PREVIEW: Tyler Lee Makes Home Debut Against Corsicana

Corsicana Tigers (1-0)

vs.

Tyler Lee Red Raiders (1-0)

11:30 a.m. Saturday

CHRISTUS TMF Rose Stadium, Tyler

Coaches

• Corsicana: Steve Hoffman
• Lee: Kurt Traylor

Last week

• Corsicana: def. Red Oak, 41-0
• Lee: def. Marshall, 29-27

Next week

• Corsicana: at Lancaster
• Lee: at Nacogdoches

Playmakers

Corsicana

• RB Derion Nathan, Sr., 5-9, 172 (19 carries, 145 yards, 1 TD)
• RB Z'anTyler Foster-Hooks, Sr., 5-7, 140 (14 carries, 96 yards, 2 TDs)
• WR Ike Hargrave, Sr., 6-2, 206 (4 catches, 68 yards, 1 TD)
• QB Blake Hoffman, Jr., 5-10, 175 (7-of-11, 87 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 7 carries, 60 yards, 0 TDs)
• OL Chris Valdez, Jr., 6-3, 255
• DL Melvin Martin, Sr., 6-1, 220
• DL Deontae Martin, Sr., 6-0, 300
• DB Darious Coleman, Jr., 5-10, 156

Lee

• QB Chance Amie, Sr., 6-4, 191 (14 of 24, 246 yards, 2 TDs; 10 carries, 3 yards; committed to Houston)
• RB Ladarius Wickware, Jr., 6-0, 180 (24 carries, 132 yards, 2 TDs)
• DL Nathan Niedrauer, Sr., 6-1, 230
• WR/DB Marquis Gray, Sr., 5-5, 150 (3 catches, 52 yards, 0 TDs)
• LB Lanthony Simmons, Sr., 6-2, 200
• WR Zaylon Walker, Jr. (2 catches, 62 yards, 2 TDs)
• DL David Antunez, Sr., 6-1, 225
• OL Beaux Limmer, Jr., 6-5, 250

Just the facts

• This is the fifth all-time meeting between Tyler Lee and Corsicana. Lee has won the last three encounters.
• The two teams first met in 1970, then took part in a home-at-home series in 2000 and 2001.
• Corsicana shut out Red Oak last week, the Tigers' first shutout since 2005.
• Five different players scored touchdowns for Corsicana in its Week 1 win.
• Corsicana averaged 7.5 yards per rushing attempt vs. Red Oak.
• Lee's Kurt Traylor won his first game as a head coach last Friday, 29-27, over Marshall.
• Red Raiders senior quarterback Chance Amie, who has committed to Houston, has offers from 19 Division I FBS football programs.
• Amie accounted for five touchdowns in Lee's 34-20 win over Corsicana last season.

Key matchup: Corsicana rushing attack vs. Tyler Lee defensive front. The Tigers put on a clinic in how to run the football last week with its blowout of Red Oak. Corsicana rolled up 326 yards on the ground, averaging more than seven yards per carry in the process. The Tigers typically get most of their rushing production from three players -- the running back duo of Derion Nathan and Z'anTyler Foster-Hooks and quarterback Blake Hoffman.

In last week's 41-0 defeat of Red Oak, Nathan led the way with 145 yards and a touchdown on only 19 carries. Foster-Hooks added 96 yards and two touchdowns, while Hoffman chipped in with 60 yards on just seven rushing attempts. The effectiveness with the running game allowed for Hoffman to be efficient through the air as well. He completed 7-of-11 attempts for 87 yards and two touchdowns in last Friday's victory.

In order to prevent another solid showing on offense, the Lee defense must find a way to disrupt Corsicana's ground game. The Red Raiders were average at best last week against Marshall's rushing attack.

Lee surrendered 220 rushing yards to the Mavericks, including 133 from its starting running back Rodarius Smith. The defensive front, led by the linemen Nathan Niedrauer and David Antuez and linebacker Lanthony Simmons, must guard against Corsicana controlling the tempo of the game with its running game.

Don't be surprised if: Lee quarterback Chance Amie runs the ball a bit more this week. Last Friday night, he gained only three yards on 10 carries. And while new coach Kurt Traylor might not want to expose his star quarterback to too many early-season hits, turning Amie loose might be the prudent move Saturday.

In last year's win over Corsicana, Amie was a force both through the air and on the ground. He threw for 145 yards and two touchdowns, but also rushed for 119 more yards and three scores.

With Lee junior running back Ladarius Wickware's success last week, Corsicana's defense might key in more on him, which could open Amie up for big plays with his legs.