That goal starts with a Southwest Junior College Football Conference (SWJCFC) home game against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, at Cub Stadium in Brenham, Texas.
The game will be broadcast on the Texas Sports Radio Network and can be accessed online at https://tsrnsports.com/nw-ok-am-vs-blinn/.
The Buccaneers (3-4 overall, 1-4 SWJCFC) will look to snap a four-game losing streak when they take on the Golden Norsemen.
“This is our next opportunity to play football, so the way we’re going to approach it is we want to go 1-0 this week,” Blinn head coach Ryan Mahon said. “Whether or not we make the playoffs, we have to control what we can control, and that starts with Northeastern Oklahoma.”
The Buccaneers’ playoff aspirations are uncertain, as several outcomes in other SWJCFC contests would have to fall in their favor. A victory over NEO (2-5, 0-5) would certainly help, but Blinn is keeping its focus on playing sound football regardless of what possibilities lie ahead.
“We’re playing for this team and this band of brothers,” sophomore running back JJ Branham said. “At the end of the day, playoffs or not, we started this thing together and we’re going to finish it together, and in my eyes, we’re all still playing for each other.”
The Buccaneers welcome an NEO team to Cub Stadium that has had issues reaching the end zone during its SWJCFC run. Against conference foes, the Norsemen have endured two shutouts and have scored just 31 points, a bulk of which came in a 27-24 loss to No. 5 New Mexico Military Institute on Oct. 22.
Blinn freshman linebacker CJ Garnett said the Buccaneer defense has set a series of goals it hopes to achieve against the Norsemen.
“We’re looking to dominate this week,” Garnett said. “We want to play physical football, create turnovers, and win the game. There’s still pride on this team, this is a physical game and the guys here are going to stand up strong and show a lot of heart when we’re on the field.”
The Norsemen run a spread-option offense that favors the run game and a 4-1 defense (four defensive linemen, one linebacker) that Mahon said NEO runs extremely well.
“We’re going to stick to what works for us offensively while also keeping an eye on what teams give us,” Mahon said. “We have to tweak our offense week-to-week, but the basics of what we do are always there.”
Following its tilt against the Norseman, Blinn will finish its season on the road with a trip to Kilgore College on Saturday, Nov. 5.
