New Albany has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Louisville Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but New Albany had no problem doing just that on Friday. They breezed by Northeast Lauderdale at home to the tune of 43-14. With New Albany ahead 36-7 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
New Albany's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ke?lan Simpson led the charge by rushing for 92 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries. Simpson hasn't dropped below two rushing touchdowns for five straight games. Another player making a difference was Braden Shettles, who threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns on only nine passes.
Meanwhile, Louisville put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They put the hurt on Itawamba Agricultural with a sharp 31-7 win. Given Louisville's advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi football rankings (they are ranked sixth, while Itawamba Agricultural is ranked 131st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jaylin Jordan was the offensive standout of the match as he rushed for 63 yards and two touchdowns.
The team's defense also helped out by holding Itawamba Agricultural to a paltry 100 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Louisville's ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid the passer out nine times before it was all said and done. The heavy lifting was done by TayQuon Mckinney and Travon McDonald who racked up six sacks between them.
New Albany pushed their record up to 8-2 with that victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 43.3 points per game. As for Louisville, their victory bumped their record up to 11-0.
Keep an eye on the end zone in Friday's game as New Albany and Louisville haven't had much trouble getting there this season. New Albany commands a daunting offense this season, having averaged 4.8 touchdowns per game. However, it's not like Louisville struggles in that department as they've been even better at 5 per game. With these two high-octane teams facing off on Friday, fans should be in for an exciting offensive matchup. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
New Albany came up short against Louisville in their previous meeting back in November of 2020, falling 28-15. Can New Albany avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
