There's no place like home for University, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Ellison Eagles 37-35. This was payback for the Trojans, who suffered a 49-7 loss the last time these two teams met.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead University to victory, but perhaps none more so than London Smith, who picked up 146 receiving yards and a touchdown. Keandre Brooks did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 122 receiving yards.
University didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jeremiah Green and Michael Davis. University is 6-1 when Green posts one or more interceptions, but 1-2 otherwise. University got some further help from Andre Young: he picked up 2.5 sacks, forced a fumble, and made seven total tackles.
University was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 206 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Ellison only rushed for 81.
Despite the loss, Ellison still got an impressive performance from Sidney Holland Jr, who threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns while completing 72.2% of his passes, and also punched in a rushing score. Holland Jr's passing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fourth straight game with at least 341 passing yards. Joseph Fowlkes Iv helped Holland Jr out on the ground, picking up 83 receiving yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 30 yards.
University pushed their record up to 7-3 with the victory, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 35.0 points per game. As for Ellison, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-5.
University and Ellison are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. University will challenge Fort Bend Marshall at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Fort Bend Marshall is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 30.1 points per game this season. As for Ellison, they will square off against Iowa Colony at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Iowa Colony's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last five contests.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
