Football Recap: Ben L. Smith Comes Up Short + How To Watch

Ben L. Smith had lost eight straight on the road dating back to last season, but on Friday they dropped down to 2-4 to make it nine. They took a 34-23 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Dudley Panthers. While losing is never fun, the Golden Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 234th, while the Panthers are ranked 93rd).

Despite the loss, Ben L. Smith still got an impressive performance from Darius Chukwuemeka, who rushed for 78 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only ten carries, and also picked up 138 receiving yards.

As for Dudley, the victory was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 4-3. Those wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 27.5 points over those games.

Brayden Jeffries continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 96 yards and three TDs on only eight carries, while also throwing for 106 yards and one touchdown on only ten passes. His passing game has become a key predictor of Dudley's success: the team is 3-1 when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 1-2 otherwise. The Panthers also got a significant boost from Michael Boone Jr., who ran away from the competition to the tune of 93 yards.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Ben L. Smith will have a little extra prep time after the defeat as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Ragsdale at 7:00 p.m. on the 17th. As for Dudley, they will venture away from home to take on Western Guilford at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.