Dawgs look for win tonight against Tigers

By TJ MAXWELL

Not a lot has gone right for the young Bulldawgs’ varsity football team in 2015. Turnovers and inconsistent play have them 0-5 for the first time in 22 years under athletic director and head coach Jack Welch. The Bulldawgs scored 66 points in their non-district finale against Schertz-Clemens but gave up 67 for their fourth loss and had a -3 turnover ratio against the Killeen Kangaroos last week in their district opener where they could only muster 14 points in the loss. “We’ve got to stay positive, keep pushing, and keep working hard,” said Welch. “If we were sitting here at 4-1 we’d all feel much better about ourselves.” Welch knows getting his team in the win column will be a tough task this Friday when Cove hosts the Belton Tigers. “Offensively, we’ve got to win the time of possession, get first downs and keep their offense off the field,” said Welch. “This week we have to play solid football.” They could feasibly do that with Cove’s powerful run attack. The Dawgs currently have the top rushing offense in the district with 1,590 yards on the ground – more than 400 yards over Belton who is third in total offense and second in rushing behind Cove. Cove is second in total offense but dead last in passing with less than 100 yards per game. Belton is the best team in district against the pass, giving up less than 100 yards per game but they are second worst against the run – Cove’s strength. They give up just over 200 yards per game on the ground. The Dawgs will need to take advantage of that statistic to win. Senior Antonio Lealiiee leads the district with 784 yards on the ground and six touchdowns, followed by Belton’s Davion Peoples’ 605 yards. Peoples leads the district in touchdowns, though, with nine. Cove’s Herrera is next in district with 462 yards and six touchdowns. Stopping the Tigers’ offense will likely be the toughest test for Cove. The most telling statistic, defensively, is the Dawgs have given up nearly 1,000 more yards of total offense than anyone else in District 12-6A through five games – 2,725. Midway, who had a bye to open district play, has given up 1,869 yards in four games and Killeen had surrendered 1,902 in five games. The Dawgs hope to turn those numbers around tonight when they host the Tigers but stopping that offense won’t be easy. “Their offensive line is pretty big and their quarterback and running back are very powerful and fast,” said Welch. “They’ve got good receivers across the board but they like to go to (Olajuwan Taylor) as their big play guy. “Their offense has done a good job of moving the football. We have to penetrate and put pressure on the quarterback. We’ve got to get in their backfield and make things happen. To do that, you’ve got to make sure you put pressure on the receivers.” With a top three offense and defense for the Tigers, the Dawgs will need to be mistake-free to earn the win. Junior quarterback Peyton Mansell doesn’t make many mistakes as a passer. He has just one interception in 93 pass attempts and all the time in the world behind his offensive line. He also has Taylor as a weapon in the passing game and sprinter Peoples in the run game. “Three of their five lineman are 300 pounds,” said Cove defensive coordinator Reb Brock. “Taylor is 6-foot, 190 pounds and benches over 300 pounds as a receiver. He has caught a touchdown pass in every game this season. Peyton Mansell is a junior. He’s an AP student, extremely intelligent and rarely makes a mistake.” Bradley Lawson, one of three two-way players starting for the Bulldawgs stepped in and played big at safety for the Bulldawgs in their 17-14 loss to Killeen and he likes the improvement he saw from his defense last week and looks for that to continue tonight. “The defensive backs are working very hard and the receivers are working hard,” he said. “We push each other. Defensively, we’re shoring up and I feel good about this week.”