Teams recovering on and off the field
Programs aim to bounce back from Harvey, Week 1 losses
When TSU hosts HBU on Thursday at BBVA Compass Stadium, the schools are giving the city a nod, calling the contest the “Houston Strong Game.”
“With so much devastation going on right now due to the recent severe flooding in the southeast region of our country, we wanted to try our best to assist in helping some of the many families and individuals that have been impacted,” TSU athletic director Charles McClelland said.
As players and coaches look to recover off the field, both teams are looking to bounce back on the field after opening losses.
Fifth-year HBU coach Vic Shealy and his team lost to FBSfoe Texas State last week.
Huskies freshman quarterback Bailey Zappe completed 21 of 34 passes for 199 yards in his debut. Shealy is high on Zappe and believes his offense has the weapons to help his young quarterbacks develop this season.
He’ll lean on the Huskies ground game, spearheaded by senior running back Terrance Peters, who rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown in the first half against the Bobcats. An injury kept Peters from playing in the second half and could potentially limit his carries against the Tigers.
“(Peters) looked much better yesterday,” Shealy said. “Likely will be cleared to play. Pregame warmup will determine how many snaps.”
Peters rushed for a schoolrecord 155 yards and two touchdowns against the Tigers last year, when HBU won 2420.
Defensively, Shealy was concerned about his pass defense against the Bobcats. The unit was solid, holding Mississippi State transfer Damian Williams to just 135 yards on 18 completions with an interception.
The front seven was particularly active. Sophomore defensive end Andre Walker recorded nine tackles with three behind the line. All-American linebacker Garrett Dolan made seven stops.
Quarterback Jay Christophe was expected to spark the Texas Southern offense after returning from a season-ending ACL injury last year. Against Florida A&M in the opener Aug. 26, he threw for 140 yards on just 12 completions with a touchdown and an interception.
Coach Michael Haywood said his staff pared down the offense in hopes of helping Christophe find his comfort zone.
“He’s only played one full game,” Haywood said. “Although he’s an intelligent guy, when those bullets start to fly, he didn’t answer the call.”
The Rattlers controlled the game from the beginning, winning 29-7. They held the Tigers to just 202 yards of offense.
Haywood said the Tigers made too many mistakes on both sides of the ball. He’s stressed discipline against Houston Baptist, where defensive mistakes will only help an already productive offense.
“They don’t make mistakes,” Haywood said. “They don’t do anything great but they don’t do anything bad.
“The other thing is special teams. We were atrocious on special teams and that was something that kept us in football games last year.”
Defensively, Zappe will be tested by an experienced secondary led by Archie Rice and Dondre Dobbins, who led the team in tackles and interceptions last season, respectively.
If the game is close in the fourth quarter like last year, it could test how much the team has improved since last season.
Game attendees who bring canned goods to be donated for relief efforts will be eligible to receive discounted general admission tickets at $5 per ticket. There will be a limit of up to four general admission tickets per donation.