Good Afternoon Bulldog Faithful,

It was a great day for our Bulldogs on Saturday. Coming home from Birmingham with a win is tough to do, something that we have not accomplished since 2015. That alone speaks volumes about the direction this program is headed. Offensively, I thought we executed our two-minute drive before halftime to near perfection. We converted 100% of our 4th down attempts, which was crucial for keeping drives alive and maintaining momentum. The offensive line played exceptionally well, allowing zero sacks and helping us avoid negative plays. We also had nine explosive plays, which were key in putting us in scoring position.

A special shoutout to Javonte Graves-Billips, who was 6-for-6 on receptions, racked up 139 yards, and found the end zone twice en route to being named SoCon Offensive Player of the Week. Defensively, we created chaos, forcing five turnovers and scoring two defensive touchdowns. On special teams, our punt unit averaged 45 yards per punt, which greatly helped our field position.

A major focus moving forward is red zone efficiency. We need to come away with six points, not three, when we get inside the 20. We also struggled on third down, converting only 4 of 13 opportunities. Ball security is another issue we’ll be addressing this week, especially after the fumbles on quarterback pitches. On the defensive side, we must improve on third down stops and red zone defense, as our opponents are converting at a 60% rate on third down and 70% in the red zone. To achieve our goals we have to be better in this area.

Looking ahead to our matchup with Gardner-Webb, we’re putting a strong emphasis on establishing a dominant run game. Gardner-Webb is a team with heart and grit, we saw that firsthand during their 35–7 comeback win against Western Carolina 52-45. They’ve added 45 transfers this year, many from FBS programs, so we know we’ll be facing a talented and well-coached opponent.

All season, I’ve been challenging our guys to go 1-0 every day, whether it’s in practice, the classroom, or even in their nutrition and recovery. If we can win those daily battles, we’ll put ourselves in position to go 1-0 this Saturday.

Go Dogs!

Sincerely,
Maurice T. Drayton
Head Coach ’98