Bullard Brook Hill Looks To Get Back On Track When Guard Hosts Unbeaten Tyler Bishop Gorman

TAPPS DIVISION II, DISTRICT 2

Tyler Bishop Gorman Crusaders (6-0, 3-0)

vs.

Bullard Brook Hill Guard (3-2, 2-1)

7 p.m. Friday
Herrington Stadium, Bullard

Coaches

• Bishop Gorman: Coby Gipson
• Brook Hill: Bobby Brasher

Last week

• Bishop Gorman: def. Tyler All Saints, 45-0
• Brook Hill: lost to Tyler Grace, 55-14

Next week

• Bishop Gorman: vs. Dallas Christian, Oct. 24
• Brook Hill: vs. Frisco Legacy Christian, Oct. 24

Playmakers

Bishop Gorman

• WR Connor Hobbs, Sr., 6-5, 220 (41 catches, 716 yards, 6 TDs)
• QB Michael Goodwin, Jr., 5-10, 185 (100 of 142, 1,535 yards, 17 TDs, 4 INTs; 63 carries, 514 yards, 7 TDs)
• RB Logan Botello, Sr., 5-7, 160 (46 carries, 430 yards, 3 TDs)
• WR Judah Bell, Soph. (25 catches, 418 yards, 6 TDs)
• WR Martin Guzman, Jr. (15 catches, 216 yards, 2 TDs; 10 carries, 70 yards, TD)
• RB Josh Johnson, Jr., 5-9, 160 (19 carries, 272 yards, 3 TDs)
• RB Daniel McKnight, Sr., 5-9, 160 (17 carries, 103 yards, 2 TDs)
• WR Josh Regel, Sr. (14 catches, 171 yards, 3 TDs)

Brook Hill

• WR Seth Brasher, Jr., 6-2, 181 (28 catches, 527 yards, 8 TDs)
• QB Grant Hanks, Sr., 6-2, 170 (66 of 116, 1,184 yards, 11 TDs, 4 INTs)
• RB Gabe Lucio, Sr. (109 carries, 568 yards, 5 TDs)
• WR Chase McDermott, Sr., 6-0, 180 (19 catches, 380 yards)
• RB/LB Ty Brown, Sr., 6-2, 200
• LB Malik Alley, Sr., 6-2, 220
• LB Alex Hale, Jr., 6-4, 180
• LB Kris McCune, Soph., 6-1, 175

Just the facts

• This is the seventh all-time meeting between Bishop Gorman and Brook Hill, which has won five of the six previous encounters.
• Bishop Gorman met twice during the 2010 season -- once during the regular season, and once in the TAPPS Division II state semifinals.
• Through six games, Bishop Gorman is averaging 43.3 points and 531.7 yards per game -- 263.7 rushing and 268 passing.
• Bishop Gorman quarterback Michael Goodwin has accounted for 24 of his team's 37 touchdowns.
• Eight different Bishop Gorman players have rushed for touchdowns, while five have caught touchdown passes.
• Through five games, Brook Hill is averaging 29.2 points per game, while allowing 27.6.
• The two teams that have beaten Brook Hill -- Tenaha and Tyler Grace -- are a combined 8-3 on the season.
• Brook Hill played in three consecutive state championship games from 2009-11.

Key matchup: Bishop Gorman passing attack vs. Bullard Brook Hill secondary. While Gorman has shown it is more than capable of racking up big numbers on the ground, the Crusaders possess one of the top passing games in all of East Texas. With quarterback Michael Goodwin running the show, Gorman is averaging 268 passing yards per game. Four different Gorman receivers have at least 14 catches and two touchdown receptions through the Crusaders' first six games. The receiving corps is led by the 6-5 senior Connor Hobbs, who is putting up 119 receiving yards per game. His six touchdown catches are tied for the team lead with Judah Bell, who has put up great individual numbers as well. If Gorman is having success through the air, that allows its underrated ground game to go to work. The Crusaders have three players with more than 270 rushing yards, led by Goodwin, who is averaging 341.5 total yards of offense per game. The objective for Gorman will be to back Brook Hill's defense off enough to exploit the Guard on the ground, especially in the second half.

Brook Hill was on the short end of a 41-point loss to rival Tyler Grace last week, but it was not the secondary that let the Guard down. In fact, Grace attempted just 14 passes all night. Then again, the Cougars didn't have to; Grace ran 44 times for 386 yards on Brook Hill to help salt away the game. A week of fixing the mistakes on defense should help correct some of the problems Brook Hill's run defense was having last Friday night, but the Guard figures to be challenged through the air against Gorman. At the outset, Brook Hill's defense may play heavy against the run, which could put a lot of pressure on Guard's defensive backfield. If Brook Hill's back line holds up, the Guard can continue to play close to the line of scrimmage in run support. However, if Brook Hill's secondary struggles early on, the Guard could be forced to back off a few yards, which could open things up for the Crusaders' ground attack.

Don't be surprised if: This game is decided late in the second half. Brook Hill and Grace were tied at 14-14 after one half of play last week, but a 41-point second half allowed the Cougars to run away from Brook Hill. Undoubtedly, the message at Brook Hill this week has been finishing games, so expect a strong effort for 48 minutes this time around. Since a 28-25 win over Eustace in the season opener, Gorman has not been involved in a tightly contested game. Over the last five games, the Crusaders are outscoring opponents by an average of 38.8 points, so time will tell how Gorman will respond to being involved in a close game. Brook Hill, meanwhile, has been in three games decided by seven points or less, and the Guard is 2-1 in such contests. If Friday's game turns into a shootout, it will be interesting to see how Brook Hill quarterback Grant Hanks bounces back from a rough Friday night. In last week's lost to Grace, Hanks completed less than half of his attempts and was intercepted three times. When he's on, the Guard definitely has the weapons on the edge in receivers Seth Brasher and Chase McDermott to keep up with most offenses.