Hornets vs. Weber

[Green Laser]

Way to go Hornets. I saw a tremendous effort on both sides of the ball out there and it was a complete team victory. Huggins is a fantastic QB and gets rid of the ball so fast...probably the best QB in the BSC. The defense was able to stop him just enough to win this game and that is all you can ask because he is a beast.

Speaking of beasts, Hilliard played like one as well. Great game plan by Sperbeck to control the clock by running and run we did. Fleming is really a godsend for us and he did a nice job managing the game. Much better decisions, no interceptions thrown, and made a couple of huge third down conversions.

Finally, the defense... they really showed a terrific effort and are coming together very nicely. We had a good push up front, our linebackers were making plays, and we had some nice pass breakups. This defense will keep getting better and better. Schrader made a huge hit last night to knock the ball loose from a receiver.

And hats off to Chris Deniz, who continues to amaze me with his accurate leg as he hits a 43 yard field goal last night and is now 15 for 16 on field goal attempts.

This should be a big confidence booster as the Hornets go up to play the Griz. The Griz will be angry and motivated after dropping two close ones. What a sweet time it would be to finally break through the Griz jinx and drop another big L on them in their house. These Hornets can do it if they play smart, but it will take everything they have. Great job Hornets and go beat those Griz!!!!!!

Well stated HHD! I agree completely, the Hornets responded to every challenge and beat a very good, talented, and dangerous team last night. There were a lot of times that they could have folded their tent and let Weber take over the flow of the game but they refused to let it happen. They flat out performed when the money was on the table!
This may have been the pivotal game to take this program to the next level. There was a lot of talk about this being a put up or shut up game to see if the Hornets really belong in the upper level of the Big Sky, that question has been answered! I love the way this program has been put together and is run. As a long suffering Hornet fan I have faith that good times are finally on the horizon! Congratulations to the Hornets and coaches, take it to the Griz!

 

[SactoHornetAlum]

A couple of things, first, even though they did not get a sack, the DL put pressure on Higgins most of the night, causing him to rush a lot of his throws, which is why they dropped the ball a lot or just threw terrible passes. Second, I liked the play calling Coach Sperbeck did with the no huddle in the first half. Weber basically was stunned by our hurry up offense. Too bad Hilliard fumbled inside the 10, we probably would have scored on that drive. Need to make sure stuff doesn't happen like that next week because you know Montana can exploit something like that.

Third, Hilliard will just wear you down. If we can get Shaw back in soon, plus with McCowan and Fleming, we have such a potent running attack. It was nice as a Hornet fan to not know what Coach was going to call last night.

Such a great statement for this program. But, if we REALLY want to make a statement, the guys will need to get the biggest win of their careers next week.

Go Hornets!!!

 

[SDHornet]

Recap

We learned a lot from this tremendous win over WSU. There are still some things that need to be cleaned up but the Hornets came out very hungry and played like they wanted it. They moved the ball well and the defense played extremely well against the prolific WSU offense. There is no doubt Sperbeck has this program on the right path. This could be the start of a very special season.

Sperbeck called a run heavy game plan and rightfully so, WSU struggled against the run against UNC last week. The run heavy scheme used a lot of clock resulting in the amount of time Higgins had with the ball to be reduced. The play calling was predictable but WSU still struggled to stop it even though they knew it was coming. This is a credit to the OL for making the blocks and opening running lanes for Hilliard. I tuned in late but apparently the Hornets fumbled as they were about to punch it in for a score. If they score there, this game probably wouldn’t have been as close as it was. I will say that the penalties need to be reduced. There were some instances where a holding or false start completely stalled a drive. That is probably the only negative thing that can be said about the offensive performance last night. Another thing I liked was the hurry up offense that kept the WSU defense on its heels. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this used in Missoula next week.

The defense did extremely well in limiting the big play. Holding Higgins and the WSU offense to only 17 points is a great accomplishment. The front 4 managed to get some pressure on Higgins but wasn’t able to get any sacks. Higgins was constantly forced to step up in the pocket or was flushed and had to throw on the run. Higgins has mobility so his ability to evade the rush was impressive. The LB’s made some solid tackles in open field and alongside the front 4 they completely stuffed the WSU run attack. I really enjoyed their aggressive style of play against the run. There was a swarm of Hornets on the RB shortly after he got the ball. The secondary really stepped up and made some key breakups and hits to deny some WSU completions. Overall the secondary looked good but they still struggle when they drop into a conservative zone.

On special teams the kickoff coverage was poor. They constantly lost contain and Bolen exploited this for multiple big returns. The kickoff coverage issue can be fixed so I am not too concerned about it now. The kicking game was solid yet again. I don’t know if there is a better kicker/punter combination in the BSC than Diniz and Heath. Heath had some high hanging punts that allowed the coverage to surround the returner. Aside from shoring up the kickoff coverage, the special teams did their job.

What we learned:

• • Fleming is starting to settle in. He made some good decisions and didn’t have any turnovers. He found the open receivers and got the ball where it needed to go. He did have a few passes go off target but this should improve with the increased playing time and experience he will see in the coming weeks. The only concern I have here is there was some confusion at times that led to timeouts being used early. Hopefully this gets worked on as well.
  • Hilliard and the OL seem to have everything going. Hilliard had an amazing game and went 136 yards and 2 TD’s on 32 carries. It’s good to see him back.
  • McCowan needs to get the ball in space. He had a great run on a toss sweep out of the shotgun formation and he got to showcase his speed. Unfortunately it was called back due to a holding penalty. I’d like to see him get some passes in the flat or some screen passes to take advantage of his speed and give him a chance to make some large gains.
  • Deader is back. He had some huge catches in this game and is the leading receiver for the Hornets. Reed is still getting back into the swing of things and looks to be returning to his old form. Hendershott didn’t play; hopefully his injury didn’t flare back up. The receivers are looking good and are getting open.
  • The DL is hungry and seems to be on the doorstep of making things happen against the pass. They almost got Higgins on multiple occasions but the mobile QB was able to escape.
  • The Hornet defense is aggressive and can make tackles in the open field. They held WSU to 95 rushing yards on 25 carries.
  • The Hornet secondary looks vastly improved from last year. They still struggle in conservative zone coverage, hopefully this will get better when Gordon returns to the lineup. There looked as though some man coverage was used, this was a nice change to see.
  • This Hornet team has some character. When WSU converted that 4th and inches off of a terrible spot which they converted into a TD, the Hornets came out and kept their poise and drove for the game winning TD. The defense then came out and shut down Higgins. The Horents kept their heads up and battled. This is what winners do; this team will go far if they play like that every game.

The Hornets knocked off the 21st ranked WSU Wildcats and are poised to make some noise in the Big Sky. It was a great effort by both the athletes and the coaches and they really made a statement in this game. It was put up or shut up time and the Hornets delivered. I think the most impressive aspect of this game was the Hornets resolve. They never got down on themselves when WSU grabbed the momentum in the 3rd quarter and battled back to secure the win. It was a great team effort and now they head to Missoula to face a team that has dropped the last two. The Hornets will need another amazing effort if they want their first win against UM in Sac State history.

GO HORNETS!