After finishing with a 7-3 record, their best since 2010, the Trojans are on the road to Houston right now, where they will face the La Porte Bulldogs in the first round of the playoffs. The Bulldogs finished their season 7-3, after rattling off seven straight district wins to close the season after an 0-3 start. Tonight’s matchup makes for an interesting one, specifically because of how different these teams’ offenses are from one another.
The Trojans are usually led by Max Gerlich, but may be quarterbacked by Mason Randolph tonight. Max has thrown 40 touchdowns to just 5 interceptions this year, showcasing an exceptional ability to take care of the ball. In general, ball security should be a key for the Trojans because I’d expect that time of possession will come at a premium tonight. Another way that the Trojans should work to keep possession of the football tonight is by leaning on Jay Fullmer. This will also help to take some pressure off the passing offense and balance out the Trojans’ attack.
While Anderson has shown an innovative, spread offense this season and used it to steamroll opponents to the tune of 45 points per game, La Porte’s offense predates the Vietnam War. The Bulldogs run a Wing T offense and are going to run the ball A LOT. They average right around 400 yards of total offense per game, but almost 330 of those yards come on the ground. They’ve got a trio of running backs that can do serious damage if the Trojans front seven struggles tonight.
The most dangerous of those backs is (in my opinion) freshman Sean Simon who has 963 yards and 14 touchdowns in just seven games. He’s averaging over 11 yards per carry and is joined by senior Tyresse Barnes, a 1000-yard rusher on the year who matches Simon’s 14 scores.
Where the Bulldogs are more susceptible is at the quarterback position. Aiden Saenz is completing under 60% of his passes and has thrown 6 interceptions in 85 pass attempts. Over 7% of the time he attempts a pass, the ball ends up in the hands of a defender, so the Trojans need to take advantage of his few pass attempts. Players like Gage Webb, Liam McMillian, and Hodges Smith will be key for Anderson tonight, as their run defense will be tested, so if a defensive back like Colin Haines can force a turnover, it could be the edge that the Trojans need to win this game.
In their 3 losses, La Porte was held under their season average in rushing yards, so if the Trojans can stop them from gaining over 300 on the ground, I feel confident they’ll win this game. La Porte doesn’t have the defense nor an explosive enough offense to keep up with the Trojans if they’re scoring at a high level. The biggest question for Anderson tonight is if Max will play. If he does, it gives the Trojans a major advantage. My prediction: Anderson 35 La Porte 21
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