2010 Season Recap Part 1 of 4
Just like last year I will be recapping the season with a 4 part series detailing the 2010 Hornet football season and breaking down each area of the team. I actually had a few people read this thing last year so I figured I would do it again to keep us Hornet fans entertained and informed about our current standing. Keep in mind I have only online sources to go off of as well as my drunken recollection of games I was able to see/listen to so there may be some things I overlook. Please don’t hesitate to point any errors and/or mistakes out.
The Hornets entered the season with an expectation to see some positive results. The Hornets had a 2009 season with mixed results and fans couldn’t help but wonder how 2010 would shape up. There was no doubt that one of the expectations was to finish with a winning record, which the Hornets met. It was another roller coaster season but the Hornets were able to overcome some setbacks with health and still be successful on the field. For the most part the coaches did a tremendous part preparing the athletes and using their depth to overcome health issues. Also the athletes did a tremendous job as well. Sure there were mistakes made, but this Hornet team showed their resilience and determination to compete at their highest level of play. There were plenty of times where this team could have given up and packed it in for the day, but this Hornet team battled regardless of the situation and gave all Hornet fans and alums something to be proud of.
Weekly Review
Week 1 had the Hornets traveling to Palo Alto to collect a paycheck. Stanford was expected to have a great season and they lived up to those expectations. They have completely obliterated opponents this season. The Hornets were entering the game with their leading WR’s Reed and Hendershott banged up and both of them eventually ended up missing the season with medical redshirts. The Hornets battled against a bigger, physical and more talented team. The Hornets put up a fight but this game cost the Hornets some players. MBT went down in the first half with a serious ankle injury and Avery White went down with a dislocated knee. DB Monson returned a punt for a TD but the Cardinal had no problem in this one. 52-17 was the final but the Hornets showed a lot of heart and gave us a preview of the tenacity they would display all season long.
Week 2 was the home opener in which D-2 Western Oregon came to town. Western Oregon had some size and was no push over. The Hornets did not run away with this one but they did control the game. It was clear from this game that the Hornets were going to depend heavily on the run game and the defense was going to be depended upon in tight situations. The Hornets went on to win 31-17 and get some confidence and early momentum for the season. WOU went on to post a 7-4 record.
Week 3 had 21st ranked Weber State come to town to kick off conference play. WSU was entering the game having beaten the Hornets handily in the past few seasons and they came in with a lot of confidence in their passing game. The Hornet defense had a huge game and contained the potent WSU offense and held stud QB Cameron Higgins to only 17 points. The Hornet offense relied heavily on the power running game of Hilliard and the offensive line and the Hornets were able to win in a close one 24-17. The Hornets showed a lot in this game. They were able to overcome some blown calls and never gave up. The Hornets proved to be a very resilient bunch and this is where they really displayed that characteristic. This game really set the tone for the season.
Week 4 sent the Hornets to Missoula to face 14th ranked Montana. UM was under a new head coach and a new offensive system. The Hornets have never beaten UM and they came very close this season. Had it not been for a very favorable call that should have resulted in a safety in Sac State’s favor, the Hornets probably pull the upset as that would have changed the complexion of this game. Regardless, the Hornets had a lot of mistakes that stalled drives. The passing game struggled to get going and that allowed UM to focus on stopping the run. The Hornets still had one last chance to drive for at least a game tying field goal in the final minutes of play but fell short. The Hornets lost this game 28-25. The Hornets were able to prove that they can compete with the best in a hostile environment.
Week 5 had a very talented and deep 10th ranked Montana State team come to Hornet Stadium. The game was moved to the early afternoon and it was an unseasonably warm day. MSU jumped all over the Hornets in the first half and took a 37-10 lead into halftime but the Hornets came roaring back to take a late lead in a very wild game. Unfortunately MSU was able to force the game into overtime and MSU prevailed on a missed field goal. It was a wild one in which the Hornet offense came alive, unfortunately the Hornets were not able to come out of it with a favorable outcome and lost 64-61.
Week 6 was Homecoming and I had the great pleasure of attending this one in person. Northern Colorado came to town and the Hornets dominated from start to finish. The defense had a great outing as they controlled the UNC offense and gave up very little. The score was only 14-7 at halftime but the Hornets made some plays on offense, defense, and special teams in the second half and closed out the rout with a 42-7 win. It was a very enjoyable game and it showed how well the Hornets can play when they are all on the same page and can execute the game plan to perfection.
Week 7 was the bye week for the Hornets.
Week 8 took the Hornets to Cheney for a matchup with the 8th ranked Eastern Washington to play a game on their new red turf. The Hornets had a sloppy game and fell into an early 21-0 hole. Mistakes and poor play calling didn’t help matters; however in the second half the Hornets got it together and were able to take a late 24-21 lead. Unfortunately, the defense couldn’t make a stop when they needed to and they dropped this game in the final minute. The Hornets battled and were able to have a chance at the win but they were just unable to finish. EWU won 28-24 and eliminated the Hornets from playoff contention.
Week 9 involved the Hornets traveling to Flagstaff to take on the 25th ranked Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. The Hornets jumped all over NAU from the start and converted some early turnovers into touchdowns. Fleming had a huge day and the offense moved the ball at will. The defense also had a big day as they completely shut down the shifty NAU offense. The Hornets rolled to a 40-10 victory.
Week 10 was the final home game for the Hornets as Portland State came to Hornet Stadium. The interesting matchup with this game was going to see how the defense was going to matchup against the Vikings Pistol offense. The defense gave up a lot of yardage but they kept PSU out of the endzone. The offense was moving the ball well but it was a close game until Fleming hit Deadder for a long touchdown pass to put the game away. The Hornets went on to win 28-15.
Week 11 sent the Hornets to Pocatello to face a demoralized Idaho State team. No team in the Big Sky can be overlooked and the Hornets knew this well from their last trip to Pocatello. Fortunately Sperbeck had this team ready and they had no problem putting up points on ISU. The defense completely shut down the anemic Bengal offense and the Hornets rolled to a 45-17 win.
Week 12 was the season finale and the Causeway Classic on the road. The weather was awful and definitely factored into the game. The Hornets jumped out to an early lead and looked to be on track to run away with it when they fumbled away all their momentum and lost sight of the task at hand. The Hornets continually shot themselves in the foot with mistakes and it all culminated in a botched punt return late in the game that cost the Hornets the win. The Hornets lost this one 17-16 and beat themselves in a hard fought game.
Although the Hornets were only a D-2 win better than last season in the win column, the product on the field was much improved in every aspect of the game. The Hornets 4 FCS losses were by a combined 11 points and the Hornets had a chance to win every single game. The Hornets finished with a 6-5 record and tied a program high of a 5-3 BSC record and appear to be on the doorstep of the top tier of BSC programs. The Hornets had a successful season and clearly made a statement that this program is on the rise. The defense saw the most improvement as they did a tremendous job defending the run and had some improvements defending the pass. Offense had to get over some early injuries but considering that the starting QB was lost for most of the season in week 1, the results are quite impressive when looking at the circumstances. The expectations will no doubt be very high for 2011. With a lot of starters returning on both sides of the ball, this Hornet program should not only challenge for a Big Sky Championship, but they should also be able to earn a spot in the FCS playoffs.
Final Big Sky Conference Standings (playoff results not included)
Schedule
As the playoff selection committee sternly indicated this year, an at-large playoff berth will not be given to any team with less than seven (7) D-1 wins. For this program to take it to the next level Wanless and Sperbeck (or whoever is in charge of scheduling) needs to compile a full D-1 schedule. This is important, in fact the playoffs will hinge on this. With 8 games of an 11 game schedule taken up by BSC games, and another game taken up by the Causeway Classic, that leaves 2 open dates to fill. One of these games will undoubtedly be used in a money game against a Pac-12 opponent. I have no problem with this as it keeps the program out of the red. What I do have a problem with is if the second game is used on a D-2 team. Sperbeck has built this program to where that D-2 game should no longer be scheduled. I understand that a weaker opponent is best to schedule after the physicality involved with a payday game but there are D-1 schools out there that can fill this role. USDiego is one as are any of the Dakotas in the soon to be defunct Great West Conference. Obviously these schools will probably ask to be paid to come to Hornet Stadium or ask for a home and home contract, but that needs to be seriously looked at if this program and administration is serious about getting to the playoffs.
2011 Outlook
Even with the successful 2010 season, there is still plenty of room for improvement on all aspects of game play. The offense returns almost all of their weapons and the defense will return a lot of experience as well. I will go further into this in the following parts of my recap series but one thing we can all agree on is that the future of Hornet football looks bright.
My recaps are up for discussion so feel free to add anything I may have missed or anything you may disagree with. These recaps are strictly based on my observations over the course of the season, stats obtained from various online resources and finally but most importantly my opinions.
GO HORNETS!!!
Next: Part 2 of 4 - Special Teams
Just like last year I will be recapping the season with a 4 part series detailing the 2010 Hornet football season and breaking down each area of the team. I actually had a few people read this thing last year so I figured I would do it again to keep us Hornet fans entertained and informed about our current standing. Keep in mind I have only online sources to go off of as well as my drunken recollection of games I was able to see/listen to so there may be some things I overlook. Please don’t hesitate to point any errors and/or mistakes out.
The Hornets entered the season with an expectation to see some positive results. The Hornets had a 2009 season with mixed results and fans couldn’t help but wonder how 2010 would shape up. There was no doubt that one of the expectations was to finish with a winning record, which the Hornets met. It was another roller coaster season but the Hornets were able to overcome some setbacks with health and still be successful on the field. For the most part the coaches did a tremendous part preparing the athletes and using their depth to overcome health issues. Also the athletes did a tremendous job as well. Sure there were mistakes made, but this Hornet team showed their resilience and determination to compete at their highest level of play. There were plenty of times where this team could have given up and packed it in for the day, but this Hornet team battled regardless of the situation and gave all Hornet fans and alums something to be proud of.
Weekly Review
Week 1 had the Hornets traveling to Palo Alto to collect a paycheck. Stanford was expected to have a great season and they lived up to those expectations. They have completely obliterated opponents this season. The Hornets were entering the game with their leading WR’s Reed and Hendershott banged up and both of them eventually ended up missing the season with medical redshirts. The Hornets battled against a bigger, physical and more talented team. The Hornets put up a fight but this game cost the Hornets some players. MBT went down in the first half with a serious ankle injury and Avery White went down with a dislocated knee. DB Monson returned a punt for a TD but the Cardinal had no problem in this one. 52-17 was the final but the Hornets showed a lot of heart and gave us a preview of the tenacity they would display all season long.
Week 2 was the home opener in which D-2 Western Oregon came to town. Western Oregon had some size and was no push over. The Hornets did not run away with this one but they did control the game. It was clear from this game that the Hornets were going to depend heavily on the run game and the defense was going to be depended upon in tight situations. The Hornets went on to win 31-17 and get some confidence and early momentum for the season. WOU went on to post a 7-4 record.
Week 3 had 21st ranked Weber State come to town to kick off conference play. WSU was entering the game having beaten the Hornets handily in the past few seasons and they came in with a lot of confidence in their passing game. The Hornet defense had a huge game and contained the potent WSU offense and held stud QB Cameron Higgins to only 17 points. The Hornet offense relied heavily on the power running game of Hilliard and the offensive line and the Hornets were able to win in a close one 24-17. The Hornets showed a lot in this game. They were able to overcome some blown calls and never gave up. The Hornets proved to be a very resilient bunch and this is where they really displayed that characteristic. This game really set the tone for the season.
Week 4 sent the Hornets to Missoula to face 14th ranked Montana. UM was under a new head coach and a new offensive system. The Hornets have never beaten UM and they came very close this season. Had it not been for a very favorable call that should have resulted in a safety in Sac State’s favor, the Hornets probably pull the upset as that would have changed the complexion of this game. Regardless, the Hornets had a lot of mistakes that stalled drives. The passing game struggled to get going and that allowed UM to focus on stopping the run. The Hornets still had one last chance to drive for at least a game tying field goal in the final minutes of play but fell short. The Hornets lost this game 28-25. The Hornets were able to prove that they can compete with the best in a hostile environment.
Week 5 had a very talented and deep 10th ranked Montana State team come to Hornet Stadium. The game was moved to the early afternoon and it was an unseasonably warm day. MSU jumped all over the Hornets in the first half and took a 37-10 lead into halftime but the Hornets came roaring back to take a late lead in a very wild game. Unfortunately MSU was able to force the game into overtime and MSU prevailed on a missed field goal. It was a wild one in which the Hornet offense came alive, unfortunately the Hornets were not able to come out of it with a favorable outcome and lost 64-61.
Week 6 was Homecoming and I had the great pleasure of attending this one in person. Northern Colorado came to town and the Hornets dominated from start to finish. The defense had a great outing as they controlled the UNC offense and gave up very little. The score was only 14-7 at halftime but the Hornets made some plays on offense, defense, and special teams in the second half and closed out the rout with a 42-7 win. It was a very enjoyable game and it showed how well the Hornets can play when they are all on the same page and can execute the game plan to perfection.
Week 7 was the bye week for the Hornets.
Week 8 took the Hornets to Cheney for a matchup with the 8th ranked Eastern Washington to play a game on their new red turf. The Hornets had a sloppy game and fell into an early 21-0 hole. Mistakes and poor play calling didn’t help matters; however in the second half the Hornets got it together and were able to take a late 24-21 lead. Unfortunately, the defense couldn’t make a stop when they needed to and they dropped this game in the final minute. The Hornets battled and were able to have a chance at the win but they were just unable to finish. EWU won 28-24 and eliminated the Hornets from playoff contention.
Week 9 involved the Hornets traveling to Flagstaff to take on the 25th ranked Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. The Hornets jumped all over NAU from the start and converted some early turnovers into touchdowns. Fleming had a huge day and the offense moved the ball at will. The defense also had a big day as they completely shut down the shifty NAU offense. The Hornets rolled to a 40-10 victory.
Week 10 was the final home game for the Hornets as Portland State came to Hornet Stadium. The interesting matchup with this game was going to see how the defense was going to matchup against the Vikings Pistol offense. The defense gave up a lot of yardage but they kept PSU out of the endzone. The offense was moving the ball well but it was a close game until Fleming hit Deadder for a long touchdown pass to put the game away. The Hornets went on to win 28-15.
Week 11 sent the Hornets to Pocatello to face a demoralized Idaho State team. No team in the Big Sky can be overlooked and the Hornets knew this well from their last trip to Pocatello. Fortunately Sperbeck had this team ready and they had no problem putting up points on ISU. The defense completely shut down the anemic Bengal offense and the Hornets rolled to a 45-17 win.
Week 12 was the season finale and the Causeway Classic on the road. The weather was awful and definitely factored into the game. The Hornets jumped out to an early lead and looked to be on track to run away with it when they fumbled away all their momentum and lost sight of the task at hand. The Hornets continually shot themselves in the foot with mistakes and it all culminated in a botched punt return late in the game that cost the Hornets the win. The Hornets lost this one 17-16 and beat themselves in a hard fought game.
Although the Hornets were only a D-2 win better than last season in the win column, the product on the field was much improved in every aspect of the game. The Hornets 4 FCS losses were by a combined 11 points and the Hornets had a chance to win every single game. The Hornets finished with a 6-5 record and tied a program high of a 5-3 BSC record and appear to be on the doorstep of the top tier of BSC programs. The Hornets had a successful season and clearly made a statement that this program is on the rise. The defense saw the most improvement as they did a tremendous job defending the run and had some improvements defending the pass. Offense had to get over some early injuries but considering that the starting QB was lost for most of the season in week 1, the results are quite impressive when looking at the circumstances. The expectations will no doubt be very high for 2011. With a lot of starters returning on both sides of the ball, this Hornet program should not only challenge for a Big Sky Championship, but they should also be able to earn a spot in the FCS playoffs.
Final Big Sky Conference Standings (playoff results not included)
- 1. Montana State: 9-2 (7-1), earned the 4th seed in the playoffs
2. Eastern Washington: 9-2 (7-1), earned the 5th seed in the playoffs.
T-3. Montana: 7-4 (5-3)
T-3. Sacramento State: 6-5 (5-3)
T-3. Weber State: 6-5 (5-3)
6. Northern Arizona: 6-5 (4-4)
7. Northern Colorado: 3-8 (2-6)
8. Portland State: 2-9 (1-7)
9. Idaho State: 1-10 (0-8)
Schedule
As the playoff selection committee sternly indicated this year, an at-large playoff berth will not be given to any team with less than seven (7) D-1 wins. For this program to take it to the next level Wanless and Sperbeck (or whoever is in charge of scheduling) needs to compile a full D-1 schedule. This is important, in fact the playoffs will hinge on this. With 8 games of an 11 game schedule taken up by BSC games, and another game taken up by the Causeway Classic, that leaves 2 open dates to fill. One of these games will undoubtedly be used in a money game against a Pac-12 opponent. I have no problem with this as it keeps the program out of the red. What I do have a problem with is if the second game is used on a D-2 team. Sperbeck has built this program to where that D-2 game should no longer be scheduled. I understand that a weaker opponent is best to schedule after the physicality involved with a payday game but there are D-1 schools out there that can fill this role. USDiego is one as are any of the Dakotas in the soon to be defunct Great West Conference. Obviously these schools will probably ask to be paid to come to Hornet Stadium or ask for a home and home contract, but that needs to be seriously looked at if this program and administration is serious about getting to the playoffs.
2011 Outlook
Even with the successful 2010 season, there is still plenty of room for improvement on all aspects of game play. The offense returns almost all of their weapons and the defense will return a lot of experience as well. I will go further into this in the following parts of my recap series but one thing we can all agree on is that the future of Hornet football looks bright.
My recaps are up for discussion so feel free to add anything I may have missed or anything you may disagree with. These recaps are strictly based on my observations over the course of the season, stats obtained from various online resources and finally but most importantly my opinions.
GO HORNETS!!!
Next: Part 2 of 4 - Special Teams
