Getty Sacramento State has a tall order in Incarnate Word on Friday.
Sacramento State takes on Incarnate Word in the FCS playoffs on Friday, December 9, in Sacramento.
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The game (10:30 p.m. ET start time) won’t be on TV, but anyone in the US can watch UIW vs Sacramento State live on ESPN+ right here:
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UIW vs Sacramento State Preview
Sacramento State (12-0) takes on Incarnate Word (11-1) after narrowly beating Richmond last week.
The Hornets stayed unbeaten with a 38-31 over Richmond in the second round on December 3. Jake Dunniway threw for 317 yards and a touchdown for the Hornets, but he also threw three interceptions. Asher O’Hara stepped in with 5-8 passing with 83 yards and two touchdowns.
Cardinals defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke will have his defense ready for either quarterback on Friday. Dunniway and O’Hara have split time throughout the season.
“Coach Patke has done a really good job of separating two different offenses,” Cardinals head coach G.J. Kinne said via the San Antonio Express-News. “I feel like our guys have been locked in this week and tuned into that, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Sac State’s defense gave up 396 yards of total offense by the Spiders. The Hornets created a couple of turnovers, which helped offset the picks by Dunniway.
Incarnate Word will pose a different challenge for Sac State. The Cardinals have a high-octane offense, which hasn’t scored fewer than 41 points since September 17 against Prairie View A&M, a 31-14 win.
The Cardinals average 52.1 points and 584.9 yards per game. Kinnie’s offense helped him earn an FBS head coaching job with Texas State recently, but he will finish the playoffs with Incarnate Word first.
“That’s a special group down there, and that’s one of the reasons I wanted to finish, and finish the right way,” Kinne said of the Cardinals via the San Antonio Express-News. “And we’re not done yet.”
Despite the high-scoring flare, Furman kept things close with the Cardinals during the second round in a 41-38 defeat on December 3. The Cardinals scored late to win on a 32-yard touchdown pass by Lindsey Scott Jr. He has a monster stat line with 4,156 yards passing and 55 touchdowns versus six interceptions.
“Oh, man, he’s dynamic, just so electric,” Sac State head coach Troy Taylor said of Scott via the Sacramento Bee. “He can do it with his legs. He’s got great arm strength. He’s got great instinct. He’s got good skill guys to throw to.”
“There are good quarterbacks in the FCS everywhere,” Taylor added. “They just need an opportunity, and this guy’s a perfect example that he found the right fit and the right team.”
Taylor has been linked to Pac-12 Conference jobs such as California and Stanford, but for now, Taylor has his sights set on slowing down the unstoppable force of the FCS.