Central Michigan steamrolls Sacramento State in 28-7 victory

Mt. Pleasant, Michigan has a reputation in the Mid-American Conference for being a cold, foreboding place once the autumn hits.

That reputation is something Central Michigan's second-year head coach Matt Drinkall leaned into during his introductory press conference, comparing the town to Winterfell, the capital of the northern kingdom in Game of Thrones.

When asked about the opportunity to host a nationally-televised weeknight MACtion game against an eager opponent such as Sacramento State during his weekly press availability, Drinkall joked his bosses would be mad at him for what he was about to say next.

"I hope nobody's here. I hope it's just us," Drinkall said with a wink. "I want it to be cold, and lonely, and dark, and [to] come on out and see who actually really, really, really loves football. I like our odds, our scenarios because I know our guys and I know who they are and what they're about."

The Chippewas proved Drinkall right, giving the cold shoulder to the visiting Sac State Hornets in a blowout 28-7 victory at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Wednesday night.

Central, coming off a decimation of rival Eastern Michigan last week, continued their run of good form on offense against Sac State, possessing the ball for nearly 40 minutes, converting on 11-of-18 third downs and 3-of-4 on fourth downs while running for 319 yards and four touchdowns as a unit.

The game started off with a bang, as Jayden Clerveaux shot through the middle of the Hornets defense on third-and-three for a 27-yard touchdown to put the hosting Chips up 7-0 on the first possession.

Sac State would find a similarly explosive score after a missed field goal attempt by Caden VanHuis gifted the Hornets the ball in favorable territory, and cash in on a 37-yard Isaiah Ene rushing touchdown to tie the game back up at 7-7 with 4:01 remaining in the first half.

The crucial drives would come at the end of the second quarter and the start of the third. The Chippewas were able to grind down the first-half clock on an 11-play, 71-yard scoring drive thanks in part to two Sac State defensive penalties, with Vaughn Blue crossing the goal line with 19 seconds remaining to give CMU the 14-7 lead going into the halftime break.

CMU's defense forced a quick punt on Sac State's first offensive possession of the third quarter, and the offense responded with one of the longest drives by yardage in program history, marching down the field on a 12-play, 97-yard drive capped by an angry Brock Townsend run from 40 yards out to put CMU up 21-7 mid-third quarter.

Townsend would score one more time late in the fourth quarter after a turnover-on-downs put the ball at the Sac State 10-yard line, putting the game at its final 28-7 tally.

Townsend, who scored two touchdowns on the night, wasn't even Central's leading rusher, finishing with five carries for 58 yards. That honor would go to Nick Woodford for the second-straight game, as the hot hand toted the rock for 119 yards on 23 carries. Jayden Clerveaux also crossed the century mark on 19 carries, socring once.

The effort was CMU's third game with 300+ yards rushing in 2026, and their first since playing Akron in October, when rushing for 332 yards. CMU also exceeded the mark against Wyoming in September, with 339 yards.

Central QB Jadyn Glasser finished with 105 yards on 11-of-19 passing, with Vaughn Blue (19 yards) leading in receptions (four), while Nasir Williams (three catches) led in yards (57).

Cornerback Jaion Jackson led the defensive effort with four tackles, including a tackle-for-loss and a sack on the evening in what was a very short night of work for CMU. Fellow defensive back Justin Taylor also came down with a tip-drill interception in the CMU redzone to kill a promising Sac State drive in the first quarter.

After finding some decent success in the first half, especially on the ground, Sac State was put in a box in the second half, punting on four drives and going four-and-out on their only other full possession.

True freshman halfback Isaiah Ene was a bright spot, with the first-half touchdown to go along with 67 yards on the ground and 14 yards receiving. Onterrio Smith Jr. led Sac State in receiving with four catches for 47 yards in an otherwise tough outing for the passcatchers; Matthew Coleman, the team's leading receiver and one of the top names in the MAC, had multiple key drops and finished with one catch for seven yards.

Brian Salazar Jr. was pressed into service at quarterback after Jackson Sharman suffered an injury related to the Toledo game kept him out this week. Salazar went 13-of-28 for 103 yards and a pick on the night in his first-ever start.

The Sac State defense persevered despite the lack of offensive support, notching a turnover-on-downs, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery to try and keep the team in the contest.

Leki Holani continued his potential all-MAC campaign with 14 tackles, a half-TFL and a QB hurry from the linebacker spot, while Boogise Silvera had 11 tackles, a forced fumble and a pass break-up. Miles Turner had a fumble recovery to aid the effort as well. Adam Taylor led the team with 1.5 TFLs, with Jamel Howard Jr. getting the lone sack on the evening.

Central (5-5, 3-3 MAC) will be on the road for their last two games, aiming to clinch a bowl game bid. They next play Buffalo on Wednesday night.

Sacramento State (2-9, 1-7 MAC) finishes their conference slate, and now get 17 days to rest before facing the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors for the last game of their inaugural FBS slate.