Preview: Austin Panthers vs. Bowie Bears
Austin and Bowie are an even 4-4 against one another since October of 2014, but not for long. The Austin Panthers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Bowie Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams might be coming in a bit winded given how much these teams ran in their prior games.
Last Friday, Austin came up short against Riverside and fell 29-20. Despite 145 more yards than Riverside, Austin couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
Ruben Bustillos put forth a good effort for the losing side as he rushed for 195 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.8 yards per carry. Another player making a difference was Oscar Flores, who rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Bowie entered their tilt with San Elizario with six consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with seven. Bowie blew past San Elizario 49-0 at home. The result was nothing new for Bowie, who have now won three games by 24 points or more so far this season.
Bowie's win on Friday was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Abraham Carrasco, who threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns while completing 88.9% of his passes. The team also got some help courtesy of Antonio Ontiveros, who picked up 160 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Austin's loss dropped their record down to 3-5. As for Bowie, their win was their seventh straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 7-1.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: Austin has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 232.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Bowie struggles in that department as they've been even better at 266.1 per game. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Austin against Bowie in their previous meeting back in October of 2022 as the squad secured a 35-7 victory. Will Austin repeat their success, or does Bowie have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
