• Hi Guest, want to participate in the discussions, keep track of read/unread posts, upgrade to remove ads and more? Create your free account and increase the benefits of your BigSkyFans.com experience today!

Week 3: Sac State vs Weber State

SDHornet

SDHornet

Moderator
Staff member
Week 3: Sac State vs Weber State

Weber State (0-2, 0-0) comes into Sac winless, but they have had a rough schedule so far. They got rolled at Arizona State to start the year and then lost at home to North Dakota State (the best FCS program in the land) last week. However peeking behind the curtains and looking at the stats for those games and it appears that the Wildcats are much improved from a season ago. WSU mounted a balanced attack against ASU and managed over 300 yards of offense, and were able to move the ball through the air against NDSU for 240 yards.

WSU stats: http://www.bigskyconf.com/custompages/football/2014/stats/wsu.htm

Offensively the Wildcats base formation is a single RB and a TE with three WRs. They are a pass first offense and had a 2:1 pass to run ration against NDSU. Most of the offensive starters are underclassmen, but their OL has experience and has good size. QB (#11) Green (40/72, 1 TD, 0 INT) is young but looks promising. He has two solid targets in WRs (#1) Kehano (15 recs, 187 yds, 1 TD) and (#81) Livingston (10 recs, 125 yds). The running game has been has been split between (#25) Smith (22 cars, 141 yds, 1 TD) and (#31) Wilkes (22 cars, 86 yds, 1 TD). The matchup against the Hornet defense will be an interesting one. This game should show us what the Hornet defense is capable of.

Defensively the Wildcats use the 4-3. The DL has good size on the interior and have has a good mix of experienced upper classmen and young underclassmen. Hard to tell exactly how good (or bad) this defense is given their two opponents faced this season. The leading tacklers are LBs (#11) King (24 tak) and (#44) Tela (17 tak, 1 TFL). The WSU defense has 2 INTs, 2 sacks, and 8 TFLs. The Hornet offense should be able to move the ball through the air, but as usual running the ball might be a challenge.

Hard to tell how the Wildcats special team play is based on the stats. They have only attempted 1 FG (blocked) but it looks like Kehano is a more than capable punt returner. All but one of their kickoffs has been for a touchback.

I think this is a must win game for the Hornets, specifically for Sears. Not only does this team need a bounce back win, but Sears cannot lose to his old team. WSU is in rebuild mode and Sears inherited a stable Hornet program stocked with talent. If the Hornets lose this home opener, Hornet fans will have to wonder if Sears is the right coach for job.

Go Hornets!!!
 
I've watched both Weber State games as well as the Hornets and I'd say Weber is just as good as we are, so it should be a nail biter; however, Sagerin has Sac St at #161 and Weber at only 204; I think that's low for them tho.
 
The Green Hornet said:
I've watched both Weber State games as well as the Hornets and I'd say Weber is just as good as we are, so it should be a nail biter; however, Sagerin has Sac St at #161 and Weber at only 204; I think that's low for them tho.
Click to expand...
I agree, I think this will be close but we should win it. This will be a good indicator for both programs.

a86d108c-3042-4116-9816-a44ce4b25e67_zps38c0c850.jpg


Hornetsports Preview: http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/20140909ljxewg
 
Anyone else see Incarnate Word on College Gameday?...the group was up in Fargo and NDSU just happens to be playing them today. They are going to get destroyed, but great exposure.
 
Yes, no one knew who the hell they were. I liked when Desmond Howard called them "incarnate road"
 
Someone else in the media called them Incarnate World.

I thought in the spinrg someone was making a joke as I had never heard of this school. But it goes back to the 18 hundreds. Now we know who they are and it is great that they are part of the FCS and coming to Sacramento in 2016 I believe to play us. That is good. Love to see FCS opponents on our non conference slate.
 
josephpoint said:
Someone else in the media called them Incarnate World.

I thought in the spinrg someone was making a joke as I had never heard of this school. But it goes back to the 18 hundreds. Now we know who they are and it is great that they are part of the FCS and coming to Sacramento in 2016 I believe to play us. That is good. Love to see FCS opponents on our non conference slate.
Click to expand...

I never heard of them either until last year when they started showing up on the scores. Apparently they are pretty well bankrolled by the owners of the New Orleans Saints and others. One thing they don't avoid competition, scheduling NDSU in Fargo. They might be a FCS player in a few years.
 
Hoping that everyone is enjoying the great tailgate parties right now outside of Hornet Stadium and that the community , Green Army, alumni will be out in force for the Hornets for our mid Sept. home opener on our
amazing pretty green campus along the American River.

Best of luck to our beloved Hornets!!!

Go Sac State!!!
 
congrats to our Hornets for a big win over a very good Weber State team. Thank GOD we have a field goal kicker who will be the special team player of the week in the Big Sky as I predict. Oh how so our football history of late would have been so different with a kicker who put it thru the up rights. . Congrats. Hornets on a very good Weber State team. Weber State is going to be a force to contend with in the BSC.

Keep defending home field Hornets next week against Menlo.

And keep this in mind.

DEFENSE
 
congrats to our Hornets for a big win over a very good Weber State team. Thank GOD we have a field goal kicker who will be the special team player of the week in the Big Sky as I predict. Oh how so our football history of late would have been so different with a kicker who put it thru the up rights. . Congrats. Hornets on a very good Weber State team. Weber State is going to be a force to contend with in the BSC.

Keep defending home field Hornets next week against Menlo.

And keep this in mind.

DEFENSE
 
Weber is not very good, they are ok, but not very good. Much improved from a season ago, what a difference a FBS transfer QB makes!

Hornets jumped on them early but kind of took the foot off the gas. Weber definitely had their chance to pull off the win as they dominated the later half of the 2nd quarter and the 3rd quarter and scorched our defense good. Fortunately the defense had some huge stops late and really closed the door. Cornish was huge, no doubt will be the BSC ST player of the week. Safron was ok. OL did great at getting some running lanes open.

Head scratcher sequence of the game: about 10 minutes left in the game, Weber down 13, Hornet D forces a 4th and 8, Weber gets the 1st down with a fake punt (how the Hornet coaches were not expecting that is beyond me), Hornet D forces another 4th and 5, Weber punts. :wtf: Hornets close the door on a nice drive after that.

Gritty performance by the Hornets. D needs to get better, can't keep getting scorched like they did in the middle part of the game. Offense needs to keep the foot on the gas for 60 minutes. All in all a good game with a good outcome. Bad news is a ton of Hornets got hurt, severity unknown.
 
Phantom Hornet said:
Lot of the injuries seemed muscle/heat related
Click to expand...

Exactly, muscle cramps brought on by dehydration, painful but temporary! A lot of guys on both teams went out but i think they all came back. If it was in the high 90s at kickoff you know it had to be 20-30 degrees warmer down on the turf. Hard to stay properly hydrated under those conditions.
 
I must say the vibe in the stadium last night was really good. I loved the new intro video, and the special sound effects like the hornet buzzing. There were a tone of cheerleaders and dance girls; their numbers have really increased. If that gets the students and fans in the stands, I love it.
:thumb:
 
Hornetsports Recap: http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/20140914j4xbm6

Sac Bee Recap: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/13/6705197/sac-states-cornish-kicks-five.html

Sac Bee Photos: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/13/6705252/sac-state.html

State Hornet Recap: http://www.statehornet.com/sports/h...cle_e23c67d8-3bd9-11e4-86df-0017a43b2370.html

The Hornets (2-1) jumped all over Weber State (0-3) early and got out to a 20-0 lead. Weber was able to make it a game and pull within 6 points late in the game, but the Hornets finished strong for a 42-31 win. Weber’s last TD was a garbage time TD. Turnovers were key as the Hornets were +3 in that category. It was good to see some plays being made in key situations.

My thoughts by position:
Offensive Coaching: (A-) A good mix of play calling and a game plan that worked well as the Hornets were able to move the ball on the ground and through the air. The coaches need to find a way to get Carter the ball, 3 touches for 6 yards isn’t going to get it done. Questionable play call on the 4th and short attempt, play seemed like it took too long to develop. Clock awareness needs to get better. Some run plays at the end of the 1st half probably would have not allowed Weber the time to mount a final TD drive of the half. Same thing happened late in the game when the holding call negated a TD. Burn some clock and get the game wrapped up.

Quarterback: (B+) Safron (16/34, 202 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT) didn’t look totally on, but he made some tough throws that the receivers were able to haul in. Safron got away with a few bad throws/decisions but no turnovers were made. Overall a solid performance. Safron (8 carries, 115 yds, 1 TD) had another huge run that got things going early.

Running Backs: (A+) Robinson (17 carries, 130 yds, 2 TD) had a career game and made some key plays that put the game away late. Hopefully this is just the beginning for him. Collectively the running backs did a good job of picking up the blitz.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: (A) Agude (7 recs, 124 yds, 1 TD) had a monster game. Coulter (4 recs, 58 yds) had some timely catches that kept the offense moving. Overall this unit did what it needed to do to keep the offense moving. Carter (2 recs, 4 yds) had a quiet night but others stepped up. Only knock I have is a few drops, and Agude probably should have hauled in another TD that looked to go right through his arms on a diving effort.

Offensive Line: (A) The offensive line had an impressive game. They gave up an early sack but protected Safron well the rest of the way. Weber couldn’t get pressure without the blitz. Most impressive was late in the game when everyone in the stadium knew the Hornets were going to run the ball, and they were still able to open up running lanes. A couple of ill timed holding calls and false starts keep this from an A+.

Defensive Coaching: (C) The Hornet defense started strong, but Weber made adjustments and the Hornet coaches had issues finding a counter punch. The coaches needed to find a way to knock Green out of rhythm and the struggled to do so. The Hornets had no answer for Kehano in the slot. The defense looked to struggle when Weber went into the hurry up.

Defensive Line: (B-) The Hornets controlled the line of scrimmage and forced Weber to be one dimensional on offense as they shut down the run, but they struggled to get pressure against Weber when they were rolling. Totty (5 tak, 1 sack, 2 TFL, 2 QBH) and Cowger (2 tak, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QBH) had a couple sacks and pressured Green late in the game.

Linebackers: (A) Sankey (14 tak, 1.5 TFL) continued his “wreck shop” campaign and led the defense in tackles...again. Fernandez (12 tak, 0.5 TFL, 1 FR) stepped up and had a good game. Great run pursuit, Sankey had a key deflection late.

Secondary: (C+) The secondary got shredded again, but they played just well enough in key situations to keep this game in hand. Their tackling was solid; Crouch (8 tak, 0.5 TFL, 2 BU) had a monster hit late to break up a key pass. The corners still need to get better at playing the ball. The Weber receivers had no issue getting open. Kendall (11 tak, 1 sack, 1 TFL) was all over the place last night. Anyone know why Banks didn’t play last night? The Hornet secondary sure could have used him.

Special Teams: (A-) Cornish (5/5 FG, 3/4 PAT, 5 TB) was the clear star of the night as he set a Hornet record with 5 FGs made. Heath (3 punts, 45.3 ypp, 2 I-20) had a good game. Hennie (4 returns, 23.2 ypr) looks like he is a step away from taking one to the house. The Hornets should have had a blocked punt early and the punt unit also pounced on a turnover. Kickoff coverage was not good (both WSU returners averaged over 30 ypr), a PAT was blocked, and it’s inexcusable that the coaches didn’t anticipate a fake punt late in the game.

Overall: (A) Overall a good game and a gritty performance by this team. The Hornets made plays on both sides of the ball when needed. Special teams had an impact on the game in a positive way. There are a lot of positives to carry forward from this point on.

Game Ball
Offense: Robinson and the Offensive Line.
Defense: Crouch, made a huge hit that broke up a huge catch that ultimately stalled Weber’s last comeback attempt. The happened on the sequence following that fake punt conversion.
Special Teams: Cornish, record setting night.

Go Hornets!!!
 
Still to many penalties. I can see the fake punt eating away, two missed tackles on fake punt looked too me. Sometimes players need to play. Blocked PAT the guard got lit up. Offense needs to keep the foot on the peddle. Some missed open WR last night. Defense was ok. To many third down conversions. Kick offs were bad because they had to kick two time twice. Terrible. I see the players in position to make plays. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't.
 
So happy the Hornets got the W last night. I didn't catch the 1st quarter, but Weber looked better than years past. I kind of got frustrated with the defence at times, as they looked like they were often being outmatched, but the heat and the early lead could have been the main cause of that. A win is a win, and hopefully we can dominate and go 3-1 next Saturday. Plus Ags and Fresneck lost, so all in all a good Saturday.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top