Marshall Seeks First Win Against Unbeaten Whitehouse

Whitehouse Wildcats (3-0)
vs.
Marshall Mavericks (0-3)

7:30 p.m. Friday
Maverick Stadium, Marshall

Coaches
Whitehouse: Randy McFarlin
Marshall: Alex Richters

Last week
Whitehouse: def. Sulphur Springs, 38-33
Marshall: lost to Longview, 48-0

Next week
Whitehouse: at Carthage
Marshall: at Jacksonville

Playmakers
Whitehouse

• QB Patrick Mahomes, Jr., 6-3, 185 (54 of 98, 924 yards, 7 TDs, 2 INTs; 18 carries, 95 yards, 3 TDs)
• WR Dylan Cantrell, Sr., 6-3, 205 (18 catches, 377 yards, 5 TDs)
• WR Jake Parker, Jr. (16 catches, 290 yards, 1 TD)
• WR Jaylon Dews, Jr. (14 catches, 187 yards, 2 TDs)
• FS Colby Campbell, Sr., 6-0, 185 (24 tackles)
• DB Justin Dunning, Soph. (19 tackles, 2 INTs)
• RB Vincent Dunning, Jr. (17 carries, 115 yards, 2 TDs; 3 catches, 49 yards)

Marshall

• QB Justin Hart, Fr. (32 of 60, 364 yards, 3 TDs, 4 INTs)
• WR Christian Williams, Sr., 6-2, 175 (6 catches, 106 yards, 1 TD)
• WR Marek Reyes, Jr. (14 catches, 104 yards)
• WR Mitchell Leonard, Jr. (7 catches, 72 yards)
• DE Alberto Balderas, Sr., 6-2, 210
• DB Jacovin Coats, Sr., 5-10, 175
• RB John Love, Soph., 5-8, 170 (32 carries, 78 yards)

Just the facts

• Whitehouse gained 591 yards against Sulphur Springs last week
• Whitehouse QB Patrick Mahomes was responsible for 508 yards of offense against Sulphur Springs: 403 passing, 105 rushing
• Marshall gained 270 yards in its 49-28 loss to Shreveport Byrd, but only 141 yards in last week's 48-0 loss to Longview
• Whitehouse averages 37.0 points per game and allows 21.7
• Marshall averages 9.3 points per game and allows 46.3
• Marshall has lost six games in a row dating to last season and 10 of its last 11

Key matchup: Marshall's secondary vs. Whitehouse's passing game. Marshall has struggled to stop opponents, whether through the air or on the ground, and Friday night's home game against Whitehouse presents the Mavericks with possibly their toughest defensive matchup yet. Whitehouse has scored at least 35 points in each of its three games and amassed almost 600 yards of offense last week as Patrick Mahomes put on a show. The Wildcats boast a talented group of receivers including Texas Tech commit Dylan Cantrell, Jake Parker, Jaylon Dews, Jake Parker, and others. Longview threw three touchdown passes against Marshall a week ago after the Lobos had thrown only one in their first two games, and that came on the final play of their season-opening loss to Coppell. Whitehouse has a much more polished passing attack, so Marshall's ability to match up on the perimeter will dictate if the Mavericks can hang around.

Don't be surprised if: Whitehouse's offense takes command of the game. The Wildcats played two quarterbacks -- Mahomes and fellow junior Ryan Cheatham -- during their first two games, but appear to have settled on Mahomes, who took all the snaps in last week's big homecoming win against Sulphur Springs. Mahomes went off, too, dominating the game with his arm, legs, and savvy, extending plays that didn't look like they were there only to complete a long pass or run for a first down. Marshall will have to consider that. The Mavericks not only must contend with Whitehouse's fleet of receivers, but account for Mahomes' running ability, which can often make solid downfield coverage moot. Marshall is a young team with a freshman quarterback (Justin Hart), so playing an experienced defense and high-powered offense isn't the best recipe for the Mavs finding their first win.