Two dominant signal callers in Andre Bailey and Neiman Lawrence are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Palmetto Panthers will take on the Northwestern Bulls at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Palmetto sitting on five straight wins and Northwestern on six.
Palmetto's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed last Monday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Homestead 40-0. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won five games by 21 points or more so far this season.
It was another big night for Varian Terry, who rushed for 153 yards and three touchdowns on only five carries. His longest rush was for an impressive 65 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.
Palmetto's run defense was locked in: Homestead could only muster 2.2 yards per carry. While three picked up at least five total tackles, Denzley Balthazar stood above the rest. He picked up two sacks and made five total tackles (4.0 for loss). Palmetto didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 21.4.
Palmetto's defense didn't let the opposing QB, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for four sacks. Homestead's QB won't forget Balthazar anytime soon given he sacked him twice. Jaiden Henry was another major factor on D, picking up a sack, forcing one fumble, and making five total tackles.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Northwestern). They took their contest on Saturday with ease, bagging a 56-0 victory over Key West. The team's explosion on offense also rewarded the Bulls with their most commanding win of the season.
Northwestern's win came from a few key players Palmetto will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Irwin James, who rushed for 72 yards and one TD on only ten carries. Calvin Russell Jr. was another key player, picking up 63 receiving yards and one score.
Palmetto's record is now 6-1. As for Northwestern, their record now sits at an identical 6-1.
Palmetto came up short against Northwestern in their previous meeting back in November of 2020, falling 17-7. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
