans back to Golden 1 Center for another thrilling season of Kings basketball.”

Sacramento Kings Celebrate 100-Year Franchise Anniversary: 100 Years of Royalty

As the franchise marks a century since its inception in 1923, the Kings are proud to honor the team’s illustrious past and the exciting path that lies ahead. From the Rochester Royals in 1923 to its current home in Sacramento, the team has left an indelible mark in each city it has called home: Rochester, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Omaha, and Sacramento. Each of these communities played an important role in shaping the franchise's identity.

The newly unveiled 100-year anniversary logo features a dynamic design that incorporates a tribute to each city, symbolized by five jewels gracefully set within the crown. Crafted in collaboration with distinguished graphic designer Todd Radom, this logo encapsulates the essence of the team’s storied journey and will be prominently displayed on team merchandise this season available exclusively at KingsTeamStore.com.

Fan Fest, Open Practice and City Edition Uniform and Court Unveil

On Saturday, October 21, the Kings will host their annual Fan Fest and Open Practice, presented by Dialpad, ahead of the 2023-24 NBA regular season at Golden 1 Center. This event, which tips-off the 100 Years of Royalty celebration, is for fans of all-ages and free to the public, with tickets required for admission. Complimentary tickets can be claimed now at Kings.com/FanFest. Season Ticket Members and Golden 1 Credit Union Members will have early access into the arena at 1 p.m. with doors opening for the general public at 1:30 p.m.

Fans in attendance will be given a first look at the new 2023-24 Nike NBA City Edition Uniform and City Edition Court that recognize the Kings centennial anniversary. Fan Fest will feature an array of engaging activities, interactive experiences and opportunities to connect with current players and fellow fans. The Kings Dancers fueled by ARCO will be on hand, playing games with fans and passing out prizes throughout the concourse and plaza. Fans will have the opportunity to interact with mascots Slamson and Dunkson, personalities Scott “Fresh” Freshour and Scott Moak and broadcasters Kayte Christensen and Kyle Draper and enjoy music courtesy of Kings DJs.

Fans will also have access to a Kids Zone with activities and games, discounts on select Kings apparel, samples of new menu items and 50% off fan favorite foods.

To cap off the exciting event, the full Kings roster and coaching staff will participate in an open practice featuring skills challenges and a rookie talent show.

Additionally, youth ages 6-14 are invited to participate in a Jr. Kings youth basketball clinic at Golden 1 Center, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., to coincide with Fan Fest. Spots are limited and will be available for purchase at Kings.com/JrKings.

2023-24 Season Select Themed Games and Entertainment Experiences

Last month, the Kings announced their full season schedule, which will showcase spectacular entertainment and immersive themed games starting with Opening Night presented by Kaiser Permanente (October 27).

The team will recognize the diversity of the Sacramento region and celebrate various heritage and culture nights throughout the season including Dia de los Muertos presented by Corona (October 29), Native American Heritage presented by Red Hawk Resort + Casino (November 29), Lunar New Year presented by Red Hawk Resort + Casino (February 9), Black History Month powered by SMUD (February 7), Holi (March 25) and Pride Night presented by CGI (March 16). The Kings will honor service members with Salute to Service presented by Crown Royal (November 13), the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. (January 5) and celebrate women during Women’s Empowerment Night powered by SMUD (March 26). To pay homage to Golden 1 Center as the most technologically advanced arena, the team will host Tech Night presented by Dialpad (April 11). Families will also enjoy bringing kids to two Sunday games with Family Day on (January 7) and Slamson’s Birthday (March 10).

The full list of themed games and experiences can be viewed at Kings.com/Promos.

Ways to Celebrate 916 Weekend

Light the Beam Mural in Midtown Unveiled – September 16

In collaboration with the Midtown Association, the Kings will unveil a “Light the Beam Mural” in Midtown. Located at the corner of L street and 30th street, the mural was designed by the Kings creative team and painted by local artist Jeremy Stanger.

River Cats Games and Merchandise Collaboration – September 16 and 17

On Saturday, the River Cats will celebrate the Sacramento community during 916 Night which will include the release of 916 and Sactown merchandise, a big reveal in-game and final postseason fireworks. In addition, the Kings Dancers will be assisting Cat Crew and Dinger during in-game festivities. On Sunday, the River Cats close out their season with a Fan Appreciation Day game. The River Cats will give away prizes every inning, players will be signing autographs before the game, and kids will have the opportunity to run the bases postgame. Tickets are available at RiverCats.com.

DOCO Block Party – September 17

Fans are also invited to partake in the 2023 DOCO Block Party on September 17 from 12 to 4 p.m. The free event, taking place in the open-air plaza, will feature interactive games, Sacramento Kings Team Store specials, community pop-ups, entertaining live music and DJ’s, art activities, a petting zoo, photo opportunities and more.

Opening Night Sweepstakes

Fans can enter the team’s Opening Night Sweepstakes presented by Red Hawk Resort + Casino for a chance to sit courtside as the Kings take on the Golden State Warriors on October 27. One lucky Kings fan will win four courtside seats, lounge access, four jerseys plus a VIP Sacramento Staycation.