Preview: Middle Tennessee Christian Cougars vs. Friendship Christian Commanders
Two dominant backs in Eli Wilson and Tyson Wolcott are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. After each having a week off, the Middle Tennessee Christian Cougars and the Friendship Christian Commanders will shake off the cobwebs and challenge one another at 3:00 p.m. on November 30th. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a five-game winning streak alive.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Middle Tennessee Christian walked away with it. They came out on top against the Bulldogs by a score of 35-27 two weeks ago.
Wilson continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 220 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 12.9 yards per carry. Wilson is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last five games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Briggs Boyd, who gained 92 total yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Friendship Christian stacked a tenth blowout onto their ever-increasing hoard two weeks ago. They took their contest at home with ease, bagging a 56-14 win over Nashville Christian. Friendship Christian pushed the score to 42-14 by the end of the third, a deficit Nashville Christian had little chance of recovering from.
Wolcott was his usual excellent self, rushing for 228 yards and six touchdowns while picking up 8.8 yards per carry. Wolcott is absolutely dominating the rushing yard category: he's posted at least 100 every time he's taken the field this season. Dontae Parker and his 112 yards on the ground were also a key factor in Friendship Christian's win.
The team's defense also helped out by holding Nashville Christian to a paltry 189 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Friendship Christian's ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid the passer out three times before it was all said and done. Garrett De Araujo Jorge was especially locked on to Nashville Christian's QB and sacked him twice.
Middle Tennessee Christian pushed their record up to 11-1 with that victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 41.0 points per game. As for Friendship Christian, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 11-2 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's game: Middle Tennessee Christian has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 300.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Friendship Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 288.6 per game. It's looking like Thursday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
Middle Tennessee Christian skirted past Friendship Christian 16-14 in their previous meeting back in September. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Friendship Christian's Wolcott, who rushed for 157 yards and a touchdown. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Middle Tennessee Christian still be able to contain him? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
