23-20 Hornet win over the Vandals. Not going to nit pick a whole lot as a win is a win and it feels damn good to see this program snatch a win from the jaws of defeat. Also the Twitter meltdown over "The Call" and how it triggered a certain fan base over "The Catch" is just icing on the cake, I'll touch more on that in a separate post.
The Hornet offense had a very uninspired first half of play. This was the first time all season that this offense bogged down in the redzone on almost every visit. I like Coach Marion's aggression on the 4th down plays and the play calls were with our typical smash run plays. Credit to the Idaho defense for getting stops on those critical plays. Cardell Williams (14/18, 176 yds, 1 TD, 8 car, 10 yds, 1 TD) had an efficient night in the air and a game winning run. Aside from his lone poor decision on a pick that was overturned, he took care of the ball which is most important in this style of offense. At this point in the season, the criticism about his game was just greedy and, like at Reno, Williams came through in the clutch. Stop doubting this kid. The calls to see someone else get reps at quarterback are completely off base and that ship has sailed. I liked how Coach Marion dialed up some quick and short passes to the outside to build up his confidence and hope we see some of that next week. Ernest Campbell (6 rec, 61 yds, 1 TD) had a big touchdown but Jordan Williams (2 rec, 38 yds) had the most impactful catches of the night as one came on a 4th and 13 on the game winning drive and the ref assisted catch set up the game winning score.
The Hornet run game was good but not great. The Hornets struggled in critical moments (that 4th down stop on the 2nd to last possession should have cost us the game) and the red zone meltdowns at this point in the season is unacceptable. That goes for both the execution and head scratching play calling at that end of the field. Nonetheless, JaQuail Smith (14 car, 122 yds) and Rodney Hammond Jr (26 car, 120 yds) had strong games.
Hornet defense stepped up for the most part. Idaho had the defense figured out in the 4th quarter but holding a team to 20 points is a good performance. The defense didn't give up any big plays over the top and aside from containment issues on Idaho's mobile quarterback, the open field tackling was sufficient. Oscar Moore (10 tak, 1 TFL) led the team in tackles and Lamont Johnson-Burrell (1 INT) snagged the lone turnover of the game.
Grant Meadors (3/4 FG, 2/2 PAT) came through on field goals. I don't fault him for the blocked field goal at the end of the 1st half as that whole play sequence was a complete clusterfvck and that falls on Coach Marion.
At the end of the day, a win is a win and that is all that matters. The Hornets now get to gear up for a win and in Causeway and the Hornets are heading into it with a lot of momentum.
Stingers Up!