John Tyler Entertains Team From Mexico on Thursday in Final Tuneup Before District

Nuevo Leon, Mexico, Tigres (0-3)

vs.

John Tyler Lions (2-2)

7:30 p.m. Thursday

TMF Rose Stadium, Tyler

Coaches

• Nuevo Leon: N/A
• John Tyler: Ricklan Holmes

Last week

• Nuevo Leon: idle
• John Tyler: lost 47-17 vs. Mesquite Horn

Next week

• Nuevo Leon: N/A
• John Tyler: idle

Playmakers

Nuevo Leon

• QB Jorge Chavez, Sr.
• WR Francisco Gonzalez, Sr.
• DL Pedro Avila, Sr.
• LB Guillermo Gonzalez, Jr.
• DB Javier Sanchez, Sr.

John Tyler

• QB Geovari McCollister, Jr., 6-2, 200 (73 of 109, 1,079 yards, 7 TDs, 3 INTs; 63 carries, 146 yards, 2 TDs)
• WR Nick Cain, Jr., 5-10, 165 (22 catches, 373 yards, 3 TDs)
• WR Duntavion Gross, Soph., 5-10, 175 (23 catches, 251 yards)
• RB Reggie Gipson, Sr., 5-10, 175 (44 carries, 101 yards, 4 TDs; 14 catches, 290 yards, 3 TDs)
• DE Darius Amie, Sr., 6-1, 205 (16 tackles, 4 for loss, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 recovery)
• DT Travaughn Moore, Sr., 6-3, 280 (6 tackles, 1 for loss, 2 QB pressures)
• CB Isaac Warren, Jr., 6-1, 180 (9 tackles, 1 INT, 1 forced fumble)
• S Terry Ausborne, Sr., 5-11, 170 (34 tackles)
• S Greg Johnson, Sr., 6-0, 170 (5 tackles, 1 INT)
• DT Braylon Jones, Soph., 6-3, 250 (22 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass break-up)

Just the facts

• Nuevo Leon has lost all three of its games against Texas opponents this season -- 14-7 to Barbers Hill, 48-20 to Killeen Shoemaker and 43-17 to Copperas Cove.
• The Tigres are a select team made up of players from a handful of public high schools in Monterrey, Mexico.
• Since Nuevo Leon began playing American teams in 2010, it has just one win over teams from north of the border -- a 28-7 victory over Lovington, N.M., in 2012.
• The Tigres used two quarterbacks in last season's game against John Tyler, one of which returns this season in Jorge Chavez.
• After turning the ball over just once in its first three games, John Tyler committed three in last week's 30-point loss to Mesquite Horn.
• In JT's two losses this season, the Lions have been sacked a total of 23 times.
• Since 2009, John Tyler is 13-7 in non-district games and 23-1 in league contests.
• The Lions are averaging 378.5 yards per game -- 271.7 through the air and 106.8 on the ground.

Key matchup: John Tyler offensive skill-position players vs. Nuevo Leon defensive front. There's no denying John Tyler's big-play potential on offense, and the Lions will try to use the same formula to rebound from last week's lopsided loss. Quarterback Geo McCollister has performed well in his four starts on varsity, and his receivers and running backs have done exceptionally well in making big plays in open space. Running back Reggie Gipson, while only averaging 2.3 yards per carry, has found the end zone seven times. He has four rushing scores and is averaging more than 20 yards per catch with three TD receptions.

Jeremy Wilson has 244 total yards of offense on just 14 touches -- an average of 17.4 yards per rush/reception. The biggest thorn in JT's side on offense has been its inability to protect McCollister in the pocket. The junior quarterback was sacked seven times last week after Lufkin racked up 16 in the season opener Aug. 30. But McCollister has shown the ability to burn opposing defense when given the time to operate.

Nuevo Leon did a solid job of keeping JT's offensive weapons in check in last year's meeting. The Tigres surrendered just 178 total yards to the Lions a season ago, and only one offensive touchdown. A similar effort could not only help Nuevo Leon stay in the game, it could also end up being the difference in winning and losing.

Don't be surprised if: John Tyler rebounds from its loss last week with a big-time performance Thursday night. The Lions have one more game to get ready for District 16-4A, which begins in two weeks, and they would like nothing more than to head into their bye week on the heels of a solid performance. JT responded well from its season-opening loss to Lufkin, so expect the Lions to come out ready to correct mistakes that plagued them against Mesquite Horn. Nuevo Leon isn't likely to sneak up on JT this year after the Tigres gave the Lions a scare in the matchup last season. John Tyler should have a better idea of what to expect from Nuevo Leon this time around.