Hofstra @ W&M Preview
Posted by TTHS on September 27th, 2006
When Hofstra has the ball
Hofstra OL vs. W&M DL
Hofstra’s website doesn’t want to give me any sacks against statistics, so bear with me on this one. They are a veteren line with 3 seniors and 2 juniors. They seem like a formidable line, but they have given up more sack yards(40-31) and more TFL’s(12-8) than W&M’s O-Line, but that isn’t taking into account QB mobility which has saved the Tribe from lots of trouble this year. The Tribe D-Line has a star in the making in redshirt freshman Adrian Tracy, who leads the D-Line in sacks and got a sack and a half last week vs. VMI. Couple that with veteran Josh Wright, who has forced 2 fumbles and the year. The ends are not the point of concern on the line. The D-Line putting pressure on Hofstra will be KEY to the game this week.
Hofstra running game vs. W&M LB’s
Hofstra flat out doesn’t run the football. Averaging 77 yards per game, and only having 80 rushing attempts on the season, it is clear that isn’t their focus. Junior Kareem Huggins has gotten the grunt of the carries on the year, running the ball 30 times(in 3 games) and gaining 174 yards. The Tribe linebackers took a HUGE hit with the loss of Sophomore LB Josh Rutter, who led the team in tackles as a frosh last year and was the top tackler after 2 games this year. Luckily this is the teams deepest defensive position, with Chris Ndubueze, Travis and Trevor McLaurin, and Michael Pigram still manning the LB position. The linebackers will be weaker than the first 3 games of the year, but it won’t become one of the weak spots. The Tribe has had trouble stopping the run, however, as they have given up 542 yards on the ground in 3 games.
Hofstra passing game vs. W&M DB’s
Passing the football is surely Hofstra’s offensive strength, as they average 240 passing yards per game(almost 100 more than W&M). Senior QB Anton Clarkson and star receiver Shaine Smith, who average 128 yards per game, the Hofstra passing game will be tough to stop. The Tribe has stopped the pass pretty well this year, giving up an average of 110 yards per game this year. Whether W&M can contain(not stop) the Hofstra passing game will be key to the final outcome.
When W&M has the ball
W&M OL vs. Hofstra DL
The Tribe offensive line has been one of the weak spots this year, as Jake Phillips is rushed seemingly every play either out of the pocket or to make a quick throw. The lack of effective play at the OL position pretty much shut down W&M’s running game until last week. If the Tribe OL can at least be average, I will be happy. Hofstra’s defensive line has only 4 sacks in their 3 games this year, and that seems to be one of the weak points on their team. Age isn’t an issure at this position(all upperclassmen), but effectiveness has and this match-up will be pivotal to the game this week.
W&M running game vs. Hofstra LB’s
The Tribe running game busted free last week, when Elijah Brooks rushed for 146 yards and 3 TD’s and DeBrian Holmes added 59 yards in only 5 attempts. The Tribe running game really depends on the offensive line. Last week Elijah got some holes and ran all over VMI, while the 2 weeks before he had no holes and it showed on the stat sheet. Save the Marshall game, Hofstra has been pretty good against the run this year. The Hofstra LB’s are, on average, 13 pounds lighter than W&M’s running backs, small compared to W&M’s LB’s who are about the same size as Hofstra’s running backs. Though they may not have size on their side, they do have experience as they seem to do at every position(all upperclassmen for the starters)
W&M passing game vs. Hofstra’s DB’s
The William and Mary passing game has been pretty bad all year. Starting QB Jake Phillips is averaging about 140 yards per game this season, and his completion percentage just over 50. He only has one pick, but that doesn’t look too good when you have 2 TD passes in 3 games. The Tribe receivers are solid, with sure-handed veteran Joe Nicholas, and the speedy duo of Elliot Mack and DJ McAulay. Hofstra got flat out lit up last week, as Towson threw for over 450 yards including a game winning touchdown with less than a minute left. This is neither teams strong point to say the least.
Special Teams
Derek Cox was strong on the punt returns last week, averaging over 10 yards a pop. When it comes to the kicking, even I am willing to admit Pritchard was good last week. Was perfect on FG’s and XP’s and when he didn’t do that stop squib kick it was a touchback. Hofstra is pretty solid when it comes to returning. The punting duty goes to Kareem Huggins, who averages almost 10 yards per return. He also takes the kickoff duties, but his longest return of 24 is sub-par. Kicker Rob Zarrilli is perfect in kicks on the year, 6-6 on XP and 5-5 on FG. His long is only 33, but that isn’t his fault. He also handles the kickoff duties.
Final prediction
This is one of those games that is literally a toss-up. Both have one conference loss, both 1-2, with the other loss to a I-A team and the win vs. a extremely weak team. The game could go either way. I am picking William and Mary narrowly, based on home-field only. It is really that close. One thing is for sure, Jimmye will have the team ready.
W&M-31, Hofstra-28
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