Texas State-Arkansas, Copperas Cove-Sachse highlight Slovacek's I-35 Showdowns

Slovacek's logoTo honor the loyal football fans that travel great distances to support their favorite team, DCTF and our friends from Slovacek’s in West, Texas are proud to present The Slovacek’s I-35 Showdowns of the Week. Texas State (1-0) at Arkansas (2-0) 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Donald W. Reynolds Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. When the slogan you’ve chosen for your program is “Party in the Endzone,” you better be able to back it up. Fortunately for Everett Withers and Texas State, the Bobcats found pay dirt seven times in their thrilling, season-opening double-overtime 56-54 road win over Ohio two weeks ago. It was a great way to start Withers’ reign at Texas State, who have now spent a fortnight preparing for a potentially program-defining two-game swing that starts against 24^th-ranked Arkansas this Saturday in Fayetteville and continues next week in the home opener against 6^th-ranked Houston. When the Bobcats hear the Arkansas faithful calling the hogs, they’ll hear them woo-pigging for a team that is also coming off of a nail biting, double-overtime road win. The Razorbacks stormed into Fort Worth last weekend, jumping to a big lead and then staging a comeback of their own in a 41-38 victory over TCU. There was a lot to like in the Hogs’ victory, as freshman quarterback Austin Allen performed like a seasoned veteran and sophomore tailback Rawleigh Williams (out of Dallas Bishop Lynch) churned for 137 yards on 19 carries. However, the Arkansas defense did surrender 377 yards through the air – with 232 of those coming after halftime while the TCU offense seemed to move the ball at will. Texas State’s junior quarterback Tyler Jones, who threw for 418 yards and four touchdowns against Ohio, will look to exploit this. On defense, the Bobcats will have their work cut out for them. They surrendered more than four and a half yards per carry against Ohio, and will now be dealing with an Arkansas offensive line (and Williams) who gained half a season’s worth of confidence in the win over TCU. Copperas Cove (2-0) at Garland Sachse (3-0) 7 p.m. Friday at Homer B. Johnson Stadium in Garland Before Jack Welch’s Bulldawgs or Red Behrens’ Mustangs can focus on the 6A playoffs or making a run through their respective tough districts, they’ll first have to figure out a way to slow down the other’s thus-far unstoppable offense. As has become customary at Sachse, this year’s Mustangs rely on a cadre of playmakers to make an offense capable of scoring from nearly anywhere on the field in a variety of fashions. In a showdown with Mesquite last week, dual-threat junior quarterback Jalen Mayden accounted for 301 total yards and four touchdowns. Tailback Christian Cole added 169 yards on the ground and receiver Nate Shelton hauled in six of Mayden’s passes for 128 in a 41-32 victory. With a quick-strike offense like Sachse, the best defensive strategy is sometimes to keep them off the field by controlling the ball – a tactic that is far from a novelty to a veteran coach like Copperas Cove’s Jack Welch. Playing host to El Paso Franklin last week, the Bulldawgs’ strong offensive line and fullback Ronique Williams paved the way to a clock-draining 463 rushing yards as Cove rolled to a 42-10 victory. Jaylen Smith capitalized on the dominance in the trenches to the tune of 199 yards, with Cain Garner also eclipsing the century mark. The pace of this contest will be important to watch, as the team who can gain control of the game’s rhythm will put themselves in an optimal position to remain undefeated and keep knocking on the door of DCTF’s 6A Top 25 poll.