Austin Peay at Sacramento State
Austin Peay was playing Jeopardy with Furman in the First Round, except the Governors kept changing the questions, manhandling the Paladins. If the Austin Peay defense continues to play at this level, a deep run is possible, which would be awesome for their first ever playoff appearance. Unfortunately, that rushing defense will only go so far this next round, as they travel to a pass happy team in California. The Governors balanced attack was in full effect against Furman and they have to be just as balanced this week to pull the upset. That means the Craig to Williams/Wilson connections need to be on point.
Guess who else is making their first trip to the playoffs? That’s right, Sacramento State. This offense relies heavily on quarterback Kevin Thompson. He has been dinged up in recent weeks, but if this extra week of rest has him back to full strength, the Hornets are going to be a very tough out for anyone they play. He and running back Elijah Dotson are the stars of this offense. But the biggest star may actually be defensive lineman, George Obinna. Obinna is an offense wrecker tallying 13.5 sacks this season. Linebacker Marcus Hawkins cleans up many of the open spots, leading the team in tackles.
Here’s another travel issue game. Austin Peay has lived in the Central and Eastern Time Zone all year. Even though a few of their games have been later in the day, being a couple thousand miles from home playing this late at night will be an adjustment. Not to mention, a very good team on the other side of the field.
Prediction: Sacramento State 27, Austin Peay 21
