Over the weekend, Sacramento State got commitments from Rocklin LB Derek Houston and Antelope RB Curron Borders.
Sacramento State picks up a pair of 2023 standouts
- Thread starter Streak One
- Start date
sac state looked really good this weekend. They will not have a problem finding the End zone. Great league this year.
The Hornets are gonna score, but their defense is gonna need to step up, they’ve got a rather tough schedule this year, starting next week vs a good Northern Iowa team (that handled them last year) on the road.
IMO their defensive performance on Saturday was a big concern. The DB’s got beat over-the-top multiple times early on but were fortunate that the QB either missed the throw or the receiver flat dropped it.
Despite those misses, Utah Tech still racked up over 500 passing yards.
The pass rush was also a disappointment. Ariel Ngata got home a few times, and they got a few other pressures via the blitz but for the most part an underwhelming Utah Tech o-line held them in check.
Last season the Hornets offensive line and QB Jake Dunniway weren’t very good early on but eventually figured things out and greatly improved. The hope is that the defense can have a similar transformation. In-season improvement is typically the mark of a good coaching staff, which I believe most of us believe Sac State has.
We’ll see how it goes. But right now it’s hard to be optimistic about the defense slowing down the next few opponents on the road……
I’m very excited to see the Hornets land Houston. RHS boasted one of the top defenses in NorCal last season and Houston — then a Junior — was arguably the most impactful defensive player outside of Bobby Piland. He was all over the field last season! The kid can play.
I think the Hornets might be benefitting from Houston being sidelined with a leg injury and unavailable so far this season. He hasn’t had more of a chance to impress FBS/P5 teams. IMO he’s got good size, speed, instincts and hands. He should he a good player at the next level. (Oddly 247 lists him at 205 lbs while RHS lists him at 220)
I’ve yet to see Borders play, but his highlight package gives me Charles Roberts vibes. Although he doesn’t appear to have Roberts tree trunk legs. But he looks like he‘s got good speed and runs with more power than you’d expect from a 5’7 RB.
I said the Hornets got a steal landing Cameron Skattebo and with each passing game it looks like they got even more than that. That kid is unreal.
The thing that always stood out to me most about him is his incredible balance. IMO that’s among the most important attributes for the position. He’s just hard to get on the ground! And he runs with attitude looking for contact.
He’s also an excellent receiver and a very capable blocker. My concern always has been him being underutilized in Troy Taylor’s offense, which historically has underutilized the RB. IMO it’ll be a mistake having QB Asher O’Hara carry the ball more than Skattebo this season.
But, yes, the Hornets offense should be prolific as the season wears on….
Last edited:
Love seeing people's reaction when they finally get to see Skattebo in action. And I'm sitting here like...yeah, I know. Watched it every day for 3 years. He ain't right. Almost criminal that Sac St was the only one to offer.
If you get a chance, just check out Sac State's roster. If you like and follow NorCal HSFB, you will LOVE this roster. It is littered with some recent legends from all over: Folsom, DLS, St Marys, etc.... Just about every decent NorCal program is represented.
They are fun to watch too!
They are fun to watch too!
Yup. And it’s nice to see. Some of these kids also has better options in terms of schools. Sac state is on a path to be a year in and out top 10 program in FCS.
Just got to win a frickin playoff game…
I see shades of Folsom when watching Sac St this afternoon. Just getting too tricky IMHO.
UNI hasn’t stopped Scattebo yet, but on 2nd and 4 and 3rd and 2 deep in UNI territory, Hornets try a QB option (O’Hara almost always fakes the toss then runs himself) and then on a big 3rd down play they handoff to the TE in the backfield. WTH?
Ohara has a bit too much confidence in himself as 1st option on the run - SMH
if Sac blows this lead in the 2nd half remember those bad play calls. Too Cute - stick with what gotcha the lead.
UNI hasn’t stopped Scattebo yet, but on 2nd and 4 and 3rd and 2 deep in UNI territory, Hornets try a QB option (O’Hara almost always fakes the toss then runs himself) and then on a big 3rd down play they handoff to the TE in the backfield. WTH?
Ohara has a bit too much confidence in himself as 1st option on the run - SMH
if Sac blows this lead in the 2nd half remember those bad play calls. Too Cute - stick with what gotcha the lead.
Sac State is fun to watch.
They're best QB is from St. Marys Stockton. Love watching him play. @bulldogmgc
I’m circling back on the above to acknowledge O’Hara made a few keys plays on option keepers toward the end of the game to help seal the game for the Hornets. I still think he needs to trust his RBs more - but a big win is a big win.
StingersUp
Last edited:
As a proponent of Troy Taylor’s hiring and fully acknowledging the night and day transformation in the Hornets program under his leadership, one of the negatives I’ve been pointing out for a long while now — and getting heat for from some fans — is Taylor’s underutilization of running backs.
As someone that’s followed Coach Taylor’s career arc as a coordinator and head coach — it’s been a long-standing trend.
When TT took over at Sac State, Elijah Dotson was a 1st team all-Big Sky RB. And while Dotson‘s production as a receiver spiked in 2019 — his carries came to a crashing halt. Taylor likes to rotate his backs frequently — sometimes every other play — which has positives but also negatives. The featured back can’t get into a groove.
And with this 2-QB system with Asher O’Hara being the run threat — it’s taking away even more touches from the backs.
I get that O’Hara is a very skilled runner, but he’s also smallish and not the runner Cameron Skattebo and Marcus Fulcher are. O’Hara led the Hornets in carries last season and has has more carries the 1st two games of this season.
IMO that’s a mistake.
I understand wanting to keep Skattebo and Fulcher healthy and not to overuse and wear them down. But Skat just has to get more than 11 carries and 12-13 touches overall. His production — despite the limited touches — should warrant it.
UNI couldn’t tackle the kid on Saturday. It looked just like Skattbo’s days at RL. But instead of taking advantage of that mismatch until the game was closed out — they kept using him as a decoy.
If the Hornets want to win a playoff game against opponents like South Dakota State — they are going to have to utilize their backs in the run game more than their QB. They gotta be more physical and traditional on that front.
Agreed w/use of running backs. I also think some of the added qb runs could be credited to their up tempo near the goal line where they run O'Hara a ton. I've seen Skateboo absolutely gassed after a big run and Sac runs high tempo and has O'Hara run it in bc the rb can't take another carry. Just saying this skews the run numbers a bit. I think TT will start to utilize the run game more as he has seen what a lack of it can do at this level in the playoffs.
Overall a very good win last week. Every time they face a top MVFC or OVC team it's going to a big game.
Overall a very good win last week. Every time they face a top MVFC or OVC team it's going to a big game.
Very good point re: fatigue. However my counter to that is the depth Sac State has had at the RB position. And they’ve tended to use at least 3 of those talented backs, so there’s no good reason not to have a fresh back.
In 2019 they had Dotson, Perkinson and Fulcher.
In 2021 they had Skattebo, Perkinson and Fulcher.
This season they’ve got Skattebo, Fulcher and Tau-Tolliver.
Still, none of those backs tend to get consecutive carries even when they are rolling. That’s the disconnect I see.
Agree completely. That was a big win last week.
Love what Sac State is doing. They are fun to watch!
Does anyone think Kaiden Bennett will ever get some run in this offense in the next few years?
Does anyone think Kaiden Bennett will ever get some run in this offense in the next few years?
It shocks me that Sac State has 9 bay area SOFT guys on the roster. Good thing 3 of them are contributors.
9 soft guys on an entire college roster is fine with me. Every team needs tackling dummy's!
Yeah tell that to Jett Stanley and Marshall Martin. You probably don’t even know who is on the damn team. Hell you probably don’t even go to Folsom games
Cmon HSWIZARD. Really? Do you have to jump into a perfectly civil discourse simply because pasty got involved? Can I suggest you head back over to the Folsom discussion threads for constant back and forth - it wont be long before he says something to stir the pot. But right here, right now, the adults are trying to have an honest conversation about Sac State FB
Last edited:
I agree with alot you and Thunder have stated. I also acknowledge we are nitpicking TT considering where the program sits today, compared to just 3-4 years ago.
As good of an athlete as O'Hara is, IMHO there is just no way he should have more rushing attempts (31) than Skateboo (21). BTW - Stakeboo has about 100 more rushing yards than O'hara, in about 1/3 less carries.
2022 Football Cumulative Statistics - Sacramento State
The official 2022 Football cumulative statistics for the Sacramento State
hornetsports.com
He certainly does. O’Hara reminds me a lot of Dano Graves, and TT certainly utilizes him in the same way.
In his defense, O’Hara is pretty darn good. He’s very elusive and slippery. I just wish he wasn’t so loose with the ball and that he didn’t leave his feet so much. Considering the defense knows he’s carrying the ball 90% of the time, he still produces quite well.
I’d just like to see Skattebo and Fulcher get more short yardage carries. I think O’Hara would be better served mixing it up and handing the ball to his backs a bit more often.
Hopefully TT’s long term plan is to keep his backs fresh then rely on them more later in the season as the postseason comes around.
You and I are in lock-step. IMO Skattebo and Pierre Williams are their best offensive players. They should be the focus of the offense, with O’Hara, Fulcher, Martin, and the other receivers mixed in.
It’s hard to argue with the success, as you say. But considering how the 1st two seasons have ended I believe it is a valid concern.
yes and yes. the more O’Hara learns to trust his Rbs, the better off he’ll be down the stretch, right now I feel Sac State is a bit predictable on their play calling when O’Hara is on he field.
I do think Martin is a special piece for this team as well, especially at the FCS level. I’d count him amongst the Hornets top 2-3 weapons.
IMHO if the Hornets offense has a weakness, I think it might be getting the ball downfield. I like Dunniway, but I considering he is supposed to be the one with the ‘arm’ (with O’Hara being the ‘feet’), I don’t think he‘s much better than slightly above average - but Sac State’s offense has more variance and unpredictability when Dunniway is behind center.
Agree on all fronts.
Marshell Martin is right there with Skattebo and Williams.
They are too predictable when O’Hara is in the game. Good defenses will exploit that.
With regard to slinging it deep, I’ve noticed them taking a couple deep shots to the new transfer from Miami #19 Carlos Hill who is supposed to be a burner. They’ve not made a connection yet. But they need to keep trying it.
Circling back to Skattebo and his limited number of touches, my long term concern is losing Skattebo to the transfer portal as they lost Dotson.
I realize that Dot didn’t get the attention from D1/P5 programs as he hoped and isn’t doing too well on a talent deficient Northern Colorado team — but Skattebo could be a prime target for a more prominent program to lure away via the portal.
IDK the kid — perhaps he’s the loyal type. But many kids with aspirations of playing pro ball can be convinced they need to play on a bigger stage. As Cameron Skattebo continues to play like he has, there will be no shortage of P5 programs eager to land him. If TT continues to underutilize him in favor of O’Hara it could increase the odds of him leaving the program for a bigger opportunity.
The above is among the many reasons I HATE the transfer portal. It’s turning D2, FCS and lower level FBS into a developmental AAA system for the mainstays. Those big time programs don’t have to worry about not identifying the Cameron Skattebo’s of the world coming out of HS anymore. They can let someone else develop them then reap the benefits later on.
Anyway, that’s among my many concerns. Another being that I feel he’s their best weapon.
understand the transfer portal concerns with solid players leaving for D1 “promised glory”, but it works in reverse as well. There is no shortage of kids who’ve spent a year or two riding the pine at P5 programs (or any DIs for that matter);who get fed up and are willing to move to a FCS school just to find some solid playing time.
I think the kids who are most affected by the Transfer portal are the HS kids. Lots of college coaches are now filling their needs in the portal for a game ready player with a year or two of experience under his belt, instead of scouring the high school fields for an 18 year old kid who needs another year or so to be ready. JC programs are getting more quality kids these days because not as many HS seniors are being offered. I think we will see this occurring in bigger numbers moving forward.
After watching FCS and particularly the Big Sky Conference for the better part of 5 years it’s my opinion that the defensive backfield and quarterback positions are the weakest on the field, generally speaking of course.
Makes sense. Those are the most coveted positions and the P5 hoards them.
Agreed. It does work both ways. And numbers wise the FCS has received more transfers than in the other direction.
Difference is, the player moving up is usually much better than the player moving down.
What are your thoughts on Kaiden Bennett getting some future run on the Hornets?
I think they really like Bennett but absolutely love Dunniway and O'Hara. I think it comes down to Bennett v O'Hara and in their eyes O'Hara is the better athlete/runner. I'm sure Bennett is the guy moving fwd with Hale possibly moving to WR or Saftey...I know they're looking hard for a young qb and don't be surprised if they pick up a good player through the portal as well.
Bennett is going to end up spending like 8 years in college between all the "shirts" and transfers lol
TT says Bennett might be the fastest on team. And will be used in spots.
IDK that TT thinks O’Hara is necessary better, but certainly more experienced and a senior transfer.
IDK either but their pt splits sure favor O'Hara. I don't know enough on Bennett to speak on him, can only go off what I've seen on the field and the staff sure does love running O'Hara.
I was one that assumed Bennett would've been the guy by now.
I was one that assumed Bennett would've been the guy by now.
I also think there is push by TT, Bobby and Richardson to develop more of a gap scheme run game. I think it takes time to develop the timing of gap scheme to marry up both the timing of blocks and rb hitting the holes at the rt time, especially when your base has been more zone in the past. Trial and error. I know we really focused on timing from the gun. We had concerns and kinks that had to be worked out to be ran to our expectations and use of install time and we were always a gap scheme that used little zone.
When the last time folks broke down Sac St offense...it's a great sign people care so much!
When the last time folks broke down Sac St offense...it's a great sign people care so much!
