Rez

Any word as to what Texan live is doing to make sure the website can handle the increased traffic they are going to get this week? I bet they set a record this week. No one has ever tried to stream PNG v NED before. There could be a LOT. Or, is anyone aware of anyone else who will be streaming, say, on YouTube?

I think we agree, then. I’m not trying to insinuate that Nederland has AVOIDED having a tough preseason. I’m also not saying PNG is clearly better (I may be guilty of ragging the most on PNG’s defense, of all the PNG fans). My point is only that there is no evidence, based on the sample of games that both teams have played, to assume Nederland has the upper hand, or vice verse.

Do you argue that Nederland has been tested this season? By having exactly one game against a team that it turns out isn’t even that good? And one game against a team that barely qualifies as a team? Even if we assume Nederland is a good team, it’s hard to argue they’ve had to prove it yet.

PNG has been in every single game. The more I think about it, Nederland is the untested one -- the Bulldogs have played a struggling Lufkin team (Nederland is their sole win) and a horrible Jacksonville team. PNG is the one coming into this game having proved it can play in tough situations -- One fumble away from beating PAM, one pass break up away from beating Tomball. Beaumont United is also showing itself not be a scrub. If Nederland comes in cocky they are in for a wake up call, because PNG is battle tested, and Nederland is barely tested at all.

My attitude is that scheduling tough pre-district games helps a lot if your team is fundamentally strong. In such case, you get a taste of really good competition, you get sort of a playoff atmosphere, and the team gets a sense of what it takes to play against better teams, and you end up being more prepared for district. I don't think this strategy helps much if you're just not a good team. In other words, I don't think a tough preseason makes a bad team good, but it can make a good team better. So for BH, Crosby, and PNG (and Nederland to a lesser extent, since they were able to have only one really tough preseason opponent in Lufkin), the preseason seems to have been the right kind of preseason. 12-5a II is a true toss-up. For an example of using a preseason right, Silsbee has done a good job the last several seasons -- They schedule teams that are much better than them, and everyone writes them off when they start the season at 1-5, but then it turns out they picked up a lot of good experience and end up making a deep playoff run.

I don't expect BH to have any trouble with Kingwood Park.

I think the game MIGHT start out slow, but it's hard to see this game not getting above thirty for both teams.

It’s officially game week!

PNG gives up 20 points to Bye in the 1st Quarter.

I'd only mention that Jacksonville made it really, really easy. Vidor might have a better throwing QB than Jacksonville, and that's saying something given how little gametime practice throwing he gets. But this thread isn't about Jacksonville, so I'll concede you're correct that Nederland beat the snot out of them. I think it means Nederland is a good team. Maybe not a great team, maybe not even that good of a team. PNG has had years and years of absolutely decimating weak teams (2014 comes to mind) with record-setting performances only to get a wake-up call against Nederland. I will say PNG has faced three weeks in a row of playing only bigger and faster competition (all either 5a2 or 6a) in close games with a lot of adversity (a lot of it self-inflicted). Nederland has had one tough game against a good team, and a tune up game against an awful team. In that way, PNG is "older" in the season, which may provide an advantage. The key will come down to the defenses. It isn't clear to me that we should say that Nederland definitely has a better defense than PNG -- Against their only good competition they gave up a whole bucket of points about as quickly as a team can give them up. So they may be in the same boat as PNG, defense-wise. It's looking like it will be another one-score game. Also, if ya'll see an adult-looking kid step in at QB or RB with a strong resemblance to Roschon Johnson, pay no attention. That's our new freshman, Joshcon Rohnson. Just moved in.

One thought is that Jacksonville is not a good gauge of where Nederland is. Nederland should have scored 100 on them, as bad as Jacksonville was.

Both teams have shown signs of solid development. I'm more familiar with PNG's strengths and weaknesses. Nederland looks tall and fast. It's hard to gauge how good they really are from that Jacksonville performance - Jacksonville looked pretty terrible overall. PNG has only played teams from bigger schools, which I think should give them some really good experience heading into the game. PNG's problems dealing with a running QB are going to be tough to deal with. Nederland showed a lot of strength nearly coming back to win against Lufkin, and of course PNG has had to play from behind in every game. Nederland QB appears talented, competent, and not prone to mistakes. Nederland RB is fast and strong. PNG has probably the best QB in the area, and a stable of receivers with (mostly) good hands and smart route running. PNG also has two solid RBs. PNG has struggled on defense, but so did Nederland against Lufkin. PNG has played more games, and all three of the teams they played were tougher than Jacksonville. So PNG might have an experience edge, but with PNG's defensive problems that might not make much of a difference. For the first time in several years I genuinely think it's a 50-50 split.

Might as well get this one started. What do ya’ll think?

Whelp. I was wrong on this one. I thought PNG would win by at least three scores, and clean up the defensive problems. Third game in a row that PNG plays in an extremely close one. There are some rays of light. PNG wasn't playing scrubs these last few weeks, so the experience and toughness that come from that could prove valuable down the stretch. They've essentially been in a playoff-like scenario three weeks in a row. The 4th quarter offense is still stellar, though something more creative than a bomb to the endzone is what I was expecting on that 4th and 17. Those two kickoff turnovers made all the difference -- Otherwise this was PNG's game to lose. Hopefully they'll clean up the mental errors on kickoff and be ready for Nederland. I'm not confident that we will get much better against the run on defense. We've had three games now and the opposing teams' offenses have been able to more or less run the same plays successfully. I'm no expert, so I don't know what I would do to fix the problem, but we are just getting absolutely gashed on QB runs. Bost wasn't as precise as he normally is tonight. Nobody is perfect. A couple key dropped passes that would have been for six. So going into the bye there are still huge question marks and a lot to be worried about, but there are also some things to be optimistic about. Namely, PNG hasn't been blown out by anyone. A team that is able to stay in three close games, coming from behind in all of them, is a team that might be able to put it together later on.

1st down Tomball. That will do it. Tomball will take a knee.

PNG can't stop the clock. 1:52 left.

This QB-run weakness from the defense is such a problem. This QB isn't even that fast.

1st down on PNG 35.

Huge run from Tomball QB. Slides down inside to keep the clock rolling.

3:08 left in the game.

Tomball takes over on downs.

Tomball breaks up the pass in the endzone.

PNG going for it.

Indians call their last timeout. I don't think they are in field goal range. 3:15 left. It would be about a 45-yard field goal.

Bost hit as he throws on 3rd and 17. Nearly picked off. 4th and 17 from 28.