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Kennesaw St @Weber

W

WSUWildcat

Active member
Playoff football time.

Kennesaw St will be the most run heavy team Weber will ever see. They defeated Wofford in the first round with 309 yards rushing on attempts. They only threw the ball 6 times completing 3.

Kennesaw lost its starting QB early in the year. They also lost their second string QB during the Woffrd game and finsihed the game with 3rd string QB Jonathan Murphy. Murphy looked unsteady for a series or two and then settled in and had a fantastic game running the ball for 206 yards.

Weber has typically played the run well and has faced the triple option against Cal Poly already this year. If the Wildcats want to win, they will have to limit the running attack of Kennesaw St and force them to pass.
 
I DVRd the Kennesaw game. What a snoozer. Cal Poly ran the option MUCH better than either of those teams. I predict a dominating game with a big lead early and then super conservative ball afterwards. No style points are needed. Win and advance...

If Weber focuses on the Kennesaw game and plays with intensity, should be a dominating win.
 
Love watching games against teams we never see. The Owls are good and have more talent than Cal Poly. Playing the last few years has given us some needed experience stopping the triple option, but the owls run a different kind of triple option. Hope the boys are prepared. Not sure if the cold will play a factor but the altitude might.

Regardless it should be a good one.

GO CATS!
 
Personally, I enjoy watching the triple option. A good triple option team tells us a couple of things about their style of football and the team in general:

1. Disciplined
2. Tough and physical

And this is the offense we are talking about. The KSU defense is extremely stout as well. Should be a good one. Like Wildcat, I really enjoy seeing teams visit Stewart that we wouldn’t ever see except in the playoffs. Neither team knows much about each other or the style of football they’ve faced throughout the season. Cats just need to play their style of football. Stuff the run and pass enough to keep the Owls honest in the box.

Welcome to Ogden Owls!! If any fans are coming out hit up this forum. The members are pretty good peeps and we love to talk sports.
 
Utah plays Friday night so we’re the only show in town on Saturday right? Hoping for a good turnout!
 
The Dan said:
Utah plays Friday night so we’re the only show in town on Saturday right? Hoping for a good turnout!
Click to expand...
I'm hoping for a big crowd as well. the weather may not cooperate. The forecast is for temps in the low 40s or high 30s, with a 50/50 chance of rain/snow. Not too bad. Just need to dress for it and bring umbrellas and blankets. These can be the best sorts of games if you come prepared. The more people in the stands, the warmer it will be. Let's pack the place.
 
Weber is a 9.5 point favorite. Implied score of about 31-22.

Massey has us as two TD favorites. Bill Connelly who writes for ESPN and created the SP+ prediction model is trying out a beta model for the FCS which I really like. He shows Weber as a 3.7 point favorite which is surprising.

I think this is a good matchup for Weber. Kennesaw is down to their 3rd string QB who is a very talented runner but hasn’t completed a pass this season. Unless he shows something new this weekend passing the ball Kennesaw will have to play perfect to win. They haven’t seen a defensive front as deep or talented as ours. The option isn’t a foreign concept to our staff or players and we’ve had two weeks to prepare.
 
http://www.fcs.football/cfb/story.asp?i=20191203060833725107604&ref=hea&tm=&src=FCS

Craig Haley of STATS predicts a 26-16 Weber win
 
Here is the thing I can't shake. This team has been putting up these rushing numbers against teams that know full well that they will do nothing but run, run, run. I know that we have one of the better run defenses in the country, but we really don't have much to compare them to. Sure, Poly runs a similar attack, but is it with the same level of athlete? The thing that gives me a little more confidence is that Hill is such a good defensive mind and has proven ability to stop most things. I really think this game will be a dog fight. It will be the unstoppable force against the immoveable object. One of those things will overcome the other. it may well come down to turnovers. :coffee:
 
I watched the replay of the Wofford/Kennesaw game. I saw a few people online saying that Kennesaw’s offense isn’t comparable to Cal Poly’s.... that is false. It’s very similar. There won’t be any new concepts for our coaches or players, especially with two weeks to prepare. On the other hand, Kennesaw can turn on the Cal Poly film and see how Coach Hill wants to defend the option. They’ll have a few wrinkles for us and they’ll be able to move the ball.

One thing to remember about the Cal Poly game is they had more success passing the ball than running it. We held them to 4 yards per carry but Hamler kept making throws against our man coverage. Kennesaw’s starting QB was knocked out vs Wofford with a foot or ankle injury. The backup came in and ran for 200 yards but didn’t complete any passes. I would assume they roll with the backup - can you really put your starter in if he has a bum ankle and you’re running the option? He will have to make some big throws in first career start. He is a very elusive runner though.

Defensively it was hard to scout since they were playing such an unusual offense. They basically played 5 man fronts with man coverage behind it. They are definitely smaller than almost every team we’ve played this year except maybe Poly. They look sound fundamentally but I think we’ll have some opportunities to throw the ball on them.

They look well coached on special teams. They limit returns, make their kicks, and have blocked a number of kicks this year. They’ve also had as much success as us in the playoffs recently.

Kennesaw is going to be a tough opponent, but unless we play like we did vs Montana (one of the oddest games in the Jay Hill era) we will prevail. 36-21 Wildcats.
 
The Dan said:
I watched the replay of the Wofford/Kennesaw game. I saw a few people online saying that Kennesaw’s offense isn’t comparable to Cal Poly’s.... that is false. It’s very similar. There won’t be any new concepts for our coaches or players, especially with two weeks to prepare. On the other hand, Kennesaw can turn on the Cal Poly film and see how Coach Hill wants to defend the option. They’ll have a few wrinkles for us and they’ll be able to move the ball.

One thing to remember about the Cal Poly game is they had more success passing the ball than running it. We held them to 4 yards per carry but Hamler kept making throws against our man coverage. Kennesaw’s starting QB was knocked out vs Wofford with a foot or ankle injury. The backup came in and ran for 200 yards but didn’t complete any passes. I would assume they roll with the backup - can you really put your starter in if he has a bum ankle and you’re running the option? He will have to make some big throws in first career start. He is a very elusive runner though.

Defensively it was hard to scout since they were playing such an unusual offense. They basically played 5 man fronts with man coverage behind it. They are definitely smaller than almost every team we’ve played this year except maybe Poly. They look sound fundamentally but I think we’ll have some opportunities to throw the ball on them.

They look well coached on special teams. They limit returns, make their kicks, and have blocked a number of kicks this year. They’ve also had as much success as us in the playoffs recently.

Kennesaw is going to be a tough opponent, but unless we play like we did vs Montana (one of the oddest games in the Jay Hill era) we will prevail. 36-21 Wildcats.
Click to expand...

Nice breakdown. I remember Cal Poly having some good success passing the ball against our D - I'm glad they didn't throw it more. I think Kennesaw is going to have to throw it more than they did v Wofford. That being said - after watching them play Wofford, the Owls are tough. It's going to be a tough game. 38-31 Wildcats
 
Game Notes

https://weberstatesports.com/documents/2019/12/3//Game_13_Kennesaw_State_.pdf

No changes to the depth chart. Justin Malone and Rashid Shaheed are still not listed.
 
Owls not Eagles :-D

Malone has about 15 false starts this year but I think he adds a nice dimension to our passing game with his speed. Hopefully he’s not done for the year.

Also hoping our corners are 100%. The defense really suffered with Heckard and Collins in and out the last few games.
 
Sounds like most injured players will be back with the exception of Shaheed. Possible Malone returns.

https://www.abc4.com/sports/weber-state-head-coach-jay-hill-joins-real-sports-live-4/
 
Noticed WSU Students can get into the game free by showing their Student ID Card (1 ticket only).

Latest weather forecast is showing around 39 degrees & chance for rain/snow later PM.

Let's all get out & cheer on the WILDCATS to a playoff win !!! :thumb:
 
Coach Hill on The Zone

https://1280thezone.com/jay-hill-previewed-the-wildcats-home-fcs-playoffs-game-and-also-reflected-on-his-time-at-utah/
 
IMO, a defense, to be successful against a good option team, needs to attack it before it gets set up. You need to be in their back field forcing them to do things before they normally do. You can not sit back and let them come at you. If you are doing it right, it means that your DBs are almost always in man coverage. That does leave you a little exposed to big passing plays, but if you can stay disciplined and read it right, you can stop anything. If you do it right, you can also turn them over quite a bit. A lot of high risk ball handling goes into the option attack. Stop the dive, get the ball out of the QB's hands quickly, and have enough bodies to stop the pitch man. Force them to pass. Get them out of their comfort zone. Disrupt their rhythm. :coffee:
 
I agree with Olds, beating the triple-option starts with discipline and toughness. Understanding your assignment is key to limiting a good triple-option team. Getting into the backfield, hitting the QB, and out toughing the line are huge to beating the triple-option. I know we have a couple of advantages with elevation and weather, but that means nothing once the game starts. It is the playoffs and teams are playing for the right to advance and play the following week. Weber needs to hold onto the ball, play sound, physical defense, and score points after long, time consuming drives to win this game. This is going to be a slug-fest for sure.
 
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