buckeyefandom

Everybody left standing is a threat. Everybody left standing has a shot. Everybody who thinks about anything except WINNING THE NEXT PLAY against their NEXT opponent in their NEXT game is one step closer to playing with a much rounder ball.

If you are a Carthage fan, just know there are about 1,000 HS Fans who would trade places with you in a heartbeat. Y’all will be fine. Santa is still scheduled to show up. (Unless Brandon screws that up too).

This deep in the playoffs, everybody left standing is a threat. As the CS / Carthage game showed, it is about how one team matches up with another team. Strengths and weaknesses being hidden and exposed. The “Little Things” like turnovers, kicking game execution and penalties are amplified. And yes, luck plays a role with 15-18 year old kids when emotions, weather and neutral field is concerned. So does fatigue, as some teams just are not used to playing a football season that is 20 weeks long! All that said, Gilmer has actually played 4 straight games now in terms of offensive efficiency that is as good a run as they have ever had. Ever. Only the 2006 team (only counting 1st halves, because they rarely played into the 4th Qtr) had a comparable run. And yet I think most fans here would say the Buckeyes in general have not reached anywhere near their “best football”. Scary as it sounds for any opponent, that is likely true. But from a matchup standpoint, it is Gilmer’s defense that makes this so difficult for PG. they are a team best suited to beat the QF and Pittsburg this season. If Gilmer gets them off the field just 2-3 times in a game where PG is trying to run the ball, move the chains and control the clock to shorten the game, they are vulnerable. Facing an offense that can literally score on any play is just bad for business if you are PG if you give GILMER possessions. For PG, get behind 2 of more scores and it is check-mate. They know that. That is why they came out throwing the ball in the first game (not their strong suite) hoping to grab an early lead and then choke the air out of the ball. Hard to do when the 3 headed monster in Gilmer’s d-line front keep getting pressure on your QB. So I’ll take Gilmer 56-21 in this one, and I refuse to think about the future because at best there are only 12 quarters left in this season. The Buckeyes have a lot of weapons, and not a lot of war to go. But when you look at the numbers carefully, these Buckeyes are doing it at a very, very high level and you get the feeling their “best” is still in front of them.

FINAL 4 APPEARANCE on the line: What difference will 4 weeks make?

China Spring has a formula that was perfect for dethroning Carthage. They play outstanding defense against the run and the pass, and they spread out the Carthage defense and ran the ball effectively. They stopped Carthage on multiple 4th downs, and exposed a weak punting game for the Dawgs. Once they got up 3 scores, they had enough gas in the tank to withstand the furious comeback attempt and shortened the game. Crazy that now WOS is a similarly bad matchup for CS. That Region down there is loaded. It just goes to show you that being a good or even great team is not enough some nights. A lot of things have to fall right! It’s survive and advance. Congrats to Carthage. It is really hard to do what they have done this long. And congrats to CS for knocking them off. The journey and the tourney continues.

It is a really, really, really DIFFICULT THING to ask 15-18 year old kids to win as many games as Carthage did. Somebody was gonna beat them eventually. Just an inevitably and congrats to them on the run. But matchups sometimes just work against teams with certain styles, strengths and weaknesses. CS presented that to Carthage and I think WOS will present a similar challenge for CS. But I do think it is worth saying…. That the toughest Region in 4A D2 by far.

Just like CS was a bad matchup for Carthage, WOS is a bad matchup for CS. Rough and tumble Region! Great season Carthage.

Carthage special teams letdown. 2 punts for an average of 18 yards.

4th Qtr now. 3 score game. I tried to tell y’all China Spring is just a bad matchup for Carthage. They PLAY great defense, and then they spread out the Dawg defense and run it effectively. A bad combination for Carthage and a good formula for China Spring. Touch hill to climb now. Dawgs going down!?!?!

https://vimeo.com/showcase/2020coachsshow

The UIL needs Texas INDEPENDENT School Districts… NOT the other way around!

I agree PG should win, but every year one team gets hungry enough to take the “next step” doe a program. PG has been there and done that. I think they know this isn’t going to get their year, and I am thinking QF digs deep and finds a way to win a winnable game. I’ll swim up stream on this one. Give me QF by 6 with their defense making a last minute stop to send PG to the gym.

Agree 100%. But there’s a month and 8 games between now and having to worry about that.

I agree 100%. Anything is possible in the playoffs. A fact that cannot be argued is this is the toughest region in 4A D2. Carthage is the champ until somebody beats them. But “if” they do win it this year again, I think it is a toss-up which of their next 4 games will be the toughest. CS, Belleville/WOS, Cuero, Celina/Gilmer. That is a gauntlet! So if Carthage rolls through that, hats off to them. Whoever they play in the other side doesn’t have a climb as steep as that.

I don’t know that we have teachers who are not “very respected”…. Again. Thanks for the help.

All I have to do to know what our kids are saying is wake up . But please keep thinking what you’re thinking and saying what you’re saying. We accept all useful contributions.

Our kids are well coached! let’s just say Carthage has a WIN OR GO HOME scenario Friday, just like Gilmer does. We’ll stay focused on that. If Carthage gets back to another Gilmer game, they will be the most battle tested team. The Dawgs have the toughest opponent path for sure.

PLEASE keep spreading that around the Carthage Field House (preferably while Coach Surratt isn’t around) .

If Coach Surratt wanted to be a college coach, he would be a college coach. Especially after the success Coach Traylor has had, there are enough schools who would give him his chance. But you have to pay your dues if you want to travel that road. There is an entire world of difference between reloading at Carthage every year and being a D1 coach at all… from assistant to Coordinator to Head Coach. The only similarities are the titles and what happens between a kickoff and 0:00. Everything else is a different world. Coach Surratt knows that very well. Make no mistake, Carthage is a full on “program” already, that looks and runs a lot like a college team. They understand player development, and they do a great job molding the talent they have to what they do. That is what makes them good every year. But in college, so many other things have to go right to even have the time to build that kind of success. It’s like a really good builder going from custom brick homes to sky scrapers. They are not even the same species as far as jobs go. Coach Surratt has long since earned the right to jump to the college ranks if he wanted. So there are reasons he is still where he is. He knows those reasons, and he doesn’t owe anybody any explanations, no matter what he does in his career. I personally just appreciate that he is continually raising the bar and being who he is where he is. The truth is, iron sharpens iron. The Yankees NEED the Red Sox. The Aggies NEED the Longhorns. The Celtics NEED the Lakers. And Carthage being Carthage makes our kids better, on and off the field.

I do not feel sorry for SMU at all. The Ponies have a long history of shooting themselves in the foot. They had the chance to hire Coach Traylor internally and passed. Their own players tried to tell them, but their bank balances keep short circuiting their brains. So now they’ll have their rival, TCU poach the coach they hired, while Coach Traylor told TEXAS TECH “No Thanks” out of LOYALTY. A character trait nobody “On The Hilltop” knows anything about. Some people have character. Some people value relationships over money. Some people do things the right way, or they don’t do them at all. Unfortunately, SMU can’t recognize those people, even when they walk past them in their own offices every day. It takes character to recognize character. So what does that tell you about SMU? They hired a guy who took the talent he inherited, and then leverages it up to go across town to their rival? (TCU isn’t much better for the lack of character they showed with Coach Pat!) And so now, just watch…. SMU and TCU both will let their egos make the same mistake again. They will start over with an outsider and they will both be in the same boat again by 2025. In the mean time, Coach Traylor is at UTSA with a 11-0 team on the verge of a conference title in just his second year. I hope both the Frogs and Ponies stay relevant long enough with other people’s recruits to see UTSA in bowl games the next few years. Who knows who will be coaching them? I know who will be coaching UTSA. And I’ll give you Frogs, Ponies and the points now. Character counts! And SMU and TCU both will reap what they’ve sown.

Such a tough Region this year! Both of these teams deserve to be playing after this week, but this is by far the toughest 4A D2 region. I think Carthage is the real winner here in knowing these two teams have to go they each other before they get the winner. Either team will present the toughest challenge Carthage has had next week. A great defense and the ability to pound the rock, move the chains and possess the ball are a good formula if you want to knock off the Dawgs. Food lick to both teams, but I’ll take WOS in a close one here.

Agree. Another “Style Matchup” quandary. Kinda like the WOS / BV matchup this week too. When teams are evenly matched in physical talent and good coaching, it comes down to each team’s formula for success and the other team’s ability to disrupt it. Historically, Celina has been on some lop-sided ends of Gilmer’s formula. But when Celina has beaten Gilmer, games have been tight. I do think Celina is the only District Champ left in their Region. They should advance to the Final 4. Carthage, Cuero, Celina and Gilmer on paper… but the south East Region has the toughest teams still standing as a group. It should be an entertaining Sweet 16 starting after Turkey Time.

Would really love to see that happen, but the UIL stacked the southeast region by dropping Carthage down there. That makes life better for Gilmer, but forces a lot of good teams down there to all go though each other. Carthage and Aledo have owned the past decade in THSFB in their divisions. Argyle would have matched up well with Carthage in some of those years, but the numbers forced them up and Carthage down division wise. The UIL is making the Carthage path the most difficult, but that hasn’t even phased them. I’m not sure it will this year either, but that’s why they play the games! All I know is most OCs looking at the Carthage defense at this point in the season probably has the Athletics Secretary researching basketball tourney schedules.

Context fellas. Context. By MATCHUP IN STYLES, I mean you two teams whose strength is their defense. Both will run the ball and the game will likely be over in 2 hours (and change) with only 100 or less total plays. This means that big plays on special teams and turnovers will have an even more significant impact on the game. If you read the post, that is my point. If Carthage is “vulnerable” at all this year, it will be from one or two “style matchups” 1) From an opponent with a great defense, the formula is to shorten the game, posses the ball, and then hit a Pic 6, a kick return, block a punt, or otherwise manufacture a TD or two and win a 22-21 type game. That is the type of team CS is. So it is a bad matchup for Carthage style wise. 2) A team that can score early and often and jump out to a 2-3 TD lead and then “hold serve” and win a 42-35 type game. (Not likely from anyone they’ll face until the finals, then Gilmer will try again). What Carthage has this year is a great defense, and an really good offense. They match up very well against teams whose strength is offense, but whose defense cannot get them off the field in 3rd downs. Offensive teams need the ball to jump out to a 2-3 score lead, and then they need to be able to run the ball and move the chains to hold serve. That is really, really hard against that Dawg defense on either front. But when the other team also has a great defense, then the game gets into a 3 and out tennis match. Meaning more kicking game. Meaning more opportunities for turnovers and big plays. Which was the point to my post. Nobody is saying CS is a match for Carthage. I am simply saying the style of play from CS shortens the game and amplifies mistakes in areas where Carthage is not as dominant. That is by definition a bad style matchup.

Really good teams with great defenses who both play well mean that 3 basic things determine who wins: 1) Turnovers 2) Big Plays 3) Special Teams This is a bad matchup for Carthage style wise, but CS will have to be +2 in turnovers and score twice on defense or special teams to upset the Dawgs. Carthage defense is too good and well coached otherwise. If CS can’t figure a way to manufacture points… then it’s something like Carthage 21 CS 6