No. 9 Troup Hopes to Keep It Rolling Against White Oak

White Oak Roughnecks (5-2, 1-1)
vs.
No. 9 Troup Tigers (7-0, 2-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday
Tiger Stadium, Troup

Coaches
White Oak: Gerry Stanford
Troup: Dennis Alexander

Last week
White Oak: def. Harmony, 34-0
Troup: def. Tatum, 14-10

Next week
White Oak: vs. Sabine
Troup: vs. Harmony

Playmakers
White Oak

• QB Dylan Gale, Jr., 5-8, 145 (67 of 131, 1,119 yards, 12 TDs, 5 INTs)
• RB Hunter Owens, Sr., 5-11, 205 (101 carries, 495 yards, 6 TDs; 7 catches, 148 yards, 2 TDs)
• ATH Darion Barr, Sr., 6-0, 190 (58 carries, 364 yards, 2 TDs; 14 catches, 77 yards)
• WR Jansen McCurdy, Jr., 6-0, 170 (26 catches, 617 yards, 9 TDs)
• WR Gabe Michael, Jr., 6-1, 170 (17 catches, 320 yards, 2 TDs)

Troup

• QB Blake Lynch, Soph. (39 of 77, 623 yards, 7 TDs, 2 INTs; 52 carries, 398 yards, 5 TDs)
• RB Seth Gibson, Sr., 5-9, 175 (51 carries, 444 yards, 8 TDs)
• WR Hitachi Lydia, Jr., 6-0, 155 (8 catches, 167 yards, 1 TD)
• WR RIchard Lacy (16 catches, 192 yards, 2 TDs)
• RB Marcus Kincade, Soph. (40 carries, 214 yards, 3 TDs)

Just the facts

• White Oak and Troup have met just twice since 1986 with the two splitting the series. Troup won, 20-6, in 2006 and White Oak took a 34-28 decision in 2007.
• The Roughnecks have won five games this year, which equals their win total from both 2010 and 2011.
• For the season, White Oak is averaging 25.3 points per game. The Roughnecks' defense allows 22.3 a game.
• Troup has seven wins already this season. The Tigers haven't won more than seven in a year since 2006's team went 10-2.
• The Tigers' two most impressive wins this season have come on the road, a 33-13  win over rival Arp and last week's 14-10 victory over state-ranked Tatum.
• Troup's offense puts up 32.9 points per game, while the defense allows an impressive 12.1 per outing.

Key matchup: Troup quarterback Blake Lynch vs. White Oak defense. After relying on a deep and talented stable of running backs early in the season, Lynch has taken

control of the Troup offense in district. He passed for 299 yards and three TDs in Troup's 26-22 win over Jefferson two weeks ago, and totaled a team-high 180 yards last week against Tatum. Lynch had 96 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and completed a 46-yard pass down to the 1-yard line to set up the game-winning TD in the fourth quarter. It's clear Lynch has been the difference-maker in district for the unbeaten Tigers. White Oak must center its game plan on Lynch, a sophomore who can hurt opposing defenses with both his arm and legs. If the Roughnecks can contain Lynch and limit his effectiveness, White Oak stands a better chance to go on the road and pull the upset.