A BRIEF PREVIEW

• Sacramento State's first season in the Mid-American Conference will come to a close on Wednesday when the team plays at Central Michigan for the first time in program history. The contest will start at 4:30 p.m. PT from Mt. Pleasant, Mich., in the Hornets' second MACtion appearance of the seasons.
• This week's game will be broadcast on ESPNU. Shawn Kenney will serve as the play-by-play announcer with Ryan Cavanaugh as the analyst.
• Hornet fans can tune in to ESPN 1320 AM to hear the radio call of Jason Ross (play-by-play), Steve McElroy (analyst) and Danny Sullivan (sideline). Live audio streaming is also available via www.hornetsports.com and the Audacy app.

STORYLINES

• Sacramento State will start and end in its conference season in Michigan. The Hornets opened the year with a week zero matchup at Eastern Michigan and will play its eighth conference game at CMU. Michigan is the only state outside of California that the team will play multiple games in this season.
• Sacramento State dropped to 2-8 overall and 1-7 in conference play with a 20-17 setback to Toledo last Wednesday at Hornet Stadium. The Hornets came into the game as three-score underdogs but went toe-to-toe with one of the top teams in the conference.  That performance came after a 31-10 win over Kent State five days earlier.
• Raiden Brown finished with a career-high 108 receiving yards against the Rockets while the team saw Jackson Sharman lead the offense in the first half and Brian Salazar Jr. come on for the second half at quarterback.
• This week's game will be the third in 12 days for the Hornets, the tightest three-game stretch in program history.
• After losing four consecutive games, Central Michigan came off its bye to throttle rival Eastern Michigan, 35-7, in a game played at Ford Field. Nick Woodford rushed for 123 yards and three scores and Jadyn Glasser was an efficient 14-of-19 passing for 175 yards and a TD.
• The two teams have just two common opponents this season with both falling to Ohio and splitting games against EMU.
• The Chippewas are averaging 176.6 rushing yards per game and 129.0 passing. CMU has split quarterbacks this season with Angel Flores playing in seven games and Glasser in eight of the nine contests. Flores also leads the team with 88.3 yards per game.
• Matt Drinkall is in his second season as the CMU head coach. Drinkall most recently was an assistant at Army for six seasons, holding several different roles.
• While this is the first football meeting between the schools, the Hornets and Chippewas have met in volleyball, men's basketball, gymnastics, baseball and softball.

WHAT BROWN CAN DO FOR YOU

• It didn't matter who was at quarterback for Sacramento State against Toledo to keep Raiden Brown from having a career night. The wide receiver caught five passes for 108 yards with the help of two big plays.
• In the first quarter, Jackson Sharman targeted Brown down the left sideline. The ball was deflected by the defender but gathered by Brown who traveled another 29 yards before being brought down. That catch led to the team's first field goal.
• Late in the fourth quarter, Brown made a sliding catch between two defenders at the 3-yard line on a pass from Brian Salazar Jr. That play set up Jamar Curtis' 3-yard run to make it a 20-17 game.
• Brown became the second Hornet this season to break the century mark and the 60th in school history. His previous career high was 86 yards at Weber State while playing for Idaho State in 2024. His high as a Hornet had been 61 yards on a six receptions against UMass.

TOLEDO TIDBITS

• The 60 passing yards allowed against Toledo were the fewest by an FBS opponent in school history. The previous low was 101 this season against UMass. 
• The nine completions and 16 passing attempts by the Rockets were also the lowest by an FBS opponent against the Hornets in program history. 
• The 3.53 yards per pass attempt was well below the previous low by an FBS team against Sacramento State. That mark was 4.21 at UTEP in 2002.
• Toledo was able to rush for 230 yards but the teams's 290 total yards are the second fewest by an FBS team against Sacramento State — trailing only the 253 surrendered in the win at Colorado State in 2022.
• The Rockets entered the game ranked 16th in the FBS with a scoring average of 37.4 points per game. The team also 12th in passing offense (288.1 ypg) and 10th in total offense (475.6). 
• The Hornets also made history of their own as the team was limited to eight rushing yards on 31 attempts. The eight yards was the fewest gained against an FBS team falling below the total of 11 at Washington in 2015. The average of 0.26 yards per carry also set a new low beating the average of 0.42 at UW.
• Sacramento State's running backs rushed for 40 yards on 23 carries but had the total offset by a loss of 32 yards on five sacks.

TURNOVER TURNAROUND

• Through the first five games of the season, Sacramento State had not recorded an interception and had only recovered a pair of fumbles. The team's minus-9 turnover margin ranked last among FBS schools.
• In the five games since, the Hornets have picked off six passes and recovered three fumbles. Sacramento State is plus-4 in that stretch and has risen over 30 positions into a tie for 105th in the FBS this season.
• The streak started with an interception against Bowling Green — the first of the year for the team. The Hornets did not get a turnover against Ohio but responded with two interceptions at Ball State and then got five takeaways against Kent State. This past week, Sacramento State had an interception against Toledo.
• While the number of turnovers created has increased, the team has struggled to turn those takeaways into points. Sacramento State has scored 27 points on 11 turnovers (2.45 points per turnover) while the opposition has 66 points on 15 takeaways (4.4 points per).
• In the last two games, the six turnovers have led to only 10 total points with the team earning seven on a pick six from Donovan Turner against Kent State. The other three came on a field goal following the interception against Toledo. 
• The five turnovers created against Kent State were the most by the team since also forcing five against Incarnate Word on Sept. 9, 2017.The total is also the most against an FBS opponent in school history.
• Two players seem to be around nearly every turnover this season for Sacramento State. Safety Boogsie Silvera leads the team with four interceptions and has also recovered a fumble while whip Fata Puloka has forced three fumbles.
• A third player, Miles Bailey, recovered a pair of fumbles against Kent State to become the first Hornet to have two in a game since David Coleman in 2010.

USING ALL OPTIONS

• Sacramento State has used four quarterbacks through 10 games. Jackson Sharman has started the last nine games but had to leave the game at halftime due to injury and was replaced by Brian Salazar Jr.  The pair combined for 216 passing yards with Sharman going 8-for-15 in the first half for 113 yards and a touchdown and Salazar completing 12-of-18 passes for 103 yards. All of Salazar's numbers were career highs in him time at Sacramento State.
• The Hornets started the season with Carson Conklin as the team's quarterback. Conklin earned the start at Eastern Michigan and was 25-of-46 for 222 yards. However, he suffered a broken bone in his throwing arm in the game and has yet to return.
• This season marks the fourth consecutive year that the team has started two QBs during the first four weeks of the season. In 2023, Carson Camp started at Nicholls in the opener but was replaced by Kaiden Bennett at halftime. The following year, Bennett was the starter at San Jose State before giving way to Conklin. Last season, Jaden Rashada started the first two games but was replaced by Cardell Williams. Prior to those seasons, Sacramento State used a designed two quarterback system with Jake Dunniway and Asher O'Hara splitting time.
• Sharman, a transfer from Idaho State, had never thrown more than two touchdowns in a collegiate game prior to tossing four against Mississippi Valley State. His four TDs passes are tied with Dunniway (2019), Ricky Ray (1999) and Tyler Jesse (1996) for the school record for most in a starting debut. 
• Brian Salazar Jr. played the 2025 season at Citrus JC where he threw for 3,210 yards and 36 touchdowns and was named second team all-conference. He was the league MVP at Rio Hondo HS in 2024. He has appeared in four games this season in relief.
• Jaylen Patterson is a transfer from New Mexico State after a decorated prep career at San Jacinto HS. He made an immediate impact as a Hornet, scoring on a 43-yard rush on his first play from scrimmage.

GET DOWN AND BOOGSIE

• Along with his interception, Boogsie Silvera had seven tackles against Toledo and continues to lead the team with 78 tackles on the year.
• Silvera's average of 7.8 tackles per game ranks eighth in the MAC this season. In his first season with the team, Silvera has had at least three tackles in every game with the Hornets, including eight with seven or more.
• The fifth-year player's path to Sacramento State included stops at Charleston Southern, McNeese and USF. He now has 283 career tackles combined at all his stops.

DON'T GO FOR IT

• Sacramento State entered last week ranked first in the FBS for fourth down conversion defense. Toledo was successful on 1-of-2 tries to take the Hornets' success rate from 77.8 percent to 72.7 percent (8-of-11) this season.
• Tulane is the new FBS leader with the Green Wave successful 76.9 percent of the time (10-13). Tulane is followed by Ohio State (9-12), Miami (FL) (11-15) and Pittsburgh (11-15). Tennessee is tied with the Hornets for fifth place.
• Sacramento State did not give up a fourth down conversion until its seventh game of the season against Ohio. That same week Washington State and Tennessee also surrendered fourth-down tries leaving no perfect teams in the FBS.

PUTTING THE FOOT IN FOOTBALL

• Kicker Grant Meadors added to his career field goal and extra point total but remained ninth on the career lists for both categories. Meadors made a 38-yard field goal in the first quarter and has now made five consecutive attempts. However, Meadors missed the second half with an injury and was replaced by freshman Saul Marks who made his only PAT attempt.
• At Ball State, Meadors made a career-long 47-yarder. That kick shattered his previous best of 42 yards and was the longest by a Hornet since Zach Schreiner made a 48-yard field goal at Cal Poly on Nov. 16, 2024.

Career PATs PATs Need
7. Chris Diniz, 2009-10, 70
8. Tyson Becker, 1992-95, 68
9. Grant Meadors, 2025-pres., 67

Career Field Goals FGs Need
T6. Brad Cornish, 2012-15, 26
T6. Tyson Becker, 1992-95, 26
8. Chris Diniz, 2009-10, 25
9. Grant Meadors, 2025-pres., 24

• Hamish Adams had seven punts for an average of 41.4 yards against Toledo. The second-year player did not allow a return yard on those kicks and placed two inside the Rockets' 20-yard line.
• Adams is averaging 42.11 yards per punt this year which currently places him 10th in school single-season history.
• While Adams has been highly effective with his foot, it was his arm that created havoc against Bowling Green. Facing 4th-and-8 from their own 24-yard line, Adams took the snap, paused, and then lofted a pass to fullback Luke Slater for an 11-yard completion and a first down. On the next play, Jackson Sharman and Jace Wilson connected on a 55-yard touchdown.
• A native of Melbourne, Australia native, Adams is the third consecutive Ausie to serve as punter for the team, following Sam Clark (2019-21) and Cal McGough (2022-25). All three are products of ProKick Australia.

BLOCK PARTY

• This season, Sacramento State has three blocked punts which leads the FBS. Chakai Scott had one in the first two games of the year while Ivan Moore Jr. blocked one against UMass. 
• The three blocked punts tie the Hornets with Wisconsin for the national FBS lead. Nine teams have blocked two punts while 34 have one block. The remaining 92 teams in the FBS have not blocked a punt this year. 
• Prior to this season, Sacramento State had not blocked a punt since Andre Lindsey did it against Idaho State in 2016. That drought ended when Scott blocked one at Eastern Michigan to set up a field goal and get the team its first points of the season.
• Over the last 20 years, Scott is only the third Hornet to block two punts in a season joining Zach Schrader in 2010 and Chase Deadder in 2011. During that span, Christian Clark was credited with three blocks but all three of his came on PATs.
• Garrett Steele and Jon Bade were the last pair of Hornets to block a punt in the same season (2014).

FROM THE START

• For the first time this season, Sacramento State did not have a player make their 2026 starting debut when all 22 starters took the field against Toledo.
• The defense has started 23 players this year with Silvera the only Hornet defensive player to start each game.
•  The offense is just off the pace of the defense, starting 22 different players in 2026. Sacramento State has just three players who have started every game on offense this year comprised of wide receivers Matt Coleman and Onterrio Smith Jr. and offensive tackles Jeremiah Stallworth.
• For comparison, the Hornets used 24 different starters on offense and 27 on defense a year ago.
• This season, Sacramento State has used nine different starting combinations on offense and a different starting 12 in every game on defense.

PULLING AWAY

• Matt Coleman recorded his sixth touchdown reception of the season and now has twice as many touchdowns as the next closest player on the team.
• Sacramento State has had 10 players score a touchdown this year to continue a streak of double-digit TD scorers which dates back to 2017. Since moving to NCAA Div. I in 1993, there have only been three seasons where the team did not have at least 10 players find the end zone.
• The Hornets have had at least two players score five or more touchdowns in a season each year dating back until 2010. That includes last year where six players had at least five touchdowns with two scoring 10-plus. With just two games remaining, that streak could be in jeopardy as only Isaiah Ene (3), Jace Wilson (2) and Jamar Curtis (2) have multiple TDs.