Sitting at 0-2, Pillow Academy is hungry for the taste of victory.
The Mustangs have been outscored 78-18 in losses to Indianola Academy and Madison-Ridgeland Academy, but the schedule eases up a good bit this week with a trip to Bayou Academy, which is 1-1 after falling 24-20 to Central Hinds last Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday in Cleveland.
“We need this one for sure, but we know Bayou just won’t roll over for us,” Pillow coach Tripp McCarty said. “0-2 is not the spot you want to be in no matter who you have played. We have a bad taste in our mouths, and there ain’t but one way to fix it — go get a win.”
In this same position last year, the AAAA-member Mustangs defeated Bayou 27-13 for their first win. McCarty said if the Mustangs don’t play better than they did last week in a 45-6 loss to MRA, “we will get our butts kicked.”
Bayou’s offense has plenty of veteran leadership with seniors Cross Crowe (quarterback), Spence Martin (running back), Trey Williamson (offensive line), Clinton Davis (wide receiver) and Colby Chenault (wide receiver) leading the way.
Bayou first looks to get Crowe going with the RPO (run-pass option) packages while spreading the ball around to several receivers. He has completed 35 of 61 passes for 534 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions.
The Colts are a pass-first team, averaging 267 yards per game through the air and 122 on the ground.
The Mustangs defense is expected to have much better success this week after allowing an average of 409 yards and 39 points per game to open the season. Sophomore safety Christian Belk is PA’s leading tackler through two games with 19 stops. Sophomore linebacker Lawes McCool is next with 14, followed by junior linebacker Sam Harris with 13.
The biggest improvement McCarty wants to see on defense is shedding blockers and tackling.
There is also plenty of room for improvement on offense as well, considering the Mustangs have three touchdowns in two games. Junior wide receiver Jaden Simcox has accounted for two of those scores. He suffered a hairline fracture on his left wrist against MRA but will try to play with a cast on that hand.
On Friday, the Mustangs are looking to finally get their ground game on track. PA is averaging 137 yards per contest but has been unable to run the ball when it needs it the most.
Against MRA, the Mustangs were already without two starting offensive linemen. Sophomore Frazier Rose is out for the season after having knee surgery last week, and junior center Wade Smith is expected to return to action in a couple of weeks.
Now Simcox is slowed with an injury, and junior quarterback Shane Houston Stephens will be playing with an injured left (non-throwing) hand.
“Injuries are just part of the game. Nobody is going to feel sorry for you. We just have to have some guys step up, and we are seeing signs of that happening,” McCarty said.
