So...this game has been moved to Thursday and on a cold wet night in Pitt county I hit the play button on some film. I focused on Whiteville simply because most of us know WRH and what they bring to the table this season most of us have had marathon discussions about them, WRH has given alot of fans something to talk about with their ups and downs. I didn't know much about Whiteville so I thought I would look into this game to educate myself on them and urge others on here to check them out.
The first impression I got that was clearly obvious to me is that #9 Ty Moss is a absolute nightmare for defenses! I assume this kid has D1 offers stuffing his mailbox??!! At 6'1 190lbs I am really impressed with this kid's skillset. You wanna talk about dropping dimes on a receiver 50 yards in stride? You wanna talk about using your feet to extend a play off balance THEN hitting a receiver 40 yards in his shirt pocket? You wanna talk about pocket awareness? You wanna talk about textbook footwork? You wanna talk about a kid that can "Cam Newton up" and get that TD scramble from the 25yd line while running people over? #9 MOSS IS YOUR MAN LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!! This kid's a BALLER IN CAPITAL LETTERS with a Terrell Davis SALUTE!!
After that initial impression, I saw that Moss has some skill players around him too. First and foremost #7 Javonte Davis. This kid is Whiteville's "do it all RB" he has great hands and can catch out of the backfield, has good vision and (decent but not great) anticipation of blocks. When it comes to catching those dimes from Moss their are a few weapons, #7 Davis of course, #12 Bellamy and #88 Moore all grabbed my attention. But in my opinion the offense begins and ends with Moss and Davis! It's going to take alot of discipline from the Dogs to stay in their gaps because both #7 and #9 can gash you for big runs. When Moss drops back to pass, you have no idea where he will end up so if you are a defensive lineman it's best to play your gap and be disciplined. With Davis, he is just a swiss army knife in the backfield. Both those kids can beat you. I believe the best way for The Wolfpack to come away with a victory would be to get #9 Moss out of the pocket and give him short to intermediate throws to get comfortable. Throw in some read option with Moss and Davis. (which btw is pretty impressive and you can tell they have played together awhile and the coach trust them to run the read option) Next work in dropping those dimes over the top to #12 for back breaking game winners. The only slight for them on offense I have is the offensive line looks vulnerable at times and it looked to me it played a big role in their losses. On the defense side of the ball the Wolfpack have a great secondary the most impressive DB to me was #2 Jordan Faulk. He jump out to me as a kid who is good in coverage but is superb in the box shutting down the run. The wolfpack will need his services in the box all night long to have success against the Dogs and their version of the wing t. The front seven didn't have any guys that jumped out to me they seemed disciplined enough in their gaps and looked to play well as a unit. Of the opponents I saw this season for Whiteville, none of them seemed to be as physical as WRH in the trenches and something just tells me that this is where the game will be won. The Wolfpack defense will need to bring their A game against WRH to limit their ground game. Getting the Dogs off the field on third down will be crucial. All 10 teams that Whiteville defeated this season have a combined record of 33-51...that's not very good, but I know this team is capable of beating top 2A teams. I would have just liked to see them get tested by a team like New Hanover or Scotland. At least one of "those" in their ooc.
As for WRH, I think they took too many of "those" in their ooc and I believe it took its toll on the dogs coming down the stretch with injuries. Of the 7 teams WRH defeated they had a combined record of 39-37. Edge clearly goes to WRH on that one. The Dogs had a ugly close loss to East Duplin and will need all their athletes healthy to beat Whiteville. This will be an interesting game with two teams with 2 different styles of play. I think it will be an interesting chess match. I think Whiteville matches WRH athlete for athlete, heck I would even give the wolfpack the edge. WRH looks to have the advantage in the trenches and I cannot seem to shake the idea that this is ultimately where this game is won. If I'm Whiteville I would let Moss off the leash and let him go wild. From what I have seen he seems like a talent that can take a game over. If I'm WRH I would just play my game and limit the wolfpacks offensive chances until there has been enough of a sample size to gauge whether you can shut down their offense. I do think Whiteville's oline is vulnerable. WRH should find that weak link then expose it early and often. The wolfpack can stop the run against average to low tier teams. WRH is not a average to low tier team. I like Whiteville's safeties (and secondary as a whole) and when in the box can be disrupters and can tackle any 2A rushing attack. Would like to see WRH sneak some passes in when they do. After all that....As for a prediction, I have this being close and the Dogs barely surviving 28-26, but I think it could go either way but I'm sticking with that score. Whiteville certainly has the athletes to blow WRH out! They are an impressive team and Moss is incredible. I mean that with all do respect. I just dont see strong enough play at the line of scrimmage for Whiteville to beat the dogs handedly.