The Panthers hit the road to chase down their first win of the season

Posted: Sep 13, 2023

Written by: Danny Talbert

LaGrange College football travels north to take on Ferrum College in the first road game of the season, on Sept. 16, at 12 p.m.

The Matchup-

Ferrum is currently 1-1 on the year, and are coming off of a 34-0 shutout win against N.C. Wesleyan. The Panthers will play against N.C. Wesleyan down the road on Oct. 7 at 1 p.m. in Callaway Stadium. In Ferrum's game against NCW, their quarterback Braxton Hughes threw all over the Bishop's defense. Hughes threw for three touchdowns with 13 completions on 17 attempts. The LC Panthers are 0-1 on the season after falling to Berry College in the home opener. Junior QB Rashod Brockington started last week and threw for a team high of 42 yards on 5 completions off 7 passes. In last year's game against Ferrum, the Panthers won 44-38 in a nail-biter, but this Ferrum team is looking much improved. The Panthers want to tighten things up and come away with their first win of the season.

Scouting the game, 3 things to watch for-

One of the most important things to watch for is if the Panthers can limit their penalties. In the game against Berry, LC had 12 total penalties that were drive killers for the Panthers and it also allowed the Vikings powerful offense to continue to move the ball down the field after the defense got a big stop.
As mentioned, the Ferrum offense likes to air the ball out. A thing to watch for this week is if the Panthers can limit the deep ball opportunities. The Panthers secondary knowing who their man is, not biting on the fake handoffs and getting pressure on Hughes are a must in this matchup for LC. Look for freshman linebacker Demon Jones to put the pressure on Ferrum. Last week when the team put pressure on Berry, it forced them to throw a bad ball which was picked off by Deon King Jr.
This week, also watch for how LC moves the ball down the field. In the game against Berry, the offensive line allowed six sacks, so pay attention to how this young group will respond. Who will be playing at QB is also a question coming into this week's game. Four QB's saw action last week but two got most of the reps. Rashod Brockington started and threw for a team high of 42 yards on 5 completions off 7 passes. Jaden Mann came in after Brockington threw an interception. His running ability helped him avoid the pressure and allowed the Offensive Coordinator Michael McCarty to open the playbook with more QB designed runs. When the QB had time, the wide receivers were able to make good plays on the ball. Sophomore Ashton Bryant led the team in receiving yards, with three receptions for 36 yards.