Two dominant signal callers in Savoy Nichols and Will Shepard are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The University Trojans will be playing at home against the Belton Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
As a matter of fact, University put up the most points they have all season on Thursday. They claimed a resounding 58-3 victory over Rudder. With the Trojans ahead 30-3 at the half, the game was all but over already.
It was another big night for London Smith, who picked up 134 receiving yards and a pair of scores. He also hauled in two receiving touchdowns, which is notable because University is 2-1 when he posts at least two receiving touchdowns, but 1-2 otherwise. Ray Brown Jr. was another key player, rushing for 61 yards and one touchdown.
University's run defense was locked in: Rudder could only muster 1.3 yards per carry. While two picked up at least six total tackles, Ronald Derrick stood above the rest. He picked up two sacks and made six total tackles. University didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 7.7.
Ronald Derrick
| 09/05/25 @ Granbury | 1 |
| 09/12/25 @ China Spring | 1 |
| 08/29/25 @ Keller Central | 4 |
| 09/18/25 vs Shoemaker | 4 |
| 09/26/25 @ Lampasas | 4 |
University's defense didn't let Sylas Sullivan, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for four sacks. Rudder's QB won't forget Derrick anytime soon given he sacked him twice. Derrick also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with six.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Belton, who bounced back after a loss on the road back in September. They walked away with a 53-42 win over Ellison on Thursday. That looming 53-42 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Tigers yet this season.
The match pitted two dominant signal callers against one another in Shepard and Marlyn Smith. Shepard had a great game and rushed for 123 yards and four TDs while picking up 7.7 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Smith was balling out in the loss, rushing for 100 yards and a pair of scores on only five carries, while also throwing for 230 yards and one touchdown.
The victory got University back to even at 3-3. As for Belton, the win snapped their losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 3-3 record.
We should be in store for an exciting game as the two teams have no problem gaining yardage. University has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 383.7 total yards per game. However, it's not like Belton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 388.3 total yards. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them.
University beat Belton 35-25 when the teams last played back in October of 2024. Will the Trojans repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
