Final.

Dixie can score, but their defense has been giving up a ton of points this season.

I predicted Ryle would win this game because they had the better defense and looks like Dixie's defense didn't disappoint. One thing's for sure, Dixie sure does have an explosive offense. I really like them to beat the #2 seed from district 6 in the playoffs whether it be BS or Ashland.

Dixie can score, but their defense has been giving up a ton of points this season.

 

Giving up that many to Ryle, not known for scoring. Sounds like if they could have put together any D, they could have won this game.

No doubt both defenses were terrible, but Ryle finally put on an offensive show. Conner Hemple showed more maturity and focus at QB. Ryle mixed the run and pass very well. Keifer Eubanks and Travis Elliott both ran well with Eubanks carrying the ball the most(which is how it should be right now).

Some very nice positives, and some continued concerns, for Ryle in this game. The offense looked very good both running and passing the ball. Eubanks doesn't get much notice in 6A given the attention to Quanioo and Simpson, but he had another fine game and is having a strong season. Almost every ball Hempel threw in this game was right on the money and hit WR's in stride, who themselves made some nice runs after the catch. The O-line did a great job. And huge credit has to go to Ryle's offensive coaches, who clearly added in some new plays and mixed things up very nicely.

 

The defense once again had some problems and let up some big plays. Seems to be some breakdowns and coverage confusion in the secondary, which had been the stength of the defense earlier this season. And the undersized but quick D-line continues to have problems with the run against bigger O-lines. Of course, credit has to be given to Dixie's offense, which is indeed very good. But in defense of Ryle's D, after getting gashed for 21 pts. in the first quarter, they played very well for 2 1/2 quarters and allowed Ryle's offense to take control of the game.

 

Another pressing issue for Ryle was their kickoff coverage. This has been a problem for several games now. I would guess Dixie's average starting field position on kickoffs was close to midfield. Starting to wonder if Ryle's best option might have been to just kick the ball out of bounds . . . :creepy:

 

With the bye next week, Ryle will have two weeks to fix the problems and build on the offense's success and the coaches will no doubt have them ready for their playoff game against a tough Henry Clay team. :thumb: