Kickoff between the Longhorns (1-1) and Indians (0-2) is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Longhorn Stadium.
Early dropped last season’s game to Comanche, 49-40, but the effort in attempting to rally from a 21-point halftime deficit served as a catalyst for the rest of the season, Price said.
“Last year we played really well in the second half against Comanche,” Price said. “It was kind of a turning point for us and we were able to get a little swagger back.”
Also like last season, the Longhorns are coming off a lopsided loss to Tolar heading into the contest as Early generated 273 yards of total offense – 178 through the air and 95 on the ground – and gave just 225 yards of total offense – 165 rushing and 60 passing. But five turnovers, including an interception return and a fumble recovery return for touchdowns, along with a punt return to the end zone by Tolar proved to be Early’s undoing.
“It was one of those nights where it snowballed and got out of control real fast,” Price said. “We also had a few injuries and that didn’t help the situation at all. When you play a good football team you can’t have those kind of mistakes, and you sure can’t make more than one. You have to learn from that, move on and do better in the next game. We also learned about where we are as a program and where we’re at in the season and we have to be better if we want to be successful when we get the last five games.”
Comanche is coming off a 70-0 victory over a Bangs team Early knocked off 52-10 in the season opener. Last week the Indians generated 519 yards of total offense – 347 rushing and 172 passing – and yielded just 132 yards – 109 on the ground and 23 through the air.
Sawyer Wilkerson rushed for 239 yards and four touchdowns on just 16 carries – an average of 14.9 yards per tote – to spark the Comanche offense. Colt Schwertner finished with 59 yards on the ground while quarterback Layden Welch added 27 yards and a touchdown and Cayden Davis chipped in 22 yards with a trip to the end zone.
Through the air, Welch connected on 5 of 7 passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns. Raymond Crossland caught two scoring tosses totaling 57 yards, Kyler Beaty added a 77-yard scoring reception, Schwertner hauled in a 20-yard reception and C.T. Buford made an 18-yard catch.
On the defensive side of the ball, Diego Gutierrez recorded 12 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown for the Indians; Boswell tallied eight tackles and two sacks; and Ezequiel Medrano notched four tackles and recovered two fumbles. Manuel Ortiz also collected eight tackles and Marc Cuevas recovered a fumble as well.
“Comanche is ranked in the Top 2 in Region II and the Top 10 in the state so they’re a very good football team,” Price said. “They have a lot of experience back from last year, Coach (Jake) Escobar does a really good job of making those guys physical. They’re going to show up and they’re going to play hard. The two guys in the backfield are really good. Sawyer is unbelievable, had a great season last year and is off to another great start this year. We’re going to have to slow him down and tackle him. Offensively, we have to execute and take care of the ball. Maybe we can find a little success and take some pressure off the defense. That’s going to be a good challenge and contest for us.”
The Longhorns enter the contest averaging 33 points and 380 yards – 205.5 passing and 174.5 rushing – per game, but has committed seven turnovers in two outings.
Griffin Cheslock leads the ground game with 279 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while three Longhorns have seen time at quarterback – Rohyn Price (14 of 26 for 227 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT), Justin Pierce (13 of 25 for 170 yards, 2 INTs), and Weston Barton (2 of 8 for 14 yards, 1 INT). Leading receivers include Andrew Reedy (7-75, TD), Ki Houston (6-152, TD), Barton (5-56, TD), Reece Middleton (4-45), and Ben Bleth (3-51, TD).
Defensively, the Longhorns are yielding 29 points and 256.5 yards – 133.5 passing and 123 rushing – on average, with three takeaways. Standouts include Kaleb Ozuna (14 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery), Izik Delgado (14 tackles, 4 for loss), Dalton Adams (13 tackles, 5 for loss, 3 sacks), Brooks Clippinger (9 tackles, 2 for loss) and Reedy (9 tackles). Houston and Cheslock have intercepted passes and Giovanni Guevara recovered a fumble.
Early likely won’t be at full strength Friday night as the team suffered multiple injuries during the Tolar game.
“We had some guys go down and we’re hoping we might get a couple back but we’re not sure yet,” Price said. “We’ll see as we get closer to game time, but I don’t yet for sure.”
According to Harris Ratings Weekly, Early is a 17-point underdog.
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Early Longhorns 2023 Football Season Stats
Through 2 Games (1-1)
TEAM OFFENSE
33.0 points per game (66)
380.0 yards per game (760)
174.5 rushing yards per game (349)
205.5 passing yards per game (411)
PASSING
* Rohyn Price
14 of 26 for 227 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT
* Justin Pierce
13 of 25 for 170 yards, 2 INTs
* Weston Barton
2 of 8 for 14 yards, 1 INT
RUSHING
* Griffin Cheslock
279 yards on 40 carries, 2 TDs
* Kaleb Ozuna
32 yards on 6 carries
* Rohyn Price
23 yards on 5 carries, 2 TDs
* Ben Morris
15 yards on 3 carries
* Weston Barton
2 yards on 1 carry
* Justin Pierce
-2 yards on 3 carries
RECEIVING
* Andrew Reedy
7 catches, 75 yards, 1 TD
* Ki Houston
6 catches, 152 yards, 1 TD
* Weston Barton
5 catches, 56 yards, 1 TD
* Reece Middleton
4 catches, 45 yards
* Ben Bleth
3 catches, 51 yards, 1 TD
* Griffin Cheslock
3 catches, 18 yards
* Kaleb Ozuna
1 catch, 14 yards
###
TEAM DEFENSE
29.0 points per game (58)
256.5 yards per game (513)
123.0 rushing yards per game (246)
133.5 passing yards per game (267)
TACKLES
* Kaleb Ozuna
14 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery
* Izik Delgado
14 tackles, 4 for loss
* Dalton Adams
13 tackles, 5 for loss, 3 sacks
* Brooks Clippinger
9 tackles, 2 for loss
* Andrew Reedy
9 tackles
* Weston Barton
6 tackles
* Ki Houston
6 tackles, 1 INT
* Reece Middleton
5 tackles
* Rohyn Price
5 tackles
* Dylan Brame
4 tackles
* Giovanni Guevara
3 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 fumble recovery
* Griffin Cheslock
3 tackles, 1 INT
* Rico Vasquez
3 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack
* Justin Pierce
3 tackles
* Ben Morris
2 tackles
* Rico Vasquez
2 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack
* Giovanni Guevara
2 tackles, 1 fumble recovery
* Griffin Cheslock
2 tackles, 1 INT
* Ben Morris
2 tackles
* Ben Bleth
2 tackles
* Justin Pierce
2 tackles
* Ethan Moseley
1 tackle
* Angel Del Villar
1 tackle
* Jacob Braun
1 tackle
* Jacob McDaniel
1 tackle
###
TURNOVER MARGIN (-3)
* Early: 7 (3 fumbles, 4 interceptions)
* Opponents: 4 (2 fumbles, 2 interceptions)