Football Game Preview: Rudder Rangers vs. University Trojans

vs

Previous 3 Games

10/11/24 - Home	28-21 W
11/03/17 - Away	42-21 W
10/28/16 - Home	39-34 W

Rudder is a perfect 3-0 against University since October of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. After each having a week off, the two teams will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:00 p.m. Rudder will be strutting in after a victory while University will be coming in after a defeat.

While Rudder's win against Fort Bend Willowridge wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Rangers had just enough and edged out the Eagles 24-21.

Meanwhile, University scored first but ultimately less than Lampasas in their contest last Friday. They took a 35-28 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Badgers. While losing is never fun, the Trojans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 277th, while the Badgers are ranked 92nd).

Rudder will have to keep a close watch on London Smith and Savoy Nichols, a pair of players who had a big impact on University's prior game. Smith picked up 197 receiving yards and three TDs, while Nichols threw for 308 yards and four touchdowns while completing 72.7% of his passes. With that strong performance, Smith is now averaging an impressive 113.8 receiving yards per game.

Rudder's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-4. As for University, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-3.

Rudder beat University 28-21 in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Smith, who picked up 183 receiving yards and one score. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Rangers still be able to contain Smith? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.