Tiger Gameday – Section Semi Finals
Tiger Gameday – Section Semi Finals
Last Game: Holy Angels 40 Hutchinson 34
Game Recap: Really nice first half where Hutch dominated both sides of the ball…gave way to a second half where mistakes popped up again. First game of the year, where the offensive line blocked for more than 300 yards rushing. Overall this was a regular season to forget for Hutch.
Current Record: 3-5
This Week’s Opponent: St. Peter (4-4)
About the Opponent: The Saints have been a middle of the pack team that can do some nice things, but also make mistakes. (Sound familiar?) They can run and pass, but haven’t scored a ton of points this year. Defensively is probably their strength. Save a couple games, the defense has kept them in games and won games for them when the offense can’t get much going.
Key Hutch Players: Hutch’s DB’s. St Peter has had some drives this year where they did not call one single run play. Overall the Saints are about 50/50 with run and pass. But when push comes to shove, the Saints pass. So the Hutch D-backs will be tested. You do have one injury in that backfield, so there is some inexperience there. But overall the pass defense has been very adequate this year. Can Hutch shut down some good receivers?
4 Downs/Storylines:
First Down: Forget about the Regular Season. I know, easier said then done. But your record doesn’t matter anymore. Now it’s win and keep going. Teams make runs all the time, why not now? You do need to correct the mistakes that happened, but a run like this has happened before.
Second Down: Get some Turnovers and Sacks. Hutch still hasn’t won the turnover battle this year, but they did tie the last 3 weeks. Winning in the playoffs requires your defense to make some plays and get the ball back for your offense. Hutch hasn’t gotten many sacks either this year. Getting a consistent pass rush can be a good thing for forcing bad throws. A bad throw could mean a “Bingo”.
Third Down: Keep that Hutch run game going. Hutch’s OL was a beast last week. Easily their best game of the season. St. Peter hasn’t faced too many power running games…namely only 1 (Marshall). Everyone else on their schedule plays a shotgun spread kind of offense. St Peter hasn’t seen this attack much, but will they see Hutch’s best? You’ll need to block well to get a win today.
4th Down/Quick Hit Keys: Play a full 4 quarters. I don’t think Hutch has done that all year. Still waiting for a complete game…Expect St Peter to air it out once in a while. Deep shots have been a part of their repertoire…Playing a tough schedule can play dividends in the Postseaon. Just look at Willmar’s dismantling of New Ulm Tuesday. But it only pays dividends IF you learned from those losses.
