2026 MAC Football Week 4 Game Preview: UMass Minutemen at Sacramento State Hornets

UMass (3-0, 0-0 MAC) and Sacramento State (1-3, 0-1 MAC) arrive at this week’s matchup on different trajectories.

The Minutemen are rolling, and currently undefeated after upsetting Rutgers and dominating a pair of FCS opponents. The Hornets played Eastern Michigan close, dominated their FCS game, then proceeded to lose in multiple-score fashion to both Fresno State and North Dakota State. 

Now they meet for a suddenly-vital conference game for both sides. A loss for Sac State would put them at 0-2 in league play before the season even starts, while a loss for UMass could completely kill whatever momentum they've collected.

Let's get right into what to expect from both sides.

Game Notes

• Time and Date: Saturday, September 26th, 2026, at 9 p.m. Eastern time/6 p.m. Pacific time
• Location: Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California
• TV Options: The game will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+. A valid subscription is required for viewing.
• Sac State Radio: Jason Ross (play-by-play) and Steve McElroy (color) will provide the home call for ESPN 1320 Sacramento.
• UMass Radio:  Jay Burnham (play-by-play) and Matt Goldstein (color) will provide the UMass call for 101.5 WHMP-FM.
• Gambling considerations: UMass is a 4.5-point road favorite, with an over/under of 48.5, per Covers. 
• All-time series: This will be the first matchup between these two teams.

UMass outlook

The UMass Minutemen are 3-0 for the first time since their FCS days in 2007, a mark many did not consider possible when the 2026 campaign started. While Pop Watson III steals most of the headlines, a steady ground attack buoys the Minutemen attack.

UMass is averaging 182 yards per game rushing, with Elijah Faulkner and Curtis Kimmons IV receive the bulk of the workload. Faulkner has 41 carries for 195 yards on the season, while Kimmons has 20 carries for 128 yards.

UMass has not needed to pass the ball as much. Pop Watson is averaging 19 pass attempts per game. However, Watson has been accurate and efficient in the Minutemen’s first three games. Watson has completed 75 percent of his passes for 509 yards and five touchdowns.

Despite throwing his first interception last week against Stonehill, Watson should have no issues against the Sacramento State pass defense. Opponents are completing 67 percent of their passes against the Hornets, and have not thrown an interception in their first four games. Against FBS competition, Sacramento State is allowing 279 passing yards per game at a 72 percent completion rate. 

T.Y. Harding and Joe Griffin have already established themselves as one of the best receiver tandems in the MAC. Both are dangerous deep threats, with Harding averaging 17.7 yards on ten receptions and Griffin averaging 16.8 on eight receptions.

On defense, linebacker Timmy Hinspeter leads the Minutemen in tackles with 24. UMass may have a star in the making on the defensive line in William DePaepe, who won MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors with two sacks against Stonehill.

Despite this, UMass’ strongest defensive unit may be the secondary. Safety Zeraun Daniel makes an impact in the pass and run game. Daniel has one tackle for a loss and three pass breakups in three games. His running mate Jahmad Harmon is an All-American candidate with three interceptions already. At corner, TJ Magee and Isaiah Reed each have a pair of pass breakups.

The Minutemen have been exceptional on special teams. Punter Edward Phillipson is averaging 51 yards per punt on nine kicks, while Derek Morris already has two fifty-yard field goals. In the return game, T.Y. Harding returned a punt 82 yards for a score last week against Stonehill.

Sacramento State outlook

The Hornets roll into Saturday’s matchup with the Minutemen searching for their first win against an FBS program. After the blowout loss to Fresno State in the prior week, Sac State returned home to face North Dakota State. While the result was another loss, the Hornets showed considerably more life against the Bison than the 31-10 final score would suggest.

Sac State moved the ball into NDSU territory on five possessions, including three trips inside the seven-yard line, but came away with just 10 points. Two of those possessions ended with interceptions, another resulted in a field goal. 

The problem is that, once again, much of that life came after Sac State had already dug itself a massive hole. Slow starts have plagued the Hornets against their FBS opponents. Sac State has been outscored by 68 points in the first half of those games, repeatedly forcing them to play from behind before the offense can find any sort of rhythm.

While trying to will his team out of their deficit, junior quarterback Jackson Sharman played some of the best football he’s played this season, regardless of the somewhat ugly box score.

Despite taking seemingly hard hit after hard hit, Sharman heated up late, repeatedly getting the Hornets within striking distance.

“I feel the most confident I’ve felt this week,” Sharman said. “Every week, I’ve built chemistry with the wideouts and the offensive line. This week, we’ve been attacking practice really well, we’ve got a chip on our shoulder, I’m super excited.” 

His favorite target while doing so was once again the veteran wideout Matthew Coleman, who leads the MAC in receiving yards while pacing the conference in several other metrics. His versatility was on full display during his 95-yard day, pulling in catches out of the slot and along the boundary. 

The Hornets’ run game has remained a sticking point, doing most of its damage after the game was already out of hand. Freshman Isaiah Ene has emerged as the team’s best ball carrier, while senior Jamar Curtis has had an uncharacteristically slow start to his final season. 

Change-of-pace backs Daniel Swinney and Cincere Rhaney have slowly earned more reps, with the latter leading Sac State’s backs in rushing against North Dakota State. 

By far, Sac State’s strongest area has been their run defense, despite injuries to two of their strongest weapons. When linebacker Derek Houston and defensive lineman Xavier Williams are on the field, they’ve been incredible, but even without them, the Hornets have done well.

Seniors Malik Tullis and Alex Rocha, as well as redshirt freshman safety Amari Wallace have been integral to this strength. Wallace and Rocha are leading and tied for second in the MAC for tackles-for-loss, respectively. 

It’s the secondary that has been Sac State’s biggest issue thus far. Factoring out the win over Mississippi Valley State, the Hornets have allowed 279.3 yards in the air. While UMass’s Pop Watson has been elite thus far, he will be the weakest quarterback that unit will have faced so far after taking on Noah Kim, Jayden Mandal and Nathan Hayes. 

Special teams has been another strength under special teams coordinator Milo Austin, especially redshirt freshman punter Hamish Adams, who has notched 11 punts inside the 20. 

Predictions

Jack:

While UMass comes into this game with an undeniable momentum, Sac State has an opportunity to catch the Minutemen flat-footed. Since their win against Rutgers, they’ve prepared themselves for conference play by playing two mediocre FCS programs, while the Hornets have played two mid-major powers. The fact that UMass will be flying across the country should be a factor as well. Sac State is well-equipped to contain Pop Watson’s dynamic ability, and showed offensive fire against a significantly stronger defense in the Bison. 

UMass 24, Sacramento State 35 

Omar:

Despite the stark difference in competition, Sacramento State’s inability to defend the pass could make the UMass offense more open this week. This open attack, combined with an emerging pass rush should be enough for UMass to win comfortably, but not in blowout fashion. The Minutemen need to take control early with the run game and put its deep passing game on display to stretch the margin to achieve success here.

UMass 31, Sacramento State 17