Who:
East Texas A&M Lions
Versus
Houston Christian Huskies
When: October 17, 6 PM
Where: Husky Stadium, Houston, TX
Watch/Listen/Stats-
Watch: ESPN+ | https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401869152
Live STATS: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=672620&vislive=tame
Listen-88.9 KETR Commerce- Stream at KETR.org- Charlie Chitwood (Play by Play), Brock Callaway (Color/Analysis)
The No Huddle-
Two weeks ago, things were looking about as bleak as they could. The Lions had blown a game they had every chance to win, their starting quarterback was done for the year, and they were facing a team just outside the FCS top 25 that had embarassed them the previous year.
Then, a stingy defense, a gutsy performance by both a senior quarterback who literally gave all he had, and a true freshman quarterback who took over, and a cold-blooded walk off field goal that won the day on a rainy and chilly day in Commerce. It seemed to inject life into a program that now sits at 2-2 in the conference, their best start in the Dolezel era.
This week presents another test, and they won’t get any easier. Houston Christian, a team that has defeated Nicholls and Southeastern and also sits 2-1 in conference play. HCU is considered the surprise team in the SLC this year, and on film, their game strategy looks identical to UTRGV’s.
The Huskies weaker defensive unit is their running defense, and this year, East Texas has shown they have the ability to run the ball very effectively. Quay Middlebrooks and Major McBride are the two guys that have exploded onto the scene, while Jordan Hamilton fills in the gaps and has shown he can be an important part of the tandem. Quarterback Luke Glass, who likely gets the start, played a gutsy second half against UTRGV and led them on the game winning drive, and most importantly, has shown he is not afraid to throw downfield, or use his legs when running the run/pass option. If the Lions can chew clock and grind down the Huskies, things look good for East Texas to pull out another win and break into a winning conference record. HCU represents a test for Glass throwing the ball, but this might be a time to move tight end Sean Sallis from Blocker to Receiver and take the attention off of Micah Simpson. Andrez Lewis also has been a contributor and continues to improve and get better, but the main focus is…..can the ET offensive line protect Glass and let him run the offense and let him get confident while maintaining the rushing lanes they have created a large part of the season.
On Defense, the Lions will look to continue to contain a Husky rushing attack that features several backs, but if the Lions can force HCU into getting behind the sticks and frustrate an already shaky passing game, this could be part 2 of the equation to get a win down in Houston.
Clint Dolezel has a 2-1 record against Houston Christian, all of them close games. He is hanging onto the mojo he got from last week’s win, and a win against HCU puts the Lions back into the thick of the Southland pack. Every week will be a test, and every week, the Lions will have to pass.
