Columbia has gone 6-1 against Wharton recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Columbia Roughnecks' homestand will continue as they prepare to take on the Wharton Tigers at 7:00 p.m. Both are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Columbia is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Yoakum 46-21 on Friday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Roughnecks have posted since October 6, 2023.
It was another big night for Mudassir Abdullah, who rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.9 yards per carry, and also picked up 52 receiving yards. He showed off some serious burst, lighting up the secondary with a catch for 52 yards. Another player making a difference was Korbyn Faulkner, who rushed for 105 yards on only five carries.
Columbia wouldn't let Yoakum keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. Columbia can thank Braden Gilliam and Grant Thrasher for forcing all of them. The dominant performance also gave Thrasher a new career-high in rushing yards.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Columbia was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 453 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 165 rushing yards in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Wharton blew past Hempstead, posting a 55-10 win on the road. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Tigers.
Ja'Keon Jackson was his usual excellent self, rushing for 122 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries, while also throwing for 179 yards and four touchdowns. Ja'Carious Wiley was another key player, gaining 126 total yards and two touchdowns.
The victory got Columbia back to even at 2-2. As for Wharton, their win ended a five-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-2.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Columbia has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 286.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Wharton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 163.8. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Columbia against Wharton when the teams last played back in October of 2023 as the squad secured a 55-0 victory. Will Columbia repeat their success, or does Wharton have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
