Ferrum Flies Past the Bishops 34-0

 It was a cloudy day for football as the rainy weather had cleared out just before kickoff. Not only did the weather clear, but so did the approach of the Ferrum Panthers. Since the opener last week, Ferrum showed a huge step forward in today's game. The defense really stepped up, recording the teams first shut out since September 22 2018. The 34-0 score tells you all you need to know about the defensive execution yesterday....it was on point. While the Ferrum defensive dominance was exciting to watch, it was the offense, especially the running game that really showed me where the team had gotten their ducks in a row.

Last week against Muskingum, the running game was virtually nonexistent. To me there were things that would need to be looked at closely in the planning and practicing for week two for the running game to avoid another poor performance. Let's look at a couple of numbers:

Rushing Attempts         vs Muskingum           vs   NCW

                                              24                           45

Rushing Yards                         27                            167

So is the Bishops run defense that much worse than the Muskies? It probably is not as strong, but I feel that Ferrum's run game execution was greatly improved. I feel like the O-line created better lanes, fired off of the ball better, and executed fundamentals better than they did last week. This was much needed, and I think it will only continue to get better.

Kudos to Braxton Hughes who threw for 189 yards and three touchdowns. Over two games, Hughes has completed 31 of 50 passes for 384 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 0 interceptions. The passing game has been strong in both games as 6 receivers have caught passes in each game.

I just see it getting better for Ferrum as the week three game approaches. My plan is to make the trip to Ferrum next week when the LaGrange Panthers come to town. LaGrange is coming off of a 70-3 loss to Berry. Berry had almost 400 yards of rushing against LaGrange, and this may be where Ferrum wants to put their offensive emphasis.

Last year, Ferrum travelled to LaGrange Georgia, and fell to the home standing Panthers 44-38. It was their only win of the season. I have a strong feeling that Ferrum will do well next week.

For now enjoy the win. Great job!!

Go Panthers!