[PaytoPlay]

0304 - I generally agree with you man, if you match up in terms of talent. Then you make Belfry execute and go on long drives and hope they have some drive killing penalties, missed assignments, and maybe even put the ball on the ground.

I think if the Bulldogs do that, they will get ground into dust. If were coaching them on D, I would try to guess a bit and play the tendencies of Belfry - which is to run to the motion side. That would mean giving up some big plays for sure, but I just don't think they can match up and play base D the whole game.

[REDDEVILMANIAC127]

Rooting for Dawgs all night in this one , but I'm afraid the Red Army will be too much for the dawgs even in Louisa

Belfry- 35

Dawgs- 21

[EKUAlum05]

Starting to get a little worried about this one.

Everything on paper screams Belfry, but my fear is LC has just enough weapons to make this an ugly kind of game at home.

- Belfry isn't exactly their most healthy and I wouldn't be surprised to see them missing either Willis or Edwards at the other HB spot. That is a paper thin backfield.

- Even in the win last week Belfry continues the tradition of taking big plays off the board with unnecessary penalties. Willis had two nice runs erased by a penalty that had no bearing on the play, the Pirates also had a pair of false starts that could have loomed huge which they overcame. Between the Pikeville, Southwestern, and CAK games Belfry has probably removed nearly 300 rushing yards from penalties alone.

- LC believes they can/will win. The regular season game last year looms in their head and they felt like they laid an egg in the playoffs. Having Belfry at home makes this a game they have been looking forward to and building since their season ended. Seeing Pikeville give the blueprint on how to beat Belfry only reinforced that.

- LC actually has the size to negate Belfry's biggest advantage. I don't think LC's line is as good either way, but usually Belfry can steamroll or overpower teams... LC's size should minimize that.

- Dalton, if focused, is a tough match-up for Belfry at WR. He has hurt them before and his height makes him a mis-match. When he is focused he is one of the better WR's in EKY, I expect him to be focused.

My fear is a game where Belfry scores early and easily and lose their edge. They kill drives or big plays with penalties. A mistimed turnover or two. Special teams miscues that cost field position, coupled with LC bringing the fight defensively and taking away some things Belfry does well. I see no scenario where LC moves the ball up and down the field on Belfry, but what scares me is a short field due to what I just hit on... an isolated big play or two... mixed with a lone drive where LC gets everything to click.


Now I don't want to seem all gloom and doom or insinuate I think LC is going to win. As I said everything on paper screams Belfry and I literally can't see Belfry losing if LC doesn't play a game that they have yet to show this year. Belfry has the advantage in essentially every box you can check and even with a skeleton crew in the backfield has more speed and playmakers than LC should be able to withstand.

What I will say though is Belfry needs to take care of business all week and focus solely that this is essentially for the District Title and anything less than 4 Quarters of their best ball will not cut it. If the offense can score 3 times I feel good. Not sure LC will be able to put up 3 TD's..and even if they do not sure they will be able to make 3 XP's. If Belfry's defense brings it a win is certain.. but they better bring it.

[WideRight05]

^ There have been some good games between these two teams in the past, I think. Wasn't Lawrence 0-11 one year....but that year they gave Belfry all they wanted? I may be thinking of another year and could be wrong.

[EKUAlum05]

^ There have been some good games between these two teams in the past, I think. Wasn't Lawrence 0-11 one year....but that year they gave Belfry all they wanted? I may be thinking of another year and could be wrong.

Good memory

2008

LC was 0-11

Belfry went on to go 13-1 and even beat a Johnson Central team who gave Highlands the best game of that series.

[WideRight05]

Good memory

2008

LC was 0-11

Belfry went on to go 13-1 and even beat a Johnson Central team who gave Highlands the best game of that series.

I remember that game. That Johnson Central team was LOADED. Had the ball on us twice inside the 20 about to score that year and we stopped them, the other time they were driving again and Kody Rosenhagen recovered a fumble and ran it back about 70 - 75 yards for a score in the third quarter to change the game.

I want to say JC had close to 5,500 yards rushing on the ground, their running game that year was better than a lot of passing games. In my opinion, that JC team is the best team of any team during the Matney era.

[Dawgfan123]

To post 97 an 98 I think a 7 an 1 I s plenty to crow about, how many schools U know have better. By the way, what's the record of you're home schools.

[bucslover68]

I think the key for this game is Belfry holding on to the ball. Also, how effective is the LC O against the BHS D? I think that Varney and Adkins, the two young freshman, will have to get some meaningful snaps on offense and pick up some tough yards. LC will try and limit Hatfield and if they are successful then the HBs and QB will have to have big nights.

[dawg fan]

I don't see lc changing much in this game they will pass 10 to 15 times and try to run off tackle. They may move keesee up to a linebacker spot and drop off one corner most of time. I think you see 3 lineman and basically 6 linebackers.
Very tuff matchup for my dawgs.

[dawgbyte02]

1.The LC defense played their best game against PCC. If the defense plays over the top again, Belfry will have to earn every yard.
2.LC LB's and secondary have improved tremendously on reads and quickness to the ball, taking away big gains inside or outside.
3.LC secondary assumes they will intercept any pass thrown.
4. LC last 2 games has had 6 penalties and 2 turnovers. Much improved from Raceland debacle of 12 penalties and 7 turnovers which Raceland converted 6 of those turnovers to points.
5.LC offense has over 2200 yards of rushing to split between 4 different backs and the QB.
6.LC has over 700 yards of passing with 3 receivers accounting for 13 TD's. WR Dalton is the fastest guy on the field and will go one on one with anybody . WR Lambert Has 6 TD's and TE Schaeffer has 5 TD's. They both have very good speed and Schaeffer is 6'2" around 215 and hard to defend against and is devastating on YAC.
6.Kiser the QB runs the offense very well. He has very good speed and can operate under center, or from the shotgun. He can pass out of the pocket or rolling. He has ability to hit the deep pass and very accurate
7.LC run game in itself is very evenly balanced with Mosely, O'Brien, Sympkins and Kiser equally contributing.
8. OL/DL has improved every game and while they may not be as fast as Belfry they are capable of controlling the LOS.
9.Coaching seems to have leveled out. We are punting when we need to with a punter avg over 40 yards a punt. We are using timeouts better. We are using better play calling, i.e. passing on 1st/2nd down instead of 3rd/4th and 20 from your own 30. We have put in a stronger defense that makes the plays.
10. Home field advantage. This is always worth a little.

[baseball1974]

Those are all great points but the biggest factor in this game is going to be winning the line of scrimmage. If LC tries to run off tackle two or three times a series its going to be a long night for them. Belfry is most likely going to win that battle up front and get a push on every play. LC has to find a way in their offensive approach to take those D-lineman out of the equation the best they can.

[bucslover68]

1.The LC defense played their best game against PCC. If the defense plays over the top again, Belfry will have to earn every yard.
2.LC LB's and secondary have improved tremendously on reads and quickness to the ball, taking away big gains inside or outside.
3.LC secondary assumes they will intercept any pass thrown.
4. LC last 2 games has had 6 penalties and 2 turnovers. Much improved from Raceland debacle of 12 penalties and 7 turnovers which Raceland converted 6 of those turnovers to points.
5.LC offense has over 2200 yards of rushing to split between 4 different backs and the QB.
6.LC has over 700 yards of passing with 3 receivers accounting for 13 TD's. WR Dalton is the fastest guy on the field and will go one on one with anybody . WR Lambert Has 6 TD's and TE Schaeffer has 5 TD's. They both have very good speed and Schaeffer is 6'2" around 215 and hard to defend against and is devastating on YAC.
6.Kiser the QB runs the offense very well. He has very good speed and can operate under center, or from the shotgun. He can pass out of the pocket or rolling. He has ability to hit the deep pass and very accurate
7.LC run game in itself is very evenly balanced with Mosely, O'Brien, Sympkins and Kiser equally contributing.
8. OL/DL has improved every game and while they may not be as fast as Belfry they are capable of controlling the LOS.
9.Coaching seems to have leveled out. We are punting when we need to with a punter avg over 40 yards a punt. We are using timeouts better. We are using better play calling, i.e. passing on 1st/2nd down instead of 3rd/4th and 20 from your own 30. We have put in a stronger defense that makes the plays.
10. Home field advantage. This is always worth a little.

Daggone, Lil ole Belfry better not show up. LC sounds like a juggernaut. LC has to play their best game of the year and Belfry has a lot to overcome on Friday night. Should be a good game. I still like Belfry by 2 TDs.

[dawg fan]

If I was lc I would not show belfry everything I have in the playbook as lc will most likely see them again in the playoffs. I know this would be a hugh win for the program but the playoffs and regional title would be much better. Of course if lc wins the playoffs will come through louisa.

[bucslover68]

If I was lc I would not show belfry everything I have in the playbook as lc will most likely see them again in the playoffs. I know this would be a hugh win for the program but the playoffs and regional title would be much better. Of course if lc wins the playoffs will come through louisa.

LCs best bet to win against Belfry is Friday night. Belfry at possible full strength in the playoffs will be a bear to handle either at Belfry or Louisa.

[dawgbyte02]

Daggone, Lil ole Belfry better not show up. LC sounds like a juggernaut. LC has to play their best game of the year and Belfry has a lot to overcome on Friday night. Should be a good game. I still like Belfry by 2 TDs.

Not a doubt in my mind "lil ole Belfry" will show up. You are exactly right. Not only must LC play their best game, they have to cause a Pirate miscue or 2 or hope Belfry helps their cause out by their own miscues. If Belfry gets up 2 scores it will be hard to come back. If LC can keep this game close they have the best shot of pulling out a win in long time. One thing I do not foresee is a running clock in this game unless Belfry causes a bunch of turnovers. Should be a very competitive game for a change. Weather is calling for sunny and warm. LC field may be a tad bit slippery but will affect LC more than Belfry.

[pugsley79]

Belfry-35 Lawrence County-14
Belfry's Line wears down them Bulldogs and Hatfield runs all over the dogs.

[bucslover68]

Not a doubt in my mind "lil ole Belfry" will show up. You are exactly right. Not only must LC play their best game, they have to cause a Pirate miscue or 2 or hope Belfry helps their cause out by their own miscues. If Belfry gets up 2 scores it will be hard to come back. If LC can keep this game close they have the best shot of pulling out a win in long time. One thing I do not foresee is a running clock in this game unless Belfry causes a bunch of turnovers. Should be a very competitive game for a change. Weather is calling for sunny and warm. LC field may be a tad bit slippery but will affect LC more than Belfry.

Is the grass high LOL?

[dawgbyte02]

Is the grass high LOL?

Well the LC grounds keeping crew had let it get a little tall for PCC passing game, but the monsoon took care of that. Fire dept. called off training. Belfry is a different matter. Beware of free food.

[dawgbyte02]

Belfry-35 Lawrence County-14
Belfry's Line wears down them Bulldogs and Hatfield runs all over the dogs.

Not another Hatfield!!

[Cardinals ride]

I can't believe that people are saying a LC team that was tied with SC 0-0 at halftime is gonna beat this Belfry team.
Really?


We have LC supporters talking about how well they have played the last 2 games!! Really?? Against SC and PC? The only good team LC has played this year blasted them. I will be the fuest to eat some crow on here if LC can pull this out but I just don't see it. You can talk about the coaching all you want but this game is gonna be decided by the players. I just don't see LC having enough horses in the stable.


I'm all about supporting your team/community but being cocky for no reason is silliness. LC hasn't beat a good team all year and come Saturday the same will be true!!

[bucslover68]

Good memory

2008

LC was 0-11

Belfry went on to go 13-1 and even beat a Johnson Central team who gave Highlands the best game of that series.

JC was actually closer to beating Highlands in 2010 at JC. They lost 21-14 and had a dropped pass in the end zone that would have tied the game. Belfry wasn't very good that year and got blown out by JC in the last game of the regular season. They caught fire in the playoffs and upset Somerset at Belfry to go to state. Central made quick work of the Pirates that year.

[bucslover68]

In 2005, at Belfry, the Pirates first win at CAM Stadium was against LC and Belfry had to stop a two point conversion in the final minute in order to win it.

[dawgbyte02]

I can't believe that people are saying a LC team that was tied with SC 0-0 at halftime is gonna beat this Belfry team.
Really?


We have LC supporters talking about how well they have played the last 2 games!! Really?? Against SC and PC? The only good team LC has played this year blasted them. I will be the fuest to eat some crow on here if LC can pull this out but I just don't see it. You can talk about the coaching all you want but this game is gonna be decided by the players. I just don't see LC having enough horses in the stable.


I'm all about supporting your team/community but being cocky for no reason is silliness. LC hasn't beat a good team all year and come Saturday the same will be true!!

I do not think anyone has said outright that LC was going to beat Belfry. Most believe this is their best shot in many years to put up a competitive game against Belfry. Belfry has some unusual weak spots at this moment in time, that LC may be able to take advantage of. Belfry may be up 49-0 at half time, but by contract LC has to play the game. A lot of folks may think LC should just forfeit the game and forego the beat down that many seem to think is a certainty. For some reason the LC players want to play this game. They are young and full of hope and dreams and possibilities. They did not get the memo about not a chance, wasting your time, you cannot beat a good team, maybe next year etc. But if you are going to play ANY GAME, you should at the very least think you have a shot at winning it. That's not being cocky but being confident you will give it your best shot.
Every player on the LC team has the utmost respect for Belfry and knows they must bring their A+ game to climb this mountain. The difference is they know the mountain can be climbed.

[Do-double-gg]

Everyone does this against Belfry. Belfry typically only has one SE so 9 in the box is basically automatic.. if you put a single CB and have a lone Safety that is 9 that by default will be in the box.

Truth be told the best defense against Belfry is a team who can emulate what Central does. Play your LB'ers at standard depth where they can read and react. Play your CB off several yards. Use your speed to shut down the outside and react quick inside after spacing out enough that linemen can't block multiple defenders. The issue is most teams don't have the speed or athletes to pull this off.

No offence but those were some different Belfry teams playing Central in those years, "and let's be honest", no team in Eastern Kentucky has the speed or caliber of players to emulate what Central does. I know for a fact that the coaches got the Pikeville game film and I'm not saying that what Pikeville did is the best way to play or beat Belfry but Pikeville did something right. For years Belfry has had the advantage on the line of scrimmage against 95% of the teams they play. Very few teams in this area can come at Belfry with a 3 or 4 man front and match up and Pikeville knew they couldn't either and that is why they had a 6 man front. Everybody and their brother knows that Belfry likes to run and that they will run 98% of the time. Pikeville was bringing more body's then Belfry could keep up with or block and Belfry had more size, depth and talent yet Pikeville dominated that game at the line and they were reeking havoc in the Belfry backfield. Belfry was so busy contending with the 6 lineman that they had no time or room to get much blocking down field. Pikeville had very little respect for the Belfry passing, (and this is nothing personal), but for good reason. I got to see the film of this game and it is painfully obvious that Belfry works on passing about as much as we do on kicking. I believe the LC coaches can take the blueprint gift that Pikeville gave em and make a few tweaks to fit their personnel and make this game respectable. I think we have a few fast athletic kids like #11 Dalton who can be a deep safety valve who can cover and run with any receiver or running back Belfry can throw at us on the big plays. I still don't think it will be enough to win and if we put the ball on the ground and get penalized about 50 times like we love to do then none of it will even matter anyway. If we come with 3 lineman and blitz the linebackers every other play and over pursue like we have all year this will be a running clock just like last year IMO.

[#1 Blackcat Fan]

Belfry 42
Lawrence County 13

[EKUAlum05]

No offence but those were some different Belfry teams playing Central in those years, "and let's be honest", no team in Eastern Kentucky has the speed or caliber of players to emulate what Central does. I know for a fact that the coaches got the Pikeville game film and I'm not saying that what Pikeville did is the best way to play or beat Belfry but Pikeville did something right. For years Belfry has had the advantage on the line of scrimmage against 95% of the teams they play. Very few teams in this area can come at Belfry with a 3 or 4 man front and match up and Pikeville knew they couldn't either and that is why they had a 6 man front. Everybody and their brother knows that Belfry likes to run and that they will run 98% of the time. Pikeville was bringing more body's then Belfry could keep up with or block and Belfry had more size, depth and talent yet Pikeville dominated that game at the line and they were reeking havoc in the Belfry backfield. Belfry was so busy contending with the 6 lineman that they had no time or room to get much blocking down field. Pikeville had very little respect for the Belfry passing, (and this is nothing personal), but for good reason. I got to see the film of this game and it is painfully obvious that Belfry works on passing about as much as we do on kicking. I believe the LC coaches can take the blueprint gift that Pikeville gave em and make a few tweaks to fit their personnel and make this game respectable. I think we have a few fast athletic kids like #11 Dalton who can be a deep safety valve who can cover and run with any receiver or running back Belfry can throw at us on the big plays. I still don't think it will be enough to win and if we put the ball on the ground and get penalized about 50 times like we love to do then none of it will even matter anyway. If we come with 3 lineman and blitz the linebackers every other play and over pursue like we have all year this will be a running clock just like last year IMO.

That is a very dangerous mindset to have.

When healthy this Belfry team is better than the 2010 and 2011 teams and not very far off right now from the 2012 and 2007 teams.

Don't let a loss to a very good Pikeville team fool you..this is not a watered down product on the field. This is a team who has pummeled a Top 10 caliber 6A team, a top 5 5A team, and probably one of the Top 5 3A teams in TN.

[Dawgfan123]

I agree mostly, with what has been said, but those big named schools, don't mean necessarily mean good F. B . teams. Rankings is only an openion of one or sometimes more. L. C . Did not play pikeville, Belfry did not play Raceland. So we shall a find out some things Fri. Night without guessing.

[irishcard16]

So you are comparing a running clock at home, to a 9 point loss on the road? Did I read that right? That you are saying the Raceland loss and the Pikeville loss are equal? If so, not hardly!

[pjdoug]

That is a very dangerous mindset to have.

When healthy this Belfry team is better than the 2010 and 2011 teams and not very far off right now from the 2012 and 2007 teams.

Don't let a loss to a very good Pikeville team fool you..this is not a watered down product on the field. This is a team who has pummeled a Top 10 caliber 6A team, a top 5 5A team, and probably one of the Top 5 3A teams in TN.

CAK is Division I Class AA, District 4 and ranked #24 http://www.coacht.com/tennessee/rankings...?sportid=1

[EKUAlum05]

CAK is Division I Class AA, District 4 and ranked #24 http://www.coacht.com/tennessee/rankings...?sportid=1

Updated Calpreps After Last Week
http://calpreps.com/2014/ratings/Tennessee_division.htm#3A

AP Poll
http://www.timesunion.com/sports/article...816663.php