[EKUAlum05]

This game goes either way for me. The little things have plagued Breathitt all year, but have yet mattered due to the competition they have faced. Late hits, false starts and off sides have been the main ones. One huge thing that has bothered us all year is our special teams, we have been horrible on our kickoff coverage and on our extra points. Two very key things that can change the outcome of the game. We have been able to get away with these things in part, due to the level of competition we have played. A team can not make these types of mistakes and expect to win against Belfry. I'm still not sure as to who I will take in this game, but I will weigh in more on that throughout the week.

Ironically Belfry has had similar problems, but for the Pirates it has seemingly been more about consistency moreso then frequency.

Belfry is guaranteed to miss at least one XP per game it seems. FB Trinity Carr was the primary place kicker for Belfry, but following a crucial miss against Ashland his Freshman younger brother has taken the duties over and actually did quite well. He still hits his quota of a miss per game, but the majority of those have been the result of bad snaps or ball placement.

The Pirates have only allowed one Special Teams TD (Henry Clay), but their kickoff coverage has been feast or famine. The directional kicking and short kickoffs have at times resulted in a positive gain for Belfry, but they also have shown a tendency to give up those returns across midfield. Wellman has been a pleasant surprise at Punter and has improved, but he has had to punt maybe 10 times all year.

In the return game once again it is hot or cold. Belfry has returned a handful of punts as both Taylor and Robinson are very good in the open field and setting up blocks. Belfry has also muffed their fair share including a huge one against Ashland. They have also had a couple long returns brought back on penalties.



Belfry and penalties have been rough at times. Not so much the late hits and offsides, but they have absolutely shot themselves in the foot with costly false starts and holding calls throughout the season that have killed drives at crucial times, in particular against Ashland and Henry Clay.

My personal belief is the majority of those procedure penalties can be associated with Belfry's biggest obstacle this year, injuries. This will literally be the first time all season the Pirates have all hands on deck on both sides of the ball. Offensively the last two weeks were the first time all season Belfry had a healthy backfield, QB, and line at the same time. As a result, during the regular season timing was off resulting in pre-snap penalties or busted plays. I won't say this is all a bad thing, as it has allowed SOPH Keaton Taylor to become a bonafide threat at about 3 different positions and in a weird way those additional 3rd and 12's and 3rd and 7's have helped give Belfry more passing reps then usual.

I could see either team hurting themselves in Special Teams.