vs
| 11/01/24 - Away | 44-2 W |
| 11/03/23 - Home | 42-0 W |
| 11/04/22 - Away | 29-14 W |
| 11/04/21 - Home | 52-12 W |
| 10/02/20 - Away | 20-14 W |
| + 5 more games |
Vanguard has gone a perfect 10-0 against Forest recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Knights will be playing in front of their home fans against the Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Vanguard's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They took their game with ease, bagging a 44-0 victory over Gainesville. The Knights haven't had any issues with the Hurricanes recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive win against them.
Vanguard's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but James Pullings led the charge by rushing for 43 yards and a pair of scores. The dominant performance also gave Pullings a new career-high in rushing touchdowns (two). Terrance Lewis was another key player, rushing for 77 yards and one TD on only seven carries.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Vanguard was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 275 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 155 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Vanguard didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Montrelle Wilkerson and Hunter Schaller.
Meanwhile, Forest didn't have too much trouble with West Port on Friday as they won 34-15. The Wildcats pushed the score to 27-7 by the end of the third, a deficit the Wolf Pack cut but never quite recovered from.
Forest's win came from a few key players Vanguard will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Keziyrehun Rivers, who rushed for 152 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 7.6 yards per carry. He has become a key player for Forest: the team is 5-1 when he posts at least 80 rushing yards, but 1-2 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Caleb Sanford, who threw for 153 yards and one TD while completing 81.2% of his passes.
Forest's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB nine times. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Keyontae Davenport, Knox Boutwell, and Daylin Eason, who each picked up 1.5 sacks apiece.
Forest's victory bumped their record up to 6-3. As for Vanguard, their win bumped their record up to 7-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Vanguard has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 228.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Forest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 196.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for Vanguard against Forest in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, as the squad secured a 44-2 victory. In that game, the Knights amassed a halftime lead of 28-2, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
