2026 MAC Football Week 11 Game Preview: Sacramento State Hornets vs. Central Michigan Chippewas

Sacramento State (2-8, 1-6 MAC) will travel over the Rocky Mountains for their final game of conference play against Central Michigan (4-5, 2-3 MAC).

The Hornets are playing their best football of the season, notching their first MAC win against Kent State two weeks ago and nearly upsetting Toledo last week. The Chippewas, meanwhile, snapped a three-game skid with a dominant win over Eastern Michigan in Detroit, keeping their bowl aspirations alive.

Game notes

• Date and Time: Wednesday, November 11th, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time
• Location: Kelly/Shorts Stadium, Mount Pleasant, Michigan
• TV options: The game will be on ESPNU. A valid cable subscription is required for viewing.
• Streaming options: The game will be available for streaming on the ESPN App, ESPN Unlimited or applicable cable/satellite services. A valid subscription is required for viewing on any platform.
• Central Michigan radio: Adam Jaksa (play-by-play) and Brock Gutierrez (color) will provide the CMU call for WUPS-FM 98.5.
• Sac State radio: Jason Ross (play-by-play) and Steve McElroy (color) will provide the home call for ESPN 1320 Sacramento.
• Gambling Considerations: Central is a 18.5-point favorite; over/under is 43.5-44.5 by book, per Covers.
• All-time series: First-ever matchup

Sacramento State outlook

The Hornets are playing their best football of the season, but their depth is swiftly dwindling, as injuries have gutted several key positions. 

“Regardless of the score, regardless of what you see, regardless of who's out, which is a lot of people,” head coach Alonzo Carter said. “If you really step back and look, you'll be like, ‘wait a minute, who, who is that? When did he get in?’ If you go from the fall roster to now, we're playing a multitude of different players.”

No position is that more evident than the quarterback. The Hornets began the year with Carson Conklin at the helm, who was brought in with the idea that he’d be the unquestioned guy. Just one game into his season, he injured his hand, and was replaced by Idaho State transfer Jackson Sharman.

Just before halftime in Sac State’s loss to Toledo, Sharman was rocked on a sack, necessitating x-rays. He was relieved by sophomore Brian Salazar, who closed the game. Sharman is listed as the starter for this week’s matchup, but was limited in practice, so his status is somewhat undefined for Central Michigan. Regardless of who’s at the wheel, Sac State’s full complement of weapons are available. Senior wideout Matthew Coleman, who pulled in his sixth touchdown of the season against Toledo, and junior wideout Onterrio Smith Jr. will remain the Hornets’ two best options through the air.

The Rockets were able to completely snuff out the run game, which will be led by freshman running back Isaiah Ene. Ene exploded for a triple-digit yardage game against Kent State, but was held to just one yard last week. 

Defensively, the Hornets have undergone significant change, swapping their primary playcaller from defensive coordinator Adam Clark to linebackers coach Kenwick Thompson. The change has paid off immediately, with Sac State's defense holding both Kent State and Toledo to under 21 points.

Thompson has shifted the Hornets to a 3-4 defensive scheme, emphasizing speed, zone coverage and more aggressive blitz packages. The results have been striking, with Sac State forcing nine turnovers in the last two games after generating just two in the six games prior.

Despite struggling to contain Toledo’s rushing attack, the Hornets held the Rockets to their lowest passing total of the season. Senior defensive lineman Miles Bailey has thrived under Thompson, recording two sacks and recovering two fumbles over the last two weeks.

With injuries continuing to pile up, Sac State will need its revamped defense to maintain that momentum against Central Michigan.

Central Michigan outlook

Central Michigan has undergone a transformation of its own in recent weeks. The Chippewas snapped a three-game losing streak last week, dismantling Eastern Michigan 35-7 in their most complete performance of the season.

Much like Sac State, the biggest change has come at quarterback. Central began the year with Angel Flores under center, but has since handed the reins to Jadyn Glasser, who has given the offense a much-needed spark.

In his second start, Glasser completed 14 of his 19 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. His ability to push the ball downfield has opened up the Chippewas’ offense, which had previously leaned heavily on the ground game.

“I really cannot give enough credit to [offensive coordinator] Jim Chapin and how good of a job he has done adjusting what we are doing offensively to the personnel,” CMU head coach Matt Drinkall said.

That doesn’t mean the Chippewas have abandoned the run. Against Eastern Michigan, running back Nick Woodford turned in his best performance of the season, rushing for 123 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries.

The offensive line has been a major factor in Central’s recent success, helping the Chippewas convert all five of their fourth-down attempts against Eastern Michigan. Central also dominated time of possession, holding the ball for over 40 minutes.

On the other side of the ball, the Chippewas are coming off a similarly dominant showing. Eastern Michigan managed just 38 yards in the first half, and didn’t pick up its first first down until midway through the fourth quarter.

According to Drinkall, 125 of the Eagles’ 177 total yards came on their final two possessions, after Central had already pulled its starters.

However, the Chippewas are dealing with significant injury concerns of their own, particularly along the defensive line. Defensive ends James Reinbold and Korver Demma are both out for the season after undergoing surgery, while linebacker Victor Earl suffered a season-ending PCL tear.

The injuries have forced Central to rely on some unconventional replacements. JJ Douglas and Nathan VanTimmeren, both of whom played tight end last season, have taken on significant roles along the defensive front.

Despite the personnel changes, the Chippewas’ defense has continued to improve under defensive coordinator Sean Cronin, who Drinkall praised for his ability to disguise coverages and pressures against Eastern Michigan.

Drinkall is also uniquely familiar with Sac State’s defensive scheme, having coached linebackers in a nearly identical system earlier in his career. While the Hornets have changed playcallers, Drinkall noted that the underlying system remains largely the same.

Still, the rapid improvement of Sac State’s defense has caught his attention.

“It is like, concerning how big of improvements they have made here in such a short amount of time,” Drinkall said.

With both teams finding their footing late in the season, Wednesday’s matchup will pit two rapidly improving units against one another, each looking to build on its recent momentum.

Prediction

While I ultimately think the Chippewas prevail, Sac State's improvements lead me to believe that this is more of a toss-up than the 18.5-point line suggests. If Sharman can't start and Salazar takes the wheel, the Hornets will have a vastly different look on offense, and maybe one that catches Central off balance.

The swing player will be Woodford, who will take on a defense who, while improved, has struggled with defending the run.

Sac State 24, Central Michigan 28