2010 Recap Part 3 of 4 – Offense

[SDHornet]

2010 Recap Part 3 of 4 – Offense

As always my recaps are up for discussion. If I missed something feel free to point it out.

There were high expectations for this Hornet offense coming into this season and this team really lived up to the task. Injuries could have completely derailed this season as MBT went down in week 1 and Reed and Hendershott came into the season banged up and were shut down for the season after week 2. Fortunately Sperbeck and the coaches have done an outstanding job building depth to this Hornet program and with a well timed transfer by Fleming, this season went from possibly being a complete disaster to the first winning season in quite a while. Norrise and Deadder really stepped up to fill the voids left by injuries at WR and the OL put forth a solid effort in opening running lanes for Hilliard and the RB’s as well as giving Fleming time to throw.

This team did have some issues along the way but the resilience displayed by this Hornet offense to overcome some of the shortfalls was astounding. The 3 FCS loses were by a combined 11 points and this team is on the verge of something special. The Hornets had some untimely turnovers as well as some drive killing penalties and sacks which proved to be the thorn in their side all season long. The coaches will need to work on cleaning these mistakes up as well as finding the ability to finish off drives for TD’s. The Hornets will have to do this if they want to take it to the next level and compete for a BSC title.

The play calling was interesting and questionable at times, but nonetheless the Hornets did have success moving the ball throughout the season. Fleming struggled in the first half of the season with accuracy and ball control and this caused the Hornet offense to be extremely predictable at times, but he seemed to settle in as the season progressed and he was able to be effective both through the air and on the ground. Sperbeck also seemed to go to the trick play a bit much for my liking, there was success with these plays as well as some setbacks, but that adds some unpredictability opposing defenses have to prepare for. I would rather see Sperbeck put defenses on their heels with more conventional shots down the field but if used at the right time, the trick plays can inflict major damage as well as swing the momentum in the Hornets favor. There were also times where I thought Sperbeck was over thinking the play calling instead of just going with what works, but again this team had a chance to win every game so obviously Sperbeck knew what he was doing. Ultimately I hope to see Sperbeck go for the throat and keep this offense at full throttle until the game is well in hand. Overall it was a solid coaching effort that brought home a winning season.

Team Rankings

• • Rushing Offense: 4th in BSC (39th FCS) with an average of 169.5 ypg.
  • Passing Offense: 7th in BSC (51st in FCS) with an average of 208.7 ypg.
  • Total Offense: 5th in BSC (37th in FCS) with an average of 378.2 ypg.
  • Scoring Offense: 2nd in BSC (13th in FCS) with an average of 34.5 ppg.
  • Penalties: T-3rd most in BSC, 80 penalties for 595 yards lost.
  • Time of Possession: 3rd in BSC, averaged 33:12 per game.
  • Sacks Allowed: 3rd fewest in BSC, allowed 16 sacks for 94 yards lost.
  • Turnovers: 3rd fewest in BSC, 22 turnovers (13 INT’s, 9 fumbles lost)

Players Leaving
QB’s

• • McLeod Bethel-Thompson has exhausted his eligibility. After contemplating pursuing post football life, he was talked into finishing out his career only to have his season come to a crashing halt with a serious injury in game 1 at Stanford. This guy was a gamer and will be missed. He will always be remembered for his epic 2009 Causeway Comeback.

RB’s

• • Curtis Shaw has a year left of eligibility but if rumors from this board hold true, he was not able to get it together in the classroom and was shown the door. He played in 2 games.

WR’s

• • Ronald Richardson will be lost to graduation. He was in Sperbeck’s first recruiting class and he definitely contributed during his tenure here. He played in all 11 games.
  • Dylan Lane will be graduating. He saw some significant playing time and was able to contribute here and there. He played in 10 games.
  • Brett Willis will be graduating. He played in 9 games.
  • Matt Larson will be graduation. He played in 6 games.
  • Jon Krebs will be graduating. He played in 2 games.

TE’s

• • Matt Carter will be graduating. Matt made his biggest presence in goal line situations and it seemed as Fleming constantly found him in the back of the endzone. He played in 10 games.

OL

• • Jaren Harrell will be graduating. The Hofstra transfer did an excellent job at the center position this season. He played in all 11 games.

Players Returning
QB’s

• • Jeff Fleming will return for his senior season. Considering he was with the team only a week before the first game before injuries thrust him into the starting role, he did an exceptional job regardless of my season long complaining. He has plenty to work on with respect to the passing game but next season should be a good one. He played in all 11 games.
  • Garret Safron will return next season. I am not sure if he redshirted and if not, he will return for his sophomore season. He is listed as seeing action in 2 games.
  • Tommy Edwards will return next season. He transferred from The Citadel and had to sit out this season. If he had a redshirt to use, he will return for his sophomore season.
  • Dominic Carmazzi will return for his sophomore season after seeing some mop up duty this season. He played in 2 games.

RB’s

• • Bryan Hilliard will return for his senior season. He was on track for an awesome season until it was cut short by injury. The coaches need to find a way to keep him healthy for an entire season if they want to make the playoffs. He played in 9 games.
  • Jake Croxdale will return for his senior season. Jake built off of his previous season and had another solid year and stepped in when called upon. He is a good asset to have for use in certain situations. He played in all 11 games.
  • Sam McCowan will be returning for his junior season. I expected more from him this season given the glimpses we saw from him last season. He was hobbled by an ankle injury late in the season so hopefully he can rebound and have an impact next season. He played in all 11 games.
  • Stephen Tezanos-Pinto will be returning for his senior season. He saw limited action this season, mainly in short yardage situations. I expect he will fill that role again next season. He played in 8 games.
  • Ronald Douglas will be returning next season. He didn’t see any playing time so I assume he redshirted this season and still has 4 years of eligibility left.
  • Kris Farinha will be returning for his freshman season. He is listed on the roster and is most likely a redshirt.

WR’s

• • Chase Deader will return for his senior season. He was shutdown from time to time and needs to step up to the next level and be a dominating factor regardless of the various coverages he will see next season. He played in all 11 games.
  • Morris Norrise will return for his sophomore season. We saw some glimpses of amazing ability this season; hopefully he builds off of this season and continues to have his presence felt. He played in all 11 games.
  • John Hendershott will return for his senior season after losing this season to health reasons. He is a solid receiver and the Hornet passing attack will definitely need him next season. He played in 1 game.
  • Brandon Reed will return for his senior season after losing this season to health reasons as well. He hasn’t been healthy since he came to Sac State so there is no reason to expect a full season of output from him next season. Hopefully he proves me wrong. He played in 2 games.
  • Chris Broadnax will return for his sophomore season and will need to gain some experience as he saw action in only 1 game this season.
  • David Black will be returning for his sophomore season. He played in 2 games.
  • Justin Chastain redshirted and will be returning for his junior season.

TE’s

• • Brian McKeon will be returning for his junior season at TE. He saw plenty of playing time and will need to step up and fill in for the departing Matt Carter. He played in all 11 games.
  • Reese Heaslet will return for his junior season. He also saw a lot of playing time and will probably split the TE duties with McKeon. He played in all 11 games.
  • James Bobak will be returning for his junior season. He played in 10 games.
  • DJ Maciel will be returning for his sophomore season. He played in 7 games.

OL

• • John Taylor will be returning for his senior season. The 285 pounder will have one more year to build onto his ridiculous 33 game starting streak. I have no idea if he will be kept at LT or moved back to center, but one thing is for certain and that is he will be an anchor on the line wherever he plays.
  • Nate Doverspike will be returning for his senior season at RT. The 275 pound tackle has been solid and should continue to hold it down on the right side of the line. He played in all 11 games.
  • Clay DePauw will be returning for his junior season. The 280 pound OL finished the season as the starting LG and played in 2 games last season.
  • Tyler Worthley will be returning for his sophomore season. This massive 320 pounder started at RG in 10 games.
  • Maika Maumau will be returning for his senior season. The coaches moved the 280 pound lineman from defense to offense and he started 4 games at guard. He played in 8 games.
  • Vince Weaver will be returning for his junior season. The 280 pound OL played in 9 games.
  • Matt Shinn will be returning for his sophomore season. The 285 pound OL played in 7 games.
  • Aaron Gasper will be returning for his junior season. The 285 pound guard played in 5 games.
  • Dustin Pfaff will be returning for his senior season. He didn’t see any playing time this season and may have been a redshirt.
  • Devonte Martin, Julio Regla, Derek Stickney, Dylan Woodfill and Nate Devan didn’t see any playing time this season so they were all probably redshirts. They each weight 330, 310, 300, 250, and 285 pounds respectively and will be returning for their freshman seasons. Dear Lord I didn’t realize Sperbeck was stockpiling this much size on the bench. It’s going to suck being on the DL playing against the Hornets in the near future.

Individual Stats
QB’s

• • Fleming: 138/248 (55.6%) for 2,044 yards, 23 TD’s, 10 INT’s; 106 carries for 399 yards, 2 TD’s; 1 catch for 34 yards.
  • MBT: 21/38 (55.3%) for 161 yards, 1TD, 2 INT’s; 6 carries for -15 yards.
  • Carmazzi: 5 carries for 33 yards.

RB’s

• • Hilliard: 195 carries for 883 yards, 12 TD’s; 3 catches for 17 yards.
  • Croxdale: 69 carries for 236 yards; 5 catches for 60 yards; 0/1, 1 INT.
  • McCowan: 45 carries for 211 yards; 8 catches for 57 yards.
  • Shaw: 17 carries for 54 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches for 59 yards.
  • Tezanos-Pinto: 6 carries for 11 yards; 2 catches for 5 yards, 2 TD’s.

WR’s

• • Deadder: 37 catches for 788 yards, 6 TD’s; 3 carries 40 yards.
  • Norrise: 35 catches for 532 yards, 8 TD’s; 4 carries for 17 yards; 2/2 for 33 yards, 1 TD.
  • Richardson: 22 catches for 240 yards, 1 TD; 2 carries for 9 yards; 1/1 for 34 yards.
  • Lane: 13 catches for 152 yards
  • Willis: 6 catches for 93 yards, 1 TD; 1 carry for -5 yards.
  • Reed: 4 catches for 26 yards.
  • Larson: 2 catches for 17 yards.
  • Hendershott: 1 catch for 15 yards.

TE’s

• • Carter: 10 catches for 97 yards, 4 TD’s.
  • Macial: 4 catches for 38 yards, 1 TD.
  • Heaslet: 5 catches for 23 yards, 2 TD’s.
  • McKeon: 1 catch for 19 yards.

OL

• • Couldn’t find a pancake counter anywhere.

Other

• • Schrader: 1 catch 24 yards.

2011 Outlook
This Hornet offense will be stacked for next season. With the return of Fleming, Hilliard, a handful of experienced receivers and 4 of 5 starting offensive linemen, this offense should be impeccable. There will be no excuses for lack of execution but given what the Hornets had to overcome this season, there is no reason to expect anything less than what we saw this season. There is room for improvement and with the experience and talent that is returning, this offense should be able to perform at the optimal level all season long.

I think we will continue to see a heavy dose of Hilliard next season and with Fleming showing flashes of consistency in the second half of the season coupled with the possible return of an experienced WR group, we can expect to see a potent offense in 2011. A lot will hinge on Fleming’s ability to be accurate and the establishment of a consistent passing attack. This will keep a defense guessing and it will be hard for opposing defenses to stop this offense. The Hornets will need to stay healthy and that will be the key to how far this team goes in 2011. There is a lot to look forward to but the Hornets will have to be prepared and play hard for 60 minutes every weekend as no one can be overlooked on any given Saturday.

GO HORNETS!!!

Next: Part 4 of 4 - Defense

 

[superhornet]

I have one observation about your comment on trick plays.

An unwritten rule of the game from time immemorial is that the first team to get a trick play in will win the game. Of course, unstated assumptions there include timing and success. There is also the lack of a definition of just what constitutes a trick play.

There is also the old adage that when you throw the ball, there are three things that can happen, and two of them are bad. In modern usage, however, the incompletion is more of a gray area. An intentional incompletion to avoid a sack is generally considered a good thing, while a ball dropped by a wide-open receiver in some situations could be as devastating as an interception. Yet an interception on a deep ball (assuming the defender is immediately tackled) can be as good as a punt.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are many intricacies that go into deciding when to take a direct shot and when to try a trick play. An exotic that hits big can be more demoralizing to a defense than a simple bomb, probably because for an exotic to hit, the whole defense has to break down, while a bomb only requires ONE defender to screw up. A coach willing to indulge in trickeration can get butts in the seats. But it generally works when NOT used in desperation, because the defense will be on the lookout for it then. The limited use of rare plays generates surprise, but the long ball should not be completely abandoned, either. The word we're looking for here is BALANCE.

Which is pretty much what I think you were trying to say. LOL.

 

[Kadeezy]

Great stuff once again SD! I think the key is HEALTH as well! I'd rather lose a bodybag game by 35 and bench our key players than play them all and lose by 21, risking injury...

Hell, I'd even consider sitting Hilliard 'til BSC play or just use him sparingly in any OOC games...

 

[superhornet]

Yes, Kadeezy. I neglected to mention that SD's work is outstanding.

Sorry about that, SD. Even when we don't agree, you clearly put outstanding thought into this stuff. I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we greatly appreciate this. Keep up the good work.

 

[DrMike]

have to agree with the kudos...the recaps have been great, and the game previews were outstanding. I really enjoyed reading them. always spot-on, and offered some insights about the opponents/intangables that you can't find elsewhere.

 

[SacHornet]

nice recap, the only flaw i found (which isnt really a flaw but my personal opinion) is that you didnt give enough love to Deadder. I feel like he did an outstanding job all season making some amazing catches. He also played a lot on special teams including catching the SOS kick against MSU. He stepped up big coming off of breaking his collarbone (i believe that was the injury) and should have a big year next year.

 

[SDHornet]

Thanks for all the kudos guys.

nice recap, the only flaw i found (which isnt really a flaw but my personal opinion) is that you didnt give enough love to Deadder. I feel like he did an outstanding job all season making some amazing catches. He also played a lot on special teams including catching the SOS kick against MSU. He stepped up big coming off of breaking his collarbone (i believe that was the injury) and should have a big year next year.

You are right, Deadder was huge and really stepped up coming off of an injury, I should have gave him some more props. I just felt there were a few games where he was invisible and maybe that was stuck in my mind at the time of the writing. Regardless with a healthy Hendershott and Reed, this WR group has the potential to be amazing in 2011.