The 4-0 Lampasas Badgers are set to play host to the 2-2 Waco University Trojans tonight for the Homecoming game at Badger Field.
Lampasas is coming off a 31-24 win over Wimberley last Friday, while University suffered a 47-28 loss to 6A Shoemaker last week.
This game will present a great challenge for the Badgers. They will have to contend with likely the best size, speed and athleticism combination they have seen so far this season.
University has several Division I scholarship football players on the team, led by London Smith at receiver who is a Baylor University commit at this time.
Smith and quarterback Savoy Nichols are a deadly duo with the ability to connect on big plays on every snap, but the team also features a big O-line and explosive running backs.
Badger Head Coach Troy Rogers was complimentary of the opponent ahead of the Friday night contest.
“We talked about it from the start of the week -- we’re going to have to play with great discipline and not get our eyes stuck in the backfield,” Rogers said. “Communication and discipline defensively is going to be the key to controlling in a sense. …We’re going to have to make sure we’re communicating, and we’re in the right places and we don’t assume that someone knows.”
He added that it also will be important for the defense to rally to the ball and get multiple players on tackles so they don’t let some of the explosive skill position players get loose for big plays.
On defense, University sets up largely in an even front with four down linemen and either a 4-3 or 4-2-5 look, depending on where that extra defensive back or third linebacker is lined up.
They are big and athletic on the defensive line, which is most similar to what the Badgers faced against Chaparral where they struggled offensively.
Rogers said having seen that previously from Chaparral should help his offense in this contest.
“Hopefully after seeing it with Chaparral with how big they were up front on the defensive line and how we handled it or didn’t handle it, I think there were lessons learned and we’ll find out how much we’ve learned,” the head coach said.
“I think we’ve gotten smarter and better as coaches, and we’ve learned our lesson, so we’ve got to put our guys in the best position to be successful,” Rogers said. “I think that’s kind of the plan, just to make sure our guys are prepared for what they’re going to see.”
Rogers also was adamant that his offense will need to be able to run the football to give the Badgers the best chance to be successful, regardless of whether they play against a big front or a small front.
“It may not be a lot of explosives, because it’s hard to have explosives against a fast defense because they can go catch you, and they’ve shown that in every game they’ve played this year,” Rogers said. “We understand that, and we’re going to be happy with getting what we can get. If we can break something, great, but we’re going to go ahead and grind out what we can in the run game and take our opportunities in the pass game when they give them to us.”
Pressure on the quarterback will be important for the Badger defense in this game.
Nichols is capable and fully comfortable sitting in the pocket all day if he can to find an open receiver, and he has the arm that allows him to do that.
The Badgers will need to make Nichols uncomfortable as often as possible so he can’t pick them apart with no pressure.
“His ability to find open receivers -- and they do a good job of settling down in zones so they have a good chemistry of him sitting back there and finding the open receiver -- so you can’t give him all day,” Rogers said. “You have to get after him a little bit to make him uncomfortable.”
The home-field advantage could play a factor for Lampasas, as this game will be played on the grass surface on Badger Field. Very few games are played on grass fields nowadays. The overwhelming majority of football surfaces, especially at the 4A level and up, are turf.
The game is faster on turf, the athletes are faster on turf and at this point, most of the players are more comfortable on turf.
Look for the Badger fans and Badger Field to make things slightly more difficult for University because of the unique nature of where Lampasas plays its home games.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football has the Badgers as a five-point favorite over University.
Expect both teams to come into this contest with a bit of a chip on their shoulder and feeling like they have something to prove. Lampasas knows about the level of Division I talent the opponent possesses, so the Badgers will want to make a statement early that their players are as good as University’s. And University is coming into this with a record the team can’t be thrilled about. They want to get back in the win column and back to their winning ways.
Those ingredients could cook up one great meal tonight, and each team will know a lot more about themselves when the fourth quarter ends.
The game is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. under the Friday Night Lights at Badger Stadium.
Lampasas will take Badger Field for their Homecoming game tonight.
