Game of the Week (Between the Beasts from the East) Div 1 Carthage & Div 2 Gilmer

[PurplePop]

Carthage started bringing some different pressure looks, paired with some different coverage looks, and Gilmer's o-line had no answer. Poppy looked timid throwing the ball there late in the third and into the fourth. I doubt this stays with him longer than this weekend, but you could tell he was second-guessing himself and just not throwing with much confidence.

Poor Nacogdoches next week ... This loss probably only stirs the hornets nest that is still a very talented and athletic Gilmer squad.

Of course, the Nacogdoches coaches (that sure sounds funny) were probably at the game tonight with video cameras.

[lostaussie]

Of course, the Nacogdoches coaches (that sure sounds funny) were probably at the game tonight with video cameras.

That won't help them

[Aesculus gilmus]

Carthage started bringing some different pressure looks, paired with some different coverage looks, and Gilmer's o-line had no answer.

This wouldn't have mattered as much if we could have run the ball. That was the big difference from the first three games. Gilmer's running game was better in those first three games than it has been in years.

Tonight it wasn't there. You can either credit Carthage's superior defense for that or surmise that the Gilmer line and backs had an off night. Might have been a bit of both.

Our offensive coordinator said we'd have to avoid turnovers in order to win. We didn't, obviously. It reminded me a bit of the Sweetwater game in that respect.

[oldtownag]

Back home. That drive was a lot shorter than i thought it would be at half time.

Great effort by both teams. Carthage D played totally different in 2nd half than 1st. Ingram started running down hill and Buckeye's just ran out of gas. I think size advantage just started wearing them down.

Good luck Buckeye's! I will be pulling for you the rest of the year.

[Matthew328]

In the first half. Carthage was typically bringing 4 or 5 guys and Brown was able to quickly drop and go to his primary read on a lot of quick passes....put Carthage on their heels a bit and some of the downfield stuff opened up..

Carthage's adjustment was bringing 3 MAYBE 4 and forcing Brown to go to second and third reads...Brown holding the ball longer allowed Carthage to still get pressure and he got hit...that INT that turned the game around Brown was hit as he was throwing....Carthage's defensive adjustment to force Brown off primary reads was huge

[buckeyebob]

Great job Dawgs...the best team won.

My Bux did a banner job...that was a great game, what FNF is all about in the State of Texas

To give all a true picture of the game...both sides gave it their all...when the final whistle blew, both sides embraced another color jersey...it was a total show of respect for one another.

[waterboy]

Carthage is very good no doubt. But we shot ourselves in the foot all night. We will live to fight another day. Kudos to Carthage. They are very talented and most of all, they may have the best coach in the business.

Ditto that. I knew that if we didn't put points on the board on at least one of those third quarter red zone possessions it would come back to bite us. I feel like if we would've scored on either of those 3rd quarter possessions it would've been a different game entirely. Credit Carthage's defense with stepping up the pressure on us, though.

It's been the Buckeye story over the past 2 plus seasons now, TURNOVERS. Those are momentum killers for sure. Something needs to be done to break that trend, or we will likely fall short again this season. If we play solid defense, and take care of the ball, I think we win it all. We had ample opportunity to beat Carthage, but our Achilles Heel bit us in the behind.

[d0tc0m]

Gilmer made some mistakes, certainly. But almost all of them that I saw were forced by the Carthage defense. Poppy's pick-6 was just a really, really bad decision. But the other INT he threw inside the red zone was not necessarily his fault, because he had the look he wanted, he just got clobbered as he threw the ball and it turned into a lame duck well short of the intended mark. The fumble by the receiver was just a great play by the Carthage DB. You can talk about ball security and all that jazz, but the bottom line is, sometimes the other team just makes a really good play, and that's what I saw more of in this game than Gilmer shooting themselves in the foot.

What it ended up doing, though, is it forced Gilmer's defense - which had done a magnificent job in the first half - to stay on the field for a lot of plays on consecutive drives without much time to catch their breath. Not only that, but several times they had to defend a short field. And honestly, against a bunch as athletic as Carthage has, you're eventually going to break down, and that's what happened there midway through the third quarter.

In saying all that, I really think Gilmer is just fine. Offense is still really good and explosive, regardless of what happened in the second half, and the defense is probably better than I expected them to be. Carthage may have given a blueprint of how to defend Gilmer, but the problem is, only a few teams in 4A Div. II will even have the personnel to be able to execute that formula.

I think one of those teams is Pleasant Grove, though, so this district may come down to that matchup between the Hawks and Buckeyes.


At any rate, these were two very talented teams playing a very exciting game. And the amount of respect shown afterwards was just awesome to see. Good luck to both teams the rest of the way (except Gilmer, if they play Celina again).

[d0tc0m]

Also, I'll say this ...

This Carthage team is crazy talented. They may go 16-0 this year. And my opinion may change come playoff time, but as of right now, this year's group isn't as good as the 2008 Carthage squad. And, in that same vein, Ingram isn't nearly the HIGH SCHOOL running back that Dwight Smith was. In fact, for my dollar, Ingram isn't even the best player on the Dawgs' team. For me, I'd give that nod to Mykel Gates. Ingram may have more success at the next level, but for HS ball, I'd take Gates. He's a monster.


Of course, I'm splitting hairs here. It doesn't matter if this team is better or not quite as good as the 2008 team. And it doesn't matter who the best player on the team is. But when you have a team this good, it's fun to compare them to other great teams, and having seen both this year's team and that 2008 squad, I thought I'd offer an outsider's perspective.

[waterboy]

Were you there, d0tc0m? Yes, the pressure from the Carthage defense in the second half basically won the game for them. What you fail to understand is turnovers has been the Achilles Heel of this team for the past 2+ seasons, and those other teams are not Carthage. Carthage had a big edge in talent in this contest, no doubt about it. I knew we were in trouble when we had 4 trips into the red zone where we came away with zero points. The most critical were the two trips in the 3rd. If we could've scored on just one of those this would've been a different ball game, and I think the Buckeyes would've won. Once the momentum shifted after that second trip into the red zone with no point we couldn't get it back. We didn't make the plays when we had the opportunities. Carthage gained momentum, never relented, and pulled away in the 4th. A pick-6 and a scoop and score were the daggers.

[lostaussie]

Another play that killed us was the dang fake punt. Damn Surratt

[waterboy]

Another play that killed us was the dang fake punt. Damn Surratt

The only way he goes through with that fake is if that right side opens up. There wasn't anybody at home on that play. Their punter is speedy enough to get 13 yards very quickly, especially with nobody else in the same zip code.

[oldtownag]

Another play that killed us was the dang fake punt. Damn Surratt

Did Gilmer have the "hands team" in to field the kickoff during the onside kick? I think everyone with a little football knowledge saw that one coming.

[waterboy]

Did Gilmer have the "hands team" in to field the kickoff during the onside kick? I think everyone with a little football knowledge saw that one coming.

I honestly don't think so. I was hollering at the coaches because surely they knew. It was a well executed onside, though, and took an angled hop. I just can't believe we didn't play the ball better.

[regaleagle]

Well Heck.......I guess a little adversity this early in the season might be just what the doctor ordered for you Gilmerites, Huh? I'm sure your Boyz gave a good shock to those Carthagenians in the first half.....and look at all the good it did them......they woke up and smelled the coffee. Just so happens, the Buckeyes are just now smelling that coffee afterwards. Sounds to me like Gilmer really needed a game like this to happen just to get ready for a very good Pleasant Grove team this year.