Week 11 - #9 Sac State vs Cal Poly

[SDHornet]

Week 11 - #9 Sac State vs Cal Poly

The 9th ranked Hornets (6-3, 3-3 BSC) finish the regular season home slate against the struggling Cal Poly Mustangs (3-6, 1-5 BSC) in an afternoon kickoff in Hornet Stadium. The Mustangs have had an absolutely brutal schedule and will be looking to pull off an improbable upset this week. Former Hornet coach Paul Wulff was promoted to head coach this past offseason upon the departure of Beau Baldwin and is wrapping up his first season rebuilding the once proud Cal Poly program.

Cal Poly had a successful non-conference performance that featured a season opening 27-10 win over San Diego. Unfortunately, the Mustangs struggled mightily in conference play. Their lone conference win came 3 weeks ago at home in a 24-17 game against Northern Colorado. Last week, CP suffered a 13-48 loss in a wet game at Eastern Washington.

The Mustang offense primarily lines up in the shotgun spread and throws the ball 55% of the time. CP sprinkles in some read-option and some wildcat formations in short yardage situations.
Quarterback Sam Huard (131/213, 1565 yds, 14 TD, 6 INT) is a pure passer with a strong arm and good accuracy. Huard has targeted over 5 different receivers at leat 20 times this season. The leading receivers are tight end Tyrece Fairly-Diyem (29 rec, 418 yds, 4 TD), Giancarlo Woods (36 rec, 354 yds, 4 TD), and Bryson Allen (23 rec, 313 yds, 2 TD). On the ground, the Mustangs have 6 players with at least 20 carries, but they aren’t very effective. The leading rusher is Mark Biggins (60 car, 270 yds, 2 TD, 7 rec, 26 yds). Up front is where the issue is for the Mustang offense. The offensive line isn’t very big and they struggle to control the line of scrimmage for the running game, however they have been capable of providing ample time to throw for Huard.

Offensive Team Stats

• Points scored per game: 19.4 (11th BSC / 91st FCS)

• Total Offense: 327.3 ypg (82.8 rushing ypg / 244.6 passing ypg) - 10th (11th / 3rd) BSC

• Sacks Allowed: 15 (7th BSC)

• Turnovers: 9/9 (INT/Fum)

• Redzone: 19/30 - 15/4 (TD/FG) - 12th BSC

The Mustangs 4-3 defense has struggled to keep opposing offenses out of the endzone this season. There isn’t much to say about the CP defense other than it is a pretty young unit that is looking to find its footing. Linebacker David Meyer (48 tkl, 3 TFL) leads the Mustangs in tackles with defensive end Elijah Ponder (43 tkl, 11 TFL, 8 sac) playing the role of wreckin ball and leading the team in TFLs and sacks. Cornerback Donovan Saunders (13 tkl, 2 INT) leads CP in interceptions.

Defensive Team Stats

• Points allowed per game: 38.3 (11th BSC / 119th FCS)

• Total Defense: 390.1 ypg (204.7 rushing ypg / 185.4 passing ypg) - 7th (10th / 2nd) BSC

• Sacks : 17 (6th BSC)

• Turnovers Forced: 3/7 (INT/Fum)

• Redzone: 32/35 - 27/5 (TD/FG) - 11th BSC

CP’s kicking game hasn’t been used much as kicker Noah Serna (4/6 FG, 19/22 PAT) hasn’t had more than a half a dozen field goal attempts on the year. Punter Ryan Collins (29 pnt, 42 ypp) looks like a more than capable punter with a long of 61 on the year and 7 dropped inside the 20. In the kick return game, Zion Hall only has 6 returns on the year but has a long of 43 yards.

Hornet Team Stats

• Points scored per game: 29.9 (5th BSC / 34th FCS)

• Points allowed per game: 24.9 (5th BSC / 47th FCS)

• Total Offense: 415.3 ypg (185.1 rushing ypg / 230.2 passing ypg) - 3rd (4th / 6th) BSC

• Total Defense: 379.9 ypg (171.6 rushing ypg / 208.3 passing ypg) - 6th (7th / 5th) BSC

• Sacks Allowed: 11 (T-4th BSC)

• Sacks: 20 (4th BSC)

• Turnovers: 7/4 (INT/Fum)

• Turnovers Forced: 11/3 (INT/Fum)

• Redzone Offense: 36/40 - 28/8 (TD/FG) - 3rd BSC

• Redzone Defense: 24/31 - 18/6 (TD/FG) - 3rd BSC

Position Advantage

• Quarterback: Push. Sam Huard will be the best passer on the field, but Kaiden Bennett will be the best athlete that touches the ball every play.

• Running Backs: Hornets. Not many backs in the BSC are better than a healthy Marcus Fulcher, and none of the Mustang backs are even in the same discussion in comparison.

• Wide Receivers: Mustangs. No reason to pick the Hornets after their lackluster performance a week ago. Cal Poly’s receivers are more than capable of getting open and making their grabs.

• Tight Ends: Push. Tyrece Fairly-Diyem is the best receiving tight end on the field, but Marshel Martin and Coleman Kuntz are more effective players in both the run and pass.

• Offensive Line: Hornets. The Hornet offensive line is noticeably better in both aspects of the game compared to Cal Poly’s.

• Defensive Line: Hornets. The Hornet defensive line plays the run and pass better than the Mustangs line, but the best defensive lineman on the field this week will be Elijah Ponder.

• Linebackers: Hornets. Armon Bailey and Brock Mather are better all around linebackers than David Meyer, Je’kob Jones, and Jeremy Justice.

• Defensive Backs: Push. The Hornet secondary plays the ball better, but hard not be down on the Hornet secondary coming off of a game as bad as last weeks.

• Punters: Hornets. Cal McGough can out-punt Ryan Collins on a bad day.

• Kickers: Mustangs. Noah Serna hasn’t missed a chip shot this year.

• Kick Returners: Push. Neither return game stands out on either team.

There’s not much to say about this game as the Hornets will be the clear favorites to win big. The Mustangs are in rebuild mode and have some good pieces in the passing game, however beyond that it’s hard to get excited about much else on their roster aside from a stellar defensive end in Elijah Ponder.

The Mustang defense just doesn’t get stops and the Hornet offense have shown the ability to move the ball quite well this season. Defensively, the Hornets just need to keep everything in front of them and not give up big plays.

I don’t see how the Hornets lose this game unless they beat themselves, and coming off of last week's disappointing showing they’ll have a lot of motivation to perform well on the field. The Hornets need to win this one in convincing fashion….and should.

Stingers Up!

Northern Colorado at Cal Poly Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ4Kb-Ds-Zg

 

[Green Cookie Monster]

If Huard is hot it could be a game, if not, Hornets should roll. If nothing else, just run the ball 40-50 times. Our backs are good and Poly run D is susceptible.

 

[Kadeezy]

If Huard is hot it could be a game, if not, Hornets should roll. If nothing else, just run the ball 40-50 times. Our backs are good and Poly run D is susceptible.

We should run to pass, not the other way around. Fulcher’s dad and a lot of alums on Twitter were like WTF during the game last week. Not good.

This team has the stable of RBs to dominate. I need 300 yards rushing at a 21+ point victory to get the bad taste out of my mouth!

SAC 45
CP 28

 

[HornetFootballFan]

After that horrible performance in Montana. If I were the OC I’d make the Cal Poly Defense look so abused they would have them on the face of milk cartons for abuse.

If our offense doesn’t put up 50 I’d be surprised. Our man Bobby F needs to show he can run a potent offense and sustain drives.

 

[SDHornet]

It would be nice to have the Hornets jump out to an early lead with a lot of backups getting play for most of the 2nd half.

 

[JB94]

https://sactownsports.com/category/podcast_player/?a=cf5ff479-c0a7-49f4-a0ee-3cd1d3f7f50e&n=Stingers%20Up%20-%20The%20Sacramento%20State%20Football%20Podcast%20with%20Jason%20Ross&i=1593

 

[HornetFootballFan]

I’m hoping to see true 2QB system today. Interchanging in drives per what the defense is doing and taking what’s available to move the ball.
KB is a great player. But I truly see Carson Conklin as our future and I want him to get play time to keep improving.
The W is most important obviously but player development for a QB of his caliber I want to keep active in game time so that we don’t lose him in portal if he doesn’t feel he’s being developed w good minutes on the field.

 

[stingthemgood]

Our defensive injuries have killed us this year. Neither PAC-12 transfer DB being able to crack the lineup has been frustrating. We don’t have much left, but apparently what we have is better than either of them.

 

[SDHornet]

41-30 Hornet win. The Hornet offense looked good most of the night, but the Hornet defense got abused all game long. To the defense's credit, they did force field goals instead of touchdowns and got some critical turnovers in the 2nd half that preserved the win. Some sloppy play calling and poor game management let Cal Poly hang around late, but ultimately the Hornets prevailed. More thoughts later.

 

[BuckeyeHornetFan]

I’m rather excited that the Hornets, potentially, have Carson Conklin for another 4 seasons. The kid looks like the real deal to me. He’s making throws we haven’t seen for a while.

No offense to Kaiden Bennett, who has played well at times this season, but the arm strength, accuracy, timing, and decision making just looks different with Conklin. I’m really looking forward to seeing this kids development.

The o-line played really well. Fulcher and Tau-Tolliver looked great. Gipson was great. And boy was it nice to see a vintage Marshel Martin touchdown!

Lastly, I hope Devin Gandy’s injury ain’t as bad as his reaction. It was nice to see him walk off the field, but his reaction sure made it seem like he knew it was pretty bad. <crossing fingers>

 

[SDHornet]

On offense, Carson Conklin (17/26, 313 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT) had a solid game against a woeful Cal Poly defense. The offense really stretched the field with some deep plays down the field and the Hornet offense was very efficient. Jared Gipson (5 rec, 154 yds) had some big catches and Carlos Hill (4 rec, 54 yds, 1 TD), Marshall Martin (2 rec 52 yds, 1 TD) and Devin Gandy (3 rec, 31 yds, 1 TD) each had a touchdown catch. The Hornets ground game was just as impressive. March Fulcher (20 car, 121 yds, 2 rec, 14 yds) and Elijah Tau-Tolliver (9 car, 99, 2 TD) ran wild. All of this was made possible by a Hornet offensive line that controlled the line of scrimmage in an extremely well played game.

Defensively the Hornets struggled as they gave up almost 500 yards through the air. The Hornet secondary was burned deep on multiple plays as Cal Poly did an excellent job in pass protection as the Hornet defensive line struggled to get pressure on Sam Huard who was making excellent throws all game. That said, this Hornet defense forced Cal Poly to settle for field goals on 2 of their red zone trips and Gavin Davis-Smith (5 tak, 1 TFL, 2 INT) had two big interceptions in the second half that played a major role in the win. Dillon Juniel (10 tak) led the team in tackles and Josh Cashiola (2 tak, 1 TFL, 1 sac) had the lone sack of the game for the Hornets.

Hornet special teams had a solid game. Zach Schreiner (2/2 FG, 5/5 PAT) got back in stride and hit both of his short field goals. 4 of the 5 punts from Cal McGough and Connor Stutz landed inside the 20 and the Hornet coverage on kickoffs and punts was sound.

Here are my takeaways from the game:

• Hornets cleaned up the penalties. There were still a few, but much better from the last few weeks.

• Conklin looks really good. The progression of his reads, pocket presence, and his throws and decision making all look very promising. He’s taking what the defense is giving and putting throws where only his receivers can catch it.

• That said, he had a true freshman moment when he scrambled left and threw the ball across his body to the other side of the field for his first career interception. He forced a throw into something that was never there. The pick happened in the 3rd quarter in which the Hornets would have gone up by 3 possessions had they scored a touchdown on the drive. That pick let CP hang around for the rest of the game.

• The offensive line up front did very well to give Conklin time to make throws. There were times when pass protection broke down, but the solid execution allowed this offense to have a big game.

• Let’s get to the bad, and that was the play calling and game management from the closing seconds of the 3rd quarter and through the 4th quarter. That red zone trip at the end of the 3rd quarter and early 4th quarter was an absolute clusterfvck. 1st and goal from the 5 and Coach Fresques channeled his inner Taylor and got cute with the play calling instead of just smash mouthing it in for a touchdown. The Hornets settled for a field goal to take a 2 possession lead.

• On the subsequent drive the defense forces a 3 and out and instead of burning clock with a ground game that CP had no hope of stopping, the Hornets threw the ball and failed to chew up a meaningful time which allowed CP to hang around in the game.
  McGough made a great play on what was a likely blocked punt and scrambled around and still got the punt off to flip the field.

• Now onto the awful. Following yet another defensive stop via a 2nd Davis-Smith interception, Coach Fresques dials up a reverse to grind clock while up 2 possessions that costs Gandy the rest of his season. I don’t understand the decision to take the ball out of the hands of the running backs in that situation.

• The mismanagement listed above hasn’t gotten it done against quality teams. At this point in the season, the coaching staff just has to be better. There is just no need to be imaginative when burning clock while up 2 possessions, this is worrisome.

• For as bad as the stats look and the big plays that were given up, the Hornet defense got stops when it mattered most. While the Hornet offense was doing their best to let CP hang around late in the game, the Hornet defense shut down CP’s offense and got stops on all 3 of their 4th quarter drives. The defense forced a 3 and out, got a pick on a promising CP drive, and then ended the game on downs on the final CP possession. After allowing 23 points in the first half, the Hornet defense only allowed 7 points in the 2nd half.

• 12k showed up for an early kick off game. With the solid turnout, the Hornets had over 12k at every home game and averaged 13.3k over 5 home games. That some solid support from the Hornet faithful.

• Injuries are piling up for the Hornets. Armon Bailey didn’t play this week, Kaiden Bennett was rested as well with the exception of a few plays. A few others I’ve heard about are out as well so the Hornets will really need to dig deep to finish off this season strong.

Although the win wasn’t as convincing as I anticipated, a win over an in-state rival is always good. With this win, the Hornets earned their 5th winning season of the last 6 seasons, got their 7th D1 win of the season which, IMO, punched their ticket for the postseason. Given that Nichols secured the Southland auto-bid with their huge win over Incarnate Word last week and subsequent win this week, I’m feeling a rematch with UIW in the first round in Hornet Stadium is in order. NCAA selection committee, please make this happen. But before that, the Hornets have to gear up for the Causeway.

Stingers Up!

Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH9dpoTKKdU

 

[OldSchoolHornet]

Great game review. I was sincerely hoping we would play better as preparation for the Davis game but I was happy to see the frosh quarterback played well enough for the win. Anxious to see how he holds up to the pressure of the Causeway Classic. On the upside, I watched Davis play again last night and I was not impressed.
The defense needs to step up so we can beat Davis convincingly. I agree that 7 wins gets us in the playoffs but there’s no reason we shouldn’t be taking an 8 game win season and positive momentum into the playoffs.

 

[HornetFootballFan]

Most important we got the WIN.
QB Carson Conklin I am sure feels good now with this game time experience. He seems like a smart player. That freshman INT he tossed up I’m sure he’s watching that on film cringing about that throw. Learning Experience that might have worked in HS but those aren’t good enough in D1 to get away with.
As you know my biggest concern is our friend Bobby F and his play calling. He needs a strong Assistant OC to converse with and share ideas.
Clock Management needs to be a topic the coaches review this week.
UCDavis is going to throw long balls. I’m sure AT will tune things to shut down aggies and we will all celebrate causeway victory and see our playoff matchup

 

[HeavyistheClown]

Not a fan of the 916 on the helmets. Looks cheesy and is worse than the mosquito.

Deep ball still kills the defense. We know it is coming, and still can’t prevent it. Isn’t Huard just a soph? Two more years of that kid, yikes.

Still not sold on Fresques being the OC and AT not having a DC.

Conklin and Tau Tolliver look promising. We are known as RBU, so keep that going. Like his power.

13,500 average attendance over the year is awesome! Remember the days of 6-7,000? If the giant ever reawakens, the area will support an elite team.

FUCD RB is going to go gang busters. He had 250yds against ISU and with their QB having long ball capability, it’s going to be a long day.

 

[Kadeezy]

On offense, Carson Conklin (17/26, 313 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT) had a solid game against a woeful Cal Poly defense. The offense really stretched the field with some deep plays down the field and the Hornet offense was very efficient. Jared Gipson (5 rec, 154 yds) had some big catches and Carlos Hill (4 rec, 54 yds, 1 TD), Marshall Martin (2 rec 52 yds, 1 TD) and Devin Gandy (3 rec, 31 yds, 1 TD) each had a touchdown catch. The Hornets ground game was just as impressive. March Fulcher (20 car, 121 yds, 2 rec, 14 yds) and Elijah Tau-Tolliver (9 car, 99, 2 TD) ran wild. All of this was made possible by a Hornet offensive line that controlled the line of scrimmage in an extremely well played game.

Defensively the Hornets struggled as they gave up almost 500 yards through the air. The Hornet secondary was burned deep on multiple plays as Cal Poly did an excellent job in pass protection as the Hornet defensive line struggled to get pressure on Sam Huard who was making excellent throws all game. That said, this Hornet defense forced Cal Poly to settle for field goals on 2 of their red zone trips and Gavin Davis-Smith (5 tak, 1 TFL, 2 INT) had two big interceptions in the second half that played a major role in the win. Dillon Juniel (10 tak) led the team in tackles and Josh Cashiola (2 tak, 1 TFL, 1 sac) had the lone sack of the game for the Hornets.

Hornet special teams had a solid game. Zach Schreiner (2/2 FG, 5/5 PAT) got back in stride and hit both of his short field goals. 4 of the 5 punts from Cal McGough and Connor Stutz landed inside the 20 and the Hornet coverage on kickoffs and punts was sound.

Here are my takeaways from the game:

• Hornets cleaned up the penalties. There were still a few, but much better from the last few weeks.

• Conklin looks really good. The progression of his reads, pocket presence, and his throws and decision making all look very promising. He’s taking what the defense is giving and putting throws where only his receivers can catch it.

• That said, he had a true freshman moment when he scrambled left and threw the ball across his body to the other side of the field for his first career interception. He forced a throw into something that was never there. The pick happened in the 3rd quarter in which the Hornets would have gone up by 3 possessions had they scored a touchdown on the drive. That pick let CP hang around for the rest of the game.

• The offensive line up front did very well to give Conklin time to make throws. There were times when pass protection broke down, but the solid execution allowed this offense to have a big game.

• Let’s get to the bad, and that was the play calling and game management from the closing seconds of the 3rd quarter and through the 4th quarter. That red zone trip at the end of the 3rd quarter and early 4th quarter was an absolute clusterfvck. 1st and goal from the 5 and Coach Fresques channeled his inner Taylor and got cute with the play calling instead of just smash mouthing it in for a touchdown. The Hornets settled for a field goal to take a 2 possession lead.

• On the subsequent drive the defense forces a 3 and out and instead of burning clock with a ground game that CP had no hope of stopping, the Hornets threw the ball and failed to chew up a meaningful time which allowed CP to hang around in the game.
  McGough made a great play on what was a likely blocked punt and scrambled around and still got the punt off to flip the field.

• Now onto the awful. Following yet another defensive stop via a 2nd Davis-Smith interception, Coach Fresques dials up a reverse to grind clock while up 2 possessions that costs Gandy the rest of his season. I don’t understand the decision to take the ball out of the hands of the running backs in that situation.

• The mismanagement listed above hasn’t gotten it done against quality teams. At this point in the season, the coaching staff just has to be better. There is just no need to be imaginative when burning clock while up 2 possessions, this is worrisome.

• For as bad as the stats look and the big plays that were given up, the Hornet defense got stops when it mattered most. While the Hornet offense was doing their best to let CP hang around late in the game, the Hornet defense shut down CP’s offense and got stops on all 3 of their 4th quarter drives. The defense forced a 3 and out, got a pick on a promising CP drive, and then ended the game on downs on the final CP possession. After allowing 23 points in the first half, the Hornet defense only allowed 7 points in the 2nd half.

• 12k showed up for an early kick off game. With the solid turnout, the Hornets had over 12k at every home game and averaged 13.3k over 5 home games. That some solid support from the Hornet faithful.

• Injuries are piling up for the Hornets. Armon Bailey didn’t play this week, Kaiden Bennett was rested as well with the exception of a few plays. A few others I’ve heard about are out as well so the Hornets will really need to dig deep to finish off this season strong.

Although the win wasn’t as convincing as I anticipated, a win over an in-state rival is always good. With this win, the Hornets earned their 5th winning season of the last 6 seasons, got their 7th D1 win of the season which, IMO, punched their ticket for the postseason. Given that Nichols secured the Southland auto-bid with their huge win over Incarnate Word last week and subsequent win this week, I’m feeling a rematch with UIW in the first round in Hornet Stadium is in order. NCAA selection committee, please make this happen. But before that, the Hornets have to gear up for the Causeway.

Stingers Up!

Thanks for the summary SD, caught bits and pieces via radio in the woods. This was great.

 

[FootballAlum84]

Compared to last seasons FCS final attendance rankings were probably right about the same as last season.

https://herosports.com/fcs-football-2022-attendance-leaders-bzbz/

The discussion has always been “when the sleeping giant of Sac” awakens the Big Sky is in trouble, which on the field we’ve finally awaken over the last 5 seasons and even this year we’ve maintained a fair position and have momentum for years to come I believe. I think it’s long been obvious the in game experience is keeping our attendance from tipping closer to 20k each week. The tailgate experience has become worth attending, until the stadium reaches the quality of a top FCS program we are still asleep at the wheel and missing a great stadium experience. I long for the day Hornet stadium is known as hard place for teams to come play, watching us get rattled by the fan atmosphere at Washington-Griz gets me upset we don’t have that ability!

 

[Green Cookie Monster]

Compared to last seasons FCS final attendance rankings were probably right about the same as last season.

https://herosports.com/fcs-football-2022-attendance-leaders-bzbz/

The discussion has always been “when the sleeping giant of Sac” awakens the Big Sky is in trouble, which on the field we’ve finally awaken over the last 5 seasons and even this year we’ve maintained a fair position and have momentum for years to come I believe. I think it’s long been obvious the in game experience is keeping our attendance from tipping closer to 20k each week. The tailgate experience has become worth attending, until the stadium reaches the quality of a top FCS program we are still asleep at the wheel and missing a great stadium experience. I long for the day Hornet stadium is known as hard place for teams to come play, watching us get rattled by the fan atmosphere at Washington-Griz gets me upset we don’t have that ability!

Fans at WaGriz stadium are 10 feet from the field in a complete four sided box.
Hornet stadium will never replicate that game day atmosphere with a track.
Keep longing.

 

[FootballAlum84]

Compared to last seasons FCS final attendance rankings were probably right about the same as last season.

https://herosports.com/fcs-football-2022-attendance-leaders-bzbz/

The discussion has always been “when the sleeping giant of Sac” awakens the Big Sky is in trouble, which on the field we’ve finally awaken over the last 5 seasons and even this year we’ve maintained a fair position and have momentum for years to come I believe. I think it’s long been obvious the in game experience is keeping our attendance from tipping closer to 20k each week. The tailgate experience has become worth attending, until the stadium reaches the quality of a top FCS program we are still asleep at the wheel and missing a great stadium experience. I long for the day Hornet stadium is known as hard place for teams to come play, watching us get rattled by the fan atmosphere at Washington-Griz gets me upset we don’t have that ability!

Fans at WaGriz stadium are 10 feet from the field in a complete four sided box.
Hornet stadium will never replicate that game day atmosphere with a track.
Keep longing.

I’ve been on that sideline and many others of the Big Sky and am aware of the difficulty to replicate that and was not suggesting we are able to match that with our current stadium set up, or even come close. With all the rumored upgrades coming to the stadium it was just a hope that we will be able to manage a better set up to just be able to make for a tougher atmosphere for a visiting team than we have at the moment… the longing continues