Greetings, Lion fans, and while it might be difficult to discern positives from a 48-10 loss to UC Davis, there were some, and Head Coach Clint Dolezel and his team are going to have to seize on those positives and get ready to travel to the west coast for a date this Saturday night with the Hornets of Sacramento State.

The Hornets come into this game fresh off of a 38-24 win over a fellow Southland Conference member of the Lions, Nicholls State. It was a much closer game than the final score would indicate. At just over the midway point of the third quarter this was a 17-10 game, and with 1:46 left in the game, Nicholls State rallied to close the score to what became the final.

Sacramento State comes into this game ranked #4 in the NCAA Coaches poll, and #9 in the Stats Perform poll. The Lions are obviously unranked.

This week is certainly going to be an uphill battle, so let’s take a closer look, and see where this game breaks down.

OVERALL-

Lion Offense:

Points: 10.0 ppg

Rush: 142.0 ypg

Pass: 143.0 ypg

Total: 285.0 ypg

Turnovers: 3

Hornet Defense:

Points: 24.0 ppg

Rush: 148.0 ypg

Pass: 196.0 ypg

Total: 293.0 ypg

Turnovers: 1

The Hornets are coached by Andy Thompson, who is in his first season at the helm. He was named defensive coordinator in 2019, where he developed Sacramento State into of the top units in the Big Sky Conference.

Sacramento State finished 12-1 in 2022, with a 66-63 loss to Incarnate Word, in one of the year’s wildest college football games. The Hornets are always in the thick of a tough Big Sky Conference race, and 2023 looks to be no different.

UP FRONT/TALE OF THE TAPE:

Lion Offensive Line: 6’2″ 319 lbs.

Hornet Front 6: 6’2″ 260 lbs.

Sacramento State has a very active defensive front out of a basic 4-2-5 set. Sophomore defensive end Deshawn Lynch (6’5″ 283 lbs.). They have a very experienced front four, with juniors Brandon Knott (6’3″ 275 lbs.), Leke Fashola (6’4″ 258 lbs.), and senior Jett Stanley (6’4″ 284 lbs.) joining Lynch up front.

The Hornet defense is led in tackles by a pair of linebackers, senior Brock Mather (6’0″ 230 lbs.), who has 8 tackles (6 solo) and senior Armon Bentley (6’1″ 231 lbs.), who has 6 tackles (4 solo). The defensive front does a great job of tying up blockers and allow Mather and Bentley to roam free and make plays.

To say the Lion offensive line was a disappointment would be a vast understatement. It was anticipated that the depth and experience added through the transfer portal would bolster the performance of the O line, and instead, the line had one of their worst games in recent memory.

That being said, it can also be said that the offensive line can be one of the most difficult to coach and take the longest to develop. Sophomore Chandler Donaway, last year’s center, did not dress for the game due to injury. His status for this week is unknown at this time. Junior Jadin Jones (6’5″ 311 lbs.) and sophomore McKenzie Agnello (6’4″ 310 lbs.) returned last week and were joined by sophomore transfer Kyle Lofye (6’3″ 312 lbs.), junior Santos Valdez (6’1″ 321 lbs.,), and junior Michael Martin (6’1″ 345 lbs.). The silver lining that can be found is this – as bad as the line can look one week, they can look completely the opposite the next. Line coach Dave Ewart is certain to go over the film with the line and find where the breakdowns happened and where to plug the leaks.

In addition, the numbers tell a slightly better story than the 48-10 loss would indicate. The offense still managed to maintain a good balance, rushing for 142 yards and passing for 143. So, while not eye popping, the outing of the offensive line was not a total loss, and whatever problems there are can certainly be fixed. Can they be fixed in one week? We’ll see.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS/THE BACK LINE:

Lion Movers and Shakers: 6’0″ 196 lbs.

Hornet Back Line: 6’0″ 189 lbs.

The Sacramento State secondary has good size and experience led by seniors Kylen Ross (6’0″ 178 lbs.), who had an interception last week, and Caleb Nelson (6’1″ 192 lbs.). They are joined by junior Dillion Juniel (5’9″ 167 lbs.), who was among the team leaders in tackles last week with 6 (5 solo). The Hornets play mostly a two and three deep zone defense but aren’t hesitant to play the corners in press coverage and bring pressure up front.

Junior quarterback Peter Parrish (6’1″ 192), did have a few bright spots, but struggled with 3 interceptions. Junior Josh Magana (6’1″ 203) fared somewhat better with second half spot duty. Magana did have a 65-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Keith Miller (6’3″ 219 lbs.) for the Lions lone touchdown.

The Lions were led in rushing by senior Raveion Hargrove (5’6″ 172 lbs.) , who had 50 yards on 12 carries, with a long of 14 yards. Junior Shamenskie Rucker (5’10” 190 lbs.) had 50 yards on 7 carries, with a long of 30.

VERY SPECIAL, INDEED: The Lions are not the only team with a punter from Australia. Cal McGeough (6’2″ 180 lbs., Soph.) had two punts for a 41-yard average last week with a long of 46. Junior Zach Schreiner (6’0″ 170 lbs.) was a perfect 5 of 5 on PAT’s last week, and was 1 for 2 on field goals, with a long of 23.

The Lions did not have a punt return last week, but sophomore Sean Krystoff-King (5’9″ 184 lbs.) had three returns for a 20.6-yard average, with a long of 25 yards.

THE LIONS WIN THIS MATCHUP IF: It begins with the offensive line. After last week, there is nowhere to go but up. The 13 total penalties last week were termed “unacceptable” by Clint Dolezel in his post-game press conference last week, and that may be the understatement of the season already. Pre snap infractions absolutely killed any potential Lion drives, especially after producing a pair of early turnovers.

Second, Lion quarterbacks have to make better decisions throwing the football. That’s all there is to it. As fragile as putting together this new system is, minimalizing turnovers has to be at the top of the list.

Third has to be a short-term memory. It is often said that great defensive backs in football and relief pitchers have to have little to no memory of past experiences. Getting beat on a deep route or giving up a home run that loses a game has to fade into oblivion, and quickly.

That is the task for Clint Dolezel and his team this week. Forget last week. Burn the game tape. Take the encouraging signs from the second half week and build on them. They were there.

See you Saturday.