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Bears @ Hornets

SDHornet

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Preview

The Hornets will now have to run the table to guarantee themselves a playoff berth. The Hornets will now face another team desperate for a win in Northern Colorado. The Hornets have never lost to UNC and with this game being Homecoming; I expect both teams to give it all they got. The Bears have been steadily increasing their talent over the years but have just been unable to get over the hump and land some wins. They will do everything that they can to knock off the Hornets on the road.

Offense:
UNC has a pretty balanced offense. They are 7th in the BSC in total offense averaging 353.2 ypg with 197.8 ypg (6th in the BSC) coming through the air and 155.4 ypg on the ground (4th in the BSC). Their leading rusher is Harris who is a FBS drop down from Idaho. The carries are pretty evenly divided between Harris and Robinson. Their QB Orms is 55/111 for 772 yards on the season but has 6 INT’s to go with his 6 TD’s. He is a capable QB so the Hornets will have to be ready to defend the Bear attach from both the ground and the air. Their leading receiver is Jace Davis who has 377 yards on 21 catches and 4 TD’s. The one knock on this UNC offense is the OL has been atrocious. They have allowed 13 sacks on the season.

The Hornet defense is more than capable of shutting down this UNC offense. If they can be aggressive, they should have no problem putting pressure on Orms. The defense will have to swarm to the ball and make tackles so that no big play can be had. If this defense plays a solid game, has minimal mistakes and forces a couple turnovers, they should be able to control the UNC offense.

Defense:
The UNC defense is ranked 3rd in total defense with 345.8 ypg allowed. They allow a stingy 194.4 ypg (3rd in BSC) through the air and 151.4 ypg (5th in BSC) on the ground and lead the BSC with a turnover margin of +1.2. This defense is a legitimate one and they will not roll over. The Hornet offense will have to be at the top of its game to move the ball efficiently.

I expect another run heavy game plan. This UNC secondary is a good one but UNC has traditionally struggled against the run. I don’t know about the UNC injury situation (if there is one) so a lot of pounding should wear this defense down. If the OL continues to play well I don’t see a problem establishing the run game. It would be nice to see Fleming stay hot and settle into a rhythm with the receivers this week.

Special Teams:
UNC’s kicker Puckett has struggled this season. His is 4 of 8 on field goals with a long of 39 yards. Their punter Kaman is averaging 3.5 yards per punt with 6 downed inside the 20. I think the Hornets have the edge in the kicking game with Diniz (who missed his first FG thanks to a Sac Bee jinx) and Heath. I don’t know how the UNC coverage teams are so that will be something to keep an eye on. UNC’s Walker is averaging 21.2 yards per kick return and Gunn is averaging 14 yards per punt return. It looks like UNC defiantly has a solid returner in Walker. The Hornets will need to contain him and prevent a big return.

Intangibles:
UNC leads the conference in turnover margin so they know how to go after the ball. UNC is also disciplined. Through 5 games they have only committed 33 penalties for 268 yards. I don’t expect this UNC team to beat themselves. They have gotten better year after year and they will not hand this game over to the Hornets.

The Hornets need to come out and have a complete game this week. It’s Homecoming week so I expect emotions to be running high and a Hornet win. If the Hornets take care of business, this can be a very enjoyable game. I will have the pleasure of attending this game so I am looking forward to seeing them live and not through a pixilated BSTV broadcast. If anyone stumbles across younger guy passed out in a gutter with a sombrero and a dirty Sanchez mustache, feel free to say hi. (Just kidding, I don’t have a dirty Sanchez mustache. :P )

GO HORNETS!!!

PS: I apologize with the tardiness in getting this out. It's been a hellish week at work. :|
 
Nice writeup on Chase Deadder. If ayone missed the stiffarm he put on that MSU DB, that was NFL stiffarm caliber work.

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/10/07/3085922/sac-state-wr-deadder-makes-plays.html
 
Scott Downing still mum on Bears QB starter
If Baca gets the nod, it would be the first start of his career for the Bears.
http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20101008/SPORTS/101009754/1012&parentprofile=1010
 
jj2319 said:
Nice writeup on Chase Deadder. If ayone missed the stiffarm he put on that MSU DB, that was NFL stiffarm caliber work.

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/10/07/3085922/sac-state-wr-deadder-makes-plays.html

Here's the stiff arm........it reminds me of the Baron Davis dunk a couple of years ago over Kirilenko. Sorta.
http://www.pbase.com/hydro2005/image/129141898
 
Its a final, 42-7. Good job boys! Tough stretch coming up but the Hornets have shown the conference we are for real. Bring on Eastern!
 
Kadeezy said:
Man, it's scary how close we are to being 5-1 or hell, even 4-2...


Considering all of the injuries to starters I am OK with being 3-3 at this point. If we had lost this many starters in previous season we would have been toast. To still be competitive despite losing that many starters shows the increasing depth of the program, we are headed in the right direction!
 
Recap

The tailgate was awesome, the game even better. Just when I thought a weekend of binge drinking with former colleagues couldn’t get any better, the Hornets come out and roll an opponent on Homecoming weekend that they have never lost to. Every aspect of the game went well for the most part. The offense moved the ball both through the air and on the ground, the defense completely shut down an injured UNC attack (they were missing their regular starter at QB Orms and a few offensive linemen to injury), and the special teams continued to impress. It was well worth the price of admission (FYI, the attractive coeds working the ticket booth accept alcohol in exchange for student guest tickets) and I had a blast.

The Hornets took control of the game right from the opening kickoff. They took the opening drive 85 yard in 12 plays in 6:30 and scored on a Hilliard TD. This set the tone and the Hornets didn’t look back. The Hornets finished with 259 rushing yards and 208 passing yards. Hilliard finished with 133 yards and 3 TD while Fleming had 184 yards, 2 TD passes and an INT. The defense also did their part and kept UNC to a meager 63 yards on the ground and only 175 yards through the air while forcing 3 fumbles and an interception as well as getting 5 sacks and returning a fumble for a TD. The special teams had a huge fake punt conversion early on that really boosted the Hornet momentum and then came through with game clinching blocked punt that was returned for a TD.

The Hornets took care of business against a team they should be able to beat. They will now have a week to rest up and prepare for the second half of the season. The Hornets have to win out to be playoff eligible so they must use the week wisely. At this point every game is winnable and running the table is possible the way the Hornets have been playing.

GO HORNETS!!!!

PA091270.jpg
 

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