That question was partially answered when the Tigers held their own for most of last week’s 39-22 loss at District 12-5A co-leader College Station A&M Consolidated.
Midway through the third-quarter, Belton held a 14-11 lead before allowing a quick 88-yard scoring drive, a blocked punt into the end zone that resulted in easy points and a 66-yard touchdown pass in just over 5 minutes to thwart its upset bid.
The Tigers (1-5 overall, 1-2 in 12-5A) get another shot to show how far they’ve progressed when they host 12-5A’s cream of the crop, No. 7-ranked Copperas Cove (6-0, 3-0), at 7:30 tonight at Tiger Field.
“It’s a test obviously,” second-year Belton coach Rodney Southern said. “It’s going to tell where we are and where we need to go just like A&M did.
“You see that we’re not as far away as we think we are. At the same time a win is a win, a loss is a loss.”
Belton’s and Cove’s disparity between wins and losses in recent years makes this matchup a colossal mismatch.
The Tigers have won two of their last 16 district games - both against Killeen Shoemaker - while the Bulldawgs have won their last 17 Class 5A district contests. Since 2004, Belton is 8-42 while Cove, which reached the Class 4A Division I state championship game in 2006 and ’07, is 55-9 during that span.
Bulldawgs coach Jack Welch has turned the once-lowly program into a perennial power and this year’s team, despite losing Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin and 2,000-yard rusher Troy Vital, is just as complete.
“From every facet of the game, what they do offensively and defensively, this is probably the best team I’ve seen on film,” said Southern, who served as Welch’s defensive coordinator at Cove from 1995-2001. “They’re athletic at just about every spot. The thing they have is what everybody wants: when they walk onto the field, they expect to win.”
Part of the reason the Tigers haven’t been winning this year falls on the shoulders of their defense, which has allowed 43, 35, 34, 30, 30 and 39 points in its six games, respectively, and an average of more than 402 yards of total offense.
Belton may try to imitate Bryan’s defensive plan from a week ago when the Vikings placed extra emphasis on stopping Cove’s rushing attack that’s led by Brandin Byrd (107 carries, 758 yards, nine touchdowns). Bryan succeeded, holding the Bulldawgs to a season-low 127 yards, but Cove quarterback Cody Vaughn found Josh Boyce for eight catches and 114 yards to carry the offense.
“It’s hard to say,” Welch said about Belton’s strategy. “One thing Belton does is they move the defense around a lot to try and cause confusion with the running game. They’re definitely trying to stop the run. You have to mix it up on them.”
The stout Bulldawgs defense, led by all-state linebacker and Texas Christian commitment Tanner Brock, has allowed 58 points all season - including two shutouts - and 239.2 yards per game. Chris Miller has seven interceptions, three returned for touchdowns, while Rashad Hardy has three picks and has scored once.
“If you look at them defensively, they don’t look a whole lot different (from other teams),” Southern said. “They don’t have a 6-5, 320-pound lineman. All 11 guys know exactly what to do. They can run. Even their defensive linemen can run.”
That defense will be put to the test against Belton’s pass-happy offense. Quarterback David Ash threw for 262 yards last week, the fourth straight game he’s eclipsed 200 yards, and leads the area in passing yardage. His favorite receiver, Kevin Thornton, has an area-best 45 catches and is 18 shy of tying the school record. Deep-threat Jarrett Crowell has 10 catches for 323 yards and five scores.
“This is the toughest offense we’ve faced,” Welch said. “They’re making things happen.”
But can Southern’s Tigers make things happen for four quarters like they did in their win over Shoemaker?
Belton fell a point short to Mansfield Timberview, blew a 19-0 second-half lead in a loss to Harker Heights and went from up three to down 18 in five minutes last week against Consol.
“We have to be able to play four quarters,” Southern said. “We played three and a half against A&M and we played four against Shoemaker. You’ve got to play every snap like its your last because you never know at what point that one play may be the difference in the ballgame.”
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
