It took 294 days since the last one, but the Spiders have their first win of 2023. Rather uneventful game against a bad opponent but a necessary game and necessary win to get before CAA play gets rolling.

Drives

1st half drives on the left, 2nd half drives on the right

Offense

9 drives – 4 TDs (45%), 3 punts (33%), 1 FG (11%), 1 turnover on downs (11%)

The turnover on downs was running the clock out at the end so overall an incredibly efficient day for the offense. They weren’t challenged by Delaware State (which is good news) and got things flowing heading into a huge road trip up to Long Island.

We’re more than a screen team – Nice to see us run an actual offense and it was clear how much of a difference that makes. The Hornets were the #1 factor in things looking good Saturday, as that was a fringe D-II team we faced, but sacks were eliminated, the YPC on the ground was up, and we found guys open downfield. I won’t draw any conclusions against a poor opponent but the play calling at least was promising for the schedule going forward.

Jerry Garcia Jr. – He’s more than a trick play specialist or sneaky option for this offense – Garcia Jr. has established himself as the top slot target and a key fixture of this offense going forward. Did a great job working both the sidelines and the middle of the field, and with his speed I’d imagine things will only continue to go up for #4.

The O-line shuffle has stopped? – I don’t know the timeframe on Salyers injury but it feels like Lamp, Gouveia, Elia, Coll, Mitchell is how the Spiders will proceed going forward. Second straight game we’ve seen that lineup so I’m guessing it holds that way until Cade comes back.

Outside targets – DeGennaro turned a simple completion into a 44-yard TD however we still didn’t see him or Griffin get open deep. I may be a little picky in a game like that but I’m really hoping we can expand DeGennaro’s role beyond that of an underneath receiver. On one hand he does what he did Saturday and turns seven yards into 44 yards, on the other he’s too valuable to not let him loose. Was hoping we’d find him on the two free-plays we got but I still feel like that’s a priority to take things to the next level.

Kyle Wickersham – Start #3 for Wickersham felt like a huge shift for the young QB. He looked very comfortable, made timely checks at the line, and took chances when he needed to. We won’t learn much about the Spiders against a bad team however this game was huge for Wickersham. Not only did we actually let him play quarterback but he showed the ability to make all the throws. Here’s the passing chart from Delaware State:

Remember when I said his completion percentage was going to come down? Well you’ll have to wait at least one more week for that. A near flawless 18-20 in the 1st half and it wasn’t overly simple. 9 for 11 throwing in the 6-15 yard window (42% of attempts) as we worked the slants a lot more this week, which helped keep us on schedule. Middle of the field percentage is still lagging behind so we’ll see if that picks up soon. A few plays stood out to me, starting with one of his few incompletions. 3rd & Goal after the two questionable OPIs on the opening drive, he escapes right and takes the chance to the end zone while throwing on the run. He could’ve easily just taken off but that’s a great spot for him to give his receiver a chance. It wasn’t overly risky but it’s not a throw all QBs can make so it was great he let it fly. **sorry for the poor FloSports image**

He threw that from the 26 yard line on the run and couldn’t have put it in a better spot. And it’s not a forced throw, but it’s also not an easy one. On 3rd & 23 that’s a great time to take that chance and it was encouraging to see him put it up in week 3. The DeGennaro touchdown was the other play that stood out to me:

Delaware State has a free rusher but we’ve got our #1 guy on a slant in 1-on-1 coverage. Not only did he recognize the blitz to know to get it out, but he stood in there until the last second and delivered a strike. The awareness and toughness from that play was all you can ask for out of your QB. Like I said before, I put absolutely no stock in games against inferior opponents regarding assessing the overall team, but they can be huge for a QB who is still early in his career.

Defense

9 drives – 5 punts TDs (56%), 2 FGs (22%), 2 turnovers (22%)

Three weeks into the season and three relatively boring games for the defense. Effectively 10 points allowed w/ multiple turnovers in week 1, a strong first half in the FBS game in week 2, and another dominant effort in week 3. Exactly what we expected from this group and they’ve delivered so far.

Turnovers – Three games into the year and the defense has forced seven turnovers. Turnovers forced were up in 2022 and it’s been more of the same in 2023. Hasn’t been the deciding factor in a game yet but if we keep forcing two a game that will win us a game at some point.

Depth – Depth continues to be on display for this group across all positions. Wayne Galloway got the start at Sam linebacker, with Wheeler shifting to Mike. Galloway ended with seven tackles, one TFL, and one 81-yard INT return TD – an all around great start. We got to see more of Jabril Hayes due to the unfortunate injury of Bryson Parker, however #21 played well and grabbed his first Spider INT. Throw in more of Camden Byrd on the D-line and Justin Wood is finding more and more guys to contribute each week.

Zander Barnett – I’ve been saying we have three ends who are all starter talent and Zander Barnett proved that true this weekend. With Jeremiah Grant out after his injury at Michigan State, Barnett tallied seven tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two additional QB hurries. Basically no drop-off when #90 comes into the game and while we’ll need Grant in the coming weeks it’s clear that Barnett deserves to not be viewed as a reserve.

Special Teams

Some signs of life? I know it’s Delaware State but I’ll take anything. One strong kickoff return, one bad one. Great kickoff coverage and an excellent job by Chance Graves to down a punt at the one yard line. The real results will happen in CAA games but seeing one net-positive game across the board was refreshing.

Entering CAA play

Morgan State feels worse now – My #1 takeaway from yesterday is just how frustrating the Morgan State game feels two weeks later. This group was clearly fine to run a “normal” offense week 1 and we didn’t let them do it. The Spiders are very much behind the 8-ball but still have a chance to enter Rhody week at 4-2. The next three are MUST wins (@ Stony Brook, vs Hampton, vs Maine).

Rhode Island has impressed me early on, so I do think we’ll have a chance for a quality win before William & Mary. Campbell and Elon doing well wouldn’t hurt either as we may need multiple ranked wins down the stretch to make up for week 1.

Next Post

Stony Brook preview (Friday morning)