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Week 11: Idaho State @ Sac State

SDHornet

SDHornet

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Staff member
Week 11: Idaho State @ Sac State

The Hornets will be hosting the Bengals 2-7 (1-5 BSC) who are in rebuild mode with new Head Coach Kramer. The Bengals have had their struggles but there is a sense of resurgence in their program. ISU will not come to Sac and just roll over; the Hornets will have to take care of business if they want to see a win this week.

Offense
ISU throws the ball all over the field and mainly runs a hurry-up shotgun spread formation. ISU has no running game so the game will rest on QB Yost. ISU also has a struggling OL. The OL has some depth issues and overall they aren’t very good. They aren’t big and had this unit been able to perform better this season ISU would probably have more wins this season. ISU’s team stats and statistical leaders:
  • • Rushing Offense: 21.3 ypg (9th BSC, 120th FCS)
    • Passing Offense: 316.6 ypg (2nd BSC, 7th FCS)
    • Total Offense: 337.9 ypg (8th BSC, 80th FCS)
    • Yost, QB: 249 of 409 for 2,515 yards, 14 TD’s, 10 INT’s
    • Daniels, RB: 28 carries for 127 yards
    • Rumble, WR: 98 recs for 1,224 yards, 9 TD’s
    • Hill, WR: 43 recs for 364 yards, 1 TD
    • Graves, WR: 40 recs for 388 yards, 2 TD’s
    • Boyles, WR: 28 recs for 321 yards, 2 TD’s
    • Austin, WR: 20 recs for 203 yards, 2 TD’s
    • OL: Allowed 54 sacks
    • Avg TOP: 28:11
The explosive Tavoy Moore was booted off the team earlier in the year so that weapon no longer exists for the Bengals. The Hornet defense will need to get pressure and harass the QB. This is a tall order to ask as the Hornet DL has for the most part been ineffective at generating a consistent pass rush. Statistically it will be the worst DL (T-8th BSC, 13 sacks) going against the worst OL (9th BSC, 54 sacks allowed). Nash needs to have a big game and get to Yost often. The secondary will have to do well as the Bengals spread the ball all over the field. A good pass rush can make their job easier.

Defense
I’m not to sure what defense ISU runs but they give up a lot of yards and points. ISU does have a capable LB group with Storms and Hudeen so I think they will be capable of slowing down the Hornet rushing game if the Hornet OL has another lackluster performance. ISU’s defensive stats:
  • • Rushing Defense: 268.7 ypg (9th BSC, 119th FCS)
    • Passing Defense: 190.1 ypg (1st BSC, 36th FCS)
    • Total Defense: 458.8 ypg (9th BSC, 116th, FCS)
    • Storms, LB: 85 tackles, 5 TFL’s, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT
    • Hudeen, LB: 52 tackles, 4.5 TFL’s
    • Davis, FS: 47 tackles, 3 TFL’s, 1 INT
    • Albers, LB: 47 tackles, 4 TFL’s, 1 sack
    • Rouser, DE: 44 tackles, 9 TFL’s, 3.5 sacks
    • Melendez, DB: 42 tackles, 1 INT
    • Francis, LB: 41 tackles, 4.5 TFL’s, 1 sack
    • Henley, CB: 40 tackles, 2 TFL’s, 4 INT’s
    • Monga, DT: 38 tackles, 4.5 TFL’s, 1 sack
    • Miller, CB: 37 tackles
    • Graves, DL: 33 tackles, 6.5 TFL’s, 1.6 sacks
    • Coleman, SS: 33 tackles, 3 TFL’s, 1 sack, 2 INT’s
Hilliard completely owns ISU. There should be no excuse for Hilliard not getting at least 20 touches if he is healthy. The OL needs to have a good game if the Hornets are to be successful. Long drives that eat up minutes and keep ISU’s capable passing attack on the bench will be a key to victory. This offense needs to show some sign of life this week.

Special Teams
ISU has the all around edge in this one…not that that is something hard to do against the Hornet kicking game. ISU’s season stats:
  • • Garcia, K: 6/7 FG’s, 17/21 PAT’s, FG long of 46 yards
    • Harrington, P: 47 punts for 2,284 yards (48.6 ypp), 4 Inside 14, 8 TB’s, 12 FC’s
    • Davidson, PR: 2 pr’s for 12 yards (6.0 ypr)
    • McSurdy, KR: 19 kr’s for 359 yards (18.9 ypr)
    • Kick Coverage: Allowed 33 returns for 720 yards (21.8 ypr)
    • Punt Coverage: Allowed 29 returns for 355 yards (12.2 ypr)
I’m feeling a blocked punt this week. The kicking coverage teams need to find a way to balance out the huge kicking disadvantage the Hornets have on a weekly basis.

Intangibles

  • • ISU has committed 55 penalties for 447 yards so far (49.7 ypg). This is a well disciplined team under Kramer and they are the least penalized in the BSC. The Hornets have 62 penalties for 584 yards (64.9 ypg), 5th least BSC.
    • ISU’s turnover margin is -6 (9th BSC) compared to the Hornets -2 (5th BSC). The Hornets need to force some turnovers to give the offense some more chances at points.
    • Weather. Poor weather will give a clear advantage to the Hornets as they have shown to have a capable running attack at times and ISU has no running game to speak of.
Hornetsports preview:
Not yet released.

Sac State Sports:
http://sacstatesports.com/2011/11/08/hornets-football-lookahead-idaho-state-scouting-report/

This Hornet team is desperate for a win. It should be a Hornet victory, but the Hornets have done nothing but disappoint in the second half of the season. If this team comes out flat and unmotivated, especially on offense, look for ISU pull it out. I don’t think that will happen, but you never know.

Go Hornets!
 
Hornetsports preview:

http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/football/release.asp?release_id=9978

Per SSS, Fleming is questionable and it will be Safron if Fleming is a no-go. Fleming missed 2 days of practice this week due to one reason or another. The game plan should start with Hilliard and end with Hilliard so I don’t know how much of an impact the QB change will have. Also Reed is out (shocker) and Chastain is out. They didn’t say if Deadder will be back. My guess is Norrise, Hendershott, Carter, Broadnax, and others will see the bulk of the playing time at WR.

http://sacstatesports.com/2011/11/11/hornets-face-unique-challenge-against-pass-happy-idaho-state/

My score prediction is a 34-13 Hornet victory. (Hornets go 2/5 on 2-point conversions.)
 
SDHornet said:
Hornetsports preview:

http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/football/release.asp?release_id=9978

Per SSS, Fleming is questionable and it will be Safron if Fleming is a no-go. Fleming missed 2 days of practice this week due to one reason or another. The game plan should start with Hilliard and end with Hilliard so I don’t know how much of an impact the QB change will have. Also Reed is out (shocker) and Chastain is out. They didn’t say if Deadder will be back. My guess is Norrise, Hendershott, Carter, Broadnax, and others will see the bulk of the playing time at WR.

http://sacstatesports.com/2011/11/11/hornets-face-unique-challenge-against-pass-happy-idaho-state/

My score prediction is a 34-13 Hornet victory. (Hornets go 2/5 on 2-point conversions.)
Click to expand...

I expect us to win this game and the Causeway. Even with with all the injuries we still have the talent and athletic advantage over both the bagels and the dungpilers. There is no reason either game should be close. Just a thought, the radio team mentioned that they tried a lot of kickers in practice and Diniz outkicked all of them. Since we really have nothing to lose why not give some of the other kickers (the Heaths etc.) a chance to see what they can do in a actual game situation? One of them just might man up and surprise us!
 
Green Laser said:
SDHornet said:
Hornetsports preview:

http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/football/release.asp?release_id=9978

Per SSS, Fleming is questionable and it will be Safron if Fleming is a no-go. Fleming missed 2 days of practice this week due to one reason or another. The game plan should start with Hilliard and end with Hilliard so I don’t know how much of an impact the QB change will have. Also Reed is out (shocker) and Chastain is out. They didn’t say if Deadder will be back. My guess is Norrise, Hendershott, Carter, Broadnax, and others will see the bulk of the playing time at WR.

http://sacstatesports.com/2011/11/11/hornets-face-unique-challenge-against-pass-happy-idaho-state/

My score prediction is a 34-13 Hornet victory. (Hornets go 2/5 on 2-point conversions.)
Click to expand...

I expect us to win this game and the Causeway. Even with with all the injuries we still have the talent and athletic advantage over both the bagels and the dungpilers. There is no reason either game should be close. Just a thought, the radio team mentioned that they tried a lot of kickers in practice and Diniz outkicked all of them. Since we really have nothing to lose why not give some of the other kickers (the Heaths etc.) a chance to see what they can do in a actual game situation? One of them just might man up and surprise us!
Click to expand...

or since this season from a playoff standpoint is over. Why dont we let Diniz continue to kick since he has proven in practice that he can do it. That way maybe he can get his confidence up in game situations going into next season. And if it doesnt work out im sure the coaches are recruiting kickers for next year regardless. Also Smith Heath is a pure punter, he didnt kick FGs in HS so i wouldnt expect to seeing him do any FGs in college.
 
Idaho State has a serious passing game so I'm afraid our choice of kicker won't be as big a factor as other positions. We will need to play well across the board to win the next two games. However I recognize those still here at this point in the season must really love the Hornets and I appreciate clarity so...

Augie Heath is the holder. He is ready to go as a kicker or punter if called upon.

Smith Heatn is a "pure punter" however he is also a talented athlete and a very capable of placekicker in an emergency.

Jason Diniz remains the kicker. He has a good attitude and continues to work hard every day. He has looked very good in practice and he should be fine the rest of the season.

Note: There was NO tryout for replacement kickers and the coaches did NOT look at other options even though there are several players on the team with kicking experience including Augie Heath - 10 FGs at Butte College and Cory Vanderbeek - HS Kicker.

Sorry but the coaches OWN this (and other questionable choices), along with a good deal of the responsibility for this season not going as well as it could have gone. :ohno:

Finish Strong....Go Hornets!
 
you guys all realize that Dintz will kick a game-winning FG vs Davis, right?

"Cinderella story, out of nowhere, former scapgoat, now a causeway legend"

my apologies to Bill Murray.
 
Hornets squeak by ISU 24-9 (3 TD, 3 2-point conversions, 3 FG's for ISU). Nash set the all-time Hornet sack record tonight and the defense tied the BSC record for sacks in a game as the defense won this one for the Hornets. Offense was absolutely pathetic under Safron and Sperbeck play calling save a handful of plays. You never realize how hard it is to win a game without any semblance of a kicking game (both punting and place kicking). I’ll post a full recap sometime tomorrow or Monday. The farm extension lost so there will be a magnitude if suckage no human being has ever saw for the Causeway next week. I guess I'll try to enjoy this win.
 
I know we've been talking about Diniz 2.0 all year long, but what happened to the punting game? I thought that was decent. Was this just a one-game power outage?
 
SDHornet said:
Hornets squeak by ISU 24-9 (3 TD, 3 2-point conversions, 3 FG's for ISU). Nash set the all-time Hornet sack record tonight and the defense tied the BSC record for sacks in a game as the defense won this one for the Hornets. Offense was absolutely pathetic under Safron and Sperbeck play calling save a handful of plays. You never realize how hard it is to win a game without any semblance of a kicking game (both punting and place kicking). I’ll post a full recap sometime tomorrow or Monday. The farm extension lost so there will be a magnitude if suckage no human being has ever saw for the Causeway next week. I guess I'll try to enjoy this win.
Click to expand...

The offense was having problems, the defense played great keeping ISU out of the end zone. Safron overthrew open receivers several times that had everyone beat. Fleming and Reed are supposed to be back for the Causeway which will help. It was a hard fought and very physical game on both sides. When did a 13 point win become squeaking by?
 
that was one ugly game of football. If we play like this next week the farm extension will destroy us. This is the second week in a row that only the defense showed up to play. No offense and no special teams. Although as far as punting goes there was really only one shank and that can happen everyonce in awhile
 
i think that the complete abandonment of the kicking game is not Sperbeck's shining moment. the 2-point conversions for the second game and the decision to go for it on a 4th and goal from the 12 instead of a FG? if next week comes down to a FG situation, seems like it would have been nice to get a kicker some confidence in a game with less pressure.

publicly exposing your complete lack of confidence in the kicker seems almost like scapegoating him for the season.

as for next week....who the heck knows. dominate Poly one week (who lost in 3OT to EWU...beat SUU), and then come back and gain 200 yards vs. an average North Dakota? 3 more turnovers? our defense is playing very well, especially vs. the run...so...we have that going. i thought we'd be on a 2-game winning streak; once again, i was wrong.

i did suggestion the attendence for last night would be ~5000......for what ever that is worth.
 
The Hornets squeaked by. It was 3-0 ISU (thanks to a Hornet fumble on the opening kickoff), then 8-3 Hornets (thanks to a failed ISU fake punt on their own 6), then 8-6 (ISU capitalized on a Safron fumble) for most of the game. Then in the 3rd qtr ISU took a 9-8 lead then a blocked punt (the only positive on all of special teams) set up a Hornet TD to make it 16-9 (a one possession game). Then a late 4th qtr TD put the game out of reach. If we would have been playing any other BSC team last night we would have lost handily.

SH, the punting has sucked all year. Heath2 was doing so bad that Heath1 was put back in and he did not do much better. When the Hornets were punting from their own 20 (ball snapped from the 20), the ISU punt returned was standing at the 50. That is how bad the punting has been all season long. About the only thing punting has done has pinned teams inside the 20 when drives stall around midfield.

DM, Sperbeck isn’t scapgoating anyone. Diniz2 is awful. Sperbeck goes for 4th and whatever when in FG range because Diniz2 has proved all season long he can’t even make the chip shots. He is a head case and it results in a lack of confidence even for PAT’s (He had 2 blocked because of low kicks in the NAU game which resulted in that loss). Also his kickoffs at best reach the 10, thus giving up even better field position for opponents. Both the kicking game and punting have been terrible all season long; it should be a point of emphasis this offseason.
 
i understand the thinking, SD, to an extent. 4th and 12 is a pretty tough assignment on a backup QB; a missed FG is only 8 yards worse field possession-wise than missing on the 4th. and, when it got to 22-9, i think i'd give the kid a shot with zero pressure on him.

my sons tell me the pre-game meal has to be at the "Squeeze Inn". Good call? should i start doubling up on my Lipitor now?
 
Recap/Thoughts

The Hornets pulled off a 24-9 win at home against Idaho State to improve to 4-6 and finish 3-5 in BSC play. It was an ugly game but the defense kept ISU out of the endzone and had a good night. The offense continued to struggle as Fleming missed another game and Safron struggled to get the passing game going. Fortunately the Hornets generated just enough of a rushing attack to score enough points.

Offense
The offense had another bad outing. The Hornets struggled to put together a consistent attack and Safron struggled to hit open receivers. A failed fake ISU punt from their own 6 (yes that is not a typo) gifted the Hornets with their first TD. The Hornets then capitalized on a blocked punt with a Safron TD run late in the 3rd quarter. The Hornets got a late TD in the 4th quarter to seal the game. Credit is due to ISU’s defense as they did a good job at containing the Hornets and keeping this game close. Game stats:
  • • Safron: 7 of 16 for 100 yards, 1 TD, 74 rushing yards on 17 carries, 1 TD
    • Edwards: 1 of 6 for 13 yards
    • Hilliard: 14 carries for 35 yards, 1 TD
    • McCowan: 9 carries for 20 yards
    • Croxdale: 5 carries for 22 yards
    • Hendershott: 3 recs for 58 yards
    • Norrise: 2 recs for 21 yards
    • Knowles: 1 rec for 22 yards
    • Howard: 1 rec for 7 yards
    • Maciel: 1 rec for 5 yards, 1 TD
    • OL: 1 sack allowed
    • TOP: 30:44
Nothing really looked good offensively in this game. Hilliard was pretty ineffective and didn’t get as many touches as I thought he would get. For the second week in a row, Croxdale saw a lot of snaps and was largely ineffective yet again. He did have a crucial run on the last scoring drive late in the game that got a Hornet 1st down. This was followed by a 40 yard pass to Hendershott which set up the Hilliard TD from inside the 5 to put the game away. Safron really needs to start hitting his receivers. There were many WR open down the field that were over thrown. Safron has a couple of fumbles that resulted in some ISU points so he needs to take better care of the ball. The Hornets were a perfect 3/3 on 2-point conversions which was a positive.

Defense
The defense has a stellar night. Nash became the all-time Hornet career leader in sacks and the defense tied a BSC single game sack record as well as a Hornet single game sack record with 10. Having Odiase back from injury was huge as he kept Rumble in check and he was all over the field. The secondary really stepped up and kept the pass happy Bengals in check. The DL needed to have a big game against the worst BSC OL and they did. Great effort all around. Game stats:
  • • Rushing Allowed: 18 yards on 32 attempts (0.6 ypr), 0 TD’s
    • Passing Allowed: 22/44 for 182 yards (8.3 ypc), 1 INT, 0 TD’s
    • Davis: 10 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack
    • Badger: 9 tackles, 2 TFL’s, 2 sacks
    • Odiase: 9 tackles, 0.5 TFL’s
    • Nash: 8 tackles, 6 TFL’s, 5 sacks
    • Monson: 5 tackles
    • McMahon: 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack
    • Bloomfield: 5 tackles, 0.5 TFL’s
    • Coleman: 4 tackles, 1 INT
    • Agaiava: 4 tackles
    • Wilkins: 3 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack
The defense will need to keep playing the way they are if the Hornets want to finish the season on a high note. The defense came to play and it showed. Holding ISU to nothing but FG’s even with poor field position due to turnovers and poor special teams play was huge.

Special Teams
The ST units had an overall poor night. A fumble on the opening kickoff was pretty embarrassing and as expected the kicking game put this team at a disadvantage. The lone bright spot was the blocked punt (I called it BTW) that set up a Hornet TD. Vanderbeek had another blocked punt in his hands but missed the ball and clobbered the ISU punter.
  • • S. Heath: 3 punts for a 21.3 ypp avg. 1 Inside 20
    • A. Heath: 3 punts for a 33.0 ypp avg.
    • Kick Coverage: Allowed 97 yards on 4 returns (24.2 ypr)
    • Punt Coverage: Allowed 2 yards on 1 return (2.0 ypr)
    • Diniz: 0/0 PAT’s, 0/0 FG’s
    • Hendershott: 4 kr’s for 32 yards (8.0 ypr)
    • Monson: 1 pr for 5 yards
    • McMahon: 1 pr for 9 yards
Hopefully the Hornets can continue to block punts because that unit is the only ST’s unit that is providing a spark. Hendershott has some potential to lift the team with a big return but was unable to do so this past week. The botched kick return resulting in a fumble was downright awful. Not having a place kicker continues to leave points on the field as stalled drives in striking range result in 0 points.

Injuries
Fleming was out, Deadder, Reed, and Chastain were out, Nash is battling turf toe and I’m sure there are plenty of players banged up with bumps and bruises at this point in the season. At this point in the season every team has players banged up and depth will play a major role.

Other Random Stuff
Box Score:
http://www.bigskyconf.com/custompages/football/2011/stats/sac-isu.htm

Photos:
http://sacstatesports.com/2011/11/12/photo-gallery-sac-state-v-idaho-state-bengals/

Highlights:
I haven’t seen one.

Hornetsports:
http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/football/release.asp?release_id=9995

Sac State Sports:
http://sacstatesports.com/2011/11/1...k-after-rocky-first-half-to-beat-idaho-state/

The Hornets are fully reliant on the defense at this point. The offense is just floundering along and the kicking game continues to give up field position. Fortunately the Hornet defense was able to get the job done and the offense did just enough to pull it out. Time to focus on the Causeway.

Go Hornets!
 
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