It’s homecoming week for the Blinn College football team as the Buccaneers host No. 8 Trinity Valley Community College at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, at Cub Stadium in Brenham, Texas.
The Southwest Junior College Football Conference tilt between the longtime conference foes presents an opportunity for the Buccaneers to get on the board in league play. Blinn enters the matchup 2-3 overall and 0-3 in the SWJCFC.
Trinity Valley is 3-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
“There’s a sense of urgency across the board to win this football game,” Bucs head coach Ryan Mahon said. “This team knows how important it is for us to get in the win column in the conference.”
Mahon said the focus for his team heading into its Week 7 tilt was self-inflicted wounds.
“We’re just trying to correct mistakes from the last couple of weeks, and our goal is to not make the same mistakes twice,” Mahon explained. “Our kids are mindful of the mistakes they’ve made, and they really don’t want it to happen again.”
Trinity Valley has generated 281 yards and 163 rushing yards per game this season.?Quarterback Darion Peace has compiled 914 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions, while the running game has been paced by halfback Hymond Drinkard’s 228 yards (one TD).
“They’re talented across the board and they’re well-coached,” Mahon said. “On defense, they try to challenge you to run the ball, and when you pass, they are in place to defend it with a cover-2 defense.”
The Bucs’ passing defense has been stellar this season, with just 135.4 yards per game and six TDs allowed. Blinn also has hauled in nine interceptions.
On offense, the Bucs’ calling card has been a running attack that has generated 1,147 total yards. Freshman Antonio Martin has a team-high 416 yards and three touchdowns this season. First-year quarterback Khalib Johnson leads the passing game with 429 yards and five scores.
Mahon said an uptick in offensive production was also a focal point during his team’s week of practice.
“We made it a point to practice our first-string offense against the first-string defense as much as possible, and stopped play every time there was a mistake,” Mahon said. “The idea was to correct it verbally, get the guys to understand how to do things the right way, and run the plays again. I think they’re ready to go.”
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 44 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
