2010 Recap Part 2 of 4 - Special Teams
The Hornets had a mixed year in the special teams area. There were some things that they did well and other things that need improvement. Although the stats indicate that the kickoff coverage was solid, they did have their issues with containment that allowed opponents to start with excellent field position. It took a while but the coaches wised up and didn’t kickoff to the really potent returners (Moore of ISU and Jones of EWU). The punt coverage was solid all season long. The Hornets didn’t allow any returns for TD’s and managed to contain punts well.
The kicking game was a mixed bag as well. Diniz was solid and it is just unfortunate that his misses occurred at the worst possible times. Diniz doesn’t have the booming kickoff leg but his FG kicking is exceptional imo. Heath on the other hand seemed to struggle at times. He had a lot of shanked punts and just didn’t seem to have a consistent output all season long. A credit to the special teams players as they did not allow any blocked punts or FG’s all season long. On the flip side the special teams players deserve a lot of credit on the punt blocking side of things. The Hornets were able to block 5 punts and were a serious threat to opponents. It would be nice to see this aggressive special teams play continue next season.
The returning game had its ups and downs and unfortunately finished on a bad note. Kick returners McCowan and Wilkins had solid years and I hope the kickoff return team can build off of this success. The punt return game was another issue. The punt returning unit opened on a huge note with a return for a TD against Stanford; however that was the only highlight of the season. The punt return team was never able to get many more huge returns after that and a costly mistake cost the Hornets a win in the final game of the season.
Team Rankings
Players Leaving
Players Returning
Individual Stats
Kickers
2011 Outlook
I expect the special teams units to have an all around solid performance next season. There are many returners on the team and a lot of players that gained experience this season will be able to contribute on special teams again next season. I expect the punt blocking unit to be aggressive next season and block some punts just as they did this season. The kickoff return unit should continue to improve and I hope that McCowan and Wilkins can break some big returns.
There are a few holes to fill. With the graduation of Diniz, a place kicker will need to be found. Hopefully Chris’ younger brother Jason Diniz can step up and fill the role his brother played. The coaches may want to look at punt returning duties and find someone with more playmaking ability and sure hands. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, one botched punt return is one too many. Even with those holes to fill, I think the Hornet special teams units should do well and be a consistent aspect of this Hornet team in 2011.
GO HORNETS!!!
Next: Part 3 of 4 - Offense
The Hornets had a mixed year in the special teams area. There were some things that they did well and other things that need improvement. Although the stats indicate that the kickoff coverage was solid, they did have their issues with containment that allowed opponents to start with excellent field position. It took a while but the coaches wised up and didn’t kickoff to the really potent returners (Moore of ISU and Jones of EWU). The punt coverage was solid all season long. The Hornets didn’t allow any returns for TD’s and managed to contain punts well.
The kicking game was a mixed bag as well. Diniz was solid and it is just unfortunate that his misses occurred at the worst possible times. Diniz doesn’t have the booming kickoff leg but his FG kicking is exceptional imo. Heath on the other hand seemed to struggle at times. He had a lot of shanked punts and just didn’t seem to have a consistent output all season long. A credit to the special teams players as they did not allow any blocked punts or FG’s all season long. On the flip side the special teams players deserve a lot of credit on the punt blocking side of things. The Hornets were able to block 5 punts and were a serious threat to opponents. It would be nice to see this aggressive special teams play continue next season.
The returning game had its ups and downs and unfortunately finished on a bad note. Kick returners McCowan and Wilkins had solid years and I hope the kickoff return team can build off of this success. The punt return game was another issue. The punt returning unit opened on a huge note with a return for a TD against Stanford; however that was the only highlight of the season. The punt return team was never able to get many more huge returns after that and a costly mistake cost the Hornets a win in the final game of the season.
Team Rankings
- • Net Punting: 6th in BSC (43rd FCS) with an average of 34.1 yards per punt.
• Punt Returns: 5th in BSC (54th FCS) with an average of 9.2 yards per punt return.
• Kickoff Returns: 7th in BSC (61st FCS) with an average of 20.5 yards per kickoff return.
• Punt Coverage: 5th in BSC, allowed 5.7 yards per punt return.
• Kickoff Coverage: 3rd in BSC, allowed 20.6 yards per kickoff return.
Players Leaving
- • Kicker Chris Diniz will be graduating. Diniz was solid for the Hornets for two years and his miscues came at very bad and inopportune times, however he did a solid job and will be hard to replace. He has both distance and accuracy and he should definitely try to get a job at the next level. The only thing he is missing is a booming kickoff.
• PR/KR/WR Ronald Richardson will be graduating. He wasn’t a primary returner this season but was used occasionally.
Players Returning
- • Punter Augie Heath will be returning for his senior season. I thought he struggled at times this season and I honestly expected more from him. He should be one of the leading punters for the BSC next season as I expect him to rebound from this shaky season.
• Long Snapper/TE James Bobak will be returning for his junior season. I don’t recall seeing many bad snaps and I think he did a good job this season. With a year of experience at LS under his belt, we should expect a solid performance from Bobak at this position next year.
• KR/RB Sam McCowan will be returning for his junior season. He did an excellent job returning kick offs and I am hoping he can take one for a TD next season.
• KR/DB Evander Wilkins will be returning for his senior season. I don’t think there isn’t a position Wilkins hasn’t played yet during his time at Sac State. He also did a great job returning kickoffs.
• PR/CB Kyle Monson will be returning for his senior season. I’d be shocked if the punt returning duties will not be opened up for competition this offseason. Aside from his TD return in week one against Stanford, he really didn’t do much else.
• K/P Jason Diniz redshirted and will play his freshman season next year. Hopefully he will be as consistent as his brother Chris is.
Individual Stats
Kickers
- • K Diniz: 13/15 on FG’s with a long of 52 yards; 40/42 on PAT’s. 4/66 kickoffs for touchbacks, 2 kickoff out of bounds and 0 FG’s blocked.
• P Heath: 53 punts; 36.5 ypp; long of 61 yards; 14 downed inside the 20; 17 fair caught; 0 punts blocked.
- • PR/CB Monson: 12 punt returns for 101 yards; 8.4 ypr; 1 TD; 1 kick return for 17 yards.
• PR/WR Richardson: 3 returns for 9 yards; 3.0 ypr; 1 kick return for 10 yards.
• KR/RB McCowan: 24 kick returns for 498 yards; 20.8 ypr.
• KR/DB Wilkins: 8 kick returns for 188 yards; 23.5 ypr.
2011 Outlook
I expect the special teams units to have an all around solid performance next season. There are many returners on the team and a lot of players that gained experience this season will be able to contribute on special teams again next season. I expect the punt blocking unit to be aggressive next season and block some punts just as they did this season. The kickoff return unit should continue to improve and I hope that McCowan and Wilkins can break some big returns.
There are a few holes to fill. With the graduation of Diniz, a place kicker will need to be found. Hopefully Chris’ younger brother Jason Diniz can step up and fill the role his brother played. The coaches may want to look at punt returning duties and find someone with more playmaking ability and sure hands. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, one botched punt return is one too many. Even with those holes to fill, I think the Hornet special teams units should do well and be a consistent aspect of this Hornet team in 2011.
GO HORNETS!!!
Next: Part 3 of 4 - Offense
