Offense might marginally improve just with Tompkins healthy and all else equal …. But that’s if MH can hit him in a forward pass because we’re not doing really any sweeps, pitches, direct snaps etc to get playmakers the ball.

Relatedly, going to harp again that I hope the staff considers bringing back the wildcat package for the Red zone. Ungainly, predictable, but got the ball in 50% of the time at least

On the remaining schedule, Idaho, SUU, MSU, and Montana all have wins over FBS or FBS transitioning teams. Offense can’t execute like this vs the big hitters later

TD Williams!

I wonder if it’s just pressure/ nerves? Maybe he’s just lights out in practice but just overthinks things in games or something

Scott said the inner thoughts out loud

As predictable as Hawkins’ wildcat red zone package was, it also was mildly successful against FCS defenses.

I feel like just having ten guys block for Lan or TT can’t be less one dimensional than this

I'm predicting a two-possession loss to the Beavers, but I hope to be surprised. It's a rebuilding year IMO

UCD offense performed comparably and arguably even slightly better than Auburn's against Cal -- would have been more obviously reflected on in the score without the missed kicks

Four of the teams on our schedule now have an FBS win (counting Cal, and Montana beating a transitioning team). Every win will be critical this year for a playoff push

and pressured the QB on a would-be int that got negated by PI. He's game-changing out there

Speaking as an SDSU fan, they’re in basically full rebuild with a new system and apparently freshman QB. They also haven’t had a decent offense in the better part of a decade. That was a prime setup for an FCS scare.

Maybe A&MC might move the ball marginally better vs the Aggie D but like others have noted we should both get going on the ground and have a bit of a better attack through the air than SDSU did at first

I'd agree we're more likely than not to get in at 8-4 but thinking about it more I'm cynical enough to want a buffer of at least one more win if possible. I'm remembering last year the argument for Davis making the field was essentially also a serious case for Sac to get left out at 8 wins including an FBS win.

FWIW, I poked around Sac's schedule and they could potentially pose another bid-stealing situation with us because even with two FBS opponents they have a very good chance of heading into Causeway Week with 7 or 8 wins.

A scary scenario would be having 8 wins coming into Causeway, Sac having 7 with a loss to Weber, and then them picking up the Causeway win -- Sac would then have not-much-worse losses, fewer FCS losses, and H2H over us on selection day. Not to mention Weber has a chance to build a resume with that scenario.

In other words, we almost have to treat @Sac as do-or-die as well depending on what their record is looking like in the last few weeks

Based on the playoff committee's creativity last year, basically every game not against the current Massey top 15 is do-or-die now -- and everyone needs to stay healthy enough to squeeze two wins out of Idaho/EWU/UM/MSU/Sac.

Hoping for a confidence-builder game from Hastings, LL to burst for some long runs, and a comfortable lead so that the starters get rest in the 4th. And I'm just simply excited to see what the defense does against FCS offenses now.

We had these stretches in 2018 and 19 too where we went away from the quick passing game and just kinda stalled. I understand needing to keep the defense on their toes and that we're not expecting Hastings to throw bombs every other play, but the short/mid passing game was working

Not a football expert but really disliking the halfback handoffs out of shotgun up the middle.
a) hasn't worked all game
b) didn't work particularly well when Plough was here last time
c) primary goal of this game is for LL to walk away healthy

Is it my imagination or are most of LL's touches just dives up the middle? Not much effort to to get any sweeps or pitches outside going?

I remember that was my frustration with Plough's offense in 2019, though Larison should be more successful against FCS defenses than a younger and smaller Gilliam

Did away uniforms ever have them? I seem to remember it being a home uniform thing

Don't like the lack of creativity in the red zone but the short-yartage run game and run D are only going to look better against Big Sky teams.

Also not having Tompkins significantly shrinks the playbook when you need 2 yards

Write for California previews are best-in-class for our usual opponents IMO. Always enjoy reading them.

Notably in the conclusion of what’s supposed to be a UCD Offense write up, the author spends much of the time talking about how Davis will have trouble with the Bears offense. May be a case of just getting ahead of themselves, but I guess you could read it as an admission that it isn’t a sure thing that Cal will be able to outright stop LL, just that their path to victory is to outscore and control clock

True, but 9-win season requires us to play perfectly outside of our games against the FCS top 5 -- and that includes on the road at a top-10 team. Not sure any team outside of the non-marquee teams of the Big Sky and MVFC would be held to that standard just to lock in an at-large spot.