The Buccaneers (3-5, 1-5 Southwest Junior College Football Conference) will visit Kilgore College (5-3, 3-3) for a conference bout at 3 p.m. on Saturday in Kilgore, and the two teams will do battle on a national stage.
“There’s a lot of ebb and flow during a big week like this,” Blinn head coach Ryan Mahon said. “The kids have a lot to play for and they’re going to be playing on a national broadcast, so that brings a little extra excitement to the week. The big thing for us is we just want to play well, regardless of who the opponent is or if the game is being televised. We want to go out play well and we want to go out and win our final game of the year.”
Amidst the fanfare, the Buccaneers will aim to pump the brakes on a five-game slide and finish their season on a high note.
Mahon has ignited an end-of-season quarterback competition between true freshman Brock Bolfing and sophomore Hayes Gibson, and the two have spent the week of practice vying for the starting job in the season finale. Bolfing has started all eight games for Blinn this season, while Gibson has seen action in four.
“There’s a ton of mutual respect and admiration there,” Gibson said of Bolfing. “I love him, and he loves me, and my role for most of the season has been about supporting him when he’s out there on the field and making him the best quarterback that he can be and vice versa. We feed off each other, we motivate each other, we compete against each other, and that has certainly helped us become the best versions of ourselves this season.”
Both Bolfing and Gibson saw the field during a setback against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College on Oct. 29, with Gibson making his presence felt with a nine-yard touchdown run late in the game.
Gibson believes the elevated stage this Saturday will make time on the field a valuable tool for every Buccaneer still searching for a collegiate home after Blinn.
“The biggest thing is that we have nothing to lose,” Gibson added. “We’re playing a really good team, we’re playing on ESPN+, and obviously that comes with a lot of opportunities to get seen. There are a ton of guys on this team still playing for offers – including myself – so I think that is motivation by itself going into this game.”
Blinn could make its presence felt Saturday by slowing down a Rangers offense which has scored 34 points per contest this fall. Kilgore has registered 30 or more points in three of its last four ballgames and should present a challenge for the Buccaneer defense.
“They have some good players,” sophomore linebacker Nate Dyman said. “We’re really focused on homing in on some of their key players. They have some great receivers, some offensive linemen who can move people, so we’re working on some schemes to figure them out and stop them.”
Dyman, who transferred to Blinn from Division I Air Force prior to the 2021 season, said he’s excited to see how his teammates capitalize on the opportunity of the platform ESPN+ will provide this weekend.
“A lot of these guys out here haven’t had the chance to play on TV before, and there are guys out here who will be playing at the next level one day and will be playing this game on TV,” Dyman said. “This is going to be a nice little look into the future playing on ESPN, having your family and friends watch you play, and hopefully we can answer the call and go out and play like we know we can to end the year.”
Fans can watch Saturday’s game on ESPN+ by visiting www.plus.espn.com. A monthly subscription to the service is required at a rate of $9.99 per month but may be canceled at any time.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
