PREVIEW: Tatum + Mount Vernon Meet in Bi-District

CLASS 3A DIVISION I
Region II Bi-District Playoff

Tatum Eagles (6-3)

vs.

Mount Vernon Tigers (7-3)

7:30 p.m. Thursday
Jeff Traylor Stadium, Gilmer

Coaches

Tatum: Darren Hylander
Mount Vernon: Josh Finney

Last week

Tatum: lost to Gladewater, 36-35
Mount Vernon: def. New Boston, 28-0

Next week

Winner vs. Van Alstyne or Madison, Class 3A Division I area playoff

Players to watch

Tatum

QB OB Jones, Sr., 6-2, 190 (107-of-187, 1,660 yards, 13 TDs, 5 INTs; 115 carries, 794 yards, 12 TDs)
RB/ATH Jachais Jenkins, Sr., 5-10, 182 (130 carries, 837 yards, 19 TDs; 31 catches, 381 yards, 2 TDs)
ATH Decartiyay Allison (68 carries, 717 yards, 4 TDs; 33 catches, 459 yards, 2 TDs)
OLB Cavion White, Sr., 5-6, 150 (55 tackles, 11 for loss, 4 sacks, 7 QB hurries, 3 fumble recoveries)
WR Jayden Boyd, Fr., 6-2, 170 (17 catches, 302 yards, 3 TDs)
LB AJ Singleton, Jr., 5-10, 165 (63 tackles, 9 for loss, 3 sacks, 6 QB hurries)
DE Wardell Glaspie, Sr., 6-1, 224 (86 tackles, 10 for loss, 6 sacks, 7 QB hurries, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries)

Mount Vernon

QB/DB Kason Pletcher, Sr., 6-2, 185
OL/DL Daniel Arnold, Sr., 5-9, 180
DL/TE Braden Bolin, Sr.
FB Adolfo Rodriguez, Sr., 5-11, 210
OL/DL Kristian Ramirez, Sr.
OL Landon Wallace, Sr.
DB Kedris Chandler, Jr., 5-10, 160
LB Nathan Smith
RB/C Cade Hyman, Sr.

Just the facts

The is the first game between Tatum and Mount Vernon.
Tatum is averaging 479 yards (187.6 passing and 291.4 rushing) and 41.9 points per game.
Eagle athletes Jachais Jenkins and Decartiyay Allison have combined for 2,447 total yards and 27 touchdowns.
Tatum has scored a minimum of 28 points in every game its past seven games.
Mount Vernon is scoring 31.7 points per game and giving up 14.3.
The teams the Tigers beat this season have a combined record of 21-49. The teams they lost to have a combined record of 17-12.
Mount Vernon went undefeated in 2017 only to fall in the second round.

Key matchup: Tatum offense against the Mount Vernon defense. Tatum's offense has been on a roll, especially in the latter part of the season. The Eagles scored on their first four drives against Gladewater in Week 11 before quarterback OB Jones suffered an injury and the offense was stalled. If Jones, who has throw for 1,660 yards and rushed for 794, is back healthy, the Eagles will put up big numbers. Speedy athletes Jachais Jenkins and Decartiyay Allison both split time in the backfield and line up to receive passes from Jones, and are the team's top two players in both rushing and receiving. Throw in 6-foot-2 freshman Jayden Boyd, and this offense has too many weapons for most defenses to contain.

Mount Vernon will hope Daniel Arnold can get pressure on Jones and the defense can prevent him from breaking free to make plays on his own. Kason Pletcher and Kedris Chandler will look to lock down Allison and Jenkins. That will be easier said than done, but if the Tigers can somehow pull it off, they'll have a shot in this game.

Don't be surprised if: Tatum gets off to a hot start. The Eagles have already shown they're capable of doing so. They are coming off of an emotional loss in the district championship to Gladewater and could come out wanting to prove themselves. Either way, it shouldn't take long for the Eagles to get going.