Rabbit Hole Sports EA Sports College Football 25 Sonoma State Dynasty Blog #3

GAME REVIEW: #17 Fresno State (5-1)- 20 @ #2 Sonoma State (7-0)- 31

GAME PREVIEW: Oregon State (2-4) @ #3 Sonoma State (7-0)

TUESDAY- In our most recent matchup we took on local and conference rival, Fresno State. With both team's being undefeated this has the potential to be a conference championship game preview. I'm honestly lightly rooting for this to happen because Fresno State potentially got robbed at a comeback attempt. My Xbox lost connection to the wi-fi with around four minutes left in the fourth quarter. We were up 31-20 at the time, but a had a 3rd &10 in our own territory. While unlikely, a comeback attempt was possible, but my unwillingness to replay the majority of the game prevailed, and I decided to just advance the week. Unfair to Fresno State, but with only limited time to dedicate to this at the moment it is what it is. (but maybe that's the perfect reminder of how much I appreciate everyone's support, because making Rabbit Hole Sports a full-time thing is the ultimate goal) In all fairness, the game's simulation engine had us win 42-7 when I went back in to manually fast-forward. Because the game I actually played isn't the one recorded in the game's save engine I don't have any stats to give for this entry, so if that's what you find most enjoyable about these, I apologize.

Offensively, we hit a big touchdown pass on our opening-drive to receiver Treyun Bell. Going into the game we were looking to target our most favorable outside matchup when passing because of their best corner being in the slot. While we weren't able to get yards as consistently as I had hoped running the ball, we did have a pair of explosive touchdown runs that helped us get control. The first was a 96-yard touchdown run from quarterback Nico Valoaga, and the second being a 50 or so yard run from half back Nate McNutt. Our scoring was further aided by a kickoff returned for a touchdown by receiver Johnny Stephens. Possibly the first one I've ever gotten on the game (I know I'm mid, relax) so a bummer that it's not officially recorded in the game. In a similar situation in the future I would call more traditional options and wide zone plays to test their edge once we had established the lead. I had become a little too obsessed with the pass after we hit a big one early, and whenever they played with one-high safety I was going back to it. Late in the game, I should have been prioritizing plays that would run the clock and end the game.

On the other side of the ball it wasn't a bad performance, but it certainly wasn't flawless. This was an annoying offense to play because of their Air Raid scheme and quarterback's ability to scramble. The constant drop backs paired with the need to contain the quarterback creates a lot of time to throw. Normally the best counter would be to bring pressure, taking away the quarterbacks escape routes, and forcing him to make quick decisions, something scrambling quarterbacks at the college-level aren't as polished at (in most cases). A misplay from me while usering the safety which lead to a touchdown, and our multiple possession lead made me not go down that rabbit hole. I definitely should've been more brave dialing up the blitz, because their quarterback made some absurd throws on the run. We did such a good job with our initial coverage, and kept the quarterback from having open lanes to scramble, but he killed as by scrambling to throw.

That's what's so annoying about scramblers. You can do everything right in your initial defense, and they essentially create a second play within the same play that you aren't as prepared for. There's a lesson hidden in this. In football, quarterback's who can run have been met with mixed reactions. Some feel they often stray off-script too much, and create chaos where there shouldn't be. While others find that their skillset allows them to do things that traditional defenses aren't naturally prepared for. These reactions exist because the traditional quarterback is someone who can read defenses, throw the ball, and be a general on the field. Running isn't anywhere to be found in the job description. If we take this to the world of everyday employment, every job has a description and traits that the person who fills the role should have. Some companies when hiring like a strict fit to that description, while other companies use them as looser guidelines. Both have the ability to be right and wrong, is just depends on how you use the person you end up choosing. The former type of company could have found something that consistently works for them, and therefore prefer to stick with the model they have found works. Now this can become an issue if they are so stubborn that they are unwilling to adapt when things aren't working. But similarly with the latter, maybe they have confidence in their ability to adapt their roles to fit the people they hire, and because of that are willing to take chances on more untraditional candidates. This can be a great thing if you have the resources and people to make it work, but when there isn't the right structure in place, or you become too obsessed with being different that you miss the obvious, it becomes a problem.

It's the same scenario with scrambling quarterbacks. They can be awesome for attacking defenses in unconventional ways, but when you don't have a plan for what you're using the skillset to accomplish it becomes a problem. Football, sports and life are all intertwined in that we have to figure out what makes sense to us and are good at, and have the correct blend of humility and curiosity to see what we can do different or better.

GAME PREVIEW: Oregon State (2-4) @ #3 Sonoma State (7-0)

Next up is the Oregon State Beavers, who come in with a record of 2-4. This is our third of four consecutive home games, and will conclude the second-third of our schedule. Oregon State runs a multiple offense, which means there's a lot of different ways that they could theoretically attack us. We'll have to be prepared for a lot of different personnel types and formations. Their personnel on that side presents its greatest challenge on the left-side of the offensive line, with the unit being anchored by their center, Everett Turk (87 ovr). Other threats come from the mobility of their quarterback, David Afalva (80 ovr), and their safety-valve of a tight end, Pete Wall (86 ovr).

Their base defense is a 3-3-5, which gives them natural personnel advantage against the pass in two-receiver sets. Whenever I see a personnel with five defensive backs I naturally want to try to run the ball a lot. While this makes sense given the strength advantage we'd have against this personnel, the one dilemma is that this forces lineman to make blocks in the open field against better athletes, which isn't what you want. The point of the 3-3-5 and 4-2-5 is to primarily control the run game enough and prevent big plays, and that's why I believe it will be important to throw a decent amount early to get them on their heals and create as much room around the line of scrimmage as possible.

I'm hoping we can get the pass game going in this one. This is the first time in a while we've had favorable matchups at multiple spots in the passing game, so hopefully we can put up some decent numbers without forcing the issue. Doing that early and building the lead will make it easier to run the football in the second-half of the game, and hopefully result in a win that can be put away more comfortably than against Fresno State. Can't wait to bring you guys the recap of the game. Until then I hope it's a blessed and safe week! Take care everyone!