1. Working Extra Hard
The scoreboard operator might be one of the busiest people at Hornet Stadium on Friday night as two of the top scoring teams in the FCS meet in the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs. Incarnate Word enters the game as the top scoring team in the subdivision, averaging 51.9 points per game. The Hornets are fourth in the FCS at 41.3. UIW has scored 50 or points six times this season while Sacramento State has dropped half a century three times.
2. Friday Night Lights - Part II
Prior to this season, Sacramento State had not played on a Friday night since Oct. 29, 1976 when the team fell at San Francisco State, 10-9. The Hornets are now set for their second Friday night game in less than a month when they meet UIW. Sacramento State previously played on a Friday at Portland State on Nov. 12 and cruised to a 45-17 win on a cold and wet night in the Pacific Northwest.
3. Twos Company
This year's team became just the second in school history to record a postseason victory with its 38-31 win over Richmond last weekend. The only other team to find success in the postseason was the 1988 team which earned wins over UC Davis and NC Central in the first two rounds of the NCAA Div. II Playoffs. The current Hornets also became the first to earn a victory in the month of December in program history. Sacramento State teams were previously 0-5 in the month with losses to Montana State in the 1964 Camellia Bowl, Grambling in the 1968 Junior Rose Bowl, North Dakota State in the 1988 Div. II semifinal, Austin Peay in the 2019 NCAA FCS Playoffs and South Dakota State in the 2021 FCS Playoffs.
4. How To Follow The Action
As has been the case throughout the season, the game can be heard on ESPN 1320 and online with Jason Ross on the play-by-play, Steve McElroy providing the analysis and Danny Sullivan on the sideline. The pregame show begins at 7 p.m. The game will also be streamed on ESPN+ with Connor Onion (play-by-play) and former UCLA All-American tight end Charles Arbuckle (color).
5. Honorary Captain
Fresh off a Grey Cup championship, McLeod Bethel-Thompson will serve as Sacramento State's honorary captain this week. Bethel-Thompson played for the Hornets from 2008-10. From there he began a professional journey which had stints in the AFL and UFL before playing with the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. Bethel-Thompson moved to the CFL with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2016 and then shifted to the Toronto Argonauts in 2017. This past season, he threw for 4,731 yards and 23 touchdowns. The Argos won the East Division in the regular season and advanced to the Grey Cup where they upset defending champion Winnipeg, 24-23.
