PREVIEW: Battle-Tested Marshall Opens District With Lindale

DISTRICT 9-5A DIVISION II

Marshall Mavericks (1-2)

vs.

Lindale Eagles (1-2)

7:30 p.m. Friday
Eagle Stadium, Lindale

Coaches

Marshall: Claude Mathis
Lindale: Chris Cochran

Last week

Marshall: idle
Lindale: idle

Next week

Marshall: vs. Hallsville, Oct. 5
Lindale: at Nacogdoches, Oct. 5

Players to watch

Marshall

QB JJ Green, Jr., 6-4, 170 (37 of 71, 641 yards, 7 TDs, 4 INTs; 29 carries, 180 yards, 3 TDs)
WR Tahj Washington, Sr., 5-11, 168 (13 catches, 220 yards, 2 TDs; 4 carries, 12 yards)
WR Savion Williams, Jr., 6-5, 203 (6 catches, 95 yards, 2 TDs; 1 carry, 5 yards)
WR De'Kendrick Bender, Sr., 6-2, 196 (8 catches, 185 yards, 3 TDs; 1 carry, 6 yards)
S Champ Mathis, Sr., 5-10, 189 (14 tackles, 1 for loss, 2 PBUs)
LB Brevin Randle, Sr., 6-0, 215 (11 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 QB pressure)
OL Christian Hood, Sr., 6-1, 294
RB Treylin Lewis, Sr., 5-10, 178 (39 carries, 232 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch, 14 yards)

Lindale

QB Dillon Heinaman, Sr., 6-1, 230 (62 of 91, 896 yards, 8 TDs, 2 INTs)
WR Brennan Moore, Sr., 6-0, 150 (17 catches, 281 yards, 3 TDs)
RB Jordan Jenkins, Soph., 6-2, 195 (69 caries, 326 yards, 4 TDs)
WR Conner Boyette, Jr., 5-9, 150 (21 catches, 258 yards, 3 TDs)
DB Jaron Covey, Sr., 6-0, 165 (22 tackles)
LB Kolton Primeaux, Jr., 6-0, 180 (17 tackles)
DB Walker Oglesby, Jr., 6-0, 160 (12 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 4 PBUs)
WR Colton Brown, Sr., 6-1, 180 (10 catches, 127 yards, 2 TDs)

Just the facts

Marshall is 17-2 in district games since the 2015 season.
Marshall is averaging 29.3 points and 395.3 yards per game -- 180.3 rushing and 215 passing.
Mavericks junior quarterback JJ Green has accounted for 10 of his team's 11 offensive touchdowns.
Marshall's defense is allowing 41.3 points per game, and has forced two turnovers -- one interception and one fumble.
Since moving up in classification prior to the 2012 season, Lindale is 10-24 in district games.
Lindale is averaging 30.7 points per game in 2018.
Eagles senior quarterback Dillon Heinaman is averaging 298.7 passing yards per game.
Lindale is allowing 43 points per game in 2018.

Key matchup: Marshall passing attack vs. Lindale secondary. Following an impressive Week 1 performance against Tyler Lee, the Marshall offense has taken a couple steps back, especially the passing game. Junior quarterback JJ Green was 15 of 23 for 318 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions in the opener, but in losses to Longview and Carthage, he is 22 of 48 for 323 yards with two TD's and four interceptions. In fairness, the Mavs' last two opponents are a combined 8-0 and both are legitimate state championship contenders. Green is obviously the key to the offense, but his trio of receivers is among the best pass-catching groups in the state. Seniors Tahj Washington and De'Kendrick Bender and junior Savion Williams all have multiple Division I scholarship offers, and are matchup problems for most secondaries.

Lindale's defense has struggled against the pass this season, allowing 255.3 yards through the air for the first three games of 2018. Opponents Kaufman, Forney, and Van have combined to complete 64 percent of their passes, and have 10 touchdowns and non interceptions. That obviously must improve if Lindale is going to have any chance of walking away from Friday's District 9-5A Division II opener with a victory. Marshall will be the most talented passing attack the Eagles have faced this season.

Don't be surprised if: The team with the most productive rushing attack earns the win. Both Marshall and Lindale are at their best when they're making big plays in the passing game, so those effects could cancel each other out Friday night. The game, instead, may come down to which running game performs the best. After struggling the first two weeks of the season, Marshall got it going on the ground against Carthage, going for a season-best 319 rushing yards. Green and running back Treylin Lewis each the eclipsed the 100-yard mark. On the other side, Lindale sophomore running back Jordan Jenkins has been overshadowed by quarterback Dillon Heinaman and company despite averaging 109 rushing yards per game.