Recap/Thoughts
So I’ve tried to look at this past game by organizing my thoughts trying to rid my emotion about it so here are some of the things I noticed when I listened to this past week’s epic win over Oregon State:
Offense
Stellar performance through the air by Fleming (Norrise) and the receiving corps. Just amazing. Whenever the offense needed a big play or needed a first down, this group delivered. The OL did enough to give Fleming the time he needed to make some throws so hats off to them as well. The running game struggled but OSU had the size advantage up front. I think the RB’s will get their yards when they play defenses that are not as talented as OSU’s. Also Sperbeck did a great job of keeping the defense honest by not abandoning the run. I think this really allowed the passing game to be as effective as it was down the stretch.
- • Fleming: 22 of 35 for 257 yards, 3 TD’s, 24 rushing yards on 13 carries
• Norrise: 6 recs for 89 yards, 1 of 1 for 39 yards and a TD
• Reed: 6 recs for 85 yards and 2 TD’s
• Deadder: 6 recs for 61 yards and 2 TD’s, 1 carry for -4 yards
• Hilliard: 14 carries for 31 yards
• Hendershott: 3 recs for 19 yards
• Chastain: 1 rec for 8 yards
• Shaw: 4 carries for 0 yards
This offense needs to keep up this intensity all season long. This passing attack coupled with a respectable rushing attack will be a hard thing to stop. The only things I can recall that needs improvement are the turnovers. 2 fumbles is 2 too many. The Hilliard fumble really changed the momentum of the game. This sounded like it was an exchange issue so this should be able to get cleaned up. The Deadder fumble seemed a bit acrobatic and it sounded like the ball was jarred loose on a crazy hit. Also it sounded like Deadder and Fleming weren’t always on the same page. From what I heard, Fleming had a few throws where he expected Deadder to cut one way but he did the opposite. The OL allowed 2 sacks, which considering the opponent is still a job well done, however this front line will need to make sure they can properly pick up blitzes and keep Fleming safe.
Defense
The “Hornet Swarm” defense did an outstanding job. From the sound of things, they did a great job of swarming to the ball and making open field tackles. The various blitz packages really allowed the defense to get to Katz in the first half and disrupt the passing game as the Hornets racked up 2 sacks. Forcing 2 turnovers was also great and this defense needs to continue that aggressive style of play. The secondary did a great job of getting to the ball and making a play. I recall hearing Larche’s name quite a bit. We had some question marks at safety coming into this season and it looks like Larche and McMahon are going to fill in quite well.
- • Davis: 12 tackles
• McMahon: 10 tackles
• Larche: 7 tackles
• Badger: 6 tackles, 1 tfl
• Odiase: 6 tackles, 1 INT
• Wilkins\Coleman\Allen: 5 tackles
• Nash: 4 tackles, 1 tfl, 1 sack
• Monson: 4 tackles
• White: 2 tackles, 1 tfl, 1 sack
This defense did wear down but that was expected when facing a team with 22 more scholarships along with greater size and talent. My only concern would be seeing if the run defense can be shored up. I know they were outsized and this played a large part into the yards they gave up, but the Hornets don’t have the biggest interior linemen so that may be an issue when this team faces a power running attack.
Special Teams
It sounded like the coverage teams were hit or miss. The punt coverage was excellent, but the kick coverage allowed some decent returns. Heath’s first punt was horrible but then he seemed to get it together and really shined. Diniz struggled. From the descriptions over the radio, all the PAT’s were described as “low line drives”. Also the blocked FG was a 28 yard FG, these need to be makes. Diniz needs to get his kicks up so they are less likely to get blocked. I attended a spring practice and he struggled with the low kick issue as well so seeing as this seems to not have been addressed over the offseason, I am a bit concerned about this.
- • Heath: 5 punts for a 36.4 ypp avg. 1 inside the 20
• Kick Coverage: Allowed 87 yards on 3 returns (29.0 ypr)
• Punt Coverage: Allowed 2 returns for 0 yards, 1 fair catch forced
• Diniz: 1 touchback, 3/3 PAT’s, 1 blocked FG
• McCowan: 2 kr’s for 46 yards (23.0 ypr)
• Croxdale: 1 kr for 10 yards
Injuries
We finally get through a money bag game without any major injuries. I recall hearing Badger had a hamstring injury but returned to the game. Also I think Larche got banged up but it didn’t sound serious. Not sure if there were others but all things considered we didn’t lose anyone for an extended amount of time.
Other Random Things
The new 93.1 channel is amazing and that production team along with the returning announcers did a great job. I definitely loved how the 93.1 broadcast center covered the halftime overview of the day’s scores as well as a brief overview of all the other Hornet sport events going on during the weekend. Also loved how the scoring recap used the live call clips, I don’t remember if the old station did this. I also heard them say that all the audio is archived on their site and is available for a re-listen online whenever fans want it. If anyone is planning to listen to this broadcast again, just skip to the OT and listen to the call when Reed hauls in the game winning 2 point conversion. I totally lost it when I heard the call live.
I was in Reno/North Lake Tahoe area and went into a 7-11 to find a Sac Bee. The heading of the Sac Bee was a pic of Reed just after he made his game winning grab. The sports section had a big picture of Hornet players celebrating. I won’t say that that was the best $3 I ever spent, but it was pretty damn close to it. It was great to see the Hornets as the main focus on the sports page. I hope this burst in media coverage translates into asses in seats and money in the coffers. :nod:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/boxscore?gid=201109030061
http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/football/release.asp?release_id=9812
