JacksonI wrote:I feel like Jackson can beat any team that's on their schedule. I even felt like they could've beat Granville, however they shot themselves in the foot multiple times. Granted Granville had a solid team, If Jackson could've eliminated the mistakes and made the correct adjustments it'd been a darn close game. Anyhow, the past is the past, I'll give it to Athens they have a young, talented, and gifted team. However I know first hand that Coach Hall will be correcting all of their flaws this week in practice. They have to hold on to the ball, play solid defense (this includes the secondary), and the offensive line HAS to improve. If they fix these things Jackson will be a team to be reckoned with. Last of all, if something bad happens they have to put it aside and not dwell on it, play smart football, play as a team and win this game, end of story..IMO
I think this is a good post. Jackson was right there, 14-14 against Granville with 5 minutes to go, but a few costly mistakes ended up being the difference. Jackson certainly played well, but to beat a team as good as Granville, you have to be good for 48 minutes. I know the kids have taken that loss very hard. They're not used to losing, and I think they will use that as motivation tomorrow night. I was proud of the way Jackson fought back against Granville, and really the way they played overall. They just have to be able to avoid the costly turnover, or make plays in crunch time when it's needed most. This team is very young at a lot of key positions, and as the season progresses and experience is gained, I think you'll see a difference. In fact, I think you'll see a difference even this week. I'm sure that Coach Hall, his staff, and the team have worked extremely hard this week to correct their mistakes, while preparing for what is a very good Athens team.
As JacksonI said, no turnovers, and tackling in space will be huge keys against the Bulldogs. Pressuring Burrow will also be very important. He can pick a defense apart if he has time to throw. The O-Line was pretty good last week, especially in the second half, but they can play much better. They're gonna really have to step up tomorrow night and take control of the football game right from the start. Winning the time of possession battle will be important for Jackson, but at the same time, they can't give up big plays or quick scores either.
Overall, I think many of us in Jackson, and especially fans around the area, have really been hard on Jackson this week. They did lose to a very good team, and you can't go 10-0 every year. As Coach Hall said after the game last week, the only goal that isn't still intact for the Ironmen is a perfect season. They still have a chance to go to the playoffs and win an SEOAL title. The road to that first piece of the puzzle starts tomorrow night. This is a HUGE game with regard to the playoffs. So, the Ironmen need to come out focused, realize that they have everything to play for, and get on the Bulldogs right from the opening whistle. Play hard on every down, and may the best team win.