Kickoff between the Longhorns (4-5, 3-1) and TLCA (5-4, 2-2) is slated for 7 p.m. Friday in San Angelo. The winner of Friday’s game will likely face top-ranked Canadian in the second round of the playoffs.
“You can look at a lot of scenarios, and it’s not just Canadian but every team up in that area is going to be good,” Price said. “Whoever you play in the second round is going to be pretty good. It is what it is, and we’re going to go out and do our best to find a way against TLCA and come in No. 2. We’re still in the playoffs and have extra football ahead.”
Reflecting on last week’s 50-6 loss to Wall, Price said, “It’s never good to be in that situation and to have what happened last Friday happen. We knew going into that they were a really good football team and how fast they were and that their speed may be an issue and it caught up with us on Friday night. They can fly down the field and with that offense they run you make one mistake and you end up with a big play. They hit us with quite a few big plays and we stumbled and never recovered.”
TLCA, meanwhile, is coming off a 36-21 triumph over Ballinger.
For the season, TLCA quarterback Layne Honea has completed 149 of 252 passes for 2,181 yards with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Leading receivers include Luis Casillas (29-347, 2 TDs), Jaidden Villanueva (28-448, 4 TDs), Colin Taylor (20-425), Isaiah Vaquera (15-227, 2 TDs) and Natavian Sykes (8-139, 2 TDs). Jeremiah Bullingor (365 rushing yards, 3 TDs) leads the ground game.
Defensively, TLCA is giving up 35 points per game with six sacks and 10 takeaways.
“They’ve done a really good job this year,” Price said. “They’ve done a good job up front, they’re big, and they like to throw the ball around a lot which is something we haven’t seen a lot of. They’ve already thrown over 230 passes this season. Defensively, they look very similar to the style of defense Wall plays. For the second week in a row we’ll see a defense coming from all over the place and getting after us. It’ll be a good test for us again.”
Early enters the contest generating 27 points and 350 yards – 195 passing and 155 rushing – per game, with 19 turnovers.
Quarterback Rohyn Price has completed 85 of 144 passes for 1,296 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while leading receivers include Andrew Reedy (35-472, 4 TDs), Ki Houston (27-590, 3 TDs), Weston Barton (24-312, 2 TDs) and Reece Middleton (15-216, 3 TDs). Griffin Cheslock (908 rushing yards, 12 TDs) anchors the ground game.
“Offensively, we need to get back to putting drives together and scoring,” Price said. “Against Wall, we had some drives that had a little bit of promise but we turned the ball over. Being able to hold on to the ball, putting drives together and scoring some points will be big for us on Friday.”
Defensively, the Longhorns are surrendering 29 points and 328 yards – 200 on the ground and 128 through the air – per contest, with 14 takeaways.
Leading the charge are Kaleb Ozuna (84 tackles, 6 for loss, 3 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries), Dalton Adams (54 tackles, 17 for loss, 8 sacks), Brooks Clippinger (48 tackles, 7 for loss, 2 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries), Middleton (40 tackles), Izik Delgado (38 tackles, 7 for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery), Kaeden Byrd (33 tackles, 6 for loss, 2 sacks), Reedy (33 tackles, 2 INTs), and Giovanni Guevara
(23 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 fumble recovery).
“We have to get back to tackling in groups, setting an edge, and making sure we’re all communicating and that we don’t cut anybody free in the secondary,” Price said. “They’re going to be pass heavy so I’d like to see us take the ball away and get a couple of turnovers, which is something we did in that winning streak we had.”
According to Harris Ratings Weekly, Early is a 28-point favorite.
***
Early Longhorns 2023 Football Season Stats
Through 9 Games (4-5, 3-1)
TEAM OFFENSE
27.1 points per game (244)
349.9 yards per game (3,149)
155.1 rushing yards per game (1,396)
194.8 passing yards per game (1,753)
PASSING
* Rohyn Price
85 of 144 for 1,296 yards, 13 TDs, 8 INTs
* Weston Barton
16 of 39 for 243 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs
* Justin Pierce
15 of 27 for 214 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs
RUSHING
* Griffin Cheslock
908 yards on 121 carries, 12 TDs
* Rohyn Price
184 yards on 39 carries, 3 TDs
* Ben Morris
153 yards on 17 carries, 1 TD
* Kaleb Ozuna
140 yards on 35 carries, 3 TDs
* Weston Barton
7 yards on 6 carries
* Ki Houston
6 yards on 2 carries
* Justin Pierce
-2 yards on 3 carries
RECEIVING
* Andrew Reedy
35 catches, 472 yards, 4 TDs
* Ki Houston
27 catches, 590 yards, 3 TDs
* Weston Barton
24 catches, 312 yards, 2 TDs
* Reece Middleton
15 catches, 216 yards, 3 TDs
* Griffin Cheslock
8 catches, 54 yards
* Ben Bleth
5 catches, 83 yards, 2 TDs
* Kaleb Ozuna
2 catches, 16 yards
###
TEAM DEFENSE
29.4 points per game (265)
328.4 yards per game (2,956)
200.1 rushing yards per game (1,801)
128.3 passing yards per game (1,155)
TACKLES
* Kaleb Ozuna
84 tackles, 6 for loss, 3 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries
* Dalton Adams
54 tackles, 17 for loss, 8 sacks
* Brooks Clippinger
48 tackles, 7 for loss, 2 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries
* Reece Middleton
40 tackles
* Izik Delgado
38 tackles, 7 for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery
* Kaeden Byrd
33 tackles, 6 for loss, 2 sacks
* Andrew Reedy
33 tackles, 2 INTs
* Giovanni Guevara
23 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 fumble recovery
* Rohyn Price
20 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack
* Weston Barton
20 tackles, 1 fumble recovery
* Dylan Brame
18 tackles, 1 for loss
* Ki Houston
16 tackles, 1 INT
* Ben Bleth
13 tackles
* Griffin Cheslock
10 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack, 1 INT
* Ben Morris
9 tackles
* Justin Pierce
7 tackles
* Ethan Moseley
5 tackles
* Aaron Mendoza
5 tackles
* Rico Vasquez
4 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack
* Jacob McDaniel
4 tackles, 1 INT
* Dillon Miller
3 tackles
* Will Speck
2 tackles
* Angel Del Villar
2 tackles
* Jaxon Andrade
1 tackle
* Jacob Braun
1 tackle
###
TURNOVER MARGIN (-5)
* Early: 19 (4 fumbles, 15 interceptions)
* Opponents: 14 (8 fumbles, 9 interceptions)