Gilroy coach Brian Boyd contributes the loss to Live Oak to three key plays: two bad snaps on third and short that were recovered, but forced the Mustangs to punt and a play where the ball took a funny bounce on an Acorns kickoff that Gilroy thought was going out of play, but was recovered by the hosts and returned for a touchdown.
“We feel we gave them 21 points. I think our defense played phenomenal, better than we ever have before, and I think that will continue,” Boyd said. “But we feel like we only gave up 10 points; it was a real hard one to swallow.”
Christopher did a good job shutting down Sobrato’s run game, limiting them to 72 yards in its 12-6 win. Gilroy will look to follow suit, relying heavily on linebackers Noe Garcia and Antonio Andrade as well as Darius Alexander-Jones and Jacob Varela at noseguard and tackle, respectively, to shut down the inside routes and put pressure on Sobrato QB Matthew Bolino. Bolino was 9 for 7 against Christopher for 105 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions.
“I think their D-line is soft, Sobrato’s D-line is soft, they rally to ball good with their linebackers and secondary, but I think we will control the line of scrimmage and should have plenty of time to throw,” Boyd said. “They’re definitely a better team—I think they’re better than Live Oak—but they’re definitely better than they were last year.”
After looking at the film, Boyd said Sobrato left lanes wide open for Christopher and they will look to utilize those gaps this week. Though the Mustangs are running back by committee this year, they anticipate DeAngelo Kamber carrying the load after scoring on a run and picking up a fumble recovery.
The Mustangs will look to remain balanced, however, and hope to build off of junior quarterback David Munoz’s impressive performance against Live Oak. He went 17 of 28 for 220 yards and a touchdown.
But Sobrato did a good job creating turnovers against Christopher, picking off two of Matt Adamkiewicz’s passes and forcing a fumble. The Mustangs can’t afford to give Sobrato extra chances via turnovers and need to limit the penalties that plagued them against Live Oak.
The Mustangs and Bulldogs will square off at 1:45 p.m. Saturday at Sobrato—the team’s first true home game. The day game presents challenges in itself—adjusting to playing in the daytime and in the heat—but Boyd must also adjust to calling the offensive plays, too. Offensive coordinator Bobby Griffith announced he was stepping down earlier this week to do personal reasons.
“We’re moving forward and it’s full speed ahead,” Boyd said. “It’s my first time since taking over the program that I’ll be calling all the plays. It’ll be a lot on my shoulders, but that’s my job.”
