Week 10 Saturday 20:30 ET
The Bisons are back off a bye week and are currently sitting at the top of the AFC South With a record of 6-2. Whilst this team has a lot of good weapons on offense they still need to improve as they continue to build with their young QB. Joseph Torres has shown plenty of promise and has only thrown 3 INT’s this season. He has struggled on occasion holding on to the ball too long and taking too many sacks but as he continues to lead this franchise he’s constantly developing his skills which is promising.
And in this weeks big divisional clash they will want to get a win but also a feel good performance because when we last saw them they got beaten very comfortably 38-19 at home to the Sentinels. In a game where Torres threw for 340 yards the run game was non existent.
Regarded as one of the top pick ups in Free Agency Kadron Lusk only had 12 carries for a measly 20 yards. Only twice this season the running back has been handed the ball less than 20 times and those 2 games account for both losses. So it seems obvious the Bisons should build tonight’s attack around a run first offense. Add to which the Armadillos rank among the worst in rushing defense.
A good example was when these 2 sides faced off in the Week 1 and Lusk ran for 182 yards and 3 touchdown. Armadillos face a challenge in nearly all their games this season and that’s because of quarterback Devin Wade, I have spoken previously about his struggles, highlighting his poor completion percentage. The last 2 games however there has been some improvement. Coach Taylor has done a good job in limiting the amount of times he’s dropping back to pass. The Armadillos will also be hoping for a big game from their premier tight end Luis Luciano. He had his best game of the season in the week 1 clash and although he’s been quiet in recent weeks going up against the Bisons linebackers could prove again to be a favourable matchup for him.
Austin will probably be patient and lead their attack with Carlows Barry who has one of the highest yards per carry in the RFL. He’s really tough to stop breaking so many tackles. Bisons linebacker Tyrone Dugans and company will need to wrap up and show good fundamentals. This could be a long day for both defenses, whilst the Bisons allow an average of 22 points per game they do allow a lot of yards on the ground and tend to try and do their best work in the redzone. They have built an exciting defense that makes big plays. Veteran defensive end Irv Chisholm leads the team in sacks with 9. And elite corner Parker Brockers is truly shutdown with 10 pass deflections and 4 interceptions so far this season. He and his teammates will surely be aware of the threat that speed freak for the Armadillos Jordy Johnson possess, the exciting receiver proved in week 8 vs the Black Knights he can take the top off a defense at anytime as he only had 1 reception but that was a 72 touchdown.
Big thanks to Cameron Reed for providing the head to stats:
The Bisons lead 3-2 winning the last 2 matchups.
The Verdict:
If you like old fashioned football then you’re in for a treat as I predict this to be a gruelling game with both teams trying to limit mistakes. However the Bisons have the superior offensive line and this could show up after 4 long quarters. And with Torres less likely to turn the ball over than Wade they are the wise pick.
Bisons 31 vs 24