STORY BY: CHACE MURPHY
If you only look at three quarters of the Bryan Vikings’ game against A&M Consolidated, the outcome is not that bad.
It’s that pesky 28-point third quarter for the Tigers that Bryan (4-2, 2-1) is still trying to shake.
The quest for the next victory is a daunting one because the Copperas Cove Bulldawgs are in the Vikings’ path.
Cove (5-1, 3-0) is coming off a 64-7 blowout of 12-AAAAA cellar dweller Killeen Ellison last week.
The Bulldawgs bring in the district’s leading rusher in Brandon Hamilton. His 961 rushing yards are enough to put Cove in second place in the district in overall offense.
Quarterback Orlando Thomas is the fifth leading rusher in 12-AAAAA with 584 yards on the ground complementing his 419 yards passing.
Defensively, the Bulldawgs have give up far more yards than in seasons past. Cove is second-to-last in the district allowing 418 yards per game on average.
Bryan hopes to exploit the Dawgs defensive weaknesses by mixing in Kevin Jefferson more at receiver and utilizing sophomore Derrick Smith at running back. Smith moved up from junior varsity after the Vikings lost Bobby Johnson.
Vikings head coach Bob Bellard says Smith will see significant playing time this week.
“It gives us a good option of putting a good back in the backfield and leaving Kevin (Jefferson) split out wide as a receiver,” Bellard said.
The Vikings and Bulldawgs kick off at 7:30 Friday night at Merrill Green Stadium. Pregame starts at 7:01 on KZNE, Sports Radio 1150, The Zone.
