blackflag79

Tennison could've played, but he could barely move around. That changed the dynamic he would've brought had he been healthy. Our coaches felt like Fluellen gave us the best option under those circumstances.

That's a definite possibility, but our defense was much better than the Glen Rose defense, IMO. We also play better when the opposition's defense isn't great. Carthage also "gave" momentum to Glen Rose with turnovers, and once that started it became a shootout kind of game.

Oh, believe me, I know NOTHING would've been guaranteed. I was just saying it would've been more interesting from our standpoint. It is a game of matchups, and different teams match up differently. I just wish we could've had our full compliment of players. The results "may" have been the same either way, but at the very least, it "could've" been a little different.

I can agree with this. Why couldn't we have had that sloppy Carthage team that played against Glen Rose, AND have our starting quarterback playing? It might have been Gilmer winning that ring. Maybe 2023 will be the year the Buckeyes overcome. Who knows? I'm anxious to find out, though.

This. The only thing I have to add are the "what ifs", but those don't matter. You play with what you have, and Carthage was the better team. Either way, I am proud of the way our Buckeyes played, especially the defense. Now..., I'm rooting for the Dawgs to go get number 9, and bring it back to East Texas where it belongs. Sic 'em!

Heck, he is probably good enough for the college level. That may be the next step for him.

So..., I guess that means he has at least two more seasons at Carthage.

I think he's going to be the next QB in line for sure, and I know Scott wants to coach him, and watch him develop.

Maybe we'll get lucky enough to see Coach Preston get lured away by then, too.

He won't leave until his son graduates. Some of you Carthage peeps can tell me what grade he's in now. I think he's a freshman, right?

Not too shabby. That's better than 95% of the schools in the state. We have played at least 3 rounds deep for the last 17 years straight. Just another fact.

I feel what you are saying, and I feel the same. Gilmer has absolutely not shown it can play Carthage very close. Yes, we are blessed to have some outstanding athletes, but Carthage has Surratt and Preston AND outstanding athletes. Our coaches will definitely have their hands full trying to figure out how to sustain any kind of a drive offensively against Preston's defense, and they will also have their hands full with making stops defensively. Until we prove otherwise, I don't feel very confident playing Carthage. Do I think we can beat Carthage? Absolutely! But we have put so many mental, as well as physical hurdles in our own path that a well-coached and consistent team like Carthage is our kryptonite. I just hope we don't get embarrassed. I hope for a good game with Carthage period. I think that if we can somehow win, or keep this game close, it will bode well for future matchups. In the last seven meetings, it appeared that the Buckeyes were playing checkers while Carthage was playing chess. If Carthage continues to do to every team they play what they've been doing all year, ending it with #9, I would probably go so far as to say this is the best team they've ever had, period.

Ah, come on, J! You know you are sandbagging here! The way I see it, Carthage has earned the right to be somewhat arrogant (if you take it that way)..., mainly because they can back it up with the product they put on the field. As a Buckeye fan, I know we work just as hard as Carthage does. It's just harder for us to put the product together on the field because some years the Dawgs are just bigger, stronger, faster, and execute better than we do. With a little fine tuning in what we do, we can definitely compete with Carthage every year, and even come out on top if we can play at a high level consistently, and get over the mental hurdle we seemed to have placed in front of us. Dat dare is the troof!

No way. The Buckeyes are just fine. I will just continue to scratch my head. Not much hair left anyway. It is what it is, something I can't change. Our defensive coordinator is a very good coach, and he has made a very noticeable difference in our team's defense since he took over. The offense seems to have taken a few steps back, though, and that's the point I'm trying to get across. We used to be known for being a team that was explosive offensively, but just a little above average defensively. I guess we can't have it both ways like the aforementioned teams. Oh, well...

He still doesn't get it. He has to be a coach. I know exactly what he needs: