[AtlPirateFan]

Belfry fans have to understand that for the last few years Belfry won the game in the first quarter. LC had never seen Belfry punt. JV in in 2nd quarter. Freshmen in 3rd quarter with running clock. This year Belfry had a 2 score lead at the start of the 3rd quarter with both scores coming off LC turnovers in the 1st quarter. This game, I would think Belfry would start the varsity team instead of the freshmen/jv team they used in the last game. If Belfry uses their varsity they should have a good chance to win going away. However, if they want to rest their starters like they did before the JC game it could be risky. LC moved the ball better than in years past against the frosh/jv team. Of course the LC players THINK they can win no matter who Belfry puts on the field. Oh to be young again. I know how important this game is to Belfry fans because those Bowling Green motel cancellations hit the pocketbook hard. Here's hoping the ref's are playoff caliber and for an injury free game.

The Pirates were pretty banged up on the offensive side of the ball the first time these two teams met. From what I gather they are healthy but whether they need to full stable against LC will be determined by the coaches. On the defensive side of the ball you got starters not JV/Frosh. The Pirates are very young on defense. That being said, yes LC did move the bell well at times, the problem however is that moving the ball only resulted in 12 points because AJ Cyrus can not beat Belfry alone.

A little run down on the offense from the first meeting:

Austin Hatfield (the beast at FB) was still dealing with some ankle issues, still played, still scorched LC for 138 yards and has seen limited action since. He's healthy but not being risked.

Justin Johnson did not play against LC the first time, has been banged up. JJ is the #1 man on the depth chart for a reason. He is explosive and a huge home run threat. May or may not play.

Trenity Carr, my personal favorite on this team. Only had 85 yards the first time LC came to The Valley. He he carried the ball 14 times (6 ypc) and took it to the house 3 times. This kid is a hard nosed touchdown machine (10 in the last 4 games).

These guys are supported by a very talented group behind them on the depth chart the runs almost 10 deep. Including Dari who went 8 carries for 118 yards agains LC.

Last time LC played at the CAM, the Pirates were coming off a big win in Tennessee and quite possibly looking ahead to a game against Johnson Central, that doesn't mean that starters were rested.

I expect similar score to last time:
Belfry 42
LC 18

It comes down to this, if LC wants a real chance to win they are going to have to have more than AJ Cyrus for the first 3 quarters of football. They are going to have to score points when they move the football. It will not be enough to grind clock and keep the Pirates off the field, they have too many home run threats. Belfry's defense has been suspect all year and have allowed teams to run and pass all over them. The problem that every team besides Johnson Central has ran into is that the Pirates offense is so good, even when banged up and making stupid mistakes that they just flat out outscore you and take the wind out of your sails.