Football Preview: Manual Thunderbolts vs. Jefferson Saints
Manual is 7-0 against Jefferson since September of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Manual Thunderbolts are taking a road trip to square off against the Jefferson Saints at 7:00 p.m. Manual is no doubt hoping to put an end to a five-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.
Manual will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up 12 points last Thursday, then bounced right back against Estes Park on Saturday. Manual breezed by Estes Park to the tune of 52-8. The Thunderbolts might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by 44 points or more this season.
Manual didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Torrice Bell, Aciano Wilson, Jackson Marshall, and Nigel Jones picked up one apiece. Marshall also punched in two rushing touchdowns, which is notable because Manual is undefeated when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 1-4 otherwise. Tyree Toliver was another major factor on D, picking up two sacks, making five total tackles, and defending a pass.
Manual was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 239 rushing yards. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 97 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last three games they've averaged 224.7.
Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for Jefferson's offense. They had to suffer through a 72-0 loss at the hands of Highland. Having soared to a lofty 34 points in the game before, the Saints' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
The victory got Manual back to even at 4-4. As for Jefferson, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 3-5.
Everything came up roses for Manual against Jefferson when the teams last played back in August of 2023, as the squad secured a 28-0 win. Does Manual have another victory up their sleeve, or will Jefferson turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
