Pittsburg Tries to Slow Down Gladewater’s Running Game

Pittsburg Pirates (1-0)
vs.
Gladewater Bears (1-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday
Jack V. Murphy Bear Stadium, Gladewater

Coaches
Pittsburg: Robert Manley
Gladewater: Jerrod Baugh

Last week
Pittsburg: def. Wills Point 46-15
Gladewater: def. Daingerfield 31-14

Next week
Pittsburg: vs. New Boston
Gladewater: vs. Athens

Playmakers
Pittsburg

• RB Derek Allen, Sr., 5-10, 165 (14 carries, 128 yards, 3 TDs)
• CB Dee Moton, Sr., 6-1, 175 (4 tackles, 1 for loss, 2 INTs, 1 def. TD)
• QB Garrett Truitt, Jr., 6-4, 190 (12 of 19, 150 yards; 6 carries, 22 yards, 1 TD)
• LB Sir Charles Perkins, Soph., 5-9, 165 (14 tackles)
• RT Brian Taylor, Sr., 6-3, 270 (committed to SMU)
• LT Shawn Ablright, Sr., 6-4, 240
• DE De'Quaveon Douglas, Jr., 5-8, 150 (11 tackles, 4 for loss)
• DE Calvin Bates, Sr., 6-2, 225 (8 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 forced fumble)
• LB Carl Leonard, Jr., 5-11, 160 (7 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 fumble recovery)
• RB Teriyan Cuba, Soph., 5-9, 170 (5 carries, 58 yards, 1 TD)

Gladewater

• QB Derrick Daniels, Sr., 6-1, 182 (13 carries, 223 yards, 2 touchdowns)
• DT Daylon Mack, Soph., 6-2, 297
• DT L.D. Anthony, Sr., 5-10, 302
• RB Tyler Price, Sr., 5-8, 162 (31 carries, 130 yards, 1 TD)
• WR Nick Johnson, Sr., 6-3, 176 (1 rushing TD)
• OLB Clint Sorrels, Jr. (1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 safety, 1 PBU)
• DB J'Mal Barnes, Sr., 5-8, 146 (1 INT)

Just the facts

• Gladewater amassed 406 total yards of offense vs. Daingerfield. All but six were rushing yards
• Pittsburg accumulated 424 total yards of offense vs. Wills Point: 274 rushing and 150 passing
• Gladewater led Daingerfield 16-0 at halftime and 24-0 in the third before the Tigers got on the scoreboard
• Pittsburg jumped on Wills Point early last week to build a 32-3 halftime lead
• Gladewater QB Derrick Daniels averaged 17.2 yards per carry against Daingerfield
• Pittsburg averaged 7.6 yards per carry as a team against Wills Point

Key matchup: Pittsburg's linebackers vs. Gladewater's backfield. The running game is the foundation of both teams' offenses, especially Gladewater, which gained 98.5 percent of its 406 total yards last week via the ground game. The matchups in the trenches on both sides of the ball will be key. That said, the front lines are often only as successful as the guys they're blocking for or occupying blockers for. That's where Pittsburg's linebacking corps comes in. The Pirates got a big performance from their line and linebackers last week in a 31-point rout of Wills Point, and Gladewater got 353 rushing yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Derrick Daniels and running back Tyler Price to fuel its road win agains storied Daingerfield. If Gladewater's offensive line once again opens up some holes, can Pittsburg's linebackers make stops before Daniels and Price hurt the Pirates? That ought to be a fun matchup to watch.

Don't be surprised if: Gladewater wins the line of scrimmage as it did against Daingerfield. Pittsburg has one of the region's best offensive tackle tandems in left tackle Shawn Albright and SMU-bound right tackle Brian Taylor, but they won't often be lined up against the strength of Gladewater's defense: defensive tackles Daylon Mack and L.D. Anthony, who wreak havoc on the inside of opposing offenses' lines. Combined with a shotgun-based spread rushing attack that rolled up 400 yards a week ago, Gladewater looks to be well on its way to competitiveness in the "District of Doom" under third-year coach Jerrod Baugh. Pittsburg could counter with a quick passing game, though, since new starting QB Garrett Truitt showed promise in completing 12 of 19 attempts last week. Pittsburg may have Truitt throw quick routes so the Pirates don't have to worry about Mack and Anthony collapsing the pocket. No matter how you look at it, this game should be one of the most intriguing in East Texas this week.