Football Preview: Temple Tigers vs. Heard County Braves
Temple is 1-9 against Heard County since October of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Temple Tigers will venture away from home to square off against the Heard County Braves at 7:30 p.m. Temple knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past three games -- so hopefully Heard County likes a good challenge.
Temple will bounce into Friday's match after beating Bremen, who they hadn't topped in six consecutive meetings. Temple strolled past Bremen with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 34-18.
It was another big night for Cj Gray, who rushed for 182 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.9 yards per carry. He also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, forcing a fumble and making two total tackles. Serjoe Jones was in the mix as well, providing Temple with two touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Temple was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 320 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 219 rushing yards in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Heard County, who bounced back after a loss on the road back in September. They blew past Haralson County, posting a 49-15 victory at home. The result was nothing new for the Braves, who have now won three matchups by 34 points or more so far this season.
Heard County found their leader in underclassman Ethan Tisdale, who rushed for 155 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries, and also threw for 131 yards and two touchdowns. Dereon Pearson also helped out as he racked up 143 rushing yards.
Heard County wouldn't let Haralson County keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Heard County can thank Justin Hanson and Braeden McKenzie for forcing both of them. McKenzie is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last three games he's played dating back to last season.
Temple's record is now 5-1. As for Heard County, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Temple has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 284 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Heard County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 271. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Temple lost to Heard County on the road by a decisive 43-29 margin when the teams last played back in October of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Tisdale, who rushed for 149 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries, and also threw for 79 yards and two touchdowns. Now that Temple knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
