PHOTOS BY GABE WOLF Above: Vann Millican warms up during practice on Wednesday as the team prepares to face San Marcos Friday night at 7:30. Millican will look take advantage of a defense that gave up 178 yards through the air last week to Bastrop. Right: Senior Tyler Willie (71) attempts to recover a fumble during practice after Blaine White (21) has the ball knocked free. The Badgers need to be on their toes against the Rattlers who run a tricky slot T offensive scheme. The Badgers might be playing San Marcos tonight, but they will be scouting Hendrickson in the process.

Just like when head coach Ryan Bailey scheduled Manor as a preview for the future district game against Killeen, he will use this early-season opponent to simulate a district foe.

Since the Rattlers and Hawks both run the slot T offense, Bailey knew it would be a perfect learning opportunity for his team.

"It's a crazy offense," Bailey said. "You have to trust everything you see, and it's hard to simulate in practice. At first, our defense is going to have to take a little time and figure it out."

But Bailey will have a much longer duration to study.

For three of the final four weeks before Lampasas opens its district schedule against Hendrickson — including this week, the following bye week and the week prior to facing the Hawks — the coach will be working toward getting a grasp on the tricky offensive scheme.

After all, the Badgers' sole goal for this season is to make the playoffs.

It might sound like a stretch for a squad that did not win a game all of last season and is currently 0-2 on the year, but if Lampasas can make a run within its district then the first four games of the season will be successful, regardless of the outcomes.

Bailey, however, is being reasonable about his defensive expectations for the opening portion of the game.

"The slot T is a different beast. You've got people flying all over the field, and you don't know who has the ball," he said. "You have to see it before you can defend the slot T."

One player missing out on the educational experience is free safety Seth Fry, who suffered a second degree MCL sprain during last week's loss to Rockdale. Fry will miss tonight's game and is questionable for the Gatesville contest.

The senior's services also will be missed on offense, where he plays wide receiver, as the growing pains of the transition from a pass-first, spread philosophy to a primarily run-based attack still trouble the Badgers.

"The spread system is not oldfashioned football; it's completely different," Bailey said. "When you teach it to a kid all the way up, then that's all they know. Our kids are the right kinds of kids for this offense, and that's why we went to it."

Although the players are better suited for the current offensive scheme, they are still learning to perfect the execution. Against Rockdale, the offense sputtered at critical times, failing to convert three crucial fourth-down plays.

Just like the defense, the offense is working to get its assignments down so the execution will be flawless when the time is right.

"There's a learning curve involved in our new offense. Our offensive line is going forward now instead of backpedaling [to protect the quarterback] like we have in the past two or three years," Bailey said. "One wrong step, and you miss a linebacker.

"[The blockers] know who to go to, but if they go at the wrong angle they're going to get beat."

Perhaps Bailey should show tape of the Rattlers' front line to fast forward the process.

In its first two games of the season, San Marcos (1-1) rushed the ball 110 times for 571 yards.

Bailey might prefer a bit more balance, though.

In the same span, San Marcos completed just one pass for seven yards.

Hendrickson, on the other hand, displays more dimensions of the slot T offense, tallying 123 yards (13 of 26) through the air while gaining 394 rushing yards on 86 carries in its pair of games.

Despite the team's deficiencies in areas, at least one longtime Badger backer can see the squad's progression.

"I talked to an old Badger fan the other night, and he said, 'Hey, Coach, you're that close,' " Bailey said.

The coach agrees and believes he can have his team's problems solved in time for kickoff against Hendrickson.

Or better yet, San Marcos.

***

Prior to the game, the football sweetheart will be named. Nominees will be announced during the school's pep rally this afternoon with the official announcement coming at 7 p.m.

The Matchup

Teams
San Marcos (1-1) at Lampasas (0-2)
Last Week
Lampasas lost to Rockdale 21-7
San Marcos defeated Bastrop 27-26
Key Players
Lampasas: Linebackers Gabriel
Sanchez, Rush Seaver, Kacey
Tucker; Cornerbacks Adrian
Castillo, Jeffery Arevalo; Receivers
Jonathan VanLiew; Quarterback
Vann Millican; Running backs
Edward Grant, Brode DuBose,
Aaron Reyna.
Rockdale: Quarterbacks Ryan
Schweers, Aaron Canady; Running
backs Isaiah Banks, Michael
Wilburn, Andrew Cortez; Cornerback
Tyler Walker
At Stake
Lampasas tries to snap a 12-game
losing streak in its second home
game of the 2008 season.