2010 Recap Part 4 of 4 – Defense
As always my recaps are up for discussion. If I missed something feel free to point it out.
Coming off of a 2009 season when the defense was as porous as “Swiss cheese”, a new DC was installed and a new scheme along with him. This change included a 4-2-5 alignment that saw various blitz packages and an aggressive attitude that was a night and day difference from the previous season. The defense had a tremendous year and climbed to the top third of the BSC in almost every category. The product on the field was entertaining to watch as the players really bought into the system and made it work. The coaches played a tremendous part of this change and they had the players ready to play every week. This transition was successful in large part to the amount of experienced players that returned on the defensive side of the ball. There was experience at nearly every position and this allowed the defense to give opposing offenses problems.
The rush defense was stout almost all season long. The DL and LB’s were well prepared and did a great job at clogging running lanes and swarming to the ball. The pass defense had its lapses at times but was improved over the previous season. The pass rush was solid as “Sack” State produced another player that led the BSC in sacks. In 2009 it was Clark and this season it was Nash, the Hornets will need to have someone else step up and continue this streak.
The defense played a major role in the success of this season. Aside from the no show at the MSU game and the loss to a top 10 FBS Stanford team, the defense gave this team a chance to win every week. There were some late game lapses where a game ending stop would have won the game, but those losses could also be attributed to a lack of execution on the offensive side of the ball to put the game out of reach. Regardless, this defense had a new attitude and battled relentlessly. There were games where opponents were moving the ball but the defense was able to stiffen when it needed to and forced stops (WSU, PSU) as well as games when the defense came out and completely laid the wood (UNC, ISU, NAU). This defensive unit had one hell of a season and for the most part performed very well in the offensive oriented BSC.
Team Rankings
Players Leaving
DL
Players Returning
DL
Individual Stats
DL
2011 Outlook
With the changes that were made on the coaching staff, there is no telling how this team will respond. Time will tell if the changes were warranted but right now the focus for this program will need to be one of unity. Sperbeck will need to bring in the replacements for the position coaches that were let go as well as conduct some damage control on the personnel front and do his best to keep the current players committed to this program. There is always some turnover with respect to players leaving regardless of the situation, so it is up to the remaining coaches to reinforce the players’ reasons for being a Hornet even though there were emotional changes on the coaching staff. The upcoming weeks are going to be crucial for Sperbeck and Co to maintain the continuity and improvement of this program.
The Hornets return a lot on defense but the players that graduated were huge contributors. Clark was outstanding in his 3 seasons as a starter and was the anchor on the defensive front. Buck had size and mobility and was a great tackler. Schrader was a man possessed and was all over the field on every play. He will be the biggest loss as he was a sure tackler, hard hitter and outstanding leader. Someone will need to fill these roles and a new leader will need to emerge who can motivate and inspire this defense to continue their solid play.
The foundation has been laid, this new attitude of aggression and hard nose game play is sure to be the norm on the defensive side of the ball. The returning players have something to build off of and will have new goals to strive for. “Defense wins championships,” and this defense is going to need to show up every week and make plays if the Hornets want to bring home a BSC Championship.
GO HORNETS!!!
As always my recaps are up for discussion. If I missed something feel free to point it out.
Coming off of a 2009 season when the defense was as porous as “Swiss cheese”, a new DC was installed and a new scheme along with him. This change included a 4-2-5 alignment that saw various blitz packages and an aggressive attitude that was a night and day difference from the previous season. The defense had a tremendous year and climbed to the top third of the BSC in almost every category. The product on the field was entertaining to watch as the players really bought into the system and made it work. The coaches played a tremendous part of this change and they had the players ready to play every week. This transition was successful in large part to the amount of experienced players that returned on the defensive side of the ball. There was experience at nearly every position and this allowed the defense to give opposing offenses problems.
The rush defense was stout almost all season long. The DL and LB’s were well prepared and did a great job at clogging running lanes and swarming to the ball. The pass defense had its lapses at times but was improved over the previous season. The pass rush was solid as “Sack” State produced another player that led the BSC in sacks. In 2009 it was Clark and this season it was Nash, the Hornets will need to have someone else step up and continue this streak.
The defense played a major role in the success of this season. Aside from the no show at the MSU game and the loss to a top 10 FBS Stanford team, the defense gave this team a chance to win every week. There were some late game lapses where a game ending stop would have won the game, but those losses could also be attributed to a lack of execution on the offensive side of the ball to put the game out of reach. Regardless, this defense had a new attitude and battled relentlessly. There were games where opponents were moving the ball but the defense was able to stiffen when it needed to and forced stops (WSU, PSU) as well as games when the defense came out and completely laid the wood (UNC, ISU, NAU). This defensive unit had one hell of a season and for the most part performed very well in the offensive oriented BSC.
Team Rankings
- • Rushing Defense: 2nd in BSC (16th FCS) allowed an average of 112.4 ypg.
• Passing Defense: 3rd in BSC (81st FCS) allowed an average of 221.6 ypg.
• Total Defense: 3rd in BSC (39th FCS) allowed an average of 334.0 ypg.
• Scoring Defense: 4th in BSC (59th FCS) allowed an average of 24.7 ppg.
• Sacks: 3rd in BSC (26th FCS) forced 26 sacks for a loss of 174 yards.
• Tackles For Loss: 7th in BSC (61st FCS) with an average of 6.0 TFL per game.
• Turnovers forced: 3rd in BSC (T-31st FCS), 26 turnovers (10 INT’s, 16 fumbles recovered).
Players Leaving
DL
- • Christian Clark will be lost to graduation. He was the leading sack leader in the BSC in 2009 and there were high expectations for him this year. Unfortunately his success last season gave him a lot of attention and he saw a lot of double teams and his numbers were down but he still had a hell of a season. He finished his career with 33 straight starts. Clark will be missed and he started all 11 games this season.
• Jarred Pereira will be lost to graduation. This 3 star recruit from Santa Rosa JC had a career at Sac State that was riddled with injuries. He was recruited as a LB but was moved to DE this offseason. No idea if he is eligible for a medical redshirt. He played in 3 games this season.
- • Peter Buck will be lost to graduation. He had a solid career here at Sac State and was a fierce competitor. He will be hard to replace. He started all 11 games this season.
- • SS Zach Schrader will be lost to graduation. He was a huge pick up when Western Washington folded its program and he was a gamer. This sure tackler and hard hitter made his presence felt in every game and he is no doubt the biggest loss from this graduating class. He started in all 22 games while at Sac State including 11 this season.
• FS Dana Willis will be lost to graduation. He stepped up and filled in for Gordon when he went down with an injury. He played in all 11 games, 8 of which were starts.
• CB Nate Jones will be lost to graduation. He played in 8 games.
• Jay Riddic will be lost to graduation. He played in 3 games this season.
Players Returning
DL
- • DE Zack Nash will return for his senior season. The 250 pounder had a tremendous season as he led the BSC and finished 4th in FCS in sacks. He will no doubt get a lot of attention next season so other DL will need to step up. He started all 11 games this season.
• NT Matt Lawrence will return for his junior season. The 260 pounder saw a lot of action this season and started 8 games and played in all 11 games this season.
• DE David Coleman will return for his senior season. The 220 pound end had a solid season and will need to make an impact next year as teams will key in on Nash. He started all 11 games this season.
• Matt Agaiava will return for his senior season. The 285 pound lineman started 3 games and played in all 11 games this season.
• Avery White went down in week 1 with a dislocated knee. I am hoping he can pull through and return. If a redshirt cannot be used, he will be a junior next season.
• Alesana Laban will return for his junior season. The 295 pounder played in all 11 games.
• Todd Davis will return for his sophomore season. The 225 pound end played in all 11 games.
• Trent Eskew will return for his sophomore season. The 255 pound end played in 9 games.
• Marques White will return for his sophomore season. The 245 pounder played in 1 game this season.
• Marcus Mullins redshirted this season and will be a junior next season. He weighs 295 pounds.
• Ben Cowger , Andrew Roots and William Fukofuka probably redshirted this season and will be freshmen in 2011. They weight 220, 240 and 290 pounds respectively.
- • Jeff Badger will return for his junior season. He had a solid season and will need to play well again next season as the departure of Buck will be hard to make up for. He started all 11 games.
• Cody Allen will return for his sophomore season. He will need to step up and contribute as he will probably be a starter at LB next season. He played in 10 games including 1 start.
• Henry Fernandez and Randey Peterson will return for their sophomore seasons. They each played in 9 games.
• Josiah Marshall redshirted and will be a freshman next season.
- • NB Evander Wilkins will return for his senior season. He had a great season considering he moved from RB to NB. He had some solid tackles and made some plays. We should expect another solid season from him. He started 9 games and played in all 11.
• Deionte Gordon had another season affected by injuries. He applied for a medical redshirt and could be back for his senior season. He needs to be healthy so the loss of Schrader will be less noticeable. He played in 2 games before he shut it down due to health issues.
• CB Kyle Monson will return for his senior season. He will need to pick up his game and make up for some issues he had last season. He started all 10 games that he played in.
• CB Osagie Odiase will return for his sophomore season. He really stepped up and had a solid season that I don’t think many people expected. He stared 8 games and played in all 11.
• CB Marquese Smith will return for his senior season. He was a returning starter and I expected him to keep it. He needs to rebound and contribute next season. He started 4 games of the 7 he played in.
• S Joe Larche will return for his senior season. He played in all 11 games including 2 starts.
• Markell Williams will return for his sophomore season. He played in all 11 games including 1 start.
• Corey Vanderbeek will return for his sophomore season. He saw a lot of playing and could challenge for a starting spot next season. He played in 10 games.
• Kyle Brooks and Terrance McDonald will be returning for their sophomore season. They played in 1 and 3 games respectively.
• Damone Jackson will return for his senior season. He played in 1 game.
• Corey Sims, Sedale Hunter, Robert Beale, Dexter Alcala, JJ Williams and Taylor Kendall probably redshirted as neither of them saw any playing time. Kendall and Williams will be juniors and the rest will be freshmen.
Individual Stats
DL
- • Nash: 37 tackles; 16.5 TFL; 13 sacks
• Clark: 37 tackles; 5.5 TFL; 3.5 sacks
• Coleman: 26 tackles; 5 TFL; 1 sack
• Davis: 21 tackles; 1 TFL
• Lawrence: 20 tackles; 4.5 TFL
• Agaiava: 10 tackles; 1 TFL; 0.5 sacks
• Laban: 7 tackles; 0.5 TFL
• Pereira: 5 tackles
• Eskew: 4 tackles; 1.5 TFL; 1 sack
• White: 1 tackle
- • Buck: 96 tackles; 8 TFL; 2 sacks, 1 INT
• Badger: 41 tackles; 7.5 TFL
• Peterson: 6 tackles
• Fernandez: 7 tackles
• Allen: 6 tackles
- • Schrader: 82 tackles; 3.5 TFL; 1 sack; 1 INT
• Willis: 51 tackles; 0.5 TFL, 2 INT’s
• Monson: 47 tackles; 0.5 TFL, 2 INT’s
• Odiase: 44 tackles; 3.5 TFL; 1 sack; 2 INT’s
• Wilkins: 33 tackles; 5.5 TFL; 2 sacks; 2 INT’s
• Larche: 25 tackles
• Smith: 14 tackles; 1 TFL; 1 sack
• Williams: 10 tackles
• Vanderbeek: 3 tackles
• Reddic: 4 tackles; 0.5 TFL
• Jones: 2 tackles
• McDonald: 1 tackle
- • Croxdale: 9 tackles
• McCowan: 6 tackles
• Diniz: 5 tackles
• Deadder: 5 tackles
• Shaw: 2 tackles
• Larson: 2 tackles
• Doverspike: 2 tackles
• B Willis: 2 tackles
• Heath: 2 tackles
• Lane: 2 tackles
• Richardson: 2 tackles
• Carter: 1 tackle
• Bobak: 1 tackle
• Norrise: 1 tackle
• DePauw: 1 tackle
2011 Outlook
With the changes that were made on the coaching staff, there is no telling how this team will respond. Time will tell if the changes were warranted but right now the focus for this program will need to be one of unity. Sperbeck will need to bring in the replacements for the position coaches that were let go as well as conduct some damage control on the personnel front and do his best to keep the current players committed to this program. There is always some turnover with respect to players leaving regardless of the situation, so it is up to the remaining coaches to reinforce the players’ reasons for being a Hornet even though there were emotional changes on the coaching staff. The upcoming weeks are going to be crucial for Sperbeck and Co to maintain the continuity and improvement of this program.
The Hornets return a lot on defense but the players that graduated were huge contributors. Clark was outstanding in his 3 seasons as a starter and was the anchor on the defensive front. Buck had size and mobility and was a great tackler. Schrader was a man possessed and was all over the field on every play. He will be the biggest loss as he was a sure tackler, hard hitter and outstanding leader. Someone will need to fill these roles and a new leader will need to emerge who can motivate and inspire this defense to continue their solid play.
The foundation has been laid, this new attitude of aggression and hard nose game play is sure to be the norm on the defensive side of the ball. The returning players have something to build off of and will have new goals to strive for. “Defense wins championships,” and this defense is going to need to show up every week and make plays if the Hornets want to bring home a BSC Championship.
GO HORNETS!!!
