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Week 6 - Sac State vs Eastern Washington

SDHornet

SDHornet

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Week 6 - Sac State vs Eastern Washington

The Hornets (2-2) host the 22nd ranked Eastern Washington Eagles (2-3, 1-0 BSC) as the Hornets kick-off a brutal conference slate this week. EWU has not come anywhere close to living up to expectations this season as they imploded at #16 Jacksonville State and gave up 21 4th quarter points in a 45-49 loss and followed that up by laying an egg at Idaho 35-27 (Idaho jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead, highlights) the following week. The Eags got things back on track with a 35-20 win over #25 North Dakota (highlights) in a rainy/snowy contest on the red turf in Cheney last week.

Troy Taylor spent the 2016 season as an co-offensive coordinator at EWU and Hornets pass defense coordinator/secondary coach Cherokee Valeria was at EWU for 7 years prior to this season. This game certainly has some interesting story lines being played out.

EWU’s offense runs a read option/spread and is currently ranked 14th in FCS: 36.0 ppg (20th), 469.8 ypg, 172.8 rush ypg (52nd), 297.0 pass ypg, (21st). QB Eric Barriere (111/185, 1,485 yds, 13 TD, 3 INT, 49 car, 69 yds, 4 TD) leads the offense and is very mobile with a great arm. He hasn’t run the ball nearly as much from a year ago, but he can make some big plays with his legs. Barriere has spread the ball around quite well to his WRs with Dre’ Sonte Dorton (24 cat, 439 yds, 4 TD) being the primary target. 5 other players have at least 11 catches on the season.

EWU’s running game saw an explosion against UND in the soggy weather. RB Antoine Custer Jr (94 car, 448 yds, 5 TD) is a more than capable runner that has patience to allow EWUs big and experienced OL to open up holes.

The EWU defense runs a 4-2-5 and has struggled mightily this season and is currently ranked 97th in FCS: 36.4 ppg (T-97th), 428.4 ypg, 157.4 rush ypg (59th), 271.0 pass ypg (100th). Having said that, the EWU defense had a good game against UND last week and forced
6 turnovers (3 fumbles, 3 INT). The weather made the game very one dimensional but the Eag defense stiffened up and got the job done. S Dehonta Hayes (48 tkl, 1 TFL, 2 INT) leads the EWU defense with LB Jack Sendelbach (34 tkl, 1 TFL, 1 sack) and DE Jim Townsend (26 tkl, 4 TFL, 2.5 sacks) applying pressure from the edge.

EWU’s kicking game has struggled early in the season. They have trotted out 2 kickers with mixed results (2/4 combined) and their net punting numbers are not very good (32.2 ypp, 91st)

The big concern with EWU should be centered around Barriere’s playmaking ability. I fear the aggressive Hornet defense will overrun the pursuit and give up big plays. On the other side of the ball, the Hornet offense should be able to exploit the porous EWU defense. I wouldn’t be surprised if this game turns into a shootout. I had this game as a Hornet loss before the season began, but I think we see the first win over EWU in Hornet Stadium if the Hornets play like they have been.

Stingers Up!
 
I think EWU is vulnerable, as evidenced by Idaho pasting them. They are up and down right now. Regardless the wife and I got our tix and are looking forward to this game!
 
Plane tickets bought, we'll be down from Washington to watch the Hornets hopefully get a W over our state's Big Sky school.

Stingers Up!
 
Following a lot of FCS STATS Voters on Twitter and other outlets, it looks like a lot of folks are refusing to put the Hornets in the top 25 until they start conference play (which is unfair b/c they don't treat majority of other schools the same but that's another discussion), so here we are, starting out Big Sky Conference with a bang! I think this will indeed be a shootout like everyone else have said. EWU is A LOT better than their record suggest. People are quick to forget that this is the National runner-up last year. They had a rough start to the season (traveling all the way to Alabama for Cheney to play a ranked Jacksonville St. is not an easy task) but last week, they look like they're inching closer back to form just in time of Big Sky play.

Also, a big thing is the FCS STATS poll (the most recognized poll other than the Coaches Poll, equivalent of the FBS' AP Poll) is extremely biased to teams in the East of the Mississippi...takes?

A true toss up if the Hornets keep form from their first 4 games, so, I think the final score will be 35-28. (Hopefully Hornets, but wouldn't be surprised if EWU comes out on top).
 
GreenArmySwarm said:
Following a lot of FCS STATS Voters on Twitter and other outlets, it looks like a lot of folks are refusing to put the Hornets in the top 25 until they start conference play (which is unfair b/c they don't treat majority of other schools the same but that's another discussion), so here we are, starting out Big Sky Conference with a bang! I think this will indeed be a shootout like everyone else have said. EWU is A LOT better than their record suggest. People are quick to forget that this is the National runner-up last year. They had a rough start to the season (traveling all the way to Alabama for Cheney to play a ranked Jacksonville St. is not an easy task) but last week, they look like they're inching closer back to form just in time of Big Sky play.

Also, a big thing is the FCS STATS poll (the most recognized poll other than the Coaches Poll, equivalent of the FBS' AP Poll) is extremely biased to teams in the East of the Mississippi...takes?

A true toss up if the Hornets keep form from their first 4 games, so, I think the final score will be 35-28. (Hopefully Hornets, but wouldn't be surprised if EWU comes out on top).
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree! Even if the Hornets jump out early, EWU is a mythical 2nd half team that comes out more on the winning side than the other team at the end. Bluntly, EWU makes major adjustments and can roar back in no time. They are a like lot a davis team. NEVER count them out.

I am sure this has some emotional charge, as it is home, shared program association with at least two coaches, bye week and BSC opener. This has historically been a blow-out or a shoot-out.

As for the Stats and Coaches and web forum votes.....look at it from their perspective.
1. FCS is highly saturated east of Miss.
2. Non-exposure in the voters eyes.
3. To most east coast voters looking at Sac State is like looking at Savannah State. A school that has never won a conf championship, perenially (decades) long losing tradition, inconsequential, plus Sac is always behind davis and Poly simply because of 'superiority complex'.
 
So excited to start the Big Sky season.

And great to have the first game of Sky play at home against the FCS defending national runner up.

EWU is an amazing football program and has represented the Big Sky huge for a long time. A school of 12,000 students from a town of
12,000 citizens. Very impressive.

Sac State has done well in Cheney, winning 4 times over the Eagles I believe. Even the sac State marching band has been up there at least twice over the decades for the victories.

No wins yet at Hornet Stadium. Was at the 1980 season opener for Sac when a last second field goal was a bit wide and the Hornets lost by 2 points.

Many other games at Hornets Stadium have come down to the last play and the Eagles prevailed.

Fun to look at the history.

But even more fun to look at this Saturday and this Hornet team continuing to perform as well as they have and fight on.

Go Sac State

and

Stingers Up
 
Great to see the game this Saturday being Kids Day.

All people 12 years and younger admitted for free.

Trust the sports marketing department has invited all the elementary schools, all the boys and girls clubs, all the cub scouts and girl scouts, all the youth football teams and all the 250,000 alumni with kids 12 and under, etc in Sacramento and beyond to the game.
 
josephpoint said:
So excited to start the Big Sky season.

And great to have the first game of Sky play at home against the FCS defending national runner up.

EWU is an amazing football program and has represented the Big Sky huge for a long time. A school of 12,000 students from a town of
12,000 citizens. Very impressive.

Sac State has done well in Cheney, winning 4 times over the Eagles I believe. Even the sac State marching band has been up there at least twice over the decades for the victories.

No wins yet at Hornet Stadium. Was at the 1980 season opener for Sac when a last second field goal was a bit wide and the Hornets lost by 2 points.

Many other games at Hornets Stadium have come down to the last play and the Eagles prevailed.

Fun to look at the history.

But even more fun to look at this Saturday and this Hornet team continuing to perform as well as they have and fight on.

Go Sac State

and

Stingers Up
Click to expand...

I was also at that first 1980 meeting between EWU and Sac at the then 6,000 capacity Hornet Field.

I hope to witness Sac's first home victory over EWU on Saturday night!

Stingers Up!
 
I'm not going to say I expect us to go undefeated the rest of the season but I do believe if we stay healthy there isn't a team left on the schedule that we can't beat...including Eastern Washington.
 
OldSchoolHornet said:
I'm not going to say I expect us to go undefeated the rest of the season but I do believe if we stay healthy there isn't a team left on the schedule that we can't beat...including Eastern Washington.
Click to expand...
yea I agree. Having seen what they did at ASU and Fresno, This team has recruited well for a while. Watching them obliterate Northern CO really was special.
 
Craig Haley selected the EWU/SAC game as the #6 FCS game of the week. He picked the Hornets to win and has SAC ranked #27 in the country.

If the Craig Haley curse doesn’t take full effect tomorrow, and the Hornets take care of business - we might break the Top 25 for the first time in 7 years (I think since the Colorado win).
 
Reading EWU’s page, they’re blaming this L on the refs Lmao (yes, EWU!). With the exception of targeting call (which by the new rule, IS targeting) but I wouldn’t have called that, all of those flags were deserved. Don’t want flags call on you? Play a clean game. EWU o line holds pretty much every play. They’re lucky it wasn’t called more. Not including the fact that EWU’s play a lot after the whistle. Sore losers.
 
At last!!!

First win against EWU in Sacramento dating back 40 years.

That is why the game is played.

Loved seeing George O running the turnover back 73 yards to finish the 21 point win and take the bizarre hex off of Hornet Stadium over the Eagles with so many bizarre losses against the amazing team from Cheney, WA until tonight

Go Sac State

and

Stingers up.
 
OldSchoolHornet said:
I'm not going to say I expect us to go undefeated the rest of the season but I do believe if we stay healthy there isn't a team left on the schedule that we can't beat...including Eastern Washington.
Click to expand...

I agree. I'd include the caveat that with a healthy Thomson we can beat anyone.
 
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