Kent State vs. Sacramento St Recap: Late TD Pushes the Over Home

Sacramento State beat Kent State 31-10 on Friday night, scoring the last 25 points after trailing 10-6 at the half. Kent State turned it over 5 times, and the Hornets cashed in with three Grant Meadors field goals, two Isaiah Ene touchdown runs and a 38-yard interception return for a score by Donovan Turner. Two DARIMARKET plays cashed on this game.

What cashed

ALT: Over 39.5 total points (-265 FanDuel / -269 DraftKings): CASHED

• Our read: Sac State games had gone over 39.5 in each of its last 10, with a defense allowing 37.6 a game to FBS opponents, and Kent State games had cleared it in 7 of the last 10. The main total was 46.5, so the alt bought us 7 points of room.
• What happened: It was close. The game sat at 16 points at halftime and 34 after Turner's pick-six at 9:04 of the fourth. Ene's 5-yard touchdown run at 2:55 pushed it to 41, 1.5 points over. Sac State's 35-yard Ene run with a two-point conversion late in the third and the defensive score did most of the work, since the two offenses combined for only 580 yards.
• Worth watching: Turnovers can carry a total when offenses stall, but you cannot plan on 5 of them. The cushion from the alt line was the reason this cashed; the main number would not have.

Dru DeShields under 239.5 passing yards (-114 at FanDuel): CASHED

• Our read: DeShields had stayed under 239.5 in 6 of 8 games, averaging 180, and Sac State had allowed 240 or more net passing yards in only 2 of 8.
• What happened: He finished 16 of 33 passing for 190 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception, 49.5 yards under the line. That includes a 92-yard touchdown to Wayne Harris in the first quarter, so the rest of his day was quiet. He also lost 2 fumbles and ran 10 times for 43 yards. Nolan Good also threw 5 passes for Kent State.
• Worth watching: The under held even with one 92-yard play counted against it. His completion rate (16 of 33) and Sac State's pass defense numbers both point the same way, which makes this a matchup to check again.

How the game played out

Kent State struck first on the long DeShields-to-Harris strike and led 10-6 at the half after a Tommy Newcomb field goal on the final play of the second quarter. Sac State took over from there. Ene finished with 19 carries for 107 yards, and the Hornets held the ball for 34:47 despite only 278 yards of offense. Their defense did the rest, forcing 5 turnovers while giving the ball away once.

Trends to watch

• Sac State leaned on the run: 161 rushing yards on 42 carries, with Ene getting the bulk of the work.
• Kent State's passing game outside the Harris catch was thin. Harris had 122 of the team's 209 passing yards.
• Totals in Sac State games keep landing over 39.5, but this one needed a defensive score and a late touchdown.

Stats are from the ESPN box score. Learn more about alt lines and totals, or check the full board at /cfb.