Football Preview: Umatilla Bulldogs vs. Taylor Wildcats
Umatilla is 0-4 against Taylor since October of 2017 but things could change on Friday. The Umatilla Bulldogs will host the Taylor Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Umatilla took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They enjoyed a cozy 48-34 win over Lake Weir. With that victory, the Bulldogs brought their scoring average up to 26.6 points per game.
Josh Wilson went supernova for Umatilla, throwing for 296 yards and three touchdowns while completing 73.3% of his passes, and also rushing for 41 yards. Those 41 rushing yards gave Wilson a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Bryce Norflee, who picked up 134 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Umatilla wouldn't let Lake Weir keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Keegan St. Amant, Dallas Cottle, and Kellen Hatcher picked up one apiece. Cottle also punched in two rushing touchdowns, which is notable because Umatilla is undefeated when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 1-4 otherwise.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Taylor). They blew past Saint Francis Catholic 36-0 on the road two weeks ago. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Wildcats have posted since August 25, 2023.
Anthony Miler was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns on only seven carries. His longest rush was for an incredible 78 yards.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Taylor was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 350 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
One reason for the win was Taylor's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. In fact, those sacks all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Anthony Cavallero.
The victory got Umatilla back to even at 4-4. As for Taylor, their win ended a five-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-3.
Umatilla suffered a grim 41-16 defeat to Taylor when the teams last played back in October of 2020. Thankfully for Umatilla, Anson Rodriguez (who rushed for 262 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.7 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
