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2023 Playoffs - 2nd Round: Sac State at South Dakota
- Thread starter SDHornet
- Start date
HornetFootballFan
Active member
The ultimate love would be to roll this other Dakota. Play GRIZ again rematch and end their season for all of the trash talking from our regular season meltdown.
Now that team playing Proper Hornet Football that would be sweet revenge season!
Lastly Coach Thompson going deeper into playoffs than departed TT.
It’s a wish list… it’s possible if they play like last week minus coming out of 1/2 time FLAT.
Now that team playing Proper Hornet Football that would be sweet revenge season!
Lastly Coach Thompson going deeper into playoffs than departed TT.
It’s a wish list… it’s possible if they play like last week minus coming out of 1/2 time FLAT.
These guys will pound and run the ball, eat up clock. Sac has to come out and score on every possession to break the slow drip of USD. Make USD change their gameplan and move them out of their comfort level.
Bodega Joe
Active member
IMO we’ll be headed to NDSU if we beat ND. I think NDSU is going to knock off the Cats in Bozeman this weekend. But I agree it would be great to get a shot at both of the Montana schools.
Bodega Joe said:
Yeah I think the Griz broke MSU. NDSU is heading to Bozeman following essentially a bye in the first round with a 66-3 massacre over Drake. MSU will be facing a Bison squad with a bunch of momentum.
When I looked at the bracket when it was finalized, my mind went to the possibility of bouncing all the Dakota schools (and a Montucky school) from the tournament in route to a title.
2023 FCS Playoffs - 2nd Round: #15 Sac State at #3 South Dakota
The 15th ranked Hornets (8-4, 4-4 BSC) head to Vermillion to face the 3rd ranked South Dakota Coyotes (9-2, 7-1 MVFC) in the second round of the FCS playoffs. USD earned the 3 seed with their stellar season that included a second place finish in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. USD made the playoffs in 2021 which was a first round loss at home to Southern Illinois while the Hornets are coming into this game fresh off of a first round road upset at North Dakota. USD is coached by Bob Nielson who is in his 8th season at USD and has over 30 years of head coaching experience that includes time in the lower divisions of collegiate football. Hornet Head Coach Andy Thompson is tied atop the Sac State D1 record books in playoff wins and is currently undefeated in the FCS playoffs as a head coach.
The Coyotes have had an impeccable run this season. It includes a 24-19 week 5 win at then 2nd ranked North Dakota State which was followed by an impressive 34-31 week 7 home win against a then 23rd ranked Youngstown State, both of whom won a first round playoff game last week. The ‘Yotes lone FCS loss came in a 3-37 week 9 blowout loss at home to defending FCS Champion South Dakota State. USD finished the backstretch of the season with a close 14-7 week 10 win at then 10th ranked Southern Illinois and grinded out a 14-10 week 11 win at home against then 10th ranked North Dakota. USD is battle tested against some of the toughest competition in FCS and has more than earned their top seed billing.
The Coyote offense is very similar to what the Hornets saw last week against North Dakota but with better talent. Same shotgun/pistol sets with multiple personnel packages that the Coyotes like to run or throw out of. USD will occasionally go with a full spread package with all 5 receivers running a route but they favor the run about 59% of the time. Quarterback Aidan Bouman (163/242, 2178 yds, 12 TD, 4 INT) is a tall lefty with good vision and pocket presence who has a strong arm but most importantly makes good decisions and takes care of the ball. He is not very mobile so his running threat is minimal. The ‘Yotes leading receiver is Carter Bell (45 rec, 800 yds, 5 TD) but the matchup nightmare is tight end JJ Galbreath (35 rec, 504 yds, 4 TD) who is a much whiter and taller/bigger 2022 version of Marshel Martin. Out of the back field, USD has a few players that bring something different when they are in the game. Travis Theis (157 car, 740 yds, 5 TD, 21 rec, 127 yds) is a tough runner with a low center of gravity used more between the tackles while Nate Thomas (55 car, 3700 yds, 5 TD) and Charles Pierre Jr (55 car, 320 yds, 4 TD) are the speedsters used to attack the edges. Up front, the USD offensive line is massive. USD seemed to pull the guards a lot more earlier in the season compared to more recent games. USD has only given up 11 sacks on the year.
Offensive Team Stats
The South Dakota defense operates out of the 4-3 and has been one of the better defenses in all of FCS this season. They have struggled a bit against the run but have defended the pass very well. With the exception of the opening season loss to a ranked Missouri and the loss to SDSU, the USD defense has kept them in every game this season and has only allowed 26 points in 4 of their last 5 games. Middle linebacker Brock Mogensen (103 tkl, 2.5 TFL, 1 sac, 1 INT) flies all over the field alongside fellow linebacker and Air Force transfer Stephen Hillis (62 tkl, 2.5 TFL, 0.5 sac). Dennis Shorter (77 tkl, 0.5 TFL, 1 INT) is a hard hitting safety that leads an athletic and very talented secondary. Defensive end Brendan Webb (38 tkl, 10.5 TFL, 9.5 sac) is a wrecking ball that leads the team in TFLs and sacks.
Defensive Team Stats
USD’s kicking game has been perfect on the year as kicker Will Leyland (10/10 FG, 31/31 PAT) has been nails all season long with a long of 50 yards on the year. Punter Tyler Ebel (40 pnt, 41 ypp) has dropped 15 inside the 20 and has 9 punts of 50+ yards. The kick return game doesn’t appear to have had much success as returner Keyondray Jones is averaging under 17 yards a return with a long of 30 on the season. USD gave up an opening kickoff house call against UND.
Hornet Team Stats
Position Advantage
I’d be surprised if USD doesn’t just come out and ground and pound the Hornet defense. UND had success last week against the Hornet front but inexplicably went away from it in the 2nd half, I don’t think USD will make that mistake. USD is also creative in how they get Galbreath the ball. I have no idea how the Hornets will be able to defend him. USD has ground out a lot of close wins this year, with quite a few wins coming by way of sucking in the defense with a strong power running game and then hitting shots down the field to open things up. I would anticipate that same gameplan from the Coyotes this week. Like they have done most of this season, the Hornet defense will just have to find a way to keep this game close.
On the offensive side, I would hope Coach Fresques will have a similar game plan to last week and keep all the frills, gimmicks, and cutesy plays out of the playbook unless the situation becomes dire. I think there are quite a few exploits to be had by the Hornet offense with basic looks. With as stout as this Coyote defense has looked this season, they have yet to face an offense with as much talent and as many weapons as the Hornet have, save maybe SDSU, and I think the Hornet speed will present them with some issues.
Something I noticed from the USD-UND game was the way the ‘Yote defense aligned against a double tight end single running back set. USD typically had the boundary linebacker at the line of scrimmage when a tight end is lined up tight on that side while keeping a safety over top. If they align like that against the Hornets it will leave the field side greatly exposed to KBs speed. The Hornets could line Marshel tight and decoy him to keep the safety committed to the boundary side, while using Kuntz to block (or rub on a pass) on the field side during RPO/off tackle/QB lead plays to that side. With an RPO attack, the possibilities are endless.
USD also emptied the box against spread formations with two wide receivers split very wide on both sides of the field. Having only 5 guys in the box to stop KB’s RPO would be a near impossible task for any defense.
In my opinion, the Hornet special teams has the bigger potential to make plays in this one. USD has given up some big returns and ETT has proven to be a solid returner capable of making a house call (Richmond) when it matters most. The Hornets could find an edge in this aspect of the game.
Both these teams are battle tested with the Hornets coming into this game with some momentum. While USD will have the advantage in the trenches on both sides of the ball, the Hornets have the talent to counter it on the offensive side which will present some matchup issues for this stout USD defense. This very well could shape up to be another barn…er I mean dome-burner of a game. I’m going with another Hornet upset in a dome on the Great Plains. Survive and advance.
Stingers Up!
South Dakota at North Dakota State Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNL5IYo-5jo
The 15th ranked Hornets (8-4, 4-4 BSC) head to Vermillion to face the 3rd ranked South Dakota Coyotes (9-2, 7-1 MVFC) in the second round of the FCS playoffs. USD earned the 3 seed with their stellar season that included a second place finish in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. USD made the playoffs in 2021 which was a first round loss at home to Southern Illinois while the Hornets are coming into this game fresh off of a first round road upset at North Dakota. USD is coached by Bob Nielson who is in his 8th season at USD and has over 30 years of head coaching experience that includes time in the lower divisions of collegiate football. Hornet Head Coach Andy Thompson is tied atop the Sac State D1 record books in playoff wins and is currently undefeated in the FCS playoffs as a head coach.
The Coyotes have had an impeccable run this season. It includes a 24-19 week 5 win at then 2nd ranked North Dakota State which was followed by an impressive 34-31 week 7 home win against a then 23rd ranked Youngstown State, both of whom won a first round playoff game last week. The ‘Yotes lone FCS loss came in a 3-37 week 9 blowout loss at home to defending FCS Champion South Dakota State. USD finished the backstretch of the season with a close 14-7 week 10 win at then 10th ranked Southern Illinois and grinded out a 14-10 week 11 win at home against then 10th ranked North Dakota. USD is battle tested against some of the toughest competition in FCS and has more than earned their top seed billing.
The Coyote offense is very similar to what the Hornets saw last week against North Dakota but with better talent. Same shotgun/pistol sets with multiple personnel packages that the Coyotes like to run or throw out of. USD will occasionally go with a full spread package with all 5 receivers running a route but they favor the run about 59% of the time. Quarterback Aidan Bouman (163/242, 2178 yds, 12 TD, 4 INT) is a tall lefty with good vision and pocket presence who has a strong arm but most importantly makes good decisions and takes care of the ball. He is not very mobile so his running threat is minimal. The ‘Yotes leading receiver is Carter Bell (45 rec, 800 yds, 5 TD) but the matchup nightmare is tight end JJ Galbreath (35 rec, 504 yds, 4 TD) who is a much whiter and taller/bigger 2022 version of Marshel Martin. Out of the back field, USD has a few players that bring something different when they are in the game. Travis Theis (157 car, 740 yds, 5 TD, 21 rec, 127 yds) is a tough runner with a low center of gravity used more between the tackles while Nate Thomas (55 car, 3700 yds, 5 TD) and Charles Pierre Jr (55 car, 320 yds, 4 TD) are the speedsters used to attack the edges. Up front, the USD offensive line is massive. USD seemed to pull the guards a lot more earlier in the season compared to more recent games. USD has only given up 11 sacks on the year.
Offensive Team Stats
- Points scored per game: 23.7 (9th MVFC / 75th FCS)
- Total Offense: 349.0 ypg (148.4 rushing ypg / 200.6 passing ypg) - 8th (6th / 9th) MVFC - 70th (63rd / 68th) FCS
- Sacks Allowed: 11 (3rd MVFC)
- Turnovers: 4/5 (INT/Fum)
- Redzone: 25/28 - 19/6 (TD/FG) - 4th MVFC / 13th FCS
The South Dakota defense operates out of the 4-3 and has been one of the better defenses in all of FCS this season. They have struggled a bit against the run but have defended the pass very well. With the exception of the opening season loss to a ranked Missouri and the loss to SDSU, the USD defense has kept them in every game this season and has only allowed 26 points in 4 of their last 5 games. Middle linebacker Brock Mogensen (103 tkl, 2.5 TFL, 1 sac, 1 INT) flies all over the field alongside fellow linebacker and Air Force transfer Stephen Hillis (62 tkl, 2.5 TFL, 0.5 sac). Dennis Shorter (77 tkl, 0.5 TFL, 1 INT) is a hard hitting safety that leads an athletic and very talented secondary. Defensive end Brendan Webb (38 tkl, 10.5 TFL, 9.5 sac) is a wrecking ball that leads the team in TFLs and sacks.
Defensive Team Stats
- Points allowed per game: 14.6 (2nd MVFC / 5th FCS)
- Total Defense: 312.5 ypg (136.2 rushing ypg / 176.3 passing ypg) - 4th (7th / 2nd) MVFC - 19th (47th / 13th) FCS
- Sacks : 29 (5th MVFC)
- Turnovers Forced: 8/5 (INT/Fum)
- Redzone: 22/31 - 15/7 (TD/FG) - 2nd MVFC / 12th FCS
USD’s kicking game has been perfect on the year as kicker Will Leyland (10/10 FG, 31/31 PAT) has been nails all season long with a long of 50 yards on the year. Punter Tyler Ebel (40 pnt, 41 ypp) has dropped 15 inside the 20 and has 9 punts of 50+ yards. The kick return game doesn’t appear to have had much success as returner Keyondray Jones is averaging under 17 yards a return with a long of 30 on the season. USD gave up an opening kickoff house call against UND.
Hornet Team Stats
- Points scored per game: 31.1 (5th BSC / 25th FCS)
- Points allowed per game: 26.7 (6th BSC / 68th FCS)
- Total Offense: 426.7 ypg (180.2 rushing ypg / 246.5 passing ypg) - 3rd (4th / 5th) BSC - 17th (25th / 26th) FCS
- Total Defense: 385.3 ypg (161.9 rushing ypg / 223.4 passing ypg) - 6th (7th / 6th) BSC - 81st (71st / 82nd) FCS
- Sacks Allowed: 14 (3rd BSC)
- Sacks: 25 (4th BSC)
- Turnovers: 10/4 (INT/Fum)
- Turnovers Forced: 14/3 (INT/Fum)
- Redzone Offense: 49/55 - 39/10 (TD/FG) - 3rd BSC / 15th FCS
- Redzone Defense: 36/43 - 27/9 (TD/FG) - 5th BSC / 78th FCS
Position Advantage
- Quarterback: Hornets. Aidan Bouman is an excellent game manager but Kaiden Bennett is just an absolute terror when he is healthy.
- Running Backs: ‘Yotes. Very close, but I think Travis Theis has the better supporting cast compared to Marcus Fulcher.
- Wide Receivers: Hornets. USD has a solid group of receivers but the receiving production is mostly with Carter Bell while the Hornets share the wealth to a handful of players. The emergence of Carlos Hill these past few weeks and a game breaking performance from Anderson Grover a week ago cannot go unnoticed.
- Tight Ends: ‘Yotes. JJ Galbreath is what Marshel Martin would have been this season had he not not been hampered with an injury most of the year. That said, Marshel looked pretty inspired last week and I hope he makes me regret this decision.
- Offensive Line: ‘Yotes. USD’s line is full of size and nastiness in a conference full of big and nasty defensive linemen. The decision isn’t close here.
- Defensive Line: ‘Yotes. The health of the Hornet defensive line is concerning while the ‘Yotes have plenty of size and depth and have been the anchor of a stingy defense. Hard to not pick USD’s line in this matchup.
- Linebackers: Hornets. Armon Bailey and Brock Mather have comparable numbers to Brock Mogensen and Stephen Hillis but the pair of Hornets make more plays in the backfield and on the quarterback.
- Defensive Backs: ‘Yotes. Yes the MVFC is a run oriented conference but giving up less than 180 yards per game is impressive regardless of the competition. The USD secondary plays the run better but the Hornet secondary has more plays on the ball…plus we could be seeing the 2nd/3rd string Hornet secondary again.
- Punters: Push. Cal McGough and Tyler Ebel have comparable numbers.
- Kickers: ‘Yotes. Will Leyland is perfect, Zach Schriener is not.
- Kick Returners: Hornets. Elijah Tau-Tolliver has better return numbers than Keyondray Jones.
I’d be surprised if USD doesn’t just come out and ground and pound the Hornet defense. UND had success last week against the Hornet front but inexplicably went away from it in the 2nd half, I don’t think USD will make that mistake. USD is also creative in how they get Galbreath the ball. I have no idea how the Hornets will be able to defend him. USD has ground out a lot of close wins this year, with quite a few wins coming by way of sucking in the defense with a strong power running game and then hitting shots down the field to open things up. I would anticipate that same gameplan from the Coyotes this week. Like they have done most of this season, the Hornet defense will just have to find a way to keep this game close.
On the offensive side, I would hope Coach Fresques will have a similar game plan to last week and keep all the frills, gimmicks, and cutesy plays out of the playbook unless the situation becomes dire. I think there are quite a few exploits to be had by the Hornet offense with basic looks. With as stout as this Coyote defense has looked this season, they have yet to face an offense with as much talent and as many weapons as the Hornet have, save maybe SDSU, and I think the Hornet speed will present them with some issues.
Something I noticed from the USD-UND game was the way the ‘Yote defense aligned against a double tight end single running back set. USD typically had the boundary linebacker at the line of scrimmage when a tight end is lined up tight on that side while keeping a safety over top. If they align like that against the Hornets it will leave the field side greatly exposed to KBs speed. The Hornets could line Marshel tight and decoy him to keep the safety committed to the boundary side, while using Kuntz to block (or rub on a pass) on the field side during RPO/off tackle/QB lead plays to that side. With an RPO attack, the possibilities are endless.
USD also emptied the box against spread formations with two wide receivers split very wide on both sides of the field. Having only 5 guys in the box to stop KB’s RPO would be a near impossible task for any defense.
In my opinion, the Hornet special teams has the bigger potential to make plays in this one. USD has given up some big returns and ETT has proven to be a solid returner capable of making a house call (Richmond) when it matters most. The Hornets could find an edge in this aspect of the game.
Both these teams are battle tested with the Hornets coming into this game with some momentum. While USD will have the advantage in the trenches on both sides of the ball, the Hornets have the talent to counter it on the offensive side which will present some matchup issues for this stout USD defense. This very well could shape up to be another barn…er I mean dome-burner of a game. I’m going with another Hornet upset in a dome on the Great Plains. Survive and advance.
Stingers Up!
South Dakota at North Dakota State Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNL5IYo-5jo
BuckeyeHornetFan
Active member
SDHornet said:
Thumbs up for the snarky response. Love it!
When really thought through, the answer as to why staying in the Dakotas really isn't a possibility becomes fairly apparent.
The cost of lodging, food, etc, for the entire team and staff for an entire week is much more cost prohibitive versus flying out a 2nd time. Then, of course, there's that little obstacle of attending classes during the week, too.
A professional team could justify the cost difference and, of course, afford it. Perhaps the premier FBS programs could too, although I'm not sure how they'd balance the student part of the student-athlete obligation.
HornetHope
Active member
I agree that we can beat SD, and I think MSU goes down.
Our 2 deep is out, Juniel is only starter listed in DB/CB rotation so will need some young guys to step up here.
Our 2 deep is out, Juniel is only starter listed in DB/CB rotation so will need some young guys to step up here.
BuckeyeHornetFan
Active member
HornetHope said:
Ridiculous.
"The Hornets were without the services of cornerback Caleb Nelson and safeties Cameron Broussard and Kylen Ross. Broussard was a first team all-Big Sky selection this season and ranked second on the team in tackles. Nelson was a second team all-conference selection last season and has started 23 games for the Hornets the last two season. Ross leads the team with three interceptions this year. The woes continued during the week as redshirt freshman Lamont Johnson-Burrell, who was expected to take Nelson's spot at cornerback was injured in practice on Thanksgiving."
Ouch...
While GDS has had some good run, essentially 4 of the 5 starters in the defensive backfield and some of the backups are all hurt and not playing. Wild! Next man up...
Ouch...
While GDS has had some good run, essentially 4 of the 5 starters in the defensive backfield and some of the backups are all hurt and not playing. Wild! Next man up...
stingthemgood
Active member
Our backup on the two deep at FS is Koa Akui - who walked on the team last season as a WR.
We had been holding out Pollard to have surgery on his hand - but he was back out there with the club on his hand giving us as many snaps as he could at Nickel on key downs where we moved Gavin Davis-Smith to safety.
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if we don't have to throw a couple backup WRs out at Corner for a few plays this weekend.
This was our second largest position group going into the season, and if my math is correct, we are down 10 total guys (including backups who got hurt before or during the season)
We had been holding out Pollard to have surgery on his hand - but he was back out there with the club on his hand giving us as many snaps as he could at Nickel on key downs where we moved Gavin Davis-Smith to safety.
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if we don't have to throw a couple backup WRs out at Corner for a few plays this weekend.
This was our second largest position group going into the season, and if my math is correct, we are down 10 total guys (including backups who got hurt before or during the season)
stingthemgood
Active member
stingthemgood said:
Going to do the math --
Eian Moore - Made starts at FS and SS last year - has missed the whole year - OUT
Caleb Nelson - Starting CB - last played at UCD - OUT
Jace O'Hara - Starter at NB - last played against NAU - OUT
Cam Broussard - Starter at FS - last played at UCD - OUT
Fata Poluka - Backup NB - last played at Stanford - OUT
Kylen Ross - Starter at SS - last played at UCD - OUT
Lamont Johnson-Burrell - Backup CB - last played against Cal Poly - OUT
Davion Ross - Backup Safety, 4 Career Starts at CB has not played since 2021 due to major knee injury - OUT
Kameron Rocha - Backup Safety - last played at Montana - OUT
Ashton Moultrie - Backup Safety - last played at Montana - OUT
stingthemgood
Active member
Kadeezy said:
I think that goes without saying -- Nathan Morris is still learning the craft -- he's going to be a good one, but Deatrick had a lot more experience.
BuckeyeHornetFan
Active member
stingthemgood said:
That's far too many names...
Well, I don't see any of these guys listed:
Patrick Dean
Zelmar Vedder
Jason Oliver
Jalin Speed
Elias Mullican
Daizon Allen
DJ Houston
Kaleb Higgins
Anta'Veon McKenzie
Koa Akui
Xander Chisolm
Time for some of them to step up. I'm eager to see Elias Mullican and how he's developed so far.
Super Hornet 2.0
Active member
I suppose our reward for beating South Dakota is either a trip to Bozo or a trip to Fargo? Since the opening round wasn't officially seeded, is there any chance at all the Wentzes come to Sac if they upset the Kitties, or will they go straight off of the Coaches Poll?
