Rivals Chapel Hill + Whitehouse Clash in Tyler on Thursday Coming Off Impressive Season Openers

Chapel Hill Bulldogs (1-0)

vs.

No. 5 Whitehouse Wildcats (1-0)

7:30 p.m. Thursday

Rose Stadium, Tyler

Coaches

• Chapel Hill: Thomas Sitton
• Whitehouse: Adam Cook

Last week

• Chapel Hill: defeated Lindale, 56-37
• Whitehouse: defeated Hallsville, 58-28

Next week

• Chapel Hill: at Carthage, Sept. 13
• Whitehouse: at Sulphur Springs, Sept. 13

Playmakers

Chapel Hill

• RB/LB Joseph Clark, Sr., 5-9, 180 (committed to Texas Tech; 8 carries, 134 yards, TD vs. Lindale)
• RB/LB Wesley Thompson, Sr., 6-1, 185 (11 carries, 137 yards, 2 TD vs. Lindale)
• QB Andrew Black, Sr., 6-1, 180 (13-of-24, 98 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT vs. Lindale)
• ATH Reggie King, Soph., 5-10, 175 
• OL/DL Keith Minor, Sr., 6-3, 237
• DL Kevone Kennedy, Sr., 6-2, 230
• RB Jesse Mumphrey, Sr. (14 carries, 153 yards, 3 TD vs. Lindale)

Whitehouse

• QB Patrick Mahomes, Sr., 6-3, 200 (committed to Texas Tech; 24-of-40, 455 yards, 4 TD vs. Hallsville)
• RB Vincent Dunning, Sr., Sr., 6-0, 200 (15 carries, 118 yards, 2 TD; 2 catches, 42 yards vs. Hallsville)
• ATH Justin Dunning, Sr., 6-4, 200 (4 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 QB pressure vs. Hallsville)
• WR Coleman Patterson, Sr., 6-1, 180 (5 catches, 119 yards vs. Hallsville)
• WR Ryan Cheatham, Sr., 6-1, 190 (4 catches, 115 yards, TD vs. Hallsville)
• WR Jake Parker, Sr., 6-0, 165 (6 catches, 88 yards, TD vs. Hallsville)
• LB Reggie Long, Sr., 6-0, 220 (10 tackles, 2 for loss, INT vs. Hallsville)
• RB/LB Dominique Hollie, Jr., 6-1, 215 (6 carries, 44 yards, TD; 5 tackles vs. Hallsville)

Just the facts

• Chapel Hill holds a 14-10-2 all-time series edge over Whitehouse, but the Wildcats have won nine of the past 11 meetings.
• The Bulldogs rushed for 536 yards and eight touchdowns last week against Lindale. Chapel Hill averaged more than 11 yards per carry and had three rushers eclipse the 100-yard mark.
• Chapel Hill, which operates out of an uptempo, no-huddle spread attack, ran 72 offensive plays last week and averaged 8.8 yards per play.
• Under head coach Thomas Sitton, Chapel Hill is 37-14. He is 10 wins shy of tying Dickey Meeks for the most coaching victories in school history.
• Whitehouse's offense was in mid-season form in its season-opening win over Hallsville, going for 745 total yards last week.
• The Wildcats, long known for their passing prowess, were fairly balanced in the win last week. Whitehouse called 48 passing plays and ran it 40 times, averaging 8.5 yards per play.
• Whitehouse is in the midst of its best stretch in program history. Since 2004, the Wildcats are 60-43 with seven postseason appearances. In the 10 years prior, Whitehouse managed just 41 wins and only one playoff berth.
• When Chapel Hill and Whitehouse met in 2011, the two teams combined for 108 points and more than 1,100 yards in the Bulldogs' 59-49 win.

Key matchup: Chapel Hill offensive line vs. Whitehouse defensive line. In order to rush for more than 500 yards like the Bulldogs did last week, a dominant offensive line is required. And the Bulldogs have a good one with Shaquille Warren and Thad Bevis providing running lanes for a stable of backs. In addition to the trio of Clark, Thompson and Mumphrey teaming for 424 yards and six touchdowns, sophomore Kenyotta Henderson added 66 yards and touchdown in last week's season-opening win. Black is also a capable runner from his quarterback spot, rushing for almost 400 yards in 2012. Chapel Hill's spread offense moves at a breakneck pace, and generally runs it twice as much as it goes to the air, meaning the second half of games usually involves a worn-down defense trying to stop a fresh rushing attack that cycles through 3-4 backs during the course of a game.

Whitehouse, while equipped with an equally explosive passing game on offense and a rangy and athletic secondary, has struggled in the past in slowing down opponents' running games. The Wildcats' offense scores with such quickness and regularity that their defense is often on the field much longer, which could become a factor if the game is close late. In order to minimize the unintended affects a team's explosive offense can have on its defense Whitehouse must guard against Chapel Hill getting into a rhythm on offense, and in particular, a rhythm with its rushing attack. Hallsville had little success on the ground last week, rushing for just 118 yards, but that could've been a byproduct of the Bobcats diverting from their game plan after falling behind early. The Whitehouse defensive line was the area hit most hard by graduation, and Chapel Hill figures to be a tough challenge for the Wildcats' defensive front.

Don't be surprised if: Whitehouse tries to establish a running game early in order to keep the ball away from Chapel Hill and its explosive rushing attack off the field. Don't expect Mahomes and Co. to be completely silent, however; Whitehouse still breads its butter with big plays in the passing game -- evidenced last week by three receivers finishing with at least 88 yards. Vincent Dunning, who showed flashes last season in seven games of action, is the ex-factor. If the Wildcats can get another 100-yard effort from their senior running back, Whitehouse should once again be in good shape.

The passing numbers will be there, but if it's not accompanied by a consistent and productive ground game, the Wildcats could be in jeopardy of losing their second game to Chapel Hill in three years. In 2011, Whitehouse quarterback Hunter Taylor threw for more 500 yards but it wasn't enough in the Wildcats' 59-49 loss.