An unexpected delay to the beginning of its season only means one thing for the Blinn College football team.
“These kids are chomping at the bit to hit somebody,” Buccaneers head coach Ryan Mahon said.
After its Week 1 tilt against Louisiana Community Christian was canceled due to a lack of players on the LCC roster, Blinn will now begin play with a matchup against Gordon’s Fine Arts & Sports Academy at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 2, at Cub Stadium in Brenham, Texas.
“It has taken a little longer to play that first game than we expected, but our players are excited and we as coaches are excited for them,” Mahon added. “For a lot of our guys, this is going to be their first college game, while some of our sophomores and transfer athletes have a chip on their shoulder and want to prove something. I’m just as excited as our kids are for this upcoming game.”
This will be Blinn’s first game against Gordon’s Fine Arts & Sports Academy, which is based out of Oklahoma City, Okla.
Because the Bucs know very little about their opponent, freshman quarterback Khalib Johnson said the focus Saturday will be on executing their own game plan on both sides of the football.
“We need to focus on the little things and executing all of the major and minor details of how we want to play the game,” Johnson said. “As players, this is an opportunity to make sure we’re doing all of the right things within our offensive and defensive systems while trying to master the offense and defense as much as possible.”
(Pictured: Blinn College freshman quarterback Khalib Johnson throws a pass during practice on Aug. 30, 2023)
Brien Taylor, a sophomore defensive end, said the extra week of practice helped the Bucs develop in all three phases of the game, adding that he believes the additional work will pay dividends in Week 1.
“The energy picked up this week and you could tell that we were all getting on the same page as a unit,” Taylor said. “We have the young guys who have come in ready to show that they can play, and we have some older cats that are ready to set the tone for the entire season. We’re ready to bring the heat every snap.”
Mahon said he plans to get as much of his depth chart on the field as possible. Mahon’s roster is deep, with almost 90 active players set to suit up this weekend. The coach said the extensive talent pool will lend itself to on-field competition among his players.
“When it’s early in the season like this, our depth charts are constantly changing and our players know that,” Mahon said. “These kids are going out there to show what they can do this week, and this game is going to provide a lot of answers to questions we have. We want to see the kids go out there and compete and put their best foot forward.”
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 44 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
