Sacramento State’s Asher O’Hara with acrobatic touchdown run

Sacramento State’s Asher O’Hara with a stunning landing to a TD run

It’s one thing to flip over defenders, and something else to wind up on your feet in the end zone.

Asher O’Hara of Sacramento State had a pair of touchdown runs Saturday as the Hornets downed UC Davis.

By now, you have to know one of the scoring plays was spectacular.

It was an 8-yard run that finished with a flourish.

Check this out:

O’Hara was 7-of-8 passing for 67 yards and a TD in addition to his scoring runs in Sacramento State’s 27-21 victory that bumped the Hornets to 11-0 in 2022.

Colorado State vs Sacramento State Prediction, Game Preview

Colorado State vs Sacramento State game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 4 game on Saturday, September 24

Colorado State vs Sacramento State prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 4, Saturday, September 24


Colorado State vs Sacramento State How To Watch

Date: Saturday, September 24
Game Time: 4:00 ET
Venue: Canvas Stadium, Fort Collins, CO
How To Watch: Mountain West Network
Record: Colorado State (0-3), Sacramento State (2-0)
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Colorado State vs Sacramento State Game Preview

Why Sacramento State Will Win

It’s a dangerous Hornet team that’s been getting off to a hot start, going up 59-17 combined at halftime over the first two games.

There aren’t any mistakes – just one turnover so far and penalties aren’t an issue – and the offense can run, run, and run some more.

Cameron Skattebo is averaging 12.5 yards per pop, and former Middle Tennessee starting QB Asher O’Hara has been a solid option when he gets his chances.

On the flip side, Colorado State has the nation’s worst rushing attack, the offensive line is getting destroyed, and the third downs aren’t there.

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Why Colorado State Will Win

So is anything going right in this ugly 0-3 start?

Head coach Jay Norvell brought in the passing offense from Nevada, and it’s working a little bit.

The home loss to Middle Tennessee was galling – the Rams couldn’t stop screwing up – but losing at Michigan and Washington State was forgivable for the overmatched team.

The run D held up just fine against the Blue Raiders and it should be able to hang with the Hornets, but …

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What’s Going To Happen

Can Colorado State stop with all of the mistakes?

Eight turnovers in the last three games and 18 penalties in the last two – the team has to be much, much sharper.

It’s going to be a brawl – Sacramento State is good – but Colorado State’s passing game should finally start to click a bit, and the running game will hit 100 yards for the first time all year.

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Colorado State vs Sacramento State Prediction, Line

Colorado State 30, Sacramento State 27
Line: Sacramento State -4, o/u: 58
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5
Colorado State vs Sacramento State Must See Rating (out of 5):3

College coaches all over America this week are raising awareness and research dollars for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive genetic disorder that takes the lives of young men. Fans can donate to Coach To Cure MD online or by texting the word CURE to 501501 to give $25.

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Sacramento State vs. Colorado State: Game Preview, How to Watch, Odds, Predicition

The CSU Rams look to avoid going 0-4 for the first time since 2007 as they welcome FCS Sacramento State to Fort Collins.

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Sacramento State vs. Colorado State: Game Preview, How to Watch, Odds, Predicition


The Rams look to avoid opening 0-4 for the first time since 2007


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Can the Rams show any improvement?

WEEK 4: Sacramento State Hornets (2-0) vs. Colorado State Rams (0-3)

WHEN: Saturday, September 24th — 2:00 p.m. MST / 1:00 p.m. PST

WHERE: Canvas Stadium; Fort Collins, CO (36,500)

WEATHER: Clear Sky, high of 83 degrees

TV: Evoca TV/Local3 (Colorado only)

STREAMING: MW Network

RADIO: K99-FM 99.1 / ESPN 1600 AM

SERIES RECORD: This will be the second matchup all time between these two schools. CSU leads the series 1-0

LAST MEETING: Colorado State won 23-20 in 2008

WEBSITES: HornetSports.com, the official Sacramento State athletics website | CSURams.com, the official Colorado State athletics website

GAME NOTES (PDF): Sacramento State | Colorado State

ODDS: Sacramento State -3.5

OVER/UNDER: 57

SP+ PROJECTION: Sacramento State by 4.9

The Rams have gotten off to a bad start under new head coach Jay Norvell. Three blowout losses to Michigan, Middle Tennessee, and Washington State have led to some wondering if the right hire was made. Changing coaches, offensive styles, and players is never easy. Especially after the hole CSU was left in before Norvell

This week, the Rams welcome Sacramento State to Fort Collins. The Hornets run a split QB system and run a 4-2-5 defense. Jake Dunniway is more of a pocket passer, while Asher O’Hara is more of a dual threat. It doesn’t matter who is under center, Sacramento State can hurt you either way.

Troy Taylor is in his fourth season at Sacramento State. He has led the Hornets to consecutive nine win seasons (Sacramento State didn’t play in 2020) and two consecutive second round FCS playoff appearances. Sixth ranked Sacramento State is not a team to take lightly as much as fans like to look down on FCS schools.

Colorado State Football: First Look At The Sacramento State Hornets

Now to the keys to victory for the Rams.

Three Keys to a colorado state victory

1. Give the QB more time.

This is going to remain key number one until the Rams can prove they can protect their quarterback. Clay Millen has stood tall and taken 23 sacks so far this season. Some of that is on him and some of that is on the line. Millen did a better job against Wazzu of getting the ball out early and using his feet and he will need to keep progressing on both fronts this week.

The Rams offensive line has had three different starting groups in three games, which is no way to build cohesion. However they must come together to protect their QB. Jacob Gardner moved out to left tackle, Dirk Nelson and Owen Snively have stepped up a little bit at center and right tackle respectively, and it remains to be seen when Dontae Keys will return from injury.

2. Get the freshman going.

The Rams brought in a talented group of freshman receivers and now is there time to shine. Justus Ross-Simmons, Louis Brown, Mekhi Fox, and Ky Oday have brought some wow factor to the CSU receivers room. Ross-Simmons got the start against Washington State and showed flashes of potential as he grabbed his first touchdown reception.

Ross-Simmons will once again get the start this week and Louis Brown will be the first man up if CSU is going to go with a four wide receiver set. Look for both of them to make impact plays if given the chance. Ross-Simmons is a big receiver at 6’3″, 200lbs and Louis Brown is 6’1″, 175 so both are larger targets for Clay Millen to throw to.

3. Pay attention to who is the QB.

Jake Dunniway, Asher O’Hara. #12, #10. It doesn’t matter which quarterback is in the backfield they can both hurt you, just in different ways. Dunniway is the pocket passer out of the two, while Asher O’Hara is the dual threat. The Rams will need to pay attention to who is on the field and adjust their defense accordingly.

Most don’t think the dual QB system will work, a la Michigan, but Sacramento State has made it work for them. The rushing threat of O’Hara has opened up some throwing lanes as he’s thrown two touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes. Dunniway has running threats in Cameron Skattebo and Marcus Fulcher to help out, but he mainly looks downfield.

what will happen

Probably could reverse the final score here, but the Rams look ready to prove something this week. They’ve had a number of players leave and those who remain look to show improvement this week. Sacramento State is a good team who shouldn’t be taken lightly, but CSU is ready to show what they can do.

Final Score: Colorado State 31, Sacramento State 28

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Chargers WR DeAndre Carter raises eyebrows vs. Raiders

DeAndre Carter was the highlight of the Chargers’ wide receiver group against the Raiders.

There are a million reasons why DeAndre Carter shouldn’t be in a Chargers uniform right now.

Carter arrived at Washington High School in Fremont as a 115-pound freshman, but football practice wore on him. His coach sent him home, where a 14-year-old Carter started vomiting. His father took him to the hospital, where the staff measured his blood sugar at 740. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and shrunk to 72 pounds.

Yet, he rebounded, eventually being named third-team all-state in California in 2011.

A search for Carter’s recruiting profile out of Fremont, CA, yields only results for a 2024 offensive tackle recruit of the same name. He played four seasons at FCS Sacramento State, a program that hasn’t generated a draft pick since 1997. He went undrafted, further slimming his chances of sticking in the NFL. At only 5’8”, he’s the shortest player on the Chargers’ active roster, five inches shorter than the next wide receiver.

Anytime a player like Carter surfaces, you’re tempted to ask about their “why.” What kept them going all this time? Kept them working even as they took a full-time job at a middle school to make ends meet? Kept their head up after they were cut the first, second, or ninth time?

For Carter, that answer is easy: his brother, Kaylan.

When DeAndre was in college, Kaylan collapsed during weight training with his high school football team. Doctors found that Kaylan had an enlarged heart. Unfortunately, he never left the hospital, passing away at 17.

“I made him a promise that I would make it in the NFL for both of us. It was both of our dreams. I always took it upon myself that I was going to do everything that he wanted to do — that we wanted to do — and that he never got the opportunity to. Since he passed away, that’s been my drive and motivation, to get it every day — and when it wasn’t looking good in the NFL to keep pushing and keep working,” Carter told the Washington Post last year.

Make it he did, but not before quite the winding road. Carter started in Baltimore as a rookie free agent in 2015 but was among the first cuts after failing to win the returner job. Two and a half months on the Raiders practice squad. New England’s practice squad after that, where he was called “a more athletic version of [Julian] Edelman” during the preseason.

Then, Martin Luther King Middle School in Hayward, CA, where Carter worked as a substitute teacher while working to earn his next shot.

That shot came with the 49ers, where he spent another year on the practice squad. Then the Eagles, where a story on Carter’s background called him the team’s “second-best receiver through three preseason games.” Offensive coordinator Mike Groh said he was “glad that [Carter was] here.” He made the 53-man roster for the first time at 25 but was waived after two games. First, Houston claimed him, then Chicago claimed him.

Then, Washington, where he finally found a groove at 28 years old. Special teams coordinator Nate Kaczor called him “a fun player to be around.” Ron Rivera said, “we saw that during camp, and we should’ve known better” when Carter started making an impact as a receiver. Terry McLaurin lamented that he didn’t “think enough people gave [Carter] credit for how good he can be at receiver.” Carter scored his first career touchdown with Washington in a game where Carter wore cleats adorned with images of Scooby-Doo, Kaylan’s favorite cartoon.

But Washington didn’t re-sign Carter after the 2021 season. Instead, he returned to California, where he’s on a one-year deal with the Chargers this season. As a result, everyone assumed he was signed purely to be the new returner.

That is, until training camp.

Carter exploded this offseason, scoring touchdowns left and right in practice and earning the trust of all three QBs on the roster. Justin Herbert called him “friendly to the QBs.” Brandon Staley said it’s “not an accident, guys like throwing to [him].” The preseason convinced many that Carter would have a role on offense in some capacity, but most thought it’d be as a gadget player. End-arounds, reverses, jet sweeps, that sort of thing.

We probably should’ve known better.

When the dust settled on Week 1, Keenan Allen was the Chargers’ leading receiver. No surprise, although Allen did leave the game early with a hamstring injury. Second place wasn’t $60 million man Mike Williams, nor was it the warp-driven hype train of second-year receiver Joshua Palmer.

It was Carter.

After the game, Staley gave Carter one of five game balls, the only offensive player to receive one. Staley reminded the team that the 29-year-old has been “one of us from the get-go” before tossing him the ceremonious ball.

Allen may miss multiple weeks with the hamstring issue, telling the media on Sunday that there’s only a “small chance” he plays on Thursday against the Chiefs. That’ll open more opportunities for Carter, of course. But he’s earned them already, injury notwithstanding.

Maybe the Chargers’ comments on Carter are the latest entry in a bittersweet journal. But, perhaps, at the end of the season, the comments look more in line with what every other team has said. “We love you and your work ethic, but we need to go in a different direction.” Carter has heard it before. But after everything Carter has been through – rebuilding his body as a 72-pound 14-year-old, losing his brother, eight years in the NFL, nine teams, nine cuts, and a pit stop at a middle school – it looks like he’s found a home in Los Angeles.

5 things to know about new Jets passing game specialist Greg Knapp

Jets Wire takes a look at what Greg Knapp brings to Robert Saleh’s staff as the Jets’ passing game specialist.

While the Jets have yet to make it official, NFL Network’s Michael Silver reported Monday that Greg Knapp will be Robert Saleh’s passing game specialist.

Knapp has substantial experience working with quarterbacks, which should bode well for a team that has a level of uncertainty under center heading into the new league year. Whether it’s Sam Darnold or a rookie quarterback, Knapp will have his work cut out for him.

Now that Knapp is becoming a Jets coach, let’s get to know him a bit better.