Two games into the 2014 football season, the Siloam Springs Panthers have been a lot of fun to watch.
Yes, the Panthers lost to Rogers in Week 1 35-21, but for the better part of that game, the Panthers were in a position to win it.
Then in Week 2 against Harrison last week at Glenn W. Black Stadium, Siloam Springs had one of its more dominant showings on offense in a 47-35 win against the Goblins.
Oh sure, the Panthers have put up more yards in recent games than the 418 total yards they had against Harrison, but the joyful thing to watch against the Goblins was how Siloam Springs simply lined up and ran right over their opposition.
The team had two 100-yard rushers in running back Ricky Hughes and quarterback Chris Lampton, after being held to just 26 total rushing yards a week earlier against Rogers.
The Panthers didn't show the same kind of firepower in the passing game against Harrison (137 yards) as they did against Rogers (329), but you have to adjust every week to an opponent's strength. The Panthers seemed able to do just that.
No doubt that head coach Bryan Ross wants to be balanced on offense. But when you're able to mash your opponent on the ground and run the clock, I would bet he'd take that most of the time.
Speaking of the passing game, though the Panthers didn't pass for a lot of yards in Friday's win, they seemed to hit big passing plays whenever they needed them.
Senior Parker Baldwin caught a pair of big passes in third- and fourth-down situations. Zach Davis caught a big ball in the second half, while David Goodman and Matt Downing also hauled in important passes in the first half. Downing's was a 22-yard touchdown pass for the Panthers' first score.
Let's talk about some defense.
The Panthers got gashed on Friday for the better part of three quarters against Harrison. But the last half of the third quarter and a good bit of the fourth, Siloam Springs clamped down defensively, and that was instrumental in getting the victory.
If we're being honest, Harrison is going to give a lot of teams trouble defensively. Their quarterback, Brock Humphrey, is one of the better high school quarterbacks I've seen lately. He's mobile, which causes problems when your pass protection is too good and he scrambles to make a play. He can throw it well as evidenced by several deep balls he hit against the Panthers, where the team had good coverage and he just made a great throw.
So what to make of this game Friday at Claremore, Okla.? The Zebras threw up a brick wall on Rogers offensively last week, beating the Mounties 17-14 in Claremore. Bryan Grigsby, who gashed Siloam Springs for 446 yards rushing, only had 29 yards on 13 carries last week.
My guess is that the Zebras' defensive game plan took away the fullback dive completely and forced Rogers to make plays elsewhere. Siloam Springs' offense won't be nearly as one-dimensional to prepare for.
The Zebras will be a load to handle on their home field, but if the Panthers can move the ball like they did against Harrison, I like their chances.
-- Graham Thomas is the managing editor for the Herald-Leader. He can be reached at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Sports on 09/17/2014