BadaBing

I agree with everything you said here, except the bold. And Im really asking your opinion more so than saying you are wrong. Both games I watched of OC (Daviess and Murray) were against teams that ran TE/FB offensive formations. You guys stacked the box with 8 guys and left one safety high the majority of the time. And since Murray and Daviess were so vanilla and ineffective with the ball, you could get away with it. MF is a different animal, running spread formations mostly where you wouldn't want to stack the box. A very different strategy than Owensboro, Murray, and Daviess. How does that change things for you guys? I couldn't agree more with respect to their offensive prowess. Mayfield better be ready on D.

Mama says Mayfield got beat by McCracken because days big boys and pushed us around. Kidding, but really MC just wore us out with their size. The run game killed MF. MC was getting 8 yards a pop on run plays, and we didn't get enough pressure on QB. He had all day to throw. MC has a pretty talented team, so that loss isn't that much of a black eye. Really its one of those games that serves as a good measuring stick, win or lose. If we can bang with MC then we can bang with most any team in 2A.

I'm still looking for where I said Mayfield was unbeatable and didn't have any vulnerabilities....can't find it though. Hmmm. Yes MF got beat by McCracken. And yes there were lots of bad calls in the Caldwell game, but they came back from being down 21-10. Showed a lot of guts/grit. So we can quit pretending like they should have lost that game.

Yes #3 had some nice special teams plays, but during punt returns he also likes to grab the ball at the last second and take off, which can catch the defense off guard but also cause turnovers. Not to mention, the punting ability for OC is downright atrocious. Not much control or distance. That really hurt them in the field position battle. I know they aren't used to punting, but they will more frequently starting Friday night, and if they win, moving forward. I can agree that OC QB is a notch above MF QB, but as far as them having better WR and LB, that is very debatable. Kennemore, while not as fast as #3, is every bit as effective (SAVY is how I would describe him). Defensively, Im not sure Mayfield has any one player that stands out, but as a unit, they are pretty dang good. Based on film and game outcomes of this season, I would say MF has a stronger defense.

I watched film on OC vs Daviess and OC vs Murray playoff game. A few observations... OC QB looks very good. He has great feet and he sees the field very well. Doesn't lack for arm strength. Can make all the throws. And his line doesn't need to give him much time as most of his reads are quick. #3 is his favorite target. They will go deep to him 4 or 5 times a game (he scored on two of those in the Murray game I think). If he gets behind the defense he is gone. The kid has wheels. #20 and #80 were the other two receivers I noticed catching multiple passes. These guys run good routes and seem to have solid hands. #25 HB isn't a big kid, but plays big. Reads his blocks well and shows a penchant for knowing when to bounce outside. Line play seems to be their weak link on offense, but again they throw quick passes and the running lanes are wide (spread offense) so those guys don't have to be world beaters. Its hard to get a read on their defense. Both games I watched were against run heavy teams, and quite frankly, both Daviess and Murray have terrible offenses. Not to mention they used fullbacks and tight ends in the majority of their formations, so it wasn't that hard to guess what they were going to do. OC D-line was small, but very quick off the line, and very active. They didn't give up many plays on the back end, so both Murray and Daviess had to put sustained drives together, which they failed to do most of the time.

I can see where someone would pick OC to win, but saying they are a 3 TD better team than MF is ignorant. If thats the case, you obviously don't pay much attention. Take off your blinders.

I wouldn't want to play MF in sub-state either....

If its a shootout OC has the advantage. If its a grind it out, low scoring affair Murray has the advantage. I saw Murray play once against Mayfield (first half only) and they seemed very tough/physical. But the law of averages says OC will get them sooner or later. Should be a good one.

Caldwell had the opportunity to close out this game, but just couldn't do it. Give Mayfield credit for gutting it out and finishing. Looking forward to watching Mayfield in the 2A playoffs against some new blood.

link to the game?

Mayfield 28-24

Missed one in 1998 too. We got spanked by Middlesboro. We had a great team, just laid an egg during that 15th game....

I think the edge goes to Mayfield here. Facing an opponent that has a run oriented offense plays right into their defensive strength. Both defenses are very sound, but Mayfield will (presumably) have more success throwing the ball. I honestly don't expect anything less than a nailbiter. On a side note, a great program like Beechwood can't be beaten EVERY year. They are due against Mayfield in the worst way and are playing at home so this could be their year. If you are Mayfield, you remind yourself about last years title game. Nothing is a given and it doesn't matter what has happened throughout the season, its about what happens right now. If Mayfield comes READY to play, its theirs to lose. Just my two cents.......

Graves always comes ready to play for this game. It should be close no matter who wins. Mayfield 35-28.

I've seen Mayfield play twice this year, and I watched the Murray/Calloway matchup. I highly doubt Murray will be able to stay in the wishbone the entire game like they did against Calloway and expect to beat Mayfield. The only pass I remember Murray completing in the Calloway game was a hail mary right before half time, and while it was a completion, it wasn't pretty. Murray will need to get lucky and bust MANY big plays to have a chance. And Mayfield's offense operates like a well oiled machine. They are balanced and do a great job of picking apart the defense on the ground or through the air. Maybe they can eliminate the fumbles.....

Considering Beechwood has never beat Mayfield, this seems like a small price to pay that will give them an edge come November. They will beat Mayfield soon enough. They are too good of a program not to. However, Im not certain it will be THIS year.

I thought this one would have been closer, considering how Madisonville played Christian Co. last week. Shows what I know....

I was at the game as well. Murray didn't have any reason to put the ball in the air, based on the way the ground game was going. HB #8 for Murray is a tough ball carrier and broke a lot of tackles. The QB and the rest of the backfield all seemed to possess some combo of speed/quickness. I wonder what it will look like when Murray has to put the ball in the air.... Murray's defense played well. Lots of speed. They took away the long ball, kept good pressure on Calloway's QB, and forced them to go underneath. With the exception of one drive (a Murray turnover in their own territory), Calloway couldn't sustain a drive. Calloway QB is a great runner, but he rarely set up and threw. He scrambled on every drop back, and I think that attributed to his low completion %. Murray defense had 2 or 3 interceptions and several sacks as well. I'm not sure how good Murray really is, but they have Graves Co. next and Mayfield after that, so time will tell. It'll be interesting!

Obviously this is for another thread, but I have heard this comment 2 or 3 times and I don't get it....Mayfield had a stellar team team that year also, apparently just as good or better because we won.

Good win for Crittendon.....they deserve it. Good luck next week!

ACS 28 Calloway 24

I feel that Mayfield has more talent, but Crittendon seems to play better team ball. Mayfield needs to come out of the gates hot and stick with it the entire game. It IS hard to beat the same team twice in one season, so that plays into Mayfield's advantage. However, Crittendon is at home. Either way, I don't see the margin of victory being large for whichever team wins.

Its ironic because that describes this Mayfield team to a tee. If or when they build a lead, it seems that the momentum compounds our efforts and we really start kicking tail. But if the other team takes the lead early, this is Mayfield's kryptonite. The only thing that worries me about this game is stopping Holy Cross's rushing attack.....it seems like they might be able to control the game more if they are moving the ball well. I don't see Mayfield having trouble moving the ball. Regardless, this seems like it will be a close one, which isn't what the poll shows.

I had no idea that Caldwell beat Crittendon last week. Comparing scores isn't a necessity of mine when sizing up two teams either, but it might be something to look at in this case. However, Mayfield has grown as a team a lot since the Crittendon game and Im hoping we see the same thing this week.

Any reasoning behind that prediction? Just curious........